We now have the first New Moon of the new year and it is somewhat appropriate that it falls in Capricorn, a sign known for discipline, commitment, structure and responsibility! New Moons are a perfect time to set positive intentions for the month ahead and to contemplate what patterns and habits we might like to leave behind in the dark of the Moon. This Capricorn New Moon can help us to lay down the foundation for the year ahead, think about what we might want to change and what healthy habits, goals and patterns we might wish to commit to as we move forward. Capricorn helps us to be truly accountable and to take full responsibility for ourselves and our actions, which is quite handy for the first New Moon of the year!
Capricorn is also a rather serious, pragmatic sign that can cause us to be quite hard on ourselves, judging and condemning ourselves unnecessarily and feeling like we have to somehow atone for any excesses and over-indulgences during Sagittarius season! Capricorn is the part of us that can tend to set limitations, to hold ourselves back and to control our actions and reactions. It can help us to develop the self-discipline and commitment needed to attain any goals or projects we set ourselves. Like a mountain goat, we set our sights on the goal and slowly but surely make our way to the top of the mountain, determinedly side stepping any obstacles or difficulties in our path. Things can seem a bit heavy and even grim in January, after all of the festivities are over and reality sets in, but it is also a really good time to knuckle down and get things done.
Saturn, the ruler of the Capricorn New Moon, is currently in Aquarius, where it has been, off and on, since March 2020. With the planet of authority, limitation, reality and control in the sign of the group, the community, freedom, technology and rebellion, we have experienced a curbing of our freedom and rights, a limitation of the capacity to gather in groups, laws being passed that affect people’s right to protest and more and more censorship, authoritarian control and limitation through the use of technology. If Aquarius is the part of ourselves that questions the status quo and challenges authority and any rules we deem unfair, unreasonable, damaging or ridiculous, then controlling and authoritarian Saturn in this sign can make it increasingly difficult to do so. The Planet that makes the rules is currently in the sign that breaks the rules and this is not a particularly comfortable fit!
However, Saturn also reminds us that it is our responsibility to question and challenge, to protect the rights of the people and to be accountable for the kind of world we want to live in. Instead of giving our power away to those in authority we are called to really step up to the plate and question any rules and regulations that could have a negative affect on our lives and future. Saturn is the part of us that takes full responsibility for our lives and well-being rather than passively accepting whatever those in power and authority tell us is the right thing for us. Saturn will remain in Aquarius until March 2023, during which time it is quite possible that certain rights and freedoms will slowly but surely be eroded away unless we take responsibility for questioning the status quo. Saturn is a very patient planet that concentrates on the long game, chipping away at the stone, slowly but surely, until suddenly we realise that there is nothing left.
The Saturn Uranus square is waning now, having peaked on 24 December, which involved the planet of authority, structure and control squaring off against the planet of freedom, revolution and change. Uranus, however, is a big player during this Moon as it is forming a helpful, harmonious, supportive trine aspect to the Sun and Moon. Uranus can bring sudden change, surprises, breakthroughs and epiphanies, shifting us out of stagnation and helping us to release ourselves from whatever rut we may have found ourselves in! This Moon could help us to break out of unhealthy patterns, shedding old skin and undoing old, conditioned habits and programming. We could experience a curve ball that takes us by surprise and creates some kind of shift that is very liberating and insightful. Uranus can help us to wake up from a slumber and realise what is really going on.
Those of us with personal planets or angles around 10° of a sign will feel the exciting, liberating energy of Uranus most acutely, especially those in the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. It certainly adds a slightly unpredictable, enlivening and freeing energy to this New Moon that could help jolt us into a greater awareness and help us to release old, outworn patterns and habits and set us onto the right path for us..
