Sign Ruler: Jupiter Decan Rulers: Sagittarius III Saturn & SunKeywords: Weight of the World, Determination, Will & Endurance
Tarot Correspondence: 10 of Wands
The Burning Question
This lunation asks one simple, uncomfortable question:
Is the path you’re about to choose worth the weight it will ask you to carry?
You may feel you’re standing at the start of a demanding road. You may sense the need to choose differently this time. The New Moon brings a quiet but serious beginning, one that asks for honesty.
For some of us, this lunation is a 27-month Lunar Gestation story , demanding endurance, and a deep, honest look at the burdens you carry. This New Moon in Decan III of Sagittarius asks you which commitments you’re finally ready to release to lighten your burden.
If you are feeling this call deeply and want to understand exactly where this 27-month cycle lands in your life, I can help. I offer personalised readings that map this energy to your natal chart. Alternatively, my Celestia Circle Workbooks provide all the tools you need to track these Moon Families yourself, but they also come with live guidance, support and tracking templates. Just upgrade your subscription to join, or message me with your questions.
Overview: Let’s look at…
* Immediate Action: Rituals and journal prompts to implement right now.
* The 27-Month Vow: Understanding the Moon Family cycle.
* The Final Climb: A deeper dive into Sagittarius, Decan III and its meaning.
* The Weight You Choose: Wisdom from the 10 of Wands and the Horse’s Skull.
* The Decan in Verse: Excerpt from Dreaming the Decans T Susan Chang
* Sky Conversations: How Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune are shaping this New Moon.
* Embodying the Decan & Mindfulness: Simple practices for resilience.
Astro-Coaching & Ritual: Co-Creating with the New Moon
A New Moon doesn’t arrive with the drama of a revelation. It comes quietly, with a dark and blank sky offering a simple choice: What will you carry into the next 28 months? The next month, the next 6 months? What will you leave behind in the last cycle?
Reflective Prompts
You might want to journal on one or two of these questions:
* Which burdens am I about to carry into another cycle by default or habit, without conscious choice?
* If I’m honest, which dream no longer fits who I’ve become?
* Where am I ready to begin again, but differently this time?
* What would a sustainable version of my vision look like?
* What support do I need to avoid burnout over the next 2–3 years?
* Where am I confusing difficulty with meaning?
New Moon Ritual – “Choose the Load”
* List Your Commitments. Write down all your current burdens and commitments. Include projects, roles, responsibilities, relationship dynamics, and even internal expectations.
* Mark Each One. Mark each item with one of three labels: “Carry” (still aligned, worth the effort), “Complete” (ready to finish and phase out), or “Release” (time to lay it down).
* Make a Vow. Choose one “Carry” commitment you are willing to build a 27-month vow around. Write a simple sentence beginning with: “For this Moon Family, I commit to…”
* Release the Burden. Choose one “Release” burden. Burn, shred, or bury its written name. As you do, say something in your own words like: “I release what no longer honours my path, to make space for the work that does.”
* Place Your Intention. Place your “Carry” intention somewhere you will see regularly. This is a conscious agreement with yourself.
The New Moon: Seeding a Longer Story
A New Moon is the conception point of the cycle. It marks the dark sky, the invisible Moon, and a shift that begins inside you long before it shows outwardly in the world.
Multiple things are happening at once here. You are starting a short 28-day cycle, from New Moon to the next New Moon in this part of your natal chart. Another longer cycle begins, which grows your intentions to culminate at the Full Moon in Sagittarius in 6 months.
Those who have natal placements activated by this moon family* (see under the graphic) are also initiating a 27-month Moon Family, a longer arc that will unfold in four stages in this same part of your chart. This longer cycle is a concept introduced by astrologer Dietrich Pessin as a Lunar Gestation story or Moon Family.
For this Sagittarius III Moon Family, whatever begins now is a storyline running until early 2028.
* New Moon – 20th December 2025 28° Sagittarius (Conception)
* First Quarter – 18th September 2026 25° Sagittarius (Crisis & Action, the Push)
* Full Moon – 19th June 2027 27° Sagittarius (Culmination & Revelation)
* Last Quarter – 17th March 2028 27° Sagittarius (Release & Reset)
* If your natal chart has planets or angles around 23–29° of Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo, or Pisces, this Moon Family is likely to be more significant for you. Also the late degrees of the other fire signs, Aries and Leo. These are the themes you’ll be living with, working, testing, and re-choosing several times over the next few years.
