The new year kicks off with one of the most powerful new moons and a solar eclipse in Saturn-ruled Capricorn. Exactly at 5:28 PM PST and 8:28 PM EST on Saturday, this new moon and eclipse helps us get back to business after the holiday break.
Eclipses occur every six months, usually in pairs, and offer up a window of accelerated growth and shifts in awareness. While this eclipse is visible in Asia, the energies may be felt anywhere on Earth. Understanding some of the astrological themes can help us work with eclipse energies, rather than against them, during these biannual astrological events. Keywords and themes of this new moon and solar eclipse include: structure, intention, responsibility, and maturity.
Capricorn Expressions
The elevated or positive expression of the Capricorn new moon may be a desire to step more into our authority or become more self-sufficient. My favorite aspect of Capricorn is its ability to make things manifest in the material, Earthly realm through commitment. The shadow side, however, may become isolated or overworked with its focus on responsibility and stability. Pay attention to any feelings of coldness or distance as these are key indicators Capricorn may have gone too far into its heaviness.
This Debbie Downer effect may be particularly pronounced as the planet Saturn that rules the sign of Capricorn is also hanging out next to the sun and moon in the sky. This double dose of Earthly energy invites emotional maturity—and, if we’re lucky, an appreciation of delayed gratification as we roll into 2019. As someone with a lot of Saturn and Capricorn in their chart, I also feel due diligence to mention that it can sometimes feel heavy, depressive, or lonely; the archetype puts us in touch with the shadow side of being human. It can be overly serious or judgmental when not being focused or honored for its responsible nature.
A supportive, sextile aspect to Neptune offers some go-with-the-flow medicine for the potential rigidity of Saturn and Capricorn. No matter your relationship to Capricorn or Saturn, this new moon and eclipse helps us align intentionally with the new year ahead. Slow down to use the eclipse portal wisely and the visions of dreams of 2019 can become more concrete into the physical realm.
Capricorn New Moon in Practice
This Capricorn new moon and eclipse rule our relationship to responsibility and structures, and also slowing down. Below are some suggestions for grounding the astrological energies into the Earthly domain.
Grounding and Physical Postures: Capricorn concerns itself with the past such as history or traditions and roots, connect to this Earthly dimension with good ol’ fashioned Tree Pose, or Vrksasana. Before beginning the posture spend extra time balancing the four corners of the feet on the ground and imagining your roots growing down into the Earth.
Reaching and Social Involvement: Understanding structures of society is an area of expertise for sometimes status-driven Capricorn, government being a major one. Maybe take a tour of your local city hall, volunteer, or find ways to get more involved in local politics.
Stretching and Philosophical Edges: One of the beautiful aspects of Capricorn is its ability to be in solitude, quiet, and stillness. I find Zen Buddhism to most represent this aspect of my Saturn self and the tradition of sitting or walking meditation may be the perfect way to honor this new moon and eclipse.
Other astrological events to pay attention to during this new lunar month:
January 6: Uranus stations direct, fancy astrology language for standing still before moving forward again after its retrograde since August 7, 2018.
January 13: Neptune square Jupiter, the first of three exact meetings of the planets of magic and expansion. Stay tuned for synchronicity or the shadow side of this combination as illusion or fantasy.
January 20/21: Total lunar eclipse and full moon at 0 degrees Leo visible from North and South America and some parts of Europe and Africa.
Happy New Year!
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Rebecca Farrar completed her M.A. at the California Institute of Integral Studies in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (PCC) program. Her thesis was titled “Stargazing: Re-enchantment Through Language,” combining philology, consciousness studies, and enchantment with the stars. She has studied with archetypal astrologer Rick Tarnas, cosmologist Brian Swimme, activist Joanna Macy, and psychotherapist Stan Grof. Other influences include C.G. Jung, Owen Barfield, Bill Plotkin, Marianne Woodman, Thomas Berry, and Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I was also a founding member of Burning Man’s first astrological camp, Cosmicopia. Most recently I am featured in an upcoming documentary Conscious: Fulfilling Our Higher Evolutionary Potential and the She Wolfe Tarot deck. She is a member of the International Society for Astrological Research (ISAR), the San Francisco Astrological Society (SFAS), the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology (ASWM), and the Depth Psychology Alliance (DPA). Follow her on Instagram.