New Moon in Capricorn: Stone and Bones

Ancient stones © MP Lynch 2013

New Moon in Capricorn
January 1, 2014
6:14 am EST / 11:14 am GMT

At New Year's, we confront the tradition of resolutions. We'll be asked what ours are, and how we did last year. Maybe we did alright, often not all that well. Oh, well ... time to try again.

Enter the Capricorn New Moon, aligned with transformative Pluto and sharp-eyed Mercury, squared by incendiary Uranus and hard-nosed Mars, widely opposite Jupiter and Lilith, both retrograde in Cancer. Chiron the wounded healer is also involved, exchanging energy with the new Moon. Oi vey!

This Moon looks like it's all about getting down to work, stop messing about, nose to the grindstone, should to the wheel. But when I think of it that way, I already feel tired. Let's look for other perspectives.

The presence of all these other planets, which include a mix of the outer message-bringers as well as the close-to-home personal planets, invites us to look more deeply into the meaning and message of Capricorn.

This is not only the sign of hard work and consequences, pragmatism and transactions. Capricorn is an initiator, a manifestor. Capricorn is connected deeply with the Earth. In Capricorn, we have the chance to know what we know because we feel it in our bones.

There are some excellent blogs out there diving deep into the meanings of this New Moon. Check out Molly Hall's post at About Astrology and Julie Dembowski's ASTROLOGY. Here, I want to focus on the idea of intentions and resolutions.

For some years now, my New Moon practice has focused on setting intentions at this time. As I've explored this, it's become clear to me there's a much deeper process going on than will-based affirmations, or the idea that I, solely, create my reality. New Moon intentions are about aligning with the universe, sensing into something deeper than what I want now.

The New Moon is a time of making wishes when we don't know it all, when we can't see the way clearly, when we realize we're not totally in charge. In no way am I suggesting we are weak, or unimportant. We are strong, and we are essential. At the same time, we're part of larger stories, including the lives of the people around us.

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
~ John Donne

No being is an island, which makes it tricky to figure out what to do in complex, chaotic situations. Which we are living in today, and will be, for the foreseeable future. What do we do? Throw up our hands and throw in the towel?

This New Moon offers, I believe, an alternative. Capricorn is never one for giving up, and yet facile resolutions are not the answer either. Instead, we're invited to go deeper.

What do we know in our bones? When we reach our roots right down into the depths of the Earth, what do the stones tell us? 

This deep knowing is the source, not of individual resolutions, but of resolution itself. At this New Moon, we move past the idea of intentions to look at the process of intending.

As always, look to see where this New Moon falls in your birth chart. See what you have going on in Capricorn, and what else is happening in your chart in and around 10 degrees in any sign. 

These planets, points and houses will be the focus––areas where we may feel confronted with what isn't working in our lives and offered a chance to find a new way.

In general, though, we're all being invited to work together to find a new way for our world. The ways we are together, the ways we treat each other, how we get things done––is it what we really want? Is it what we know is right and just?

Capricorn is all about making. At this New Moon New Year, we have the opportunity to choose new ways of making the world better. Our personal worlds, definitely, and the wider world too.

The words "Be it resolved .." begin many official statements, or at least, official-sounding ones. At this New Moon, what will we resolve? What can we re-solve, solve again, in a new, more effective way? What solution can we apply to dissolve problems and distill a new elixir?

We're stepping into a new year, a new time, a new age perhaps ... with the pace of change surrounding us, it certainly feels like it. What do we know in our bones that offers the strength to face our challenges, succeed, and enjoy together the good things of this world?

Let those kinds of things be the bedrock of our resolutions.
    
 

Waning Moon, Bidding This Year Farewell

Holidays!

Disseminating Moon in Leo
December 21, 2013
7:45 am EST / 12:45 pm GMT

Winter Solstice
December 21, 2013
12:11 pm EST / 5:11 pm GMT

Last Quarter Moon in Libra
December 25, 2013
8:48 am EST / 1:48 pm GMT

Balsamic Moon in Scorpio
December 29, 2013
12:19 am EST / 5:19 am GMT

New Moon in Capricorn
January 1, 2014
6:14 am EST / 11:14 am GMT

Before diving into the astrology of the next few weeks, look at the symmetry of this waning cycle's events with our common calendar: The Disseminating Moon on the Solstice, Last Quarter on Christmas Day, Balsamic as December reaches its close, and New Moon on New Year's Day.

