New Moon in Capricorn: The Power of Reality

Minoan goddess or priestess

New Moon in Capricorn
January 11, 2013

Tomorrow's New Moon in Capricorn arrives with an intense concentration of Capricorn energy that includes not just the Sun–Moon conjunction, but also Mercury conjunct the New Moon, a Pluto–Juno conjunction, and Venus newly arrived in Capricorn.

Babies born under this New Moon will have birth charts full of purpose, determination, pragmatism and practicality, and are likely to be hard workers, persistent, patient and traditional. As so will we be, as we set wishes and intentions at this first New Moon of the new year.

This is a New Moon for coming to grips with what's real. It's also a New Moon for making our dreams come true––if we're prepared to commit to the work needed to get it done. With Capricorn, there's no "easy" or "quick." This is the sign that understands putting one foot in front of the other, and climbing the mountain.

Capricorn is also the sign of the leader, the ruler, the CEO, of stepping into our own authority and owning our vision. Saturn, Capricorn's ruler, continues his trek through mysterious, powerful and intuitive Scorpio, so this is insightful leadership with a finger on hidden pulses.

With Pluto in the mix, and Uranus continuing his trek through Aries, change is definitely in the air. Capricorn feels most comfortable with the ways things have always been, but when the land is shifting under your feet, that just isn't enough.

Pluto and Saturn continue their mutually-receptive sextile, and the goddess Vesta now sits at the apex of the yod they form. Tranformation is reaching into home and hearth, shaking up our most secure and private places.

Venus is squaring Uranus now too, challenging the fiery revolutionary to make it real: What change? When? How? What are the concrete steps that need to happen. Uranus pushes back, upsetting apple carts in our creative and financial lives, and in relationships.

The New Moon sextiles the North Node in Scorpio, and together they form another yod with the goddess Ceres at the apex––we see the strong feminine again at the point of change.

Which is a reminder: We tend to think of practical, Saturn-ruled Capricorn as very male, the traditional father, the authority figure in the hierarchical sense and yet, as an earth sign, Capricorn is feminine and yin.

Women have tremendous endurance. In fact, there's evidence women have more muscle endurance (on average) than men, who tend to excel in strength. Women are the slow-but-steady engines keeping societies going. This is Capricorn energy.

Capricorn is, symbolically, doubly feminine. This is the sign of the water goat, combining water and earth. Zeus was fostered by the goat goddess Almathea, thought to represent a more ancient and nurturing goddess replaced by the Olympic pantheon. The Roman Juno had a goat form: Juno Caprotina, a fertility goddess associated with figs and the fig harvest.

So this New Moon speaks of the resurgence of feminine power, of goddess energy. Juno and Pluto are conjunct, sextiling Saturn, inconjunct Vesta, the Finger of Fate. Can we consciously and deliberately shift our understanding of women's roles from home and hearth to the wide world? Can we all, no matter our gender, embrace feminine forms of power as a balance to the masculine models dominating the world today?

This is the New Moon to set intentions for this, to embrace women as powerful, to value feminine approaches to power. Look for powerful women in the news, and in your world: How do such women embody and model power? What can we learn from them, to emulate or to avoid? How do they align with our own values?

One of the most intriguing aspect patterns for this New Moon is a series of five quintiles. The quintile is an unusual aspect that invites creativity: Mozart had seven in his chart. This New Moon forms quintiles from the Sun and Moon to Uranus and Saturn, and from Mercury to Pallas Athena.

Could we ask for a clearer signal to look beyond the obvious? Creative solutions to our challenges will be on offer at this New Moon, if we're ready to plant the seeds and nurture the shoots that emerge, even if they look a bit different. This might be a great time for wishing without too many strings attached, for allowing the universe to point the way.

The New Moon brings a tremendous amount of energy that will last a long time, if we join in and commit to making our dreams into reality.