December 2024 New & Full Moons: New Moon in Sagittarius, Full Moon in Gemini & New Moon in Capricorn

Here comes December, the final month of 2024, and with it comes an extra New Moon! What can we expect?

What is a New Moon?

A new moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact same position in the Zodiac (called a conjunction). New moons are related to beginnings, have high energy, and are enthusiastic. 

What is a Full Moon?

A full moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact opposite positions in the Zodiac (called an opposition). Full moons are related to endings, culminations, and are emotional energy. 

New Moon in Sagittarius: December 1st 2024 (1:22AM ET/November 30th @ 10:22PM PT)

The month of December kicks off with a New Moon in optimistic Sagittarius on the 1st, and this is usually a great New Moon where we're focused on new opportunities, new experiences, and open to expansion and exploration. We have a good view of the big picture, and we can see what's possible now.

BUT this New Moon comes with Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius! A body in astrology is called retrograde when it appears to be moving backward through the Zodiac, and this can throw things off. Since Mercury is retrograde in the same sign as this New Moon, we may not be focused on anything new, and instead, want to take second chances.

Retrogrades are times for do overs, and when we have a New Moon alongside one, this is an excellent time to take a second chance and do things over again. We can focus on something we tried but failed at, we started but didn't finish, or we didn't get off of the ground for some reason.

With Sagittarius, this might be a big idea, something that would expand some part of our lives, or an experience we had that we can pursue again and learn more from. This is a great time to relearn something we've forgotten or need to hone in on, as well as to teach something we have before, or to do some writing and revising. We can also travel to somewhere we've been to before and want to see again (though do keep in mind, travel in general might be a little challenging!).

The New Moon occurs at 9 degrees 33 minutes Sagittarius. Aspects to the New Moon are:
Conjunction: 7 degrees 33 minutes - 11 degrees 33 minutes Sagittarius
Sextile: 7 degrees 33 minutes - 11 degrees 33 minutes Libra or Aquarius
Square: 7 degrees 33 minutes - 11 degrees 33 minutes Virgo or Pisces
Trine: 7 degrees 33 minutes - 11 degrees 33 minutes Aries or Leo
Opposition: 7 degrees 33 minutes - 11 degrees 33 minutes Gemini

Full Moon in Gemini: December 15th 2024 (4:01AM ET/1:01AM PT)

The Full Moon in Gemini puts the emotional Full Moon in the sign of the mind and expression, so Gemini Full Moons are usually times where we express what we're feeling more easily, and we can say what we mean and mean what we say. We can be authentic and open, and we want to feel understood. We can connect mentally with others, and we can focus on the ideas and plans that connect with us emotionally. We likely need an outlet for our minds so we don't overthink things, cause stress and anxiety for ourselves, and cause a mental meltdown.

This Full Moon also makes no aspects, but comes on the same day Mercury retrograde ends (the Full Moon is almost 12 hours before), and Mercury is the natural ruler of Gemini. This means we're extra focused on the retrograde energy, and we may struggle with something emotional coming out of the retrograde. There might be upsetting news, or outright bad news. Something might be coming to an end, but it might not feel like it's ending in the right way just yet (likely because it's not really over yet thanks to Mars retrograde until February).

We may need to work on improving your communications with others, expressing ourselves in new ways, and doing a better job at listening. There might be a lot of information flowing with this Full Moon, but it's in one ear and out the other, so we have to work on really listening. 

The Full Moon occurs at 23 degrees 53 minutes Gemini. Aspects to the Full Moon are:
Conjunction: 21 degrees 53 minutes - 25 degrees 53 minutes Gemini
Sextile: 21 degrees 53 minutes - 25 degrees 53 minutes Aries or Leo
Square: 21 degrees 53 minutes - 25 degrees 53 minutes Virgo or Pisces
Trine: 21 degrees 53 minutes - 25 degrees 53 minutes Libra or Aquarius
Opposition: 21 degrees 53 minutes - 25 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius

New Moon in Capricorn: December 30th 2024 (5:27PM ET/2:27PM PT)

The year comes to a close with a New Moon in Capricorn, the sign of goals and direction, which is kind of perfect as we move into 2025. We can set goals, we can focus on what we want to achieve in the new year, and we want to feel like we're setting ourselves up on the right path for success. We can be disciplined, practical, realistic, and hard-working in smart ways.

This is helped by Mercury retrograde now over for this New Moon, however Mars is still retrograde (starts December 6th, lasts until February 23rd). Mars retrograde can inhibit our ability to take the initiative with what we want, so we may put together lots of plans and set new goals for the new year, but we may not take action right away. It might feel like the first few months of 2025 are stalled out thanks to retrogrades, so we have to be patient and make the most of opportunities when we have them as they may not last long.

Retrogrades are times for second chances, so many of you might focus on goals that are for second chances and do overs instead of something brand new. This might tie into the energy with the Sagittarius New Moon and carries over into the Capricorn New Moon and for the first 4 months or so of 2025. It's actually great energy for a second chance, so if there's something you want to give another shot, this can be a time to do just that.

The New Moon occurs at 9 degrees 44 minutes Capricorn. The aspects to the New Moon are:
Conjunction: 7 degrees 44 minutes - 11 degrees 44 minutes Capricorn
Sextile: 7 degrees 44 minutes - 11 degrees 44 minutes Scorpio or Pisces
Square: 7 degrees 44 minutes - 11 degrees 44 minutes Aries or Libra
Trine: 7 degrees 44 minutes - 11 degrees 44 minutes Taurus or Virgo
Opposition: 7 degrees 44 minutes - 11 degrees 44 minutes Cancer

Suggested Reading: The New & Full Moons page for general interpretations by house and aspect