the new moon at 26’54 capricorn is exact on tuesday january 16th 2018 at 6:17pm PST. this commences a new lunar cycle that focuses on the structures, foundations and established things in our lives. capricorn is a sign of success and hard work. it’s also a sign of the past, the old, the familiar and the known. this is a great new moon to get more disciplined, focused and success/work oriented! yet with this lunation widely conjunct pluto and square uranus- it’s also a time to ascertain what is old paradigm, restrictive, karmic and and not supportive of growth and evolution. some foundations are great and can be kept, while others are toxic, stagnant and stuck. discerning baby from bathwater, wheat from chaff- is key in the coming lunar cycle!
at the time of this new moon we have a stellium of capricorn planets in the sky! we have saturn, mean black moon lilith, mercury, pluto, sun/moon and venus all in the sign of the mountain goat! this heralds the HUGE FOCUS on this area of the sky and this area of our natal charts that 2018 will bring. i have written about this in weekly horoscopes and weekly forecasts- but in short due to saturn through capricorn all year long, mars retrograde through capricorn in the summer, pluto on his own karmic south node in october and the karmic south node moving into capricorn in november we have a lot of karma and lessons coming up to be addressed with capricorn. capricorn represents governments, big business and the established powers that be. much change is incoming in regards to these collective areas of life- as anything toxic, stagnant or stuck will show itself for what it is this year.
on a more personal level where capricorn is in our natal charts is where we are being asked to purge, release and uplevel our experience. this will not be easy- and this will be the area of life that challenges us the most in the coming year. so this new moon is an initiator of the lessons, growth and evolution asked of us. this is an important lunation to pay attention to what is being seeded or set into motion in our personal lives and collective lives. what is present right now is the Universe giving us sign posts about what is down the road- so pay attention!
in addition to the wide conjunction to pluto and square to uranus- this new moon is sextile the mars/jupiter conjunction and chiron the Wounded Healer. a healing trine between mars, jupiter and chiron reminds us that healing happens when we are willing to FEEL. getting intimate with our emotions, with our wounding, vulnerability and pain is key. this is not a time to stone wall, cut ourselves off from our hearts, suck it up try to deal with life without feeling. mars/jupiter in scorpio is calling us into the depths. and trine to chiron is asking us to cultivate more compassion, awareness and Love- for ourselves, for others and the world around us.
we also have the new moon conjunct venus- which inspired the title of this lunar insight ‘sowing the seeds of Love’. this lunation, like the last two lunations, have venus involved- putting the spotlight on relationships, our values, finances, self-Love and self-worth. this is a time to plant seeds of Love- self-Love, love of others, love of Mother Earth and Love of life. the changes that are happening need to happen from a space of Love or they will be changes that are done for power, money, control- which will be at the detriment of our planet. on a more mundane level this new moon could speak to big changes happening in relationships- marriage, romantic, business and financial alliances.
with the ruler of this lunation being saturn, who just moved into capricorn his home sign in late december- we can see that this lunation most definitely has a seeding quality to it. what we set into motion right now, the foundations we set, the seeds we plant- they will surely unfold according to their frequency. we also have an exact mercury/black moon lilith conjunction exact the day after the new moon (tuesday the 16th)- bringing in very serious and revealing communications, information or revelations. from the 12th to the 16th (from the mercury/saturn conjunction to the mercury/lilith conjunction)- we want to pay very close attention to what we hear, think or say. karma can be set into motion at this time OR amazing leaps into higher levels of integrity and self mastery can occur. it’s up to us to use the astrology consciously and wisely!
with the sun/moon conjunction linking with all the outer planets- square uranus, semi square neptune and conjunct pluto- there’s a very transpersonal energy to this lunation. the transpersonal planets are not interested in our personal needs, demands, fears or attachments. all they care about is evolution and awakening. the sign of capricorn and ruler saturn are focused on structure, foundations and the past. but the outer planets come into radically alter/change/end structures and foundations as we know them. and they are focused on the future, with attention given to the past only to understand what has brought us to today and what we need to deal with and address if we truly want to move into a more evolutionary future.
the capricorn energy in the sky and in our charts reminds us that the past informs our present. when we have not dealt fully with the past- it continues to unconsciously control us and even sabotage our best efforts at evolution. looking to where capricorn falls in your natal chart (both ascendant chart and solar chart) can give you more info on where this is playing out for you personally. but collectively all you have to do is watch the news and see how the government, big business, political powers that be, the financial institutions and more are struggling to stay alive and stay in control. you can also see how they are stuck in an old paradigm. the astrology this year is about changing paradigms- and each of us willing to radically changing ourselves contributes to the radical shifts and changes that need to happen on planet earth.