An astrologer or astro coach can help you work deeper with this. I offer personalised readings that map Moon Families to your natal chart. Alternatively, my Celestia Circle Workbooks provide all the tools you need to track these Moon Families yourself, but they also come with live guidance, support and tracking templates. Just upgrade your subscription to join, or message me with your questions.
If you are not sure where your Sun, Moon or Rising are, just comment with ‘Decans’ and I will ask privately for your birth information to give you this information so you can follow your own Moon families.
The Fire of Sagittarius: Vision on the Move
Sagittarius is mutable fire. Aries brings us the first, Cardinal initiating spark, which is sustained at the fixed steady hearth of Leo. Sagittarius is the flame that travels, the wildfire that jumps, always looking for higher ground.
It is adventurous, meaning-seeking, and restless for a bigger story. Ruled by Jupiter the generous, wise Sage, Sagittarius wants the kind of truth you can only learn from life experience - through travel, in conversations, and through lived experience.
At the time of this New Moon, the quest is about to begin anew, you may not even have decided on the form of the adventure yet. The question might be “What am I willing to live for next?”
A New Moon in Sagittarius invites you to align your intentions with your beliefs. In the third decan, that invitation comes with a palpable sense of weight.
Sagittarius III – Weighty Beginnings
This decan is co-ruled by Saturn and the Sun, a challenging combination of Saturn, the planet of restriction, decay and time with the Sun, our life-giving luminary of will and vitality.
Saturn the Lord of Time asks for sustained effort, structure, dedication and discipline. The Sun, symbolising our light and our Eyes, brings warmth, illumination, direction and purpose. In this decan, big philosophies and beliefs will be tested and have to prove themselves in the real world.
We find that the philosophical fire must confront the material burden of realisation. Dreams are heavy when we must carry them uphill. Here, the wild, often untethered optimism of Sagittarius finally turns serious when confronted by Saturn, just like a performance review of sorts.
The dream gets legs, and those legs will get tired. This is a place where beliefs must meet endurance, we must dig deep into our resilience. At the New Moon, we are far from the summit. We are just beginning to make our plans, looking up, knowing that it will take time and commitment, Saturn, and energy, Sun.
The Horse’s Skull & Resilience
Astrologer Austin Coppock calls this decan Horse’s Skull symbolising the worn-out body after a long pursuit, the exhaustion and cost of a grand vision while evoking the imagery of endurance, death, drive, and a relentless need to move forward, no matter the cost.
He writes that “…must choose which burdens they will bear to the bitter end and which are not worthy of such feats of will and endurance”
Kira Ryberg calls it Resilience highlighting the need to persist with integrity, drawing on deep inner resources. She writes about the traditional definitions by ancient authors which interpret the conflict between Saturn and the Sun as they “represent the two different options one finds in the final decan of Sagittarius: the glory of finishing the marathon and the exhaustion that follows.
When one is tired, weak, hungry and exhausted, they are more likely to enter into a state of defensiveness and hostility for they have likely been beaten down by some oppresive force”
A New Moon in this decan cautions us: Before you sign up for the next marathon, check in with yourself, do you still want the medal.
Wild Way – All or Nothing
The Wild Way Oracle calls this decan All or Nothing, and offers the powerful keywords:
Weight of the World, Determination, and Will & Endurance.
The Oracle image is the Wild Cat resting in the snow, allowing flakes to settle on its head. It’s not at the very beginning, and not quite at the end. It’s that pause where you gather yourself and decide whether to go on.
“Just like Sagittarius III Wild Cat, you’ve almost made it. The end point is in sight but in order to get there, you must give everything you have left… Be aware though, that great hardship must be worth the end result. Do your goals justify the burdens you must endure and the sacrifices you must make to reach them? Now is the time to decide.” From the Wild Way Oracle Guide Book
This is a decan of tests and existential questions. Saturn asks you: will it be worth it? The Sun asks: do you still believe? You are at the crossroads, but can see the finish line ahead, rest a moment while you make your choice.
