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EcoAstrology: Capricorn New Moon
Ring out the false, ring in the true — Alfred Lord Tennyson
If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented — Maya Angelou
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives — Annie Dillard
Important Dates:
January 10: Sun squares Lunar Nodes (21º Capricorn-Aries-Libra)
January 11: New Moon (21º Capricorn) 3:58 AM PST; Eris D+ 1: 22 PM (24º’ Aries); Mercury con GC (27º Sagittarius); Sun square 10/14/23 Solar Eclipse (21º Cap-Lib)
January 20: Sun conjunct Pluto (29ª59’ Capricorn); Pluto re-enters Aquarius; Venus conjunct Galactic Center (27º Sagittarius)
January 9, 2024
Dear Friends,
New Year. New Moon. New Age. Time flies. Time stands still. Time warps. Time is a river. Time is a wheel. “The Times They Are a-Changin.” We live in revolutionary times, a time of exponential change, where the greatest change of all will not be cultural or technological, but spiritual — an evolutionary shift in consciousness, moving from materialism, polarization, and subjugation into the paradigm of the heart, where we realize our interconnectedness, equality, and divinity. Making that shift changes absolutely everything — how we perceive ourselves, how we relate to others, and our experience of reality itself.
Everything changes, even how we keep track of time. For millennia, January was not the first month of the year. The calendar as we know it originally began in March, had ten months, and ended with December (decem means ten in Latin). January and February were added in the 7th century BCE to honor Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, and to commemorate Februa, a purification festival. In order to keep in sync with the solar cycle, the Julian calendar was created in 45 BCE, making January 1 the official beginning of the civil year and adding an extra day every four years.
For Christians, the New Year continued to be December 25 (Christmas Day) or March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation) until October 1582. That fall, in order to keep Easter from falling further away from the vernal equinox each year, Pope Gregory XIII formalized January 1 as the start of the new year, eliminated 10 days, and refined the leap year additions. Most Catholic countries readily implemented the changes, but Great Britain and its American colonies did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752, nor did China until 1911, Russia in 1918, and Saudi Arabia in 2016.
The next new moon, which forms on January 11 at 21º Capricorn, highlights our current relationship with time, responsibility, and authority. It spotlights where we need to clarify our priorities, respect our limits, and trust our inner guidance. Several factors amplify the potency of this new moon. It very closely squares the Lunar Nodes currently at 21º Aries-Libra, and the degree of the last solar eclipse (October 14, 2023 at 21º Libra), helping us see where we may still be trying to change, fix, or rescue others, and where we are being called to release generational patterns of victimhood, martyrdom, or codependency.
Mars and Pluto are also currently in Capricorn, urging us to use our power wisely. Dwarf planet Eris turns direct just hours after this new moon, enjoining us to stay true to ourselves, and to stand up or stand out when necessary. Mercury conjuncts the Galactic Center, facilitating cosmic downloads and expanded understandings, while Saturn’s semisquare and Uranus’ trine to the new moon turn up the volume on our intuition and ingenuity, helping us see and take the next steps on our path. All this directs us to reflect on our strategies, roles, and goals for our work, life, and relationships. What are our primary intentions for this year? What do we need to change? What do we need to commit to more deeply?
As the 10th sign, Capricorn symbolizes the development of maturity and integrity, where we become responsible, sovereign human beings who possess a healthy moral compass, are able to think for ourselves, and trust our inner guidance as to what is right, true, and appropriate. This stage of adulthood is humanity's evolutionary edge: to step fully into our power, no longer look outside ourselves for approval or validation, and make choices based on what is best not just for ourselves, but for all concerned. We become our own parent, our own authority, our own judge.
Dwarf planet Eris ends its annual retrograde period just a few hours after the peak of this new moon, intensifying its archetypal energies. Eris stationed retrograde on July 21, 2023 at 25º15’ Aries, turns direct at 24º09’ Aries, and once again reaches 25º15’ Aries on May 29. While retrograde, Eris urged us to clear repressed emotions, release old programming, and reclaim the power of the feminine. Due to its highly elliptical orbit, Eris spends 22% of its time in Aries. Its current transit through first sign (1922 to 2048), seeks to teach us that our identity and self worth have nothing to do with the prevailing ideals and illusions of culture or media.
