The New Moon in Scorpio arrives on 9 November 2026 at 6.02pm AEDT, at 16 degrees of the sign. It is the darkest lunation of the Scorpio season, and it arrives in a very crowded sky: Mercury and Venus are both retrograde, and both turn direct five days later. That changes what a good intention looks like, so this post covers the setup, not just the sign.
What a new moon is
A new moon happens when the Moon sits between Earth and the Sun, so the side facing us is unlit. The Moon is not visible, and that is the point. In witchcraft, the new moon is a time of beginnings, seeds and quiet work. If you want a refresher on how the cycle fits together, the post on moon phases in witchcraft goes through each stage, and timeanddate.com gives exact times for your city.
What Scorpio brings
Scorpio is a fixed water sign, associated with depth, secrecy, transformation, desire and endings. It is not a sign for surface work. A Scorpio new moon asks you to look at what is underneath: motives, patterns, loyalties, and anything you have buried because it was easier. It tends to work better for honest, specific intentions than for broad hopes.
Because Scorpio is fixed, it is also stubborn. Intentions set here are meant to be held, not just tried. That is useful if you are working on something that needs endurance.
The Mercury and Venus complication
On 9 November, Mercury is still in retrograde in Scorpio, a few days short of turning direct on 14 November. Venus is retrograde in Libra, and also turns direct on 14 November, at 22 degrees. Mercury governs thinking and communication, and Venus governs relationships, values and money. When both are retrograde at a new moon, the traditional advice is to review, not to launch.
That does not rule out intention-setting. It changes the type. This is a good moon for intentions about repairing, refining, completing and revisiting. It is a poor moon for announcing a new venture, committing to a new relationship or making a big purchase. If you want to start something fresh, hold the idea until after 14 November, and even better, until Mercury clears its shadow around 30 November.
The southern hemisphere angle
For us this is a new moon in late spring, with the garden in full growth and the weather swinging toward summer. The Scorpio themes of death and rebirth feel odd against a landscape that is all green, but the match is real: this is the season of compost and bloom happening together. What you pull out of the soil now feeds what grows next. A new moon intention that deals with letting something go, so that something else can grow, fits the season well.
How to set intentions that hold
Write them down. A new moon intention should be a sentence you could say aloud to a friend without embarrassment. Start with the verb. “I am ending the habit of”, “I am repairing”, “I am finishing” are all workable shapes. Avoid vague wishes like “I want to be happier” and avoid anything that depends on another person changing.
Choose one to three. More than that dilutes the intention, and Scorpio does not do spread-thin.
Add a time frame. Scorpio energy responds to a clear horizon. The next lunar cycle runs about four weeks, so ask what you can complete or begin to resolve by the full moon on 25 November.
A simple new moon working
Work in the dark if you can, with a single candle. Write your intentions on a piece of paper. Read them aloud once. Fold the paper and keep it somewhere private, such as a book you are reading or a drawer you use daily. On the full moon, take it out and see how far you got.
If you want tools for it, a dark candle, a bowl of water, and some Scorpio-aligned herbs such as basil, thistle or patchouli are traditional pairings. Dried herbs, resins and crystals are available from local shops and from US suppliers like Mountain Rose Herbs, Sage Goddess, Lucky Mojo and Mineralism. Check Australian import rules for plant material first, because the Department of Agriculture is strict about what can enter the country.
What to watch for
Scorpio energy can run intense, and a new moon with two retrogrades can stir up old material. If you notice conversations circling back to past conflicts, treat it as information rather than a sign you have done something wrong. Write it down and wait until 14 November before you act on it.
The next dates to know are the double station on 14 November and the Gemini full moon on 25 November. Both get their own posts.
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