The impact of all New Moons and Full Moons can be depicted by a bell curve. The impact begins about 3 days before the lunar event, steadily increases until the day of the event, and then gradually decreases for 3 days after the actual event.
Capricorn New Moon
In the Pacific Time Zone, the New Moon will occur at 2:26 p.m. on Monday, December 30. This New Moon finds the Moon and Sun conjunct (0°) at 09°43’ of Capricorn. To further clarify how this New Moon will impact you on a personal level, locate 09°43’ of Capricorn in your birth/natal chart. The issues associated with that house are going to be most influenced by this New Moon’s presence. (NOTE: Click here to learn how to find the transiting Moon in your chart.)
All New Moons provide us with an opportunity for a new emotional start in the areas associated with the sign. This time, we are focusing on Capricorn:
The higher expression of this sign includes being responsible, practical, organized, disciplined, and patient. It also is related to leadership and being a hard worker.
The lower expression can lead to being overly critical, too conventional, status-seeking, and materialistic.
This Capricorn New Moon – Highlights
In general, the annual New Moon in Capricorn is a time when we are ready to get organized, focus on issues of responsibility, and often simplify life in some way. Recently, we may have been contemplating a big change or perhaps several smaller ones. We definitely feel a need to achieve something new or different and are willing to be strategic in our long-range planning. Capricorn’s energy gives us the motivation, energy, physical strength, endurance, and focus that will be needed to push through obstacles and make slow and steady progress toward our goals.
As usual, there are various astrological aspects that are influencing the expression of this Capricorn New Moon. However, it is interesting that the Sun and Moon aren’t in any major aspects to other planets, except for supportive sextiles (60°) to Saturn. Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn. Given the lack of other planetary influences, this means that the Cap energy is extra strong and will be easier to access.
However, one of those t-square (i.e., right triangle) configurations is present between 3 other planets at the time of the New Moon. The opposition (180°) is between Mercury in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Gemini. Both ends of the opposition are squaring (90°) Saturn. As mentioned in the last bullet, Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn, so having the ringed- planet as the “focal planet” of this t-square provides even more emphasis on all-things-Cap! (NOTE: Now would be a good time to re-read the keywords provided above for the higher and lower expressions of Capricorn’s energy.)
But let’s explore this t-square a bit more closely. The Mercury-Jupiter opposition (180°) tends to bring a lot of expansive ideas, and we often feel more optimistic, enthusiastic, and social during this time. Especially given that Mercury has moved direct again (as of December 15), all forms of communication will likely be very active and lively. All of that sounds great, but the squares (90°) to Saturn bring a seriousness to the table. We may be presented with obstacles and challenges that force us to narrow down our optimistic, expansive plans. For example, we may realize that in order to be successful, we may need to take on fewer or more realistic projects. Although they can be frustrating, these limitations are meant to provide us with needed “reality checks.” The Mercury-Jupiter opposition tells us that it’s fine to “think big,” but Saturn grounds us and reminds us to pay attention to the details. As we all know, in order for any project to be successful in the long-run, we need to lay the necessary groundwork and Saturn will help us do this.
Given Mercury is involved, this t-square configuration could also impact communication. The Mercury-Jupiter opposition (180°) is often associated with an increase in wanting to express ourselves. However, the squares (90°) to Saturn could again serve as a reality check. For example, they may help us understand that expressing ourselves in a responsible manner will increase the chance that what we say will be heard. It may also remind us that speaking (or writing) too much can dilute our message.
Luckily, Mars is in an exact trine (120°) to Chiron at the time of the New Moon. If we might normally feel vulnerable expressing ourselves, this supportive aspect provides us with extra courage and clarity, which will aid in all forms of action, including communication. With Chiron involved, this trine could help lead to healing past wounds. Keep in mind that (a) it could be that what someone else expresses will help us heal or (b) it could be that our words help someone else on their healing journey … or both!
As we inch closer to January, we will likely be feeling the increasing influence of the 2nd of 3 exact oppositions (180°) between Mars and Pluto (exact on Friday, January 3 & again on April 27). As we have discussed in previous Moon Updates, the higher expression of this opposition includes increased energy to accomplish very challenging tasks. However, it can cause people to become argumentative and reactive, especially if one or both participants try to impose their beliefs about what is right and wrong. As I’ve said several times recently, this is a good time to be patient with each other. If polarized viewpoints come to forefront within a relationship, try to watch and observe rather than react or even attack. We can still hold our own position of what is right for us without judging those who don’t agree with our beliefs.
Additionally, with Mars currently moving in retrograde (through February 23), it is very likely that we need to face something that hasn’t been working in our life for some time. This retrograde encourages us to take time to revamp, reshape, reconfigure, or renovate something before moving forward. Because Mars is in the opposition (180°) to Pluto during this retrograde period, any changes will involve letting go of something that is no longer serving its original purpose. By cleaning house, major healing is possible. (NOTE: Click here to read more about Planets in Retrograde.)
Unfortunately, Venus will be squaring (90°) Uranus at the time of the New Moon. This increases the potential for interpersonal conflict and friction, often through unexpected events. It may feel like the stability of certain relationships, financial investments, or creative projects is being tested, especially if something has been limiting our feeling of independence or personal freedom.
One final note: I find it interesting that both ends of this upcoming Mars-Pluto opposition (180°) are forming very close trines (120°) and sextiles (60°) to the North and South Nodes. The Nodes have to do with letting go of the past and moving toward our life’s mission. Given these supportive trines and sextiles will still be in place around New Year’s Day (January 1), this could be an especially powerful and effective time to review the previous year and set intentions for the new year. However, given Neptune will be conjunct (0°) the North Node and therefore in an opposition (180°) to the South Node, what we need to let go of (South Node) and where we are headed (North Node) may be based on our intuition rather than logic.
Planetary Movements
January 2 through February 5 – On Thursday, January 2, Venus moves out of Aquarius and into Pisces for a month-long stay. Although we are still dealing with the potentially volatile energy of the Mars-Pluto opposition (see above), this month-long transit of Venus through Pisces bodes well for connecting with others. We tend to have a warm, fuzzy feeling and an increase in kindness and compassion. However, Pisces can be ungrounded, and we may not see our relationships clearly during this time. This can also be a time when it’s more difficult than usual to control our emotional reactions. Above all, it’s important that we avoid getting lost in a fantasy of what “could be.” In addition to relationships, all of this also applies to our finances and creative projects.
January 6 through April 19 – On Monday, January 6, Mars in retrograde moves backwards so far that it leaves Leo and re-enters Cancer. It will remain in Cancer until Mars ends its retrograde phase on February 23 and will continue in the sign of the crab until April 19. Having Mars in watery Cancer can increase our emotional reactivity and even make us moody. However, it’s also a time when we tend to be slow to anger, and we often put our family (or those we define as family) first. Taking actions that increase our sense of security and safety is also key during this time. But especially while Mars is in retrograde, conflict may be harder to handle on an emotional level and it may be more difficult to find satisfactory compromises.
January 8 through January 29 – Mercury leaves Sag on Wednesday, January 8, and moves into the much more grounded energy of Capricorn. This may actually help us deal with the watery, emotional tendencies of both Venus in Pisces and Mars in Cancer (see last 2 bullets). Our communication takes on a serious, realistic tone, and our thinking becomes more methodical and practical. We may be able to concentrate on a task at hand and sort out what is relevant or essential in a situation. It can bring some interesting ideas about our career or ways to increase our financial reserves. We do need to be careful to avoid letting our thinking become too rigid or pessimistic. But this is definitely a good time to get organized.
