The Final New Moon of 2025: Setting Intentions in Sagittarius Flames (December 19, 2025)
Tonight at 8:43 PM EST, the final New Moon of 2025 arrives in Sagittarius—just two days before the Winter Solstice. This is the last cosmic reset point before we enter 2026, and it's asking you something important:
What truth are you ready to claim? What belief are you ready to expand? What adventure—internal or external—are you ready to begin?
This isn't a gentle, introspective New Moon. This is Sagittarius—mutable fire, ruled by Jupiter, the planet of expansion and possibility. This moon wants you to aim your arrow at something that scares you a little, excites you a lot, and requires you to trust that you're capable of more than you've been allowing yourself to believe.
But here's what makes this New Moon complex: it's not just about optimism and big dreams. This lunation squares Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, creating tension between fantasy and reality, between what you want to believe and what actually is. You're being asked to dream big while also staying grounded—to have faith while also doing the work.
As a Creative Arts Therapist working with spiritually-minded people in Brooklyn and throughout New York State, I want to offer you a grounded way to work with this powerful lunation—one that honors both the expansive Sagittarius energy and the need for realistic, sustainable intention-setting.
Understanding Tonight's Sagittarius New Moon
Sagittarius embodies the spirit of the eternal student, philosopher, and adventurer, teaching us that life is one continuous learning experience. This sign is about:
Truth-seeking and wisdom: What do you need to learn? What truth are you ready to speak?
Expansion and growth: Where are you playing too small? What's ready to expand?
Adventure and exploration: What new territory (literal or metaphorical) are you ready to explore?
Belief and faith: What do you need to believe about yourself to move forward?
Teaching and sharing: What wisdom do you have to offer the world?
But this New Moon has complications:
The moon squares Saturn and Neptune, which could spur confusion and throw up roadblocks. Translation: Your big dreams might bump up against harsh reality. Your optimism might be tested. You might feel pulled between what you want to believe and what you actually know to be true.
This isn't a problem—it's information. The tension between Sagittarius fire and Pisces water is asking you to integrate vision with discernment, faith with structure, dreaming with doing.
The Sacred Timing: Final New Moon + Galactic Center + Winter Solstice
What makes this New Moon especially potent is its timing:
The Galactic Center Alignment
The Sun aligns with the Galactic Center at 27 degrees Sagittarius on December 18, just one day before our New Moon, amplifying our ability to perceive universal truths and tap into cosmic intelligence. This means your intentions aren't just personal—they can align with something larger, something cosmic.
Two Days Before Winter Solstice
The Solstice (December 21) marks the return of the light, the cosmic turning point. This New Moon is the last opportunity to plant seeds before the solar year shifts. What you set in motion tonight begins its growth cycle as the light returns.
The Last New Moon of 2025
This is your final cosmic reset point of the year. Not January 1st—tonight. This is when the actual energetic new year can begin if you're working with lunar cycles.
What to Set Intentions Around
This New Moon supports intentions related to:
Expansion & Growth
Leaving your comfort zone (relationships, career, creativity, location)
Pursuing education, certifications, or learning something new
Expanding your business, your platform, your reach
Growing your capacity to hold more (joy, success, love, challenge)
Truth & Authenticity
Speaking your truth even when it's uncomfortable
Living more authentically, less performatively
Aligning your life with your actual values (not inherited ones)
Being honest about what you actually want (not what you "should" want)
Adventure & Exploration
Travel (literal—planning trips for 2026)
Exploration (metaphorical—trying new things, meeting new people, exploring new ideas)
Risk-taking that's aligned with your growth
Saying yes to opportunities that scare you
Belief & Faith
Releasing limiting beliefs about what's possible for you
Cultivating faith in yourself, in the universe, in your path
Trusting your intuition and inner knowing
Believing you deserve what you desire
Teaching & Sharing
Sharing your knowledge, wisdom, or gifts more publicly
Teaching, mentoring, or guiding others
Writing, speaking, creating content that educates or inspires
Stepping into a more visible leadership role
The Shadow Work: What This Moon Also Asks You to Release
New Moons aren't just about beginning—they're about what needs to end so the new can emerge.
This Sagittarius New Moon asks you to release:
Over-optimism without action: Dreaming without doing. Faith without follow-through. Vision boards without actual steps.
Spiritual bypassing: Using "positive vibes only" to avoid dealing with real problems. Toxic positivity that ignores actual pain.
Dogmatism: Being so attached to your beliefs that you can't adapt. Thinking your way is the only way.
Restlessness without direction: Constant motion that's actually avoidance. Searching externally for what needs to be found internally.
People-pleasing: Saying what others want to hear instead of what's true. Performing agreeable instead of being authentic.
Fear of commitment: Always keeping options open, never fully committing. Sagittarius can fear being "trapped" by choices.
Saturn is urging us to put our walls up and protect ourselves, while Neptune is making us give others the benefit of the doubt—we must look beyond illusions and adopt a realistic, pragmatic approach.
Art Therapy Ritual: Your Sagittarius New Moon Practice
Timing: Tonight (December 19) during or after the New Moon at 8:43 PM EST, or within 48 hours
You'll need:
Paper (white or light-colored)
Drawing materials—use fire colors (red, orange, gold, yellow)
A candle
Something that represents adventure or expansion to you
Your journal
Part 1: Create Sacred Space
Light your candle. If you have sage, palo santo, or incense, clear your space. Take three deep breaths.
