Here we are in a new year, with our intentions, resolutions and reflections gathered and declared in hopes of guiding the next 12 months. Or perhaps you’ve been too busy this holiday season to do much reflecting, intention setting and resolution declaring. That’s okay; if you follow the rhythms of astrology, you know that they only occasionally match up with the civil calendar.
Foggy winter park on New Year’s Eve, 2015. Photo by Amanda Painter.
As it happens, the Capricorn New Moon is this Saturday at 8:30 pm EST (1:30 UTC Sunday).
A conjunction of the Sun and Moon, this is one of astrology’s very regular (approximately monthly) moments that correlates with inward reflection, bringing projects to completion, perhaps a sense of lower or slower energy, and then beginning a new phase.
What’s striking about this New Moon is the way three other planetary objects are clustered around the Sun and Moon in Capricorn. Just a little earlier in the sign is Pluto; a little later in Cap are the asteroid Pallas and retrograde Mercury. They’re spread out a little too far to properly call this a five-way conjunction, yet they’re still clustered just enough to evoke an image with a message.
Capricorn is the sign of business, ambition and leadership. Despite the ambition/leadership qualities, it also has strong associations with tradition, the past and established structures.
One thought that crossed my mind as I looked at the configuration was the image of a business meeting: board members or executives gathered to review and assess the state of the company’s foundation, and strategize what needs to change as they lead it forward.
That might not be an image you feel like you can relate to, but let’s try putting it in more personal terms. Another way to phrase it might be that you can use the inward, intellectual focus of Mercury retrograde and this New Moon to plan how to best evolve your leadership abilities in some facet of your everyday life. Perhaps, in the process, you may even reinvent the structures or institutions in which you take the lead.
I know; that last bit might sound way too ambitious. If you feel like just a cog in the proverbial machine, or like your life is too embedded in and subject to forces far greater (and more authoritative) than you are, how can what you do possibly reinvent the environments you live, work and relate in? Actually, the better question is, how can your actions not have an effect?
You don’t have to get all caught up in the Butterfly Effect; this is not about flapping your wings and creating a tsunami on the other side of the world. But it is about recognizing that any change you make to yourself, your immediate environment, your relationships, how you communicate, how you feel about these things, or your perspective is going to ripple out, even if just a little. When you take the lead in your life, even in small or internal ways, shifts occur around you in response.
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It doesn’t need to be an intimidating prospect. Yes, we have Pluto in the mix in Capricorn, which means the Sun and Moon are passing through the still-effective Uranus-Pluto square.
I know people get scared of Pluto. But what I see here is that whatever you’re putting energy into between now and the New Moon is connected to significant processes and events stretching over the last 3-4 years. You’re already in that flow; this New Moon is merely making it a little more personal, maybe a little more tangible, and it’s giving you a point of contact and reference.
Another thing: retrograde Mercury is moving into a conjunction with asteroid Pallas right nearby. Remember that board meeting image? You’re not alone in this. In fact, if you try, I’m sure you can think of at least one person you could ask to help you strategize. What do you need to review related to the Capricorn themes or your life’s changes of the last few years (or just last year)? What does your foundation actually look like, and what steps do you need to take to connect that foundation with your ambitions?
Eric Francis mentioned in conversation that Mercury-Pallas brings to mind the strategist/lawyer/advisor. You might not need to shell out for a lawyer or a professional consultant (though if you feel called to, try to use Mercury retrograde — which lasts until Jan. 25 — for your research phase). A mentor or simply someone with more life experience could prove to be a valuable resource. Ask lots of questions.
Along with the New Moon, Venus conjunct Saturn is emphasizing some practicality as you set your sights. This aspect is exact at 11:11 pm EST Friday / 4:11 UTC Saturday. Venus-Saturn also carries a reminder not to forget affection, compassion and humanitarianism this week, since Saturn tends to restrain or inhibit Venus (though in Sagittarius, Venus wields great optimism).
You have not missed your chance to start 2016 with deeper awareness or vision. In fact, astrology offers opportunities for such quite regularly. What will you do with this one?
