By Amanda Painter

When this column publishes, it’ll be within a couple minutes of the Capricorn New Moon and annular (not total) solar eclipse. The New Moon is exact at 12:13 am EST (5:13:00 UTC), with the eclipse peaking about four minutes later. You likely have some idea already what the event signifies for you.

Boy in a Hindu funeral procession at Pura Goa Lawah; the Balinese do not mind strangers witnessing their ceremonies, and funerals celebrate reincarnation. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Yet even if you were not sent a bright star in the east last night to follow — or some other massive, impossible-to-ignore sign from god — chances are you can look back over the past year to gather some clues. After all, this eclipse is happening in Capricorn, the same sign as the year-defining Saturn-Pluto conjunction that’s exact in a few weeks.

Saturn-Pluto has been the long game: the gradual building of pressure, the progressive dismantling, the ever-increasing awareness of a need to restructure. Its manifestations on the world stage have been obvious and dramatic. Possibly it’s been showing up in your life more subtly — kind of like insistent, repeated nudges in a particular direction, or something coming apart in stages.

Eclipses, on the other hand, tend to be a more focused process. Usually there’s one solar and one lunar eclipse bracketing a two-week span. (The corresponding partial lunar eclipse of this pair arrives Jan. 10, almost aligning with the 12 Days of Christmas and the arrival of the three Magi with their gifts.)

‘Eclipse zones’ are little like going off to a couple weeks of summer camp: there’s an accelerated process of exploration, emotional bonding and growth, and closure on the experience. You return to the pace and context of ‘normal life’ a little changed, usually for the better, knowing that you’re looking at the world from an altered and expanded perspective. You carry within you a new understanding of who you are.

Not all eclipse phases are so dramatic for everyone. It often depends on where the eclipses are occurring in relation to your natal chart, and what your overall current life context is. But when they are personal, you’re more likely to experience a sense of time speeding up or compressing, of opportunities appearing out of nowhere, and of coming out the other side with your world looking distinctly different.

Eric has long offered the image of pointing a canoe into the direction of the current (into the rapids if life is churning) during an eclipse. The idea is to position yourself to work with the energy rather than at cross-purposes with it. Again, with this eclipse leading into the exact contact of Saturn and Pluto, you likely have a solid idea which way that current is flowing.

Do you feel clear and ready to paddle with it? Or are you fearful and hesitant about what might (or might not) wait for you on the other side of the rapids?

Capricorn energy can feel heavy at times; Saturn and Pluto seem to be adding extra weight this year. Yet Capricorn is also a sign with a high degree of initiative: if you know what you want, chances are you can tap into Cap’s determination to work toward it from the ground up. Note that this morning’s eclipse is conjunct the lunar South Node: a point representing karma and the comfortable old habits that hold you back. It’s a reminder to release what’s not working, to clear some space for what you need to build now.

We also have an infusion of buoyancy and spiritual orientation in today’s New Moon eclipse chart, in two ways. One is that the Sun and Moon are closely conjunct Jupiter, the planet of expansion.

Astrologers consider Jupiter to be rather debilitated in Cap — Saturn’s sign — as Saturn is the planet of contraction and limits. However, not all expansion needs to be directed outwardly.

New Moons are an inward-looking event. What if this eclipse is more about excavating space inside yourself, to make room for more of you in your life — a fuller spectrum of your emotions, a wider palette of ways to express yourself, a better-stocked spiritual toolkit? How many of the ideas and feelings by which you guide yourself belong actually to your parents, long-dead ancestors, or other ‘authorities’ in your life?

Another inspiring factor in today’s sky is Mercury’s conjunction to the Galactic Core (GC) in late Sagittarius. We’ve written a lot about the GC recently on Planet Waves, since the Sun just passed through there. Think of it as our cosmic homing signal — one of the features lending Sagittarius its optimism, openness and even its humanitarian/philosophical leanings.

Mercury lined up with the GC describes the mental freedom to grasp the spirit of the season, and to think optimistically. It’s peeking over Saturn’s wall to see how much is possible — and describes friendly, active conversations with whomever you encounter. Don’t be surprised if someone blurts out an uncannily apropos insight today.

On Saturday, Dec. 28, Mercury leaves Sagittarius to join the Capricorn party at 11:55 pm EST (5:54:41 UTC Sunday). Capricorn is a great problem-solving sign for Mercury — perfect if you need to figure out realistic next steps in your plan between the two eclipses. Remember that eclipses can be powerful pattern-setting events. Particularly as we near the Jan. 10 lunar eclipse, your ‘realistic’ steps can include plenty of what you love to do — what you would like to cultivate over the next 6-12 months.

Whatever your plan, whatever it’s time to leave behind, whatever your desires for what comes next, whatever the pressures you’re facing: this day is here for you, and you are in it. Allow yourself to be present.

None of us can truly see the future. All you need to see are your options right now — which may number greater than you thought they did yesterday. With each breath in and out, with each yes and no, you will move forward.

Wishing you all the best as we wrap up 2019 and head into the fertile unknown of 2020.

If you have a Capricorn Sun, rising sign or Moon and could use some insights about the challenges and opportunities life is sending your way, your relationships, career and more, pre-order the 2020 Capricorn Astrology Studio by Eric Francis Coppolino. Some of the most era-defining astrology has been centered on your sign in recent years, and that includes the biggest current astrological events. It also makes an amazing gift for your Cap loved ones.