Place your hand on your heart and say:
"I am ready to expand. I am ready for truth. I am ready to aim higher. I trust my path."
Part 2: The Arrow—What You're Aiming Toward
Sagittarius is the Archer. On your paper, draw an arrow pointing upward or forward.
At the tip of your arrow, write or draw:
What is your intention for this New Moon? What are you aiming toward in 2026?
Don't think too much. Let your intuition guide you. What wants to expand? What adventure is calling? What truth needs to be spoken? What belief needs to shift?
Examples:
"I am ready to be seen in my work"
"I trust my creative vision"
"I expand my capacity for joy"
"I speak my truth without apology"
"I take the leap toward [specific thing]"
Make it specific enough to be real, but expansive enough to feel like a stretch.
Part 3: The Foundation—What Grounds Your Vision
Now, at the base of your arrow, write or draw what will ground this intention in reality.
Remember: Saturn squares this New Moon, reminding us that optimism without structure can dissolve into fantasy.
What practical steps support this intention?
What structure do I need?
What habit or practice will support this?
What resources do I need?
Who can support me?
What's the first concrete action I'll take?
This keeps your Sagittarius vision from becoming untethered fantasy. You're dreaming AND building.
Part 4: The Release—What You're Letting Go
On a separate piece of paper, write what you're releasing to make room for this expansion:
Old beliefs that limit you
Fear of taking up space
People-pleasing that keeps you small
The need to have it all figured out before you begin
Perfectionism that prevents you from trying
Whatever's keeping you playing safe when you're meant to be bold
Burn this paper safely (in a fireproof bowl or fireplace) or tear it into pieces and throw it away with intention. As you release it, say:
"I release what keeps me small. I make space for expansion. I trust the fire of my becoming."
Part 5: The Commitment
Return to your arrow image. Place both hands on it. Feel the energy of your intention.
Speak your commitment out loud:
"I commit to [your intention]. I will take [specific first step] by [specific date]. I trust that I am ready for this expansion. I believe I am capable of more than I've been allowing. I aim my arrow toward truth, growth, and authentic expression."
Sign and date your arrow. Place it on your altar or somewhere you'll see it daily.
Part 6: Honor the Timing
Close your eyes. Feel yourself standing at a threshold—the last New Moon of 2025, two days before the Solstice, the return of the light.
You're not rushing into January 1st resolutions. You're working with actual cosmic timing. You're planting seeds at the New Moon, as humans have done for millennia.
Thank the moon. Thank Sagittarius. Thank yourself for showing up for this practice.
Blow out your candle (or leave it burning safely if you'll be present).
Working with the Challenges (Saturn & Neptune Square)
Because this New Moon is challenged by Saturn and Neptune, you might experience:
Confusion about what's real vs. what's fantasy
Practice: Ground in your body. What feels true in your gut, not just in your imagination?
Disappointment when reality doesn't match your vision
Practice: Adjust your expectations without abandoning your vision. What's the middle path between delusion and cynicism?
Self-doubt about whether you're capable
Practice: Look at evidence. What have you already accomplished that once seemed impossible? You've done hard things before.
Resistance from others or from circumstances
Practice: Obstacles aren't signs you're on the wrong path. They're tests of how much you actually want this. Do you want it enough to work for it?
The urge to give up when it gets hard
Practice: Sagittarius fire burns bright but can burn out. Pace yourself. Commitment isn't about intensity—it's about consistency.
For Immigrants, Empaths, HSPs: Special Considerations
If you're an immigrant or first-gen American:
Your expansion might bump up against family expectations. Your truth might conflict with cultural norms. Your adventure might look like choosing your own definition of success. This moon supports you in claiming your path even when it disappoints others.
If you're highly sensitive or empathic:
Sagittarius fire can overwhelm your system. Don't force yourself to match the intensity. Set intentions that honor your actual capacity. Expansion for you might mean learning to take up space without apologizing, not necessarily "going big" in external ways.
If you're creatively blocked:
This moon is perfect for intentions around creative risk-taking, sharing your work, or claiming "artist" as a real identity. Let Sagittarius give you permission to create boldly, messily, imperfectly.
The Integration Period: Next Two Weeks
Your New Moon intention isn't a one-time thing. It's a seed that grows over the next lunar cycle (until the Full Moon in Cancer on January 13, 2026).
Over the next two weeks:
Take one action toward your intention
Notice resistance and work with it (not against it)
Adjust your approach as needed (mutable energy allows flexibility)
Journal about what's emerging
Trust the process even when you can't see results yet
Seeds grow underground before they break through soil. Trust what's germinating in the dark.
Support for Your Expansion
If you're setting intentions around growth, truth-speaking, or stepping into more of who you're meant to be, and you need support, I can help.
I work with creative, sensitive, spiritually-minded people in Brooklyn and throughout New York State using:
Art therapy for intention-setting and manifestation
Somatic practices for grounding big visions
Depth work for releasing limiting beliefs
Support for navigating the gap between who you are and who you're becoming
Ready to work with this New Moon energy in therapy? Schedule your free consultation
Irene Maropakis, LCAT, is a Creative Arts Therapist who works with lunar cycles, seasonal wisdom, and depth psychology to support transformation in Brooklyn, NY and throughout New York State.