This new moon’s close square to the Lunar Nodes at 21º Aries-Libra and the last total solar eclipse (which occurred on October 14, 2023 at 21º Libra), spotlights where we need to create more balance, honesty, and acceptance in our relationships. The Lunar Nodes function like a spiritual compass, with the North Node pointing towards what would be growthful, and the South Node illuminating what needs to be released or transformed in order for us to move forward.
Any planet squaring the nodes applies extra evolutionary pressure on that polarity. In Aries, the North Node inspires our independence and courage, encouraging us to face our fears, be authentic, and risk trying something new. The South Node in Libra counsels us to recognize the high cost of suppressing our feelings and desires in order to avoid dealing with anger, conflict, and/or being alone. We may receive important insights and extra cosmic support for making changes around January 11, when Mercury conjuncts the Galactic Center (GC), and again around January 20, when Venus conjuncts the GC.
Both Capricorn and Saturn, its ruling planet, are linked with manifestation and consequences, structures and limitations, social norms and agency. While transiting Pisces (March 7, 2023 to May 25, 2025 and September 1, 2025 to February 13, 2026) Saturn prompts us to look deeply at the authority figures, rules, and practices in our spiritual life. What faclitates our having direct experiences of the sacred, a sense of kinship with all life, an intimate relationship with our essence, a greater trust in our inner guidance?For a thought provoking exploration of how spiritual paths may differ for men and women, read Teri Uktena’s blog Manifesting Your Best Life Rather Than a Role here.
Saturn is closely conjunct Fomalhaut (4º11’ Pisces), the 18th brightest star in the sky, and the first observed to possess an extrasolar planet via Hubble telescope images. Fomalhaut is one of the four royal stars of ancient Persia and Egypt, considered to be heavenly sentinels of the four directions, and presides over the South with Archangel Gabriel. Fomalhaut is associated with the shift of the ages, and is mythically linked with the Babylonian fish-god Oannes, who came to Earth to teach humans how to become civilized. As a fixed star, Fomalhaut is thought to facilitate moving from material to spiritual forms of expression, amplifying the metaphysical messages of Saturn and Neptune moving through Pisces.
Saturn and Capricorn’s spiritual goals of self-determination, conscious creation, and integrity have become increasingly imperative since 2008, when Pluto began its once every 248 years transit through the 10th sign, even more during Saturn’s once every 29.5 years passage through Capricorn (December 19, 2017 to March 21, 2020 and July 1 to December 16, 2020), and exponentially more so when Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto aligned in Capricorn in 2020 for the first time in 735 years.
January 20 the Sun conjuncts Pluto at 29º59’ Capricorn, just before Pluto begins its second dip into Aquarius. The 29th degree of any sign is an important turning point, symbolizing the necessity of completing the spiritual goal of that sign in order to advance to the next phase. Developing the skill set of the 10th stage symbolized by Capricorn (personal agency, accountability, and internalized authority), is a prerequisite for achieving the goals of the 11th stage represented by Aquarius (individuation, tolerance, unity in diversity). Pay special attention to what crosses your mind and path on this day for important clues as to your next steps.
Pluto was briefly in Aquarius from March 23 to June 11, 2023, and will retrograde back into Capricorn one more time on September 1, before fully moving into Aquarius on November 19, where it remains until 2043. For more on this historic shift, see my March 21, 2023 forecast as well as my 2023 and 2024 Yearly Forecasts. Here is a summary of that information:
Whenever an outer planet changes signs, it initiates a shift in personal consciousness, and a shift in the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. Pluto’s transit through a sign reveals both the power and the shadow side of that sign. In Capricorn, Pluto has starkly exposed the consequences of worshipping “the almighty dollar,” the rise of corporatocracy, and the global ramifications of humanity’s disconnection and domination of Nature.
