Here at Jo Tracey Astrology, it’s about DIY astrology- learning how to do things for yourself. It’s about learning how to look at your chart, learning about possibilities and challenges, and using these cycles to help you make the most of your potential- if, indeed, that’s what you want to do.

That’s why each month we talk about the lunations- New and Full Moons- where they’re happening and what they could mean to you. I encourage you to journal this each month.

This year we’re taking things one step further and looking more closely at intention setting. You can journal this too if you like. It gives you something to come back to. If you’re new to the site, you might want to read this post first.

If you like, try and set some year long goals around whatever part of life the New Moon falls in each month. Then state some short term intentions that are achievable that month.

Refer back to what you have learnt about the houses in the Tuesday Toolbox, but you can also use this rough guide below.

Each month, at the New Moon, I’ll pop up some prompters that will say something like:

“If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn, this New Moon falls in your 1^st house.”

If you don’t know your birth time, or you want to keep things beautifully simple, you can use a solar chart. What this means is that it’s assumed that your Sun and your Ascendant are in the same sign.

Of course, if you’re further along in your studies and know your chart inside out, you’ll already know which house to look at. This will be the case if you have 1 house containing a couple of signs, or vice versa.

Anyways, here’s my rough guide to intention setting under the New Moon.

• Any New Moon falling in angular houses ie the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th, will work more obviously and publicly. These houses are associated with action.
• The New Moon falling in succedent houses, ie the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th, will make you look more closely and work a little harder to identify and take advantage of the opportunity being presented to you. These houses are associated with security.
• The New Moon falling in cadent houses, ie the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th, will require a deeper focus, an adjustment or change, and will ask you to think, observe and learn from something or someone.

Taking this one step further:

• If the New Moon falls in your 1^st house. Make sure the goals and intentions you set are about you- your appearance, your will, your courage, your readiness to step out of your comfort zone.
• If the New Moon falls in your 2^nd house. The intentions you set this month are about the things you value, the money you earn, how you spend your resources- including your personal resources ie look at your stress levels. Set intentions that will contribute to your sense of security- including your self-confidence.
• If the New Moon falls in your 3^rd house. How effectively do you communicate? Are there tweaks and changes that can be made to your daily routine? What are you really curious about? This month, think about these things.
• If the New Moon falls in your 4^th house. What nourishes you? What changes need to be made around home and family? Your intentions this month should include steps to achieve this. I saw a lovely saying today (thanks Jan): “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” William Morris
• If the New Moon falls in your 5^th house. This months intentions should be around the things your put your heart and emotional security on the line for. If you’re not playing or creating as much as you’d like, if you’re not expressing yourself, make plans to do something about it. We’re all creative in our own way.
• If the New Moon falls in your 6^th house. This month your goals should be around healthy habits and healthy work routines. Check in (honestly) on yours and set intentions if they need changing. Remember to break them down into bite-sized pieces.
• If the New Moon falls in your 7^th house. When setting your intentions think of the relationships you have, and the ones you want. How does your attitude to relating impact the gap between what you have and what you want? Are there any steps you can take to close that? Remember- don’t just limit yourself to romantic relationships.
• If the New Moon falls in your 8^th house. This is the time to get deeply into, well, really important stuff. Set your intentions around things like tax, debts, inheritance planning, investment and superannuation planning. Check in on all these things in your life and, if things are not as they should be, make plans that will do something about it.
• If the New Moon falls in your 9^th house. Look ahead and keep your perspective wide when setting intentions this month. What do you have to learn? What boundaries do you have to leap. If you’re planning to study or travel, this is a good month to set some intentions around that.
• If the New Moon falls in your 10^th house. What do you want to achieve in the workplace this year? How do you feel about the work you’re doing and the attitude of your employer to you? If there are gaps, your intentions this month should include some steps to address these.
• If the New Moon falls in your 11^th house. This is your annual wishing Moon- so write them down- all of them- and send them off to the Universe. Do a little ritual, if you like. It’s also about friends and networks- the people who can help you achieve your dreams.
• If the New Moon falls in your 12^th house. Think about your escape plans. Do they involve a sanctuary of some sort (real or metaphysical) where you can retreat to? This month set intentions that will help you to say no to things you need to say no to, and give you space to go within when the world is too much. Schedule, if you can, regular retreats or days away from the everyday.