The patterns in the skies echo those on Earth: It's time once again to review where we are, honor and celebrate what has been, and turn toward what it to come. There's a lot going on, and we can all feel it.

The Disseminating Moon is the time for sharing what we've learned––making the Full Moon's illuminations part of who we are in the world. With the Dissemination Moon in Leo, and Mercury conjunct the Sun in Sagittarius, we'll have no trouble trumpeting our achievements to the skies! The challenge this day may be more in the area of listening to anyone else. 

That same day is the Winter Solstice, on the calendar and astrologically. This day, the Sun transitions into Capricorn, Old Man Winter, the energy of putting your back into it, working hard, and getting it done. This is the day the Sun shows us he's still here, not waning for good, but returning.

Capricorn is not the zodiac's happiest sign, but the Solstice is truly something to celebrate. This year, we've been through a lot, have lost and won, achieved and failed, learned and grown. The Sun's dance of return tells us the workhorse of our solar system is still on board, fueling our efforts, lighting our fires. Time for dance, song, tales around the fire, and good memories.

The Last Quarter Moon is a challenge: Can we balance our gains and our losses? In many traditions, the birth of a Sun Child is celebrated at this time, a promise of renewal and redemption. This year, the sky patterns point to a renewal of great depth and scope.

At this Last Quarter, the Sun and Mercury align with transformative Pluto. The Libran Moon aligns with Mars, squaring the Pluto–Sun–Mercury group. Uranus the revolutionary is opposing Mars and the Moon, and squaring Pluto–Sun–Mercury.

Yes, this is the infamous Pluto–Uranus square, the zeitgeist, being activated by the Sun, Mercury, the Moon and Mars. No man is an island, we are all connected to each other, and our personal decisions now are linked to everything else. No pressure, though ...

This year's holiday will be a time of special energy. We may be acutely aware of what we have already lost, and what in our world is at risk. Yet that very awareness brings a new depth of appreciation as we celebrate all we have.

The Balsamic Moon in Scorpio aligns with Saturn the task-master, as the Sun and Mercury draw even closer to Pluto. As the Pluto–Uranus square continues to be activated, we are brought face to face with what we need to let go of.

At this Balsamic Moon, think of Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and his message to Scrooge. It is only through letting go of whatever is holding us back that we can step into a brighter future.

And then, boom! New Year's Day and a New Moon in Capricorn. I'll be writing more about this New Moon later, but it's time to drag my over-used adjective "intense" out of the closet and dust it off for this one: Sun, Moon, and Mercury tightly conjunct Pluto, squared by Uranus and Mars.

2014 will be arriving with major mojo, so, no thinking small with those resolutions.

So, no holding back this holiday season! Celebrate with hugs and appreciations and festivities of all kinds, in the full knowledge of the impermanence of our live. Embrace it all! And in those quiet moments, release what no longer works with gratitude.

Holiday blessings to one and all.
    

Full Moon in Gemini: Eye to Eye with Change

Hermes by Salvador Dali

Full Moon in Gemini
December 17, 2013
4:28 am EST /  9:28 am GMT


The Full Moon in Gemini arrives very early tomorrow morning, which means, in trickster Gemini fashion, the Moon will look most full tonight. Gemini is the crafty one, always ahead of the game, and we'll need that energy to dive into what's ahead.

This Full Moon arrives at 25 Gemini, with the Sun at 25 Sagittarius. For once, there are no major aspects to the Full Moon itself, putting the Sun and Moon out there on their own, facing off, staring each other right in the eye.

Except, of course, that the Sun at 25 Sag is very close to the Galactic Center at 27 Sag. The Galactic Center is the massive black hole at the heart of our Galaxy, absorbing and transmitting incredible amounts of energy is many forms. So, the Gemini Moon is staring that down, too.