As Pluto moves through Aquarius for the next 20 years, how we use science and technology, how we determine social norms, and most importantly, how we define our humanity, take front stage. At its best, Pluto in Aquarius supports breakthroughs and quantum leaps in science, medicine, and technology, as well as radical transformation through egalitarian, grassroots movements, replacing competition and polarization with collaboration and unity.
Without a healthy, internalized sense of authority, sovereignty, and responsibility developed in Capricorn, we succumb to the dark side of Aquarius, creating dystopia rather than utopia. We become hypnotized, addicted, and fragmented into blind conformity, dehumanization, and technocracy. Pluto in Aquarius will challenge us to deal with what divides us from others, whether that involves gender, class, race, religion, culture, nationality, or other demarcations. It will impel us to address the shadow side and misuse of power in groups, social movements, and technology.
Since March, 2023 when Pluto first entered Aquarius, there have been quantum leaps in AI (artificial intelligence) which generates not only text and data, but also images, video, audio, and much more. AI is increasingly utilized in government, healthcare, finance, education, science and research, art and creativity, religion and psychology, marketing and businesses of all kinds. Last year there were major breakthroughs in harnessing nuclear fusion, far more powerful than nuclear fission with no toxic radioactive waste, and major developments in nanoelectrofuel batteries, which are safer, longer lasting, more quickly recharged, and store more energy than lithium batteries. For more examples, read Top 10: Biggest Innovations of 2023 here and These are the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2023: Here's How They Can Impact the World here.
The shadow side of technology is that, with the vast majority of records now being stored electronically, it’s never been easier to delete data or rewrite information to control the appearance of reality. Videos as well as words can be quickly and easily manipulated with a few keystrokes, creating doubt and confusion as to what is real and what is fake. AGI (artificial general intelligence) is quickly approaching the threshold of surpassing human capabilities, which also brings up huge ethical questions, so serious that many scientists called for a moratorium on AI last spring.
The dangers described in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 have come to pass, exemplified by the widespread use of fear, surveillance, and propaganda, social and professional punishments for questioning the prevailing narrative, and the elimination of dissent through censorship, gaslighting, and fifth generational warfare, which employs the internet, social media, and the 24-hour news cycle to influence the perceptions and biases of individuals and organizations. For an eye opening primer, read PsyWars: The 21st Century Battlefield by Dr. Robert Malone here.
These times of exponential change impel us to stay focused on our intentions, grounded on our spiritual core, and guided by the wisdom of our heart. "Be true to yourselves in the coming year. You were not designed to please others unless it truly pleases you to do so. You were not designed to serve others at the expense of your own joy and well-being. Very few in the history of humanity have incarnated with the explicit intention to be martyrs, but those who chose that path, did, did it with glad hearts. You were not designed to fight or fix people or systems but rather to serve the values and empower the ideologies you believe in. So, in this time of intensified contrast, give up the fight. Give up trying to make others conform. Give up trying to make yourself conform. Like the roses and lilies, the grasses, trees, and weeds, simply be yourself and trust that the love that lives within all things and all beings wants its expression in diversity… In the coming year, wonder at the differences, seek to understand them if you wish, but remain true to your loving self. There's no need to get anyone else to agree with you. There's no need for you to agree with anyone else. Listen rather than argue. Love rather than hate. Be kind to yourself rather than self-deprecating.”(Messages from Ann and the Angels; full message available here.)
Namaste,
Stephanie Austin
www.EcoAstrology.com
PO Box 1853 Port Townsend, WA 98368
Stephanie Austin M.A. is a full time astrologer specializing in life purpose, career, and relationship readings and astrology tutorials since 1986. She wrote the New and Full Moon column for the Mountain Astrologer magazine for 15 years, and taught at John F. Kennedy University from 1989 to 2004. Her background includes a bachelor's degree in Psychology, a master's in Consciousness Studies, and a lifelong involvement with meditation, Nature, and healing. For more information on her astrology readings, eBooks, tutorials, and forecasts, visit www.EcoAstrology.com.