Beautiful message (and photograph!) for reflecting on the year ahead…. Thank you, Amanda!
I love that photo, Amanda. So evocative, I swear I can feel the stillness and cold.
As for Capricorn and it’s New Moon … I always think of Cap Sun as Chairman of the Board and Moon, etc as various corporate members meeting, as you suggest, to hear from Pallas as she “rolls out” new business strategy. Mercury retrograde is CEO off on ski-holiday so everything will have to be reconsidered once he/she returns. Suddenly, I’m feeling a little too Donald and must apologize to your readership.
Yep, I have Venus in Cap.
Thank you, Amanda
Mary
Mary — so glad the astrology image resonated! Indeed, there may be some reconsideration when Mercury returns from that ski trip. 🙂 But I think some worthwhile strategizing can still be done now; it will provide context for what gets updated or tweaked later on.
So much of what I do with my own life is based on what I’ve done before, whether it’s working or not, I’m going a certain way because I’ve always done it that way. With all that frozen* cap energy in place in aspect to Uranus, it might just be time to take a new route, shake it up a little … especially with the boss out of town. Try something new and redo later if it’s not exactly what I had in mind.
mm.
*your photo helps me feel the old and solid
This resonates. The chair of our department is Capricorn. He’s really shaking things up in our department, and in essence re-structuring the performance program. Obviously, he doesn’t have to be a Capricorn to do this, but as I observe him everyday during school as he sits or stands outside on his many smoke breaks, I see him contemplating deeply. I can only imagine what’s going through his mind as he plans to bring more national, and global recognition to Naropa’s contemporary performance program.
On a personal level, I was speaking with my therapist yesterday about how next semester I plan on taking on more leadership. Many resolutions are in the works!
Michael — thank you for offering those reflections, and the image of your department chair. Perfect! And it sounds like you’re in tune with the astrology… Let us know how your intentions materialize next semester.
Thank you Amanda for bringing my focus to all these planets affecting the New Moon in Capricorn. As you describe the astrology of this New Moon and year, is also personally feeling like it is prefectly aligning for us as a time for greater clarification. All the planets are! aiding in this. Mercury in retrograde is offering us time to clearly, (in depth) look at our actions now just waning and traversing from a recent square from Mars in scorpio. We now have the opportunity to see how they line up with our values (Venus, personal,conjunct Saturn, social ..sextile New Moon. By choosing to close these gaps action to values, (and Pallas also narrowing that focus) the time/speed of expanded consciousness, thus the acceleration of creative manifestation and it’s expressions will occur.
Thank you!! : )
“By choosing to close these gaps action to values, (and Pallas also narrowing that focus) the time/speed of expanded consciousness, thus the acceleration of creative manifestation and it’s expressions will occur.”
P. Sophia, that;s a great way to put it — choosing to close the gaps between action and values. And, I would say, the gaps between idea and action. I’d say that’s where I stall out often.
I think you are on to something Amanda; that Board Meeting image could be members of the city of Flint Michigan’s governing council regarding the fiasco that resulted from changing their water supply to save money and thus poisoning the citizens of Flint in the process. The chart for Flint Michigan has Chiron at 25+ Capricorn, right where Pallas sits in this New Moon chart. Flint’s Moon is somewhere in Capricorn too.
You might appreciate how I came to know this. Film maker Michael Moore, a native of Flint, MI, was being interviewed regarding the story of how Michigan’s governor removed the mayor and other elected officials from Flint and replaced them with his “cronies” with orders to find ways to save on government costs, thus the tragic lead-in-the-water we have been hearing about for a while (especially if you are a fan of Rachel Maddow). Michael used the phrase “the buck stops here” which we all associate with the centaur Nessus.