The message is clear: You already know how hard this kind of path can be. Now is the time to decide if you’re willing to make this choice.
Tarot: 10 of Wands – The Weight You Choose
The 10 of Wands is the tarot card for Sagittarius III. It depicts a lone figure carrying a heavy bundled load uphill, shoulders hunched, burdened but resolute. He can’t see clearly where he’s going, but he is committed.
The work is almost done, but it is punishing. This is the moment of overextension, going further than you ever have before, of leaving your comfort zone far behind, of doing too much, but also of taking responsibility for your dreams.
The wands he carries are both his burdens and his ambitions. This card shows the cost of success - the final push, the weight of responsibilities accumulated over time, and the tension between endurance and collapse. It warns against martyrdom but also honors the sacredness of commitment.
Are you weighed down by duties that you, or those around you have outgrown? T Susan Chang calls this Decan The weight of the world and writes that this decan can be “our greatest victory-the final forging of our legend”, or that we can combust, or even both.
She points out how awkwardly the wands are being carried, obsuring sight and so precarious that some will imminently drop, but where? Will we choose, or wait for gravity to take its course.
At the New Moon, the question becomes: Which load are you choosing to pick up? Which one are you finally going to stop lifting? What is obsuring your sight? This lunation is asking for a sacred commitment.
T. Susan Chang, Dreaming the Decans: Fulfill your Dreams
T. Susan Chang captures the spirit of this decan in verse:
Rising up on Sacred Smoke,Ambitions I have held and stoked.Flames inspire or consume:Advance to Victory or doom…
Accept the burden without rancour —Forge the chains of your own anchor.Bent beneath that worldly weightWhat you must suffer, dedicate…
Do what thou wilt, do what thou must:Fulfil your dreams lest they combust.
This verse is highlights the effort and burden we find here.
The decan sanctifies it, and finds the sacred in the work and ambition. It highlights the potential for huge wins, or loss, and cautions us to proceed, only if the dream is worthy of the sacrifice, and warns, our dreams may combust if we don’t take the risk.
Under this New Moon, the question isn’t whether something is difficult.It’s whether it’s devotional.
Astrological Aspects – A Quiet but Serious Threshold
The conversations in the sky will shape and inform this beginning.
Jupiter in Cancer – Indirect Support
Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, is strong and exalted right now in Cancer. However, its rays of support cannot see the Moon in Sagittarius from this position. You may not feel that usual Sagittarian ‘buoyancy’ or external luck this New Moon. It is also retrograde.
It may be that this growth is turned inward instead. The support is indirect, therefore the beneficence comes through more subtle knowing such as emotional intelligence and intuition. Your inner council is far more important than any external cheerleader or feedback, and you are being asked to trust it. You may take longer than usual to act or decide.
With Jupiter retrograde, much of this process is internal - reviewing beliefs, re-evaluating goals, and turning inward for reflection and guidance.
Square to Saturn and Neptune in Pisces
The New Moon in late Sagittarius squares Saturn and Neptune in Pisces. The Moon has already met Saturn and carries its seriousness and weight. It now applies toward Neptune, moving from hard realism into dream, fog, and longing.
This square highlights the friction between the the mutable Sagittarius and collective Pisces vision and Saturnian reality. It forces the need to test out what will be truly livable and manageable, not just inspirational. They provide the tension and the weight of the wands we are trying to carry.
Saturn demands clarity in what you commit to. Neptune requires sincerity in what you believe, and asks, what do you believe in deeply enough to sacrifice for? Will you sacrifice some wands for clearer vision?
Together, they create friction with the New Moon that refines your intention and advise us: If you’re going to start something here, make sure it’s not built on fantasy or self-deception.
Sagittarius Stellium – Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus
We have a stellium in Sagittarius: Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Venus amplifying the focus on fire and vision.
Your intentions now must be both flexible and sustainable.
* Mercury in Sagittarius thinks in big, bold strokes. It prefers story over fine print. Allow Mercury to help you frame your “why” , the grand vision, you can refine the “how” later.
