Waning Moon in Capricorn

Sunday morning through Tuesday afternoon

Authority, determination, focus. Need a job done? Go to Capricorn. The Moon strode into Capricorn's orderly domain at 9:04am EST and remains within his precincts until Tuesday. She will enter Aquarius at 6:21pm EST. Precisely.

Author G.D. Falksen

If Capricorn is a captain of industry, a waning Capricorn Moon surely evokes steampunk, the genre of fiction, music, art and roleplay wrapped in nacreaous fogs of alternative history.

The Moon and Capricorn share a love of history and reverence for tradition. The Moon is emotional, even moody; Capricorn is rational, pragmatic. Looking back to a time that never was, longing for something we can't quite reach ... if it has gears, pistons, and a Babbage engine, Capricorn is so there.

With five planets already in Aquarius and an Aquarian New Moon dead ahead, today's energy puts the Capricorn Moon's nostalgia on an airship and flies it right into a radical future.

So, in these last days of the waning cycle, pull out the funky jewelry your crazy aunt gave you, and those radio tubes from the science kit your cousin left in the basement. Lay everything out in Capricornian orderliness, then bring in Aquarius to mess with the boundaries. Make something radically new, then sell it on Etsy. Seriously.

It's a radical day. The Moon steps into Capricorn right on top of the North Node, place of destiny and karma. Then she challenges Jupiter the philosopher king in square, and with Jupiter igniting fiery Aries, this square could be the spark that lights the boiler. This evening, the Moon conjuncts Pluto, when we could feel the rumblings of an underground shift.

Monday brings a square between the Capricorn Moon and Saturn in Libra, a meeting of titans. Tuesday, the Moon joins messenger Mercury, then communes with the outer powers Neptune, Uranus and Chiron before retreating into her time between times.

As ever, we choose to engage with the archetypes as they present themselves. This waning Capricorn time could see us slipping into a nostalgic reverie, lost in nihilistic mists, lamenting the past, raising a glass of absinthe to what is gone. Yes, Capricorn is saturnine, and can get downright depressed.

As ever, the remedy for Saturnian moodiness is hard work. So go ahead, dive deep into the past ... your personal past, or history you're passionate about. And then, instead of getting lost in a labyrinth, pull the best of tradition into the future and work it into something wonderful and new.

New Moon in Aquarius

Wednesday, February 2 9:30pm EST

The New Moon in Aquarius coincides with Imbolc, the turning of the year from the darker dark, toward the light and the coming of Spring. The power around this New Moon supports the call of Aquarius to step out the box, reach for the stars, and dream our biggest dream.

The radical nature of this New Moon is evident in the number of planets and asteroids clustered in Aquarius: Mars and Ceres conjunct the New Moon, layering the Sun-Moon masculine-feminine partnering with another pair of masculine-feminine archetypes.

Neptune and Chiron stand poised in the last degrees of Aquarius. Chiron will swim into Pisces waters next week, while Neptune wades into Pisces in April, only to step back out. We stand at the water's edge wondering where these tides will carry us.

The revolutionary Aquarian plans we make at this New Moon will be more than castles in the Air, as Saturn flows his energy in trine, making it real. This is an opportunity to manifest a vision, and a reminder that thoughts are actions, and come with consequences.

The Grand Cross counterpointing the New Moon echoes the theme of consequences. Pluto and Venus conjunct the North Node and oppose the South Node of the Moon, as Jupiter and Uranus oppose Juno, and all four corners square each other.

Pluto pulls us onto our true path, whether we will or no. Jupiter and Uranus forge ahead, leaping into the unknown with no thought of nets. Yet Venus and Juno remind us we are not alone, in both senses of the phrase. Everything we do affects our communities; being mindful of this can guide our choices. And, we have support: Even in our darkest moments, we can find help.

One of the paradoxes of Aquarius is the emphases on both individuality and community. Aquarius reminds us that, whatever Capricorn might think, no man is an island ... and our unique selves are the medicine our communities most need, whether they realize it or not.

The path of Aquarius is the path of individuation, and it ain't easy. Carl Jung saw this process as one calling for the ego to give way (something the ego hates to do) to the wider, deeper vision of the Self, "a process of open conflict and open collaboration at once ... the old game of hammer and anvil" (CW9i, par 522).

Astrologer Ellen Longo begins an exploration of leadership through the signs with Aquarius, and her examplar is Yoko Ono ... someone who elicits strong reactions, always has, always will.

This is Imbolc, the festival of Brighid, goddess and saint, another Aquarian leader who cannot be defined as solely pagan or Christian, standing through the ages as a singular figure of strength and protection. The stories associated with her also reflect the radical determination and community focus of Aquarius.

As Michele Grace writes in her New Moon Journal, this Aquarius New Moon is an invitation to dream our biggest dream. As the New Moon approaches, take time to remember your largest, brightest visions. Reconnect with their energy and vitality. We can bring those dreams forward now, and make them real.

Waning Moon in Sagittarius

party icon

Thursday night through Sunday morning

Overnight, we emerged from Scorpio's dark basement into Sagittarius' well lit, convivial kitchen ... a place where all are welcome, something rich and fragrant is always cooking, and the talk flows easily. Welcome!

Sagittarian warmth is heightened today by a flowing trine between the Moon and Jupiter, Sag's ruler now shining in fiery Aries. With energetic sextiles between the Moon and Sun, and later, the Moon and Mars and Ceres, all in innovative Aquarius, we'll feel we can do anything and have fun with it.

Tomorrow (Saturday), the Moon forms a flowing sextile with Saturn, newly retrograde, and later reaches conjunction with Venus in late Sagittarius. We feel ready to get things done, putting our responsibilities in a wider context and ready to fine the good in (and savoring the delights of) the work we have before us. Venus and the Moon together align relationships and creativity with emotions.

Very early Sunday morning, the Sagittarius Moon contacts the outer planets Neptune and Uranus, and the asteroids Chiron and Juno. She'll form a T-square with Uranus and Juno, who are opposing each other in late Pisces (Uranus) and Virgo (Juno). At the same time, she'll be creating flowing sextiles with Neptune and Chiron.

With Neptune and Uranus in similar degrees of adjacent signs, an "easy" aspect with one planet means a "challenging" aspect with the other. Yet Neptune and Uranus are in mutual reception ... each in the sign ruled by the other. So as the Moon contacts one, the other is there, each sending intuitive messages that flow (Neptune) and flash (Uranus).

In this waning part of the lunar cycle, we're integrating what we've learned and releasing what no longer serves us. This transit through Sagittarius helps us make sense of what it all means ... Sagittarius is a philosopher and mentor who can help sort out the complexities of these challenging times. This Moon transit brings energy, focus and balance, and closes with intuitive messages from the cosmos.

At 9:04 am EST Sunday, the Moon steps into determined and responsible Capricorn, ready to make something practical and real.