Gemini and Sagittarius share optimism, the belief that things will mostly turn out OK even when the outlook is bleak. Gemini's optimism springs from the youthful conviction that something will surely turn up, while the Sagittarian is more based on deep thought and long study, which points up their paradox.

Gemini embodies the archetype of the puer, the child. The puer may be unformed, untried, still wet behind the ears, but he or she is open, not pinned down by a weighty past or too much experience. This can be the hapless, hopeless one who never learns––but is also beginner's mind, the ability to see each situation with fresh eyes.

Sagittarius embodies the senex, the old one. The senex is the voice of experience, the one who's been there and done that, who has things all worked out. Sagittarius is the sign of philosophers, the law, and academia. This can be the hidebound voice of "it's always been done this way" but is also the wisdom that comes with age.

At this Full Moon, the senex Sagittarian Sun has the power of the Galactic Core aligned with it. All the energy of the galaxy, all the endless eons of time, awesome in its power and majesty.

And here's the Gemini Moon, saying, gee, this is cool, what can we do with this?

So the illumination of this Full Moon will focus on where we are on the puer-senex continuum, especially when faced with Big Changes (which we all are, these days).

Are we too set in our ways? Are we too devil-may-care? Are we overly certain or overly naive?  Do we feel at least somewhat able to cope, or are we feeling like David facing Goliath?

The forces of change continue to be strong. A few hours after the Full Moon, Uranus the revolutionary goes direct, shifting out of his current retrograde. He is stationing now, which means his energy is especially strong.

Once he turns, he'll move to catch up with Pluto for their next exact square in April 2014. Astrologically speaking, Uranus will be applying, or moving toward, this square, which will increase that energy over the next months.

Check your birth chart to see where this Full Moon falls. The houses of the Moon and the Sun will be especially illuminated now. Look to see what you have in and around 25 degrees of any sign––these places in your chart will also be affected strongly. Check in to see how your puer–senex balance is in these areas. The Full Moon is likely to offer something to light this up.

This Full Moon is a powerful time to see where we are on the great wheel of change. Looking the Galactic Center in the eye, we know we can't stop it. We can't even slow it down a little. But sitting with the Gemini Moon, we can find a kind of playfulness, a confidence we can find a way, and maybe a bit of the trickster to bluff it out until we see exactly where the path will lie.
    

Moon Journeys: From New to Full

dig in!

Crescent Moon in Capricorn
December 6, 2013
12:42 am EST / 5:42 am GMT

First Quarter Moon in Pisces
December 9, 2013
10:12 am EST / 3:12 pm GMT

Gibbous Moon in Taurus
December 13, 2013
4:06 am EST / 9:06 am GMT

Full Moon in Gemini
December 17, 2013
4:28 am EST /  9:28 am GMT

Oh, the places we'll go ... We're traveling with Sagittarius energy this cycle, which means explorations of far and distant places, sometimes to the ends of the Earth and sometimes within our own psyches.

Yesterday's Crescent Moon moved us from the quiet, gestational time of the New Moon into that time when we start to get an inkling of where we're headed. Mercury had just popped into Sagittarius, joining the Sun there, so our thoughts and communications could be feeling more upbeat.

Unless, of course, we were more tuned in to what Mars, the Moon and Venus were up to. Mars was (and still is, as I write) hanging on to the intense final degree of Virgo––checking those lists, checking them twice, and then once more for good measure.

The Crescent Moon rested at the final intense degree of Capricorn, next to Venus at 24 Capricorn––a strong sense of consequences, wanting to get as good as we give, and a never-give-up approach. Lots of Earth energy, but without the pleasure-orientation of Taurus.

So, there's a hint of optimism in the air, with a strong, realistic understanding of what it will take to make those dreams come true.

Now we head toward the First Quarter Moon in Pisces of December 9. This challenging did-you-mean-it? time in the lunar cycle forces us to recommit (or walk away from) our New Moon goals. The Sagittarius Sun and Pisces Moon square each other as we ask, is this dream really what I want? And, if so, how do I make it real?

