Exact at 6.53am GMT, 1.53am EST.
 
This New Moon allows us to look back over this year we have just had and to contemplate what needs to change in our lives and what we might want or need for ourselves moving forward. Retrograde Mercury is sitting right next to the Sun and Moon in serious, structured and disciplined Capricorn, so this is a good moon to review and reflect on what has led us to this point. This has been quite an intense year for many, so it is not surprising that this New Moon would have a certain retrospective element to it. We have a chance to release old habits and patterns to make space for new ones to come in and to do some serious contemplation on how and with whom we would like to move forward. It’s a perfect Moon for New Year resolutions! Capricorn likes to make long term plans and goals and is adept at the art of discipline and commitment, so whatever decisions we make for ourselves during this time have a good chance of actually sticking! As ever, it is important to remember that New Moons are a very potent time for setting intentions, so be careful what you wish for! In my experience, what we ask for can be taken quite literally so it would be advisable to use the Capricorn energy to carefully pick our thoughts and the words we use to set our intentions. Ask with our hearts, not our heads.
 
The New Moon is also supported by Mars and Neptune, who are joining forces in Pisces and not only that are also sitting next to the South Node of the Moon, which represents our past. This brings even more of a sense of looking back and releasing old patterns. While Capricorn likes to be in control of the outcome and can even be a bit rigid, Mars, representing our actions and desires, and Neptune, the planet of oneness, unity and connection to all that is, both  remind us to loosen our grip on the reins somewhat. Mars and Neptune together represent intuitive, inspired action and encourage us to trust our instincts and allow ourselves to be guided by something bigger than ourselves. They remind us to remain flexible and simply let go of any resistance to what we want; to seek the path of least resistance, so to speak. It we have to fight and push to achieve our goals then it is quite likely that they are not quite right for us, whereas if the path opens up before us with no effort then we are most likely moving in the right direction.  Sometimes it is best not to get too attached to a specific outcome but rather to have an idea of which general direction we are going. Instead of fighting the current we are encouraged to let go and go with the flow.
 
The ruler of Capricorn is Saturn, who is very active during this Moon. He is forming a supportive trine aspect to Uranus and a challenging square aspect to Chiron, and both of these aspects are coming to a head around the time of this Moon. The trine to Uranus gives us an opportunity to come up with some new solutions to old problems and to release ourselves from old, stuck patterns and conditioning that have dominated our lives for far too long. Obviously, this can feel a bit uncomfortable, as we are very used to these patterns and ways of behaving. They are very familiar, but are also holding us prisoner and often affect our lives and relationships in adverse ways. Uranus, otherwise known as the Great Awakener, is stationary during this Moon, getting ready to turn direct after having been retrograde since 29 July. As such, his rebellious, electrical, changing energy will be very strong indeed. It is quite possible that we will feel a strong urge to bust out of our moulds and break the rules somehow, whether these rules are imposed on us from without or from within ourselves. Uranus likes to shake things up a bit and release us from our cages so we are free to be exactly who we are, rather than what we have been told we “should” be.
 
At the same time as Saturn is working with Uranus to release us from old patterns, he is also in challenging aspect to Chiron the Wounded Healer, making us all too aware of how these old patterns are hurting and hindering us. The energy of the Saturn Chiron square has been quite heavy and has brought our vulnerabilities to the surface in no uncertain terms in recent times. Saturn has a testing quality to him, and so this month has been quite a trying and even painful time for those lucky enough to have this square aspecting their personal planets! The expression “no pain, no gain” comes to mind here! Any old, ingrained, chronic beliefs and behavioural patterns have been brought to light so that we and our loved ones can scrutinise them and we can be more aware of how they are running the show. We all have our shadows and our Achilles heel, and it will have been hard to hide them from the harsh light of Saturn’s glare in the past few weeks. However, what a gift! If we are willing to face ourselves honestly and do the inner work, this will have been such a valuable time.  This energy peaks exactly on the New Moon.
 
This is a good New Moon to end 2016 with. It gives us a chance to gently reflect on the year we have had and to look forward to what we might want for ourselves for 2017. It has been a tough year for many, both personally and collectively, but there is always so much potential for growth within the challenges we face! The aspects to this Moon are gentle and supportive, so we have the opportunity to review this year and take what we have learned so that it can help us to move forward with greater wisdom and strength. Capricorn is a very patient and persistent sign who sets his eyes on what he wants and moves steadily upwards towards the final destination. We are just reminded not to be too rigid or set on a specific goal, but rather we should trust our intuition and hunches to send us in the right direction. Even when things seem to go against us it is important to have faith and trust in the bigger picture and a grand design that will reveal itself in the fullness of time. We are not in control! Our thoughts and words carry considerable weight during this Moon, so it is important to be conscious and aware of any intentions we are setting, whether they are deliberate or not.
Wishing you a truly wondrous 2017!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
 
Picture: Mystical Illustrations by Alexander Jansson
 
 
 
 

Exact at 12.05am Wednesday GMT,  7.05pm Tuesday EST.
 
There is a lot going on during this Full Moon, which is quite appropriate considering the Moon is in Gemini, who likes to have his finger in many pies! The Sagittarius New Moon involved us separating truth from illusion and trusting what our gut instinct was telling us versus the lies that we can so easily tell ourselves. There was a sense that we were dealing with a situation that we had already experienced but had somehow messed up or failed at before, and that we were being giving the opportunity to do it differently this time. This will have been playing out over the last couple of weeks and so whatever was planted then will now be coming to fruition, or coming to a head. Full Moons have a tendency to bring whatever has been bubbling away below the surface out into the full light of our awareness. This Moon is no exception! There is some very heavy, challenging energy surrounding this lunation, though luckily we also have some very positive, supportive energy to help us along.
 