* Venus Combust in Sagittarius means our values, relationships and desires are being purified and recalibrated by the heat and light of the Sun. We are reviewing which wands to carry, what is important to you? It may not be clear yet, and thats ok.
Venus also applies to a square with Saturn. That combination suggests tests of loyalty, commitment, and worth. It brings honest reflections on whether a relationship, project or creative path can go the distance. What we like and love is being tested.
What Might You Experience?
Not everyone will feel this lunation at full volume (those with mutable placements at 25–29° may feel this most strongly), but if you look out for the these you may notice:
* A sense of quiet seriousness, perhaps about your plans for the future.
* Awareness that certain goals will require real sacrifice if you recommit to them.
* An urge to draw a line under the old way of doing things.
* Subtle but powerful shifts in belief or worldview “I can’t do this like that anymore”
* Questions about whether you’ve been choosing the hard path because it’s meaningful… or because it’s familiar.
* The desire to change how you commit, not just what you commit to
Wild Cat Meditation
* Relax and tune into your breathing. Release all the tension you are holding in your body. Visualise yourself as the Wild Cat in the snow, at the start of a long journey.
* Snow falls quietly, and softens all around you, the landscape is still and quiet as you breathe. You can sense how demanding the terrain ahead will become.
* Feel the alertness in your body as you weigh up the road ahead.
* Ask yourself:
* Do I still want this kind of path?
* What will I need to do differently to survive it?
* What must I not carry alone?
* How is my body responding?
* When you’re ready, return and take one small physical step in the direction of your chosen commitment, maybe send the email, open the document, schedule the rest, ask for help, or something else.
Here are a few simple ways to work with Sagittarius III in your body:
* Walk with Intention. Take a deliberate long walk with a specific intention or question regarding the New Moon in mind. Notice where your body says “yes” and where it quietly says “no more.” Notice what distractions or doubts arise.
* Choose Your Weight. Carry with you a small weight, ideally a stone or rock, to feel the sensation of burden, and choice. When decisions are called for, reach for the stone and allow it to help guide you. How do you AND the stone in your hand feel when you think of one decision vs the other? What differences can you identify?
* Schedule Recovery. Schedule rest around effort. Recovery is necessary in this decan; it’s part of pacing and building resilience.
* Trust the inner voice more than external reactions. Allow Jupiter’s wisdom and guidance to come from within.
And finally…
This Sagittarius New Moon in the third decan doesn’t promise an easy start, but it offers something far more valuable for us, the chance to align effort with meaning from the beginning in a sacred, intentional action.
It demands that we show up, not only for others, but for our own deepest truths. It is a call to carry what matters, and let go of what doesn’t. With fire in our hearts and snow at our feet, we press on, because what awaits is not just the success we might dream of, but soul alignment.
Allow this New Moon to help you discern what needs to be carried forward now. Carry the load, but only what really matters to you now. Everything else can be left in the snow.
The invitation now is to choose what truly deserves that endurance. Stay in the moment with yourself. Burn bright. Finish strong.
How I Support You
If you want help understanding how this New Moon activates your chart or how to work with other Moon Families in your personal cycle:
* Book a natal or Year Ahead reading at CelestiaAstrology.com (let me know in your intake form that you are interested in exploring either significant moon families coming up for you, or past significant events)
* Upgrade your Substack Subscription and Join Celestia Circle for monthly Moon Family guidance and support, workbooks, and New Moon Astro Mindfulness
* Explore astro-coaching if you’re navigating a longer-term transformation or decision
You don’t have to carry the next 27 months alone. I’m here to walk this path with you.
If you don’t know the decans of your Sun, Moon or Rising, just comment with ‘Decans’ and I will ask privately for your birth details to give you this information so you can follow your own Moon families.
Travel well friends,
Sonia
Please do leave a comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts, experiences or questions on this New Moon.
References:
Bernadette Brady Star and Planet Combinations
AustinCoppock.com The Decans: Images and Applications
Dietrich Pessin Lunar Families III
KiraRyberg.com The 36 Decans
T Susan Chang Dreaming the Decans
The Wild Way Oracle deck and Oracle Book by Nicola Allan, @nicola_allan on Instagram & Twitter