At the First Quarter Moon, Mars has stepped into diplomatic, balanced Libra, signalling an ability to negotiate––or to manipulate. Throughout the next weeks, Mars becomes the point man at the apex of a yod, of Finger of Fate aspect.

The yod is an awkward pattern, linking together three planets that have nothing in common. The point planet, Mars in this case, forces the other two together in an attempt to find a middle way. And who better to thread that path than Mars in Libra, sign of the mediator?

On the bottom of the yod, we find Chiron in Pisces and the South Node in Taurus. This tells us that healing unresolved issues from the past is key to realizing our dreams for the future. Often, we know this, but would rather avoid it. Haven't we done enough work on the past? Can't we move ON?

Well, maybe. But between now and the Full Moon, our feet will be held to the flames a little longer. If there's something undone, something unaddressed or unresolved, buckle down and do it.

The Gibbous Moon in Taurus will actually align with that Taurus South Node, hammering the point home even farther. The Mars–Chiron–South Node yod is still in force, and whatever we try to avoid will feel even more in the way by this point.

And how, then, do we resolve the issue? Change, change and more change. The answer to a yod is opposite the apex, and when we look across the wheel from Mars in early Libra, we immediately see burn-it-to-the-ground Uranus.

In fact, Mars gets closer and closer to an exact opposition to Uranus during this time. They'll reach that opposition on December 25, with the energy building up until then.

When we reach the Full Moon in Gemini on December 17, the Fire of Sagittarius and Air of Gemini will illuminate where we are. And from that point of light onward, the speed of change will increase. (Yep, you read that right.) Shortly after the Full Moon, Uranus turns direct, and we'll whoosh down the hill on our sleds at top speed.

So, ya know, this is make or break time. We're being pushed to sort out the stuff lurking in our inner and outer closets that's just getting in the way. The push is on now because we'll be ramping up to warp speed again soon.

Here, I'll just hand the overalls out now, and we can all dive in. Let the dust fly!
    

New Moon in Sagittarius: On the Road Again

light in winter

New Moon in Sagittarius
December 2, 2013 7:22 pm EST
December 3, 2013 12:22 am GMT

A New Moon  day––this afternoon on the West Coast, this evening on the East, overnight in Europe. So much has been happening in this Balsamic time of release, I can't quite believe it's upon us, but so it it!

The Moon in Sagittarius is optimistic, generous, and open-hearted. As we enter the winter holidays (in the Northern hemisphere), hearts lift even as the longest night approaches. We light candles, hang tinsel, find the brightest berries, light the warmest fires. Songs are sung and tales told.

Yet this is not a happy-go-lucky time, no lighthearted romp. Sagittarius arrives with his Fire at the turning toward winter, when hard times are arriving. Food might be scare, and the cold bites deep. No, this is a time when we see what lies ahead, while celebrating all we have.

This New Moon at 10 Sagittarius invites us into celebration of abundance, both the abundance we have before us and the abundant potential of life itself. And yet, this optimism is fearless rather than naive, tempered by all that has happened and a knowledge of what may come.

This New Moon squares Chiron in Pisces, acknowledging that healing is needed and knowing it comes in song and dance and good fellowship.

The New Moon squares Pallas Athena in Virgo; all the details of what must be done are here before us, and yet we are strengthened by joy.

Of vital importance, the New Moon trines Uranus, the revolutionary, and is in a tight 30 degrees away from Pluto the alchemist. Yes, change is in the air, bright all around us. That, too, this New Moon celebrates.

Look to your chart. Which house does this New Moon fall in? Find what you have in and around 10 degrees, especially in the mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. These points are ready for renewal.

As the turning happens and the New Moon arrives, make wishes and set intentions for where you wish to bring joy in your life, for where you are ready to journey farther and dive deeper. Wish for optimism. Set the intention to be of good heart.

In these last hours of the Balsamic Moon, let go of whatever holds you back. Let go of fear, resentment, and old pain.

We are all travelers on the road. We are heading into more adventures, no doubt about that. With this New Moon, we can know ourselves as troubadours, warriors of heart and spirit, intrepid explorers in distant lands. We look around us at the Inn, see who else might be going our way. Good company is always welcome.