Waning Moon in Sagittarius Moving into Capricorn

The Moon welcomes 2011 with the open arms of Sagittarius, and with open ears. If you're still working on your New Year's resolutions, listen up! As I write this morning, the Moon is joining Mercury in the sky, sitting with the messenger of the gods, planet of mind and communication.

what will this year bring?

Throughout the day, Moon and Mercury, thought and feeling, will join forces. Aligning these two is a vital step in setting New Moon intentions; when we get the wording right, we feel the resonance in our hearts. If the resonance isn't there, then the words need to be adjusted, or we're not ready for that intention.

It's not time yet to make New Moon wishes, as it's important to wait until after the moment of the New Moon. This is a great day to begin exploring what those wishes will be, though, and how they might be phrased, with the Moon and Mercury's cooperation.

Begin with your birth chart (which you can get here if you don't have one). Maybe you're intimately familiar with its contours and patterns, maybe you're learning what the symbols and lines really mean for you, maybe you're somewhere in between. No matter how many times I look at my own chart, new things can pop out at me when I least expect it, so pull out that chart and take a look.

Donna Cunningham offers a comprehensive process for working through a birth chart to set intentions for the whole year. It's an excellent, if daunting, one that involves looking at the transits of major planets throughout the year and figuring out how to work with them.

Here's an approach that fits Moon and Mercury in Sagittarius the adventurer: Choose something in your birth chart to explore today. Begin with a planet, aspect or house that intrigues you. What does it mean to have a Moon in Leo? How does a Venus-Jupiter conjunction affect my relationships? How have I experienced having Scorpio on my Fourth House?

Or begin with an issue you know you want to work with this year: if I want to develop a healthier lifestyle, or get my finances sorted out, or deepen my friendships, what can my chart tell me about patterns in these areas of my life?

Choose a place to begin, and dive in. Use any tools that present themselves. Search the internet; I'd recommend anything linked here as a great jumping off point. Pull books off your shelves (libraries might be closed today). Engage your intuition. Joanna Powell Colbert's Gaian Tarot website offers an online oracle, and Julie Cuccia-Watts offers free online readings from her three wonderful decks.

By tonight, the Moon will be receiving messages from the outer planets Neptune, Chiron, Jupiter and Uranus. Having spent the day with Mercury, her antennae will be finely tuned to listening to these cosmic frequencies. Spending time exploring our own issues in the context of our birth charts will open our senses and help us craft strong, clear intentions for the year ahead.

Overnight, the Moon leaves Sagittarius and enters Capricorn. The first Monday morning of the new year brings us the energy of Cardinal Earth, determined, practical, and steady. Use today's open invitation to explore, before getting down to business tomorrow.