The New Moon in Capricorn is exact today at 2:16am PST, and we cross the threshold that is the astrological turn of the year. The Sun is at the lowest point on the ecliptic from here in the northern hemisphere (highest in the south). The Solstice actually plays out for three days, and this is that third day. The Sun will immediately begin to rise again as we move toward the light. Three days of death, followed by a resurrection that this year is almost literal to the many mythologies that describe such an event.
Today we rise, we set powerful intentions for the desires we hold dear, for that is what the Capricorn archetype is all about. We climb the mountain of our goals and ambitions in this mansion, and our intentions must honor that. But the goat climbs the mountain for a deeply spiritual reason as well, to have a better vantage point from higher levels of our consciousness as represented by the mountain that the goat is compelled to scale. While New Year’s Day is powerful, and we have a cultural history of formulating resolutions as part of that crossing of the calendar, in terms of what the solar system is doing, today is the true turn of the year, where we put the past behind us, and begin the trek up the mountain that will be 2023.
Uranus the Great Awakener is still very close to the North Node of the Moon. The North Node is our future, our collective dharma, and the point that guides us forward. Uranus is the planet that brings the sudden and unexpected, and the combo of Uranus and the North Node in close proximity is like a slingshot forward. Intentions set now can propel us powerfully into new territory in the months to come. This will increase the sense of urgency, and the desire to move, move now, and move fast. But remember that Mars is still retrograde for another three weeks, and so the sensation of urgency also has a foot on the brakes, so keep that in mind if you feel stuck. He turns around in mid-January, and there will be some movement and flow after he goes direct next month.
Jupiter has just moved into Aries, the first cardinal sign. Cardinal energy is about starting things up (as opposed to fixed and mutable, which are stabilizing and changeable respectively). Jupiter moved into Aries last year for a bit in the spring, but turned around and headed back into Pisces, forcing us to marinate on the inner landscape with things we eventually want to create in the outside world. There may have been some delays in your plans last year because of this, and when Jupiter moved into Aries just a few days ago, we were put on notice that it is time to move, and move fast. This New Moon is at another Cardinal point, 1-degree of Capricorn, and so this lunation is in a perfect Square with Jupiter, the Great Expander. That puts a tremendous bolt of movement into this New Moon, and our desires to grow, move, and create are likely to be just enormous right now. But Mars is telling us, not quite yet.
There is also something so juicy about the setup between Mercury and Venus who are hanging out together in later degrees of Capricorn, and their Trine with Neptune in Pisces, our connection to Spirit. We set intentions with our mind and thoughts, so that is Mercury’s domain. But we must add the feeling sensation to make a thought become a powerful manifestation experience; the thought is the seed (Mercury) and we water and fertilize it by generating the feeling that we already have that thing (Venus). We also need our mind and our hearts to be in alignment, for we cannot attract something we think of consciously, if in our unconscious, we feel undeserving of it.
Mercury and Venus in Capricorn mean that we are completely engaged with the idea of goals, ambitions, and making things happen in the outside world. That they are in a Conjunction during this New Moon means that Mind and Heart are aligned up there, which means mind and heart are more aligned down here. Mercury and Venus together are forming a productive Sextile with Neptune in Pisces, our connection to the Divine. Neptune holds our creative inspiration, and the consciousness of living in flow, supported by our spiritual connection. Intentions we set now have this powerful mechanism built into them, so be sure to stir up your universal connection with whatever you define as a spiritual practice before you sit down to set intentions.
Look to the house in your natal chart ruled by Capricorn, for that is where the most fertile intention setting can be focused. If you have any planets in the very early degrees of signs, especially the Cardinal signs, this lunation is going to be that much more powerful for you. Look to the Gemini house in your chart as well because Mars in Gemini is helping us marshal our resources in that area of consciousness, and will release some ability to move forward once he turns around in three weeks. Lastly, your Aries house, and any planets in Aries, are going to get a big burst in the first half of the year because of Jupiter moving through this sign that inspires movement action and movement forward. The year ahead has a wild amount of change with Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, and the Nodes of the Moon all changing signs. How we move through all of that will depend largely on the grounded planning we do now. Make your intentions big, and make them count, and then have at it in 2023.
Don’t forget to sign up for my Astro-Forecast 2023 that is being held live on January 1st or enjoy the recording at your leisure. CLICK HERE for more info and to register.
