A Sacred Clearing Before the Light Returns
The Final New Moon of the Year: A Sacred Clearing Before the Light Returns
There is something ancient and powerful about the final New Moon of the year. She arrives on 20 December in Sagittarius, just one day before the Winter Solstice, when darkness reaches its deepest point and the first spark of returning light begins to stir.
This New Moon does not come to offer clarity. She does not come to bring a rush of new beginnings. She comes with a very different purpose.
She comes to help you empty out.
The energy around this lunation is tender, foggy and unsettled. You may feel a pull inward, a sense that you are not ready to plan, not ready to set bold intentions, not ready to name your dreams for 2026. If so, you are not alone. Many women will feel this same hesitation, this quiet uncertainty, this sense of "not yet".
And there is wisdom in that feeling.
This New Moon invites you to pause, to breathe, and to gently release what you no longer wish to carry into the new year. She asks you to soften instead of striving, to let go instead of pushing forward, and to trust the timing of your own inner seasons.
The Energy of This New Moon
The Moon in Sagittarius encourages vision, truth and expansion. But at this late degree, she asks for something first: Clear out the old so that new vision can find you.
You may notice old beliefs rising for release, outdated stories resurfacing, or fears you thought you had dealt with revealing themselves once more. This does not mean you are going backwards. It means you are clearing space. You are preparing your inner landscape for a deeper, clearer beginning when the Solstice light returns.
At the same time, Neptunia's soft haze may create moments of confusion, emotional sensitivity or a sense of things feeling just out of reach. Saturnia's steady voice brings caution, urging you to go slowly, tend to your foundations, and avoid making decisions from pressure or urgency. Together they whisper:
"Hold fire. Now is not the time to leap. Now is the time to release."
This is a New Moon of cleansing, not creating. A Moon of alignment, not ambition. A Moon of preparing the soil, not planting the seeds.
The Solstice, arriving the very next day, brings the true turning point. It is the moment when the light returns, when clarity begins to rise, and when intention setting will feel more grounded and true.
But first, you clear. You make space. You let go.
A Simple New Moon Clearing Ritual
If you feel called to do this clearing work in community, held in sacred space with other women who understand, I am hosting a Winter Solstice Sister Circle on Wednesday 18 December.
We will gather just two days before this New Moon, in the tender darkness before the Solstice light returns. Together we will honour what needs releasing, sit with guided meditation, and make space for the clarity that is coming.
This is gentle work. Restorative work. Soul work.
You do not need to be a member of The Sacred Sanctuary to join us. All women are welcome. The circle is £10. Find all the details and book your place here.
Or practice this ritual in your own sacred space:
You will need: A candle, a piece of paper, a pen, and a quiet moment.
Step One Sit in stillness and breathe deeply. Feel the darkness around you as something soothing rather than heavy.
Step Two Ask yourself gently: What am I ready to release before I step into the new year? Let whatever rises come through without judgement.
Step Three Write down the beliefs, fears, habits or stories that you no longer want to carry.
Step Four Fold the paper and hold it to your heart. Say softly: "I honour what has been, and I release what no longer serves me."
Step Five Burn the paper safely, or tear it and place it into water or earth, symbolising dissolution and return.
Step Six Light your candle. Let the small flame remind you that the light always returns, even in the deepest night.
Reflection Prompts
What beliefs or fears have shaped my choices this year, and which am I ready to release?
Where do I feel the need for spaciousness in my life, and how can I honour that?
What does the darkness make possible for me? What truth can I hear more clearly in the quiet?
What do I want to leave behind so that 2026 can begin with clarity and peace?
Affirmation
I release what no longer belongs to me and make space for the light that is ready to return.
Summary
This New Moon is not asking you to be clear. She is asking you to be honest. She is asking you to unclutter your heart, to honour your inner winter, and to trust that the clarity you crave will rise naturally when the Solstice sun returns.
Let this be your turning point. Not through ambition, but through release. Not through striving, but through surrender. Not through urgency, but through truth.
The light is coming. Trust the space you are making for it now.