The Sun is in optimistic, philosophical and adventurous Sagittarius, sitting directly opposite the Moon in curious, talkative and restless Gemini. The key to the Full Moon is to somehow find the balance between the energy of the two signs and not veer too far in one direction. Sagittarius rules the higher mind, our intuition, our gut instinct and seeks the truth at all costs. Gemini rules the left brain, our more rational, logical side and can also bring duplicity. It is so easy to tell little white lies to ourselves and others in an attempt to hide from the truth of the matter. Gemini is adept at the art of storytelling, and can talk a good talk, but those stories can easily “spin a yarn” and take us far, far away from what we are really trying to say, or what we really feel. Gemini likes to put labels on things in order to make sense of itself and the world and can easily amass a whole lot of meaningless data in the process. Sagittarius encourages us to see the bigger picture and to get in touch with our true instincts. As this Moon is a continuation from the Sagittarius New Moon, it seems important to confront some kind of truth, in ourselves or others, despite the temptation to rationalise our emotions and skirt over the surface of the matter with words or stories that mean nothing. It’s time to dig deep and face ourselves.
 
The square between Saturn and Chiron the Wounded Healer is a very big part of this Full Moon, because Saturn is sitting right on top of the Sun and opposing the Moon, while Chiron is forming a challenging square to the Sun, Saturn and the Moon. This is some very heavy, karmic, soul searching energy to contend with here that could be quite painful to face! Saturn and Chiron can force us to confront the darker side of life and our psyches and we may feel acutely exposed and vulnerable during this time, as Saturn shines the harsh light of reality on our wounds, flaws and insecurities. It is possible that we will come face to face with our shadows, or have our blind spots pointed out in no uncertain terms. It is time to accept responsibility for our shortcomings and patterns and in the meantime find true compassion for ourselves and others.
 
This is not a time to be proud, or defensive, or self-righteous. It is a time to have integrity; to be willing to face ourselves bravely and honestly and to do the much needed work to move past patterns that we may think we had overcome already. If we are open and willing to face and accept what we are being shown, as uncomfortable as it may be, then we have the potential for amazing growth. Things may seem a bit bleak and dark for a while, as we face up to some hard truths and have some tough pills to swallow, but there is amazing potential for some deep healing of old, entrenched patterns here so that we don’t have to go there again. This energy will feel particularly acute before and during this Moon, but will continue to build until December 29th when it will peak.  This could put a bit of a dampener on the joviality and jollity of Sagittarius season, especially as Saturn is in Sagittarius. I have faith that the optimistic Sagittarius spirit will prevail, however! The Saturn Chiron square will also be around, off and on, during 2017 so this won’t be the last we see of it by any means.
 
Mercury is the ruler of the Gemini Moon and so he is a big player here. He is also in the shadow zone at the moment, getting ready to go retrograde on December 19th. During this Moon he is joining forces with Pluto, the planet of soul, power and transformation. This also brings the potential for us to face some hard, emotional truths and also to transform the way we think. Gemini is a very chatty sign, and with Mercury in Capricorn combined with Pluto I would expect any conversations we have to be very deep, soulful and penetrating in nature. We won’t be satisfied with superficial answers or explanations and will demand the truth from one another. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to hide during this Moon! We are digging deep into the shadows and facing ourselves squarely in the face, even if we don’t like what we see! Mercury and Pluto will meet again on January 29th, after Mercury goes direct again.
 
The good news is that we also have a beautiful, supportive Grand Air Trine between the Moon, Jupiter and Mars which will help matters enormously. Jupiter in Libra will help bring justice, fairness and growth through our relationships and in aspect to the Moon will bring a certain tolerance and generosity of spirit to our dealings with one another. We will have a genuine desire to help one another grow and learn. Mars in Aquarius can help us to be brave enough to step out of our comfort zones and move past our blocks and old conditioning. Mars and Jupiter in positive aspect bring self-confidence, a willingness to dive in and faith that we are being led in the right direction. Mars and the Moon will help us to be honest about our feelings and not hold them back. Uranus in Aries is also forming a positive aspect to the Sun, Moon and Saturn, helping us to release ourselves from the past and free ourselves from any old patterns or parental/societal conditioning that might be stopping us from being truly ourselves. Together with Mars in Aquarius there is a sense that we will experience a blast of fresh air that will breathe new life and excitement into our lives and help free us from whatever we might be clinging to for the sake of safety and security.
 
This Moon may involve some quite heavy energy but what potential for growth! It is very important indeed to be able to take a long, hard look at ourselves and accept responsibility for our part in whatever we are faced with at the moment. As long as we put the blame outside of ourselves we are denying ourselves the potential for learning and growing. We have a part to play in every single experience and we always have a choice in how we react and respond.  It seems that it will be hard to hide from the truth during this Moon, try as we might. Integrity seems to have a big part to play here, as we are being called to be honest, upright and to stand by our principles. Integrity is about choosing truth over comfort and making sure that the things we say and the things we do are in alignment. It’s about doing what’s right rather than what’s easy. Whatever hard truths we have to confront during this time will ultimately free us, as long as we are willing to own them. People with personal planets or angles between 18 and 26 degrees of a sign, especially Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo or Pisces, will feel the energy of this Moon more acutely than others.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Picture: Hiding the Truth – Maureen Haschke