Hop aboard and get ready for my favorite full moon of this year, and the subject of this month’s spotlight: moon in Sagittarius!
(It’s easy to overuse exclamation points when working with Sagittarius’ rambunctious, jovial spirit! So, I’m not going to sweat it!)
Why do I love me a nice Sagittarius moon? you may be asking. Or not! Either way, like all Sagittarians, who energetically gush on about whatever is on their mind, irregardless of their audience, I’m just going to loudly hold forth on this wild and wooly moon placement and why it’s the feel-good full moon of this year. I may veer merrily off topic in the process, but you’ll hopefully still love me in the end, just as we all can’t help but love the cheerfully oversharing Sagittarians in our lives!
(I don’t have any Sagittarius placements, except for Neptune, for the record, but it’s fun to channel this energy — it gets my Jane Austen drawing room Libra moon out of her comfort zone, say, into a rodeo!)
Party Time! Excellent!
The moon in Sagittarius is ruled by expansive, uplifting Jupiter, lending a happy-go-lucky, quest-driven quality to those born under it. Happily, Jupiter is the greater benefic, and it will do its best to help out those with this placement of one of the all-important luminaries.
However, Jupiter’s position in the natal chart matters. It’s most helpful if Jupiter is in one of its home signs of Pisces or Sagittarius or its exaltation in Cancer. If it’s located in one of the other fire signs (Leo or Aires), where Jupiter enjoys some dignity through triplicity, this is helpful as well, and Jupiter would also “see” the moon in Sagittarius from a supportive trine in these signs. However, any sign in which Jupiter makes a traditional aspect to the moon is helpful, and there are other ways in which Jupiter can provide support.
The moon rules our physical body, our emotional needs and responses, and our connection to the past, particularly to the mother or similar parental figure. People with this placement tend to have some leeway in their physical body and health, unless Jupiter is seriously afflicted, and a similar resilience in their emotional makeup. They may seem to bounce back quickly from setbacks, continually optimistic. The mother or similar parental figure may have been adventurous or interested in matters of philosophy, religion, or higher learning, or may have been a traveller or a “student of life.”
Like our favorite high school time travelers, Bill and Ted, the moon in Sagittarius is motivated by a quest for higher knowledge and an expansion of education (or simply completing high school, as it were) and wants to live life as a, well, excellent adventure. It’s all well and good, even if kidnapping of historical figures, including astrologer fan favorite So-Crates (aka Socrates), is part of the journey.
As with anything involving Jupiter, there’s plenty of time for fun along the path towards enlightenment (or the water slide at Raging Waters, as it may be), including “bodacious babes” (I know, I know: some things from this movie don’t age well). But you get my point — this moon placement is always up for a good time.
And therein lies the main potential problem for moon in Sag — too much of a good thing. “Too much” is always Jupiter’s downfall, and sometimes people with this placement can spectacularly fail to reign things in. Unfortunately, we can’t just time travel in a phone booth forever; eventually we have to, you know, finish high school. Lame! But true.
Full Moon Fun
This is the one and only full moon in Sagittarius of the year, and, fortunately, which is Jupiter’s watchword, it’s (pretty much) a nice one. The moon enters Sagittarius later in the day on June 12th and leaves for Capricorn almost exactly 48 hours later on the 14th, forming an exact full moon at 23 degrees Sagittarius on the morning of the 14th.
The first aspect the moon in Sagittarius makes is to trine its ruler Jupiter in Aires, happy in its own bounds, on the 13th. This auspicious start to the full moon marks a fiery and optimistic reset after a somewhat unsettling and exhausting weekend. If you felt things were off, you’re right: with the moon in Scorpio conjoined the South Node and opposed Venus, Uranus, and the North Node, and square Saturn, we may have experienced unwelcome romantic or artistic surprises.
Next, the moon trines Mars, at home in Aires, and the ruler of Jupiter in Aires. More good, energetic, go-go-go fun that even constructively occupies Mars. Early on the 14th, the moon exactly opposes the sun in Gemini, for its full moon moment in the sun, and shortly after trines Saturn in Aquarius. Everyone is having a good time! Even old man “get off my lawn” Saturn!
But then, the moon squares Neptune in Pisces and things seem to go off the rails a bit, since Neptune obscures and turns things dreamy or confusing. It may simply be a case of overindulgence that goes too far. However, there is the danger, always with Neptune, of deception (or self-deception), of not reading the room correctly, of consuming or disseminating misinformation.
That this final aspect happens from Mars’ bounds in the last degrees of Sagittarius, squaring Neptune in Mars’ bounds in Pisces also raises the potential of discord. It’s just something to be aware of after your full moon party winds down and the moon slides into its no-fun zone of Capricorn.
Take advantage of this full moon, the first in Sagittarius without the South Node present for the last couple of years, to reflect on the Sagittarius house in your chart. The Sagittarius whole sign house has likely been under some duress for the approximately 18 months in 2020-2021 when the South Node was there (it moved into Scorpio earlier this year), suggesting themes of release and loss.
In fact, everyone with mutable placements, particularly mutable rising signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) is likely feeling relief along this axis with the nodes having moved on. This full moon is the first one in either Gemini or Sagittarius without the nodes co-present, so mutable folks can finally get a break.
Six months ago, in early December 2021, we had the final eclipse in the Gemini-Sagittarius series, a new moon in Sagittarius that was constructively sextile its ruler Jupiter in Aquarius and co-present with Saturn. What progress, what big lessons and broader themes have developed there since, in the space cleared out by the eclipses?
As always with Jupiter, this lunation offers a moment to honor the concept of higher wisdom, philosophical learning, religion, and metaphysical journeys in your life. How do you relate to these concepts? How do you want to grow (Jupiter keyword) in these areas? What deep concepts or overarching systems call to your heart? Mindfully thinking through your relationship to these ideas is a great practice during this lunation.
As this full moon in Sagittarius winds down, and we move into the waning of this month’s lunar journey, we may be tired. Capricorn, where the moon lands next, the sign where Luna is in detriment or exile, is a good time to rest and cocoon. It’s a good idea, perhaps, to reflect on the recent full moon wisdom that may have ignited within you. Why not snuggle up with some reruns of the classic 90s cartoon The Magic School Bus, with the kids on endless adventures with Ms. Frizzle, a moon in Sagittarius archetype if there ever was one?