there are a few asteroids to take note of in the new moon chart. first off all the sun/moon conjunction is conjunct bacchus- the Greek god of ecstasy and wine. martha lang-wescott says that bacchus speaks to excess, addiction and where we attempt to manage life through substitution, avoidance and escapism. with capricorn involved- where have we gotten addicted to power and control, where have we gone into excess with trying to dominate and control all of life and even nature?
we also have saturn opposite kassandra. kassandra was a greek prophetess who could see into the future. in her myth she originally was an oracle of the Goddess but as patriarchy started taking over the matriarchal powers and mysteries she became an oracle of apollo. apollo wanted to sleep with her and she refused him- so he got mad and cursed her, saying she would see the Truth and the future but no one would believe her. to me having saturn opposite kassandra in the chart is a reminder to listen to the oracles, listen to the seers, listen to the ones who have Truths to share that certain powers that be are invested in their voices not being heard. trusting in our intuition, our dreams and inner knowing is also a part of the process- even if what you know to be true goes against what everyone else says is right or everyone else thinks is reality.
i leave you with elias lonsdale’s star sparks meditation for 27 capricorn- the degree of the new moon (you always round up to the nearest whole degree when looking at sabian symbols). i am also including the meditation for 29 capricorn where venus is- as i find them both deeply insightful. this new moon is a time to “differentiate between that which will offer us a progressive greater path through and beyond and that which will deter us in the old karmic places a good long while”. it’s a time to look further and see the “evidence that falsehood, corruption, distortion of every kind is at the crux point of what has made the world such a mess.” and we “must find proof that there is something worth championing in this world which can endure and can stand up to inspection”. as within, so without. use this new moon to seed new cycles based on integrity and self-mastery and use this new moon to bring to the Light of consciousness that which is no longer viable.
the winds of change are blowing! let’s harness the wind and set our sails towards an evolutionary future where all beings are able to thrive!
blessings…
~divine harmony
STAR SPARKS
by elias lonsdale
NEW MOON DEGREE
Capricorn 27 A long mirrored hallway lit with candles
Seeing lucidly where we are going, where we are coming from and why. Being granted a second sight to accompany our own journey through the world with a sharp gaze which pierces all appearances and reveals what is ordinarily both obscure and confusing.
Almost riveted to the spot in rapt fascination at what is seen and what is revealed. Able to go just about anywhere with this faculty, but typically transfixed by the implication, the reverberation, to a point of perhaps just witnessing and observing with inward open eyes.
Especially keen to discover what is most vital and essential and holding to this line of inquiry and of realization. Not wishing to waste any time or effort with secondary factors. Driven by purpose, meaning, value.
Caught in a paradox. Do we go higher or deeper, forward or backward, and can we really sense which is which? For the fascination lies in whatever lights up ahead. Yet there are myriad influences at work. Can we differentiate between that which will offer us a progressive greater path through and beyond and that which will deter us in the old karmic places a good long while?
If we cannot, then it will turn out that those ancient places will light up afresh, and provide the key to the journey until they are worked through completely. Such passages or cycles, brief or extended, have a theme and an inner power to them which is so immense that any further journeying might seem for awhile out of the question and not to be attempted this time around.
Yet strangely, all of this can turn rapidly at a key juncture into an opening going straight for the heights. No turn of the spiral is entirely consuming. It is just too familiar and already-known somehow. Yet just around that bend, the Infinite abides, and watches closely, awaiting it’s cue.
VENUS DEGREE
Capricorn 29 An architect carefully surveying old ruins
He sees something. He witnesses how what once was great becomes lost over time. And when he goes into it, as he must, he realizes that there was something inherent in the greatness that was flawed. He then gives himself the task of tracking down the flaws, of obsessing upon what went wrong, and of seeking to teach himself and others, the lessons involved in the greatness that goes for a tumble and looses it’s glory.
This study, this research, this investigation cuts close to the bone. Just about everything is implicated, just about everybody is part of the syndrome. The further you look, the greater the evidence that falsehood, corruption, distortion of every kind is at the crux point of what has made the world such a mess. And it is very hard to believe in anything else when you fill your screen of awareness with doubts and proofs that doubt is the only reasonable attitude.
Then the path becomes to begin to find an integration after empowering consciousness to take charge. This is quite a challenge. He must find proof that there is something worth championing in this world which can endure and can stand up to inspection.
Sadly, if you impose skepticism upon what is being observed, you skew your experiment to render it very hard to generate sufficient space to foster that which can reveal a whole different side to life. The only way the skeptical mind set can outwit itself in this tight (corridor) is if a vision is uncovered, a lost track retraced, an ancient hunch restored to the light of day. Then the one who has gone so far into the modern vantage point may be propelled beyond it, in order to see the scope and magnitude of what is really here when you strip yourself of all negative assumption whatsoever.