the new moon at 7’59 capricorn is exact on wednesday december 28th, 2016 at 10:53pm PST- and it is conjunct retrograde mercury who is in his underworld phase. a very powerful year of completion and endings (2016 was a 9 year) ends with a deep dive into the Underworld and Unconscious. i know this time of the year is often full of parties, external focus, shopping, spending money and expending energy- but the natural cycle right now is to turn within. taking time to do this will be rewarded in the new year- as you can really go deep right now and get to the root/core of energies/situations in your life that need to be evolved, resolved, transformed and/or released in order for you to move into the new year and new growth that is coming!
a new moon is a time to plant seeds and set intentions- yet with mercury retrograde there is an energy present right now that involves going over/dealing with the past. mercury retrograde is a time to rethink, review and revise. it’s not a time to set new things in motion- as we need to deal with the incompletions or messes from the past that inhibit our abillity to move forward and onward in life. the mercury retrograde midpoint is exact 12 hours before the new moon, making this a very important day to pay attention to what you think, hear, perceive, understand or read right now. insights and aha moments about what is transforming, evolving, ending or completing in the capricorn area of your life (check the weekly horoscopes) are coming in BIG TIME, but you have to have the ears to hear and eyes to see right now ;)
interestingly the sun/moon/mercury conjunction harmoniously links with the nodes of fate and destiny as well as neptune who is still journeying close to the karmic south node. the exact neptune/south node conjunction was in november but at the end of 2016 mars triggers them both (27th-31st) and in january venus does so as well (8th-12th)- so we have incoming activation of this sensitive point in the skies and in our charts. any shadow pisces tendencies we have been acting out for years maybe lifetimes can be up for us to really honestly look at, own and change. this includes tendencies towards denial, delusion, avoidance of reality, escapism, addiction, spiritual bypassing, playing the victim or the martyr, being dishonest, slippery, out of integrity, confusion, illusion, deception of self or others or by the world around us. big energies are up and with mars about to trigger this configuration we have an opportunity to cut ties with karmic patterns that bind OR we can find ourselves rooting even deeper into these karmic patterns and getting stuck in them in even more intense ways (so choose wisely!)
luckily the new moon/mercury retrograde conjunction trines the evolutionary north node and sextiles the neptune/south node conjunction. mercury triggers this configuration a total of 3 times due to his retrograde journey- and right now the new moon is potently activating it. this is exceptional for being able to see our past, our patterns and our karmic tendencies for what they are. with the capricorn/virgo energy we are supported in stepping up our self mastery, integrity, discernment and commitment to doing our inner work. we can use this penetrating and insightful earth energy to SEE ourselves and others clearly- rather than get lost in the neptune fog of illusion, fantasy or deception. finding balance between mercy and compassion (south node in pisces) and severity and discernment (north node in virgo) is key right now- as too much of either creates imbalances within and without.
the new moon is also widely conjunct pluto- and both the moon and sun will trigger pluto in the coming hours and days after the new moon is exact. the moon cojoins pluto on thursday the 29th at 4:11pm and the sun cojoins pluto on friday january 6th at 10:45pm- so watching the the days that follow the new moon to see how the pluto energy unfolds is key. pluto is about transformation, evolution, shadow dancing, death and rebirth. pluto is the Higher Will and wherever our egos are running the show his energy can be felt as devastating. but if we are willing to surrender our lower will to the Higher Will this energy can be highly evolutionary, empowering and positive! whatever new things are commencing in the capricorn area of our lives- there is a death and rebirth process playing out right now that is requiring we fully deal with the past so we can let go of the karmic energies that keep us tied to old ways of doing and being which inhibit our ability to evolve and grow.
interestingly both the new moon and pluto are conjunct pretty potent fixed stars. the sun/moon conjunction is aligned with facies- a fixed star that speaks to ruthlessness or being the victim. we are being asked to step away from victim/tyrant dynamics so that we can stand in our power and meet life from this empowered place. rather than give away our power and be the victim or lord our power over others and be the ruthless tyrant- can we find a new, transformed relationship with power within ourselves that when accessed and anchored into will radically change and positively transform situations in our lives? pluto is conjunct the fixed star rukbat- which brings steadiness and strength to the journey of facing ourselves and our shadows deep within. rukbat is like a grounding rod and helps us to stay the course as we do this deep inner work- and this fixed star is there for us to access and make use of if we so choose!