The Flint birth chart for February 13, 1855, time unknown has Sun at 24+ Aquarius conjunct Pallas at 23+ Aquarius, remarkably similar to the U.S Sibly chart’s U.S. Moon at 27+ Aquarius conjunct Pallas at 26+ Aquarius. It has a bunch of planets in Pisces; Mars, Mercury, Venus, Ceres (conjunct Mercury). Neptune, Persephone (conjunct Mars), Eris, and Sedna. Most important, Flint’s natal Saturn is at 8+ Gemini conjunct the U.S. Uranus. Presently transiting Sedna at 24+ Taurus retrograde is square the Flint, MI natal Sun in Aquarius.
On November 12, 2015, transiting Nessus stationed direct at 0+ Pisces 0 and is moving forward. On that day the Moon at 3+ Sagittarius was sextile Ceres at 3+ Aquarius and when you add the U.S. Sibly Venus at 3+ Cancer you get a Yod with the U.S. Venus at the release point.
Also on that day when Nessus station direct at 0 Pisces 0, Mars was at 0 Libra 0, an extraordinary example of synchronicity. I think this Flint – Lead-In-the-Water is worthy of a story workup for you and Eric if you haven’t already started on it. Another point of interest in the Flint Michigan chart is that Pholus was at 22+ Capricorn, less than 3 degrees from Chiron which was a time of one of those rare conjunctions between them. Also at 22+ Capricorn was Hades. Psyche and Vesta were both at 12+ Capricorn, where transiting Pluto was in September-October and where he stationed direct, 3 months ago. Transiting Pluto first reached 12 Capricorn in late January, 2014, while opposite Jupiter at 12+ Cancer retrograde. Pluto was conjunct transiting Venus who stationed direct at 13+ Capricorn. It was between the 4th and 5th conjunction between Uranus and Pluto. Flint Michigan’s natal Uranus is at 12+ Taurus trine its natal Vesta and Psyche.
I will probably be exploring this topic for a while if you would like an update Amanda.
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Thank you, be, for checking out those two charts together. I was just listening to today’s Democracy Now! broadcast, which includes extensive interviews regarding this tragic, outrageous situation in Flint. I’ll pass the info along to Eric; do please keep us updated with any other insights you come to.
Thanks for letting me know about the Democracy Now coverage Amanda. Something else about the Flint chart and the present period is that Flint’s natal Makemake at 0+ Pisces was where transiting Nessus stationed direct – and he is still there. A couple of things that relate to Makemake are pertinent to this lead-in-the-water problem. Easter Island is the place Makemake was worshiped and a place that had no source of drinkable water. At some point (for unproven reasons) all the inhabitants died or were forced to leave, much like they have left Flint, Michigan.
Also, Makemake symbolizes a way of life that is in tune with, or respectful of Nature. As dreadful as it is, this disaster in Flint might be a wakeup call about our water sources and a heads up about the climate degradation in general.
In the previous comment I noted the Psyche-Vesta conjunction at 12+ Capricorn but failed to note that the Flint, MI natal Moon (the People) is conjunct – or very close to natal Psyche and Vesta and where transiting Pluto was for quite a while as recently as last October.
All the Pisces planets in the Flint chart mentioned earlier are square the natal Gemini Saturn which is conjunct the natal U.S. Sibly Uranus (wake-up) at 8+ Gemini which was being opposed by transiting Saturn in Sagittarius and squared by trans. Neptune (who will be returning).
Starting January 18th trans. Neptune will conjunct the U.S. Ceres (8+ Pisces) when he squares the U.S Uranus (again) and then move forward one degree to conjunct the U.S. Nessus (9+ Pisces) who is next to the U.S. Child (10+ Pisces). My take is it will be a domino effect regarding our country’s children (or maybe that’s because I just saw some video of children starving in Syria. Awful.)
Transiting Mercury stationed retrograde on Tuesday at 1+ Aquarius and was sextile the Flint chart’s natal Juno at 1+ Sagittarius. This resulted in the formation of a Yod because the Flint chart’s Nessus at 1+ Cancer (retrograde) is quincunx both of them. Transiting Nessus will trine the Flint Michigan Nessus soon enough. And that’s where it all started: The Buck Stops Here.
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