Chiron, the Wounded Healer is also a a big part of this Moon, as it is forming a dynamic, challenging square aspect to the Sun and Moon. Chiron can signify illness, wounding and insecurity, and in Aries can symbolise warfare and a form of tough love that can be somewhat painful but also incredibly healing. Chiron in Aries can make us quite defensive and reactionary when someone prods at our tender, wounded, insecure bits, but can also bring out our courageous and pioneering spirit, helping us to face things that we have hitherto shied away from. It can bring out honesty that is painful to face up to but very refreshing and healing indeed. Here we have Chiron, which represents wounding and illness, combined with Aries, the sign of warfare and aggression that can spark things off so that they spread like wildfire. It is an interesting combination, given the current climate.
Jupiter moves into Pisces on 28 December, having been in Aquarius for the past year. Jupiter likes being in Pisces, as the planet of faith, beliefs, growth and expansion is very much at home in the spiritual sign of compassion, intuition, sensitivity and unconditional love. This could help bring the best out in us, connecting us to our faith, inner guidance and to the divine. Jupiter expands and magnifies the energy of whatever sign he is in, and in Pisces we could feel greater empathy and compassion towards all beings as well as heightened connection, intuition, gratitude and the ability to see the bigger picture. However, Pisces is also the part of us that struggles with boundaries and may tend to bury our heads in the sand and seek to escape reality, so Jupiter may also bring those tendencies to the fore. However, all in all this feels like a positive influence, as it brings the gift of faith, gratitude and connection.
Mercury will have just moved into Aquarius as the New Moon approaches, helping us to think outside the box and perceive things from a different perspective, while Mars is in the middle of Sagittarius, helping us to have the courage of our convictions and to be brave enough to seek the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. We may just have to watch out for trying to ram our version of the truth down other people’s throats and vice versa! Venus is currently retrograde in Capricorn, helping us to reflect on our relationships and values, perhaps bringing anything up that may need to be revisited, rehashed or reviewed in order for us to move forward and make a deeper commitment. Indeed, relationships from the past can sometimes resurface if there is unfinished business of some kind. There is a sense of going back over old ground within the realm of our relationships.
The Nodes of the Moon are in the process of shifting from Sagittarius and Gemini into Scorpio and Taurus. Scorpio and Taurus are the signs that represent finance, so the next eighteen months could bring a greater focus on our financial situation and the economy, calling us to take our power back and become more self-sufficient. Scorpio represents “other people’s money” such as loans, banks, money lenders and mortgages, while Taurus helps us to be more self-reliant, self-sustaining and able to survive and take care of our own needs. Scorpio deals with issues around power and powerlessness, while Taurus calls for us to empower ourselves.With Uranus also in Taurus there is the potential for some kind of financial revolution and the digitalisation of currency and finance.
The Sabian symbol for this New Moon, at 13° Capricorn, is: “A fire worshiper meditates on the ultimate realities of existence” which Dane Rudyar describes as “The subjective quest for ultimates beyond the interplay of life and death processes” and goes on to say “The mystery of fire has always captured man’s imagination because it is the mystery of all transformations wrapped in the enigma of death. In times when collective, perhaps total death could be in store for mankind, the process of subjective meditation is fascinating an ever-greater number of people. This symbol brings us to a stage beyond life itself. Are we ready to take this step which the masters of yoga claim to have taken: to experience death and return to the same body? Are we ready to demonstrate man’s WILL TO TRANSCENDENCE”. This is a powerful symbol indeed that seems to be intimating some kind of transformation and purification process that could fundamentally change us.
This New Moon certainly does bring the potential for changing some rigid patterns and shaking off some unhealthy or unhelpful conditioning and programming. It could be a really good idea, rather than dwelling in guilt, fear and judgement, to focus on some positive, realistic and possible goals that we are able to commit to and slowly work towards. Uranus can certainly help to wake us up to some surprising revelations and realisations, liberating us from old, stuck situations and mindsets, so it is helpful to harness this energy to make positive change. Jupiter in Pisces is such a lovely energy to have moving forward into this year, as it can help us to connect to our hearts, reminding us to live in the present moment and to be grateful for all that we already have.
Much Love
Amy
xoxo
Picture - Mountain Goat's First Lesson -by Stefan Baumann