the ruler of this lunation is saturn who is currently in sagittarius bringing deep lessons and karmic energies regarding Truth- both understanding it and living aligned with it. there are big time lessons up right now about seeing other people’s points of view and not being so myopic (one eyed- one pointed vision). saturn makes some exceptional aspects in the chart- sextile venus and jupiter (triggering the venus/jupiter trine) as well as trine uranus (which was exact for the first time on december 24th and lasts throughout 2017). really amazing energy for anchoring and grounding in the new, evolutionary energy playing out in relationships and creativity! saturn trine uranus helps bridge the past and the future so that we can stand in the present being aware of the past and how informs where we are at today- which gives us the wisdom to know what to do differently in the present so we can navigate towards a better future. radical, revolutionary and innovative changes and opporutnities for massive growth and incoming!!!
yet another aspect saturn makes- which is a big one- is saturn square chiron which is exact for the first time on the day of the new moon (earlier in the day at 3:05pm). this transit, like the saturn/uranus trine, is one that lasts all of 2017. what is up for us this week can give us insight into how these two transits will unfold and play out in our personal and collective lives in the coming year (so pay attention!). saturn and chiron are the two heavy hitter planets. saturn is where we don’t feel good enough and where we are hard on ourselves or others. chiron is where we have deep wounds and pain that subconsciously run us and sabotage us and where we don’t feel seen, accepted and loved and where we feel rejected. these two in square aspect bring up some pretty big core wound energies to work with- you know those places we keep getting stuck in over and over again and every time we find ourselves there we think to ourselves ‘this AGAIN!?!’. the coming year is exceptional for deep work on the self- shadow work, therapy, body work, shamanic journeys, healing of any kind. yet not everyone will choose to work with the astrology like this. some will be so triggered that they entrench themselves even further in the escapsit/denial/avoidance tendencies- choosing to spiritually bypass the deep work called for right now. it’s up to each of us and we have a choice!
with the new moon being governed by saturn who is trine uranus and square chiron- this lunation sets into motion a powerful portal through which we can choose to walk through or not. major opportunities for seeing our wounds, taking responsibility for how we act them out and being accountable for the fall out in our personal lives and also how acting out these wounds affects others are incoming. saturn square chiron is heavy- but saturn trine uranus provides the release valve. if we are willing to face things, own them and stand in accountability- then saturn trine uranus promises liberation and freedom from toxic energies or patterns that bind us to the past. sometimes the Universe has to do pretty intense things to wake us up out of our sleeping stupor. the wake up call is not so fun but the freedom that comes from being conscious and really seeing oneself and one’s life from this clear, awakened perspective is well worth it ;)
we also have uranus stationing direct just hours after the new moon (at 1:29am the next day december 29th). the rebel, revolutionary and Great Awakener is the most powerful planet in the sky right now- and he is bringing his wake up/shake up energy so that we can breakdown what is old and breakthrough to new awareness and new life! we just had jupiter oppose uranus on december 26th- so this week surrounding this lunation is highly uranian. expect the unexpected and go with the flow of radical and revolutionary change! just watch out for restlessness, aggression, accidents, impulsivity and reactivity as uranus in aries is not known for thinking before acting ;) this can play out personally but also collectively so pay attention to what unfolds on the world stage in the last week of 2016.
there are a few asteroids to take note of in the new moon chart. first of all ceres, the Great Mother asteroid Goddess, is conjunct eris the Goddess of discord and chaos (which will be exact on december 31st). this is a transit that has been in effect since june 2016 when uranus, eris and ceres aligned as a triple conjunction that month. this is pretty radical revolutionary astrology that is seeking to uproot and expose what is toxic, stagnant or stuck in personal as well as collective situations. ceres governs home and family, safety and security, the environment, Mother Earth and her resources (water, food, air, etc…). we can see this triple conjunction playing out in standing rock where there is a revolution happening around protecting the water sources. we can also see this playing out in syria where the war going on there is a covert battle for oil (although that is not what the mainstream news will tell you). look back to june and see what was in a state of upheaval, revolution and/or radical change in your personal life (look to the house where aries is- and check the weekly horoscopes for more info). with this potent alignment exact for the 3rd and final time on the last day of 2016- we all have an opportunity to make some radical and powerful shifts in our lives. but we have to be willing to expose what is toxic within and without- and we also have to be willing to take responsibility for it being that way which then empowers us to change things. interestingly both eris and ceres are conjunct tisiphone- an asteroid that speaks to fairness and seeking justice. this can be a powerful energy when used wisely helping us to shine a light of accountabilty on ourselves and others for any wrong doing we have done. yet the shadow of this triple conjunction (and really quadruple conjunction when you add uranus into the picture) expresses when we are so busy looking at what others have done and wanting them to suffer for what they have done- all the while avoiding and spiritually bypassing our own part in the dynamic. being aware of where this energy devolves into maliciousness and ruthlessness is key.
