Sunday January 18, 2026
At 11:51am PST, the Moon will join the Sun in Capricorn, and we move through the first New Moon of 2026. This is an unprecedented New Moon in unprecedented times. All of the personal planets are directly involved in a powerful stelium, a gathering close enough to amplify what they each bring. Mars and Mercury are exactly Conjunct at 26°, and the Sun and Moon are in congress at 28° Capricorn. Our conscious awareness and unconscious mind are in perfect alignment as they are in every New Moon, but so is our walk and talk. This intention-setting moment is dialed directly into how we are perceiving the present moment (Mercury), and the way we choose to move through the world as we step into the year ahead (Mars).
And yet, even as Capricorn is doing what Capricorn does, building structure and asking for discipline, the stelium is already starting to give way to the Uranus-ruled Aquarius mansion, where we break free of constraints and conformity. Venus moved into Aquarius yesterday, so the heart is already setup for excitement and innovation. The Sun will follow her tomorrow. Capricorn helps us build. Aquarius helps us disrupt what is stale so something truer can emerge. Aquarius lets us think far outside the box, and you may be surprised by the new and potentially risky directions you are willing to take as you allow this lunation to catapult you into the future.
Venus is just as close to the Sun and Moon as Mercury and Mars are, but from Aquarius. And on the other side of her is Pluto at the same separation of just 2°. You know I love such precision. Venus and the Lord of the Underworld are also 2° apart, close enough to be in each other’s vibe, bringing emotional intensity and a deeper willingness to accept your power. If the past lunar cycle has been emotionally heavy, this shift can also bring a kind of perspective, not coldness, but clarity. The heart starts recalibrating to the reality that big change is unstable, and that is not a problem, it is a requirement.
Over the next week, as the personal planets and then the Sun each Conjunct Pluto, our personal sensibilities will be walking through the Underworld. Pluto’s capacity to facilitate change at the deepest level is not knocking at the door today. He is pounding on it. Tomorrow we begin the Aquarius mansion as the Sun leaves Capricorn behind, but we will still be in the energetic wave that every New Moon brings. With the Aquarius Sun and Pluto activated tomorrow, any intentions you set today that require radical change, or include new ideas that feel exciting and frightening at the same time, are supported through the entire lunar cycle ahead.
Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, so this New Moon belongs to the Great Teacher. Each sign has its primary rulership, but also underlying influences through the decans, three ten-degree sections within each sign. This lunation lands in the third decan of Capricorn, carrying the co-rulership of the Sun, which puts identity and creative authority at the center of the moment. This wave of personal planet activity is reshaping the self, calling us into leadership, creative sovereignty, and the embodiment of the simple truth that when we claim who we are with unapologetic freedom, things begin to fall into place.
This lunation is also part of a larger geometric pattern, the Grand Sextile that began to take shape last summer. A Grand Sextile is formed when multiple planets are linked by two Sextiles in a row, creating a long, flat triangular pattern in the chart. One corner is anchored by the personal planets gathered in Capricorn, reflecting our lived experience in a body and the profound personal transformation underway as they prepare to pass through the Underworld. That is the part of the pattern that speaks to identity, choice, and the reshaping of the self at the personal level.
The next Sextile is held by Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, activating both responsibility and the unconscious impulses driven by belief and ideology. This is also a potent blend of creativity and inspiration, Neptune brings the vision, and Saturn helps you do something with it. Then if we hop another 60°, Uranus in Taurus adds urgency, risk-taking, and the feeling that there is no more waiting or downtime. The demands we are all feeling to keep our personal lives vibrant, creative, and satisfying are matched with needing to keep up with revolutionary changes we are helping generate.
With the world in the state that it is in, the astrology is of course reflecting the outer world with outrageous precision. But do not forget that the much greater emphasis in this New Moon is your personal experience. Sextiles are potential energy; they do not act on their own. You have to step forward and engage them through choice and behavior in order to harness what they offer. Consider anything and everything you would like to bring into form in the year ahead. Be bold. The world will course-correct you if you reach for something that is not truly yours. Personal creative expression is such a theme in this cycle, which is why I have emphasized the Sun’s influence in this final decan of Capricorn. Whatever you choose to intend with this New Moon, make sure it is connected to standing front and center in your life, shining brightly in your own light.
This is the moment I have been helping you understand day by day since the October New Moon in Libra (well day by day if you are a Daily Astro Alert subscriber so CLICK for more about that). The outers, along with Saturn holding this Grand Sextile are allowing the outside world to change, and this New Moon puts the personal planets in direct alignment with that larger evolution as we leap into the New Year in earnest.
Do not get so caught up in the astrology reflecting a world on fire that you miss the opportunity to wake yourself up to movement, discipline, and responsibility, while also making room for joy and creative vitality at the personal level. We can do both. We are designed to. The more you know who you are and offer your gifts freely in service, the greater chance the collective has of getting through all of this in one piece. Have at it.
