Capricorn New Moon & Cancer Full Moon
Mercury enters Aquarius, joining Saturn, the host of the Capricorn New Moon on January 2. The Sun and Moon meet at 12’20 Capricorn with retrograde Venus close by. Like Janet Jackson sang, Capricorn is all about control. It desires to have command over its environment and to arrange things precisely to its own liking. Capricorn is all about climbing that mountain and always has a five year strategic plan for its life. It is difficult for Capricorn when the big picture remains unclear. The predictable sea goat struggles with change when what we thought we could count on becomes unreliable. Fortunately, Jupiter in Pisces is helping this medicine go down a little easier, and Mercury in Aquarius is getting us focused on innovation.
We have less energy during the dark moon times. There’s less light and we’re encouraged to be introspective. Normally this is a time to set intentions that will grow all through the Winter and burst forth in the Spring. You can do that, although on some level, the Venus retrograde has its own seeding process. What we burrow into now has the nature of the underworld. There’s a deep excavation happening and the exhumation is not complete. Use this Capricorn New Moon to get organized about what you’re working with–personal finances, time management, housecleaning, exercise routines. All the unglamorous stuff we’d rather put off, and the feminized labor Capitalism doesn’t want to pay anyone to do. One of Venus’ magical significations is making things clean and clear. It feels so good when our house is ordered, top to bottom, and we live within our means. Capricorn is about building slowly over time through hard work and discipline. Winter has long been a time of sacrifice in the Northern Hemisphere. Live simply during these months, commit to things that build your self-esteem on a daily basis, and it will create the foundation for your life to flourish when the warmth brings us out into the open again.
The Sun conjoins Pluto at 26°27 Capricorn on Sunday, January 16, exactly where Venus stationed retrograde on December 19. Pluto is connected to experiences that come for you –places you get dragged, people who abduct your heart, ways you get taken down, obsessions that won’t let you go. In the realm of Hades, we are stripped of our usual faculties and experience a sense of disempowerment. It is a difficult environment to be in, and there can be a sense of gloom and loss. Yet, since time immemorial, humans have been drawn to the underworld. For thousands of years we’ve passed down stories of those who have been willing to risk it all to venture there, and come back telling tales of transformation. Something is always lost in these myths, but through the trials and tribulations a latent talent is developed. A new part of us is found.
Venus met with the Sun at 18°43 Capricorn on January 8, and received a blessing to carry her through the second part of this journey. This gift of illumination satisfied the impetus to go. Justified risking the familiar for the dangerous unknown. We’re safely on the other side of the Venus cazimi, but we’re still in the underworld. Part of why it's a scary place is because it contains the roots of our fears and compulsions. The terror that drives us to run, and won’t let us fall asleep even when we’re securely tucked into our beds at night. The ugliness we can’t bear to face and so we distract ourselves, even to the point of self harm, trading one pain for another. The Sun meeting with Pluto can cast a light into this shadow realm. We might not like what we see, but it has the potential to be liberating. It's also can spur us forward. If we gleaned an important insight around January 8, now might feel like the time to act on it. However, the Mercury retrograde is assuring us that there is no forward motion during Capricorn season. Sit tight and watch the unfolding with as much detachment as possible. You might gain the empowerment of a God or quite the opposite, either way, you’re emerging from something massive, so go gently.
The Moon reaches maximum fullness at 6:49PM on Monday, the Moon’s Day, January 17, at 27°50 Cancer, across from the Sun in Capricorn conjunct Pluto. The witnessing of this subterranean realm from the loving shores of Luna’s home reminds us that even compassion and care are available, even for the parts of us we dislike the most. The Moon in Cancer feels it all, and has the ability to match the vibration of what its sensing. Being met where we are, without feeling like we have to change a thing to be embraced, is one of the highest forms of compassion. The Moon in Cancer wants us to extend that kind of unconditional friendliness towards ourselves.
The Sun in Capricorn’s best response to most things is to try harder. Discipline exists along a continuum and can actually be a powerful form of self-care. At its most optimal, the sturdy Capricorn structure facilitates the flow of Cancer’s tenderness into the world. It is through tending to the unglamorous mundane tasks that we come to value and appreciate what we already have inside our own four walls.
The influence of Pluto on this Moon can intensify all that the Venus retrograde has stirred up. It can feel intense, but you’re not going to be stuck there forever. Let yourself cry, release, and shed what wants to come pouring out. Make space for the feelings and don’t try to control your emotions. They can be irrational. They still have a story to share. Witness the narrative with loving detachment, and know that's not the truth of you. That's what the fear believes. It doesn’t need to dictate your actions anymore. Let the waves rush forth and when it's over allow yourself to lie spent for a while on the beach of your own heart. Don’t dwell, don’t linger, don’t brood. Be with it, and then let a fresh current carry you somewhere else. The best gift you can give yourself is the opportunity of gliding towards what's next.
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