we also have saturn, the ruler of the lunation, conjunct nemesis- the man in greek mythology who was punished for something he did by being required to push a rock up a hill only to have it fall down and have to start all over again (and again and again). nemesis speaks to where our achilles heel is- that point of our own self sabotage and self-undoing. this is also the place where we would rather blame others, scapegoat and not take accountability for our piece in things. with chiron squaring saturn on nemesis this archetypal energy plays out BIG TIME in the unfolding of the saturn/chiron square that carries us through 2017. the best thing we can each do right now- personally and collectively- is to point the finger at ourselves and stay focused on our part in dynamics playing out in our lives. as long as we are pointing the finger at others we are focusing our energy without- rather than within. or alternatively if we are surrendering to our bad behavior or karmic patterns we are stuck in- then we are relinquishing our power and playing the victim. if we want to change the world we have to change ourselves- so now is the time to stop the karmic patterns playing out ad nausea and really take responsibility for putting them into motion to begin with! (this is not to say that others have no accountability/responsibility- it’s merely a reminder that the only one you can take responsibility for is yourself and that when you truly change within situations without will resolve/transform because you shifted first OR they will release/complete if others involved are not ready to step up and do their own work as well).
as you can see this is quite the loaded lunation- ending one very intense and powerful year and initiating us into a new one. i leave you with ellis lonsdale’s star sparks meditation for 8 capricorn- the degree of the new moon. when i read this meditation i got chills all over my body! his reminder that this is ‘a very advanced and evolved frequency. almost too hot to the touch. the interior quest lies in becoming unhooked from every kind of picture we’ve ever held inside. it’s the time to tap the void and pierce through’ is so resonant for me. i see this lunation as a huge portal that can catapult us into a whole new level of our evolutionary paths- IF WE SO CHOOSE. so take time at the end of 2016 to reflect, introspect, turn within. take stock of what you have carried with you karmically- prehaps for lifetimes- and feel into whether you might be ready, willing and able to drop that baggage and move into a new cycle with lightness, freedom and space for the new to come in. new years come and go all the time. but opportunities to really complete and be done with old versions of ourselves don’t come along as often. the opportunitiy is there- the door is opening. will you walk through it?
blessings…
~divine harmony
Star Sparks
by Ellias Lonsdale
Capricorn 8 A snake charmer
Dangerous skills. Pushing the edge. Being able to accomplish the impossible, to unite the miraculous, and to commit extreme errors. Almost superhuman endurance, facility, intelligence, and external skills. The performer who is able to become an instrument of pure light, or who can take their own path to find amplification and proof that this separative self is great and authoritative and needs nothing beyond.
A tortuous path of light and darkness. Such a potent brew of transcendence and self-inflation. A destiny that seeks the ultimate. Such a presence, a charisma. The stature of one who is still as they always were before.
A certain rapt fascination with patterns of self-destruction. An equally intensive search for ultimate truth and liberation. And meanwhile, such a demonstration of raw capacity to make the energies move, to bring consciousness to bear, and to do whatever is needed with finesse and self command.
If the opportunity is grasped, a path lies open which is beyond all previous experience. Along this projectile of intent is met the test, the trial, the initiation so long sought. We meet the Dweller on the Threshold. We face the cumulative impact of every false direction we’ve ever taken. And we can move through our own shadows, even as we learn to respect and bow before their necessity, their wisdom, their self-revelations.
A very advanced and evolved frequency. Almost too hot to the touch. The interior quest lies in becoming unhooked from every kind of picture we’ve ever held inside. It’s the time to tap the void and pierce through.