That Capricorn New Moon…
Just before midnight on Tuesday, 1/12/21, the year’s only new moon in Capricorn will land alongside the Sun (the definition of a new moon) at 23º13’. New moons are times for fresh starts and new beginnings, and ooh baby, couldn’t we all use one right about now?
But here’s the thing that has many astrologers sitting up and taking notice. This new moon is one degree away from transformational, intensifying Pluto—and it lands at virtually the exact same degree as last year’s infamous conjunction of Pluto and Saturn (with the Sun and messenger Mercury riding shotgun), which also occurred on January 12.
Somebody cue the Twilight Zone theme.
A New Day Is Dawning
But before you go into hiding or start hoarding toilet paper (again), consider what a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, we didn’t even know the name Covid-19 (that was given on February 11, 2020). We were free to roam most of the planet and were living in the blissful ignorance of what was just two months up the pike.
It’s not like it’s over yet, but there are reasons to be hopeful. (I won’t so much as dip a toe into political speculation or commentary here.)
Vaccines are being deployed, governments are learning to cope, however slowly, and we the people have been collectively pivoting for the past 10 months.
And—back to new moons being times for fresh starts—this one, in the sign of Capricorn the builder and long-range-planner, holds the promise of a more solid foundation. With Jupiter and Saturn now both marching ahead in optimistic Aquarius, and that sign’s ruler, transformational Uranus, resuming forward motion this Thursday, many of us are leaning in to this sea change.
There are still people scrambling to recover from what the pandemic has wrought, some of whose lives will never be the same. But plenty of us have used this time as a kind of personal retreat; to draw inward and learn, grow, shed, develop, explore, meditate, heal, serve, make art and reconnect to ourselves on a deep and soulful level.
And that is how we as a nation and a global community will move past this annus horribilis, find the silver lining and milk it for all it’s worth.
When You Wish Upon a Star...
The late great astrologer Jan Spiller taught a generation to make new moon wishes every month, and I’ve been doing that for two notebooks’ worth of new moons. It’s a simple yet powerful exercise, and I invite you to start doing it tonight/Wednesday morning if it’s not already part of your repertoire.
Devote a notebook to this exercise. Within eight hours of each new moon (Tuesday, 1/12 at 11:59pm EST for this one), hand-write your top 10 wishes for the coming month. As you focus on them, imagine you’re already manifesting them. They can be about any area of your life, but they need to be for you—you can’t, for instance, wish your partner would stop doing this or your child would start doing that.
Do this each month, and every half-year or so, go back and review what you've manifested. And for those things, start a new list, your gratitude list. If you’re anything like me, doing this wholeheartedly and regularly can be a real game-changer.
And ooh baby, couldn’t we all use one of those right about now?
