In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice marks the beginning of the winter. It is the shortest day of the year, featuring the least amount of daylight between sunrise and sunset.
The Sun just moved into the sign of Capricorn (the Goatfish). Capricorn is a Cardinal Earth sign ruled by Saturn. The Romans celebrated the Sun’s ingress into Capricorn as Saturnalia, a festival which welcomed back the return of the Sun’s power after the shortest day of the year.
The Sun will remain here until January 19th when it moves into Aquarius. While in Capricorn some of its major astrological aspects will include a conjunction to Pluto on January 7th, a square to Uranus in Aries on January 10th and a square to Jupiter on January 11th.
“We may idealize freedom, but when it comes to our habits, we are completely enslaved.” ―Sogyal Rinpoche
Dedication and Destination
Uranus going direct at the end of December really got us all fired up about the upcoming possibilites in our lives in the New Year. Saturn in Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter in Virgo is offering the possibility to have an organised outlook on the horizon and a good idea of the work that is required get beyond our current situation. Our faith is turning towards the satisfaction that comes with the dedicated attention of working and being useful. We could feel ambitious and work hard to see concrete results down the road. This is a great time let go of instant gratification and integrate systems in our lives that can bring a lasting legacy.
2016 starts with Mercury retrograde at 1º of Aquarius tantalising us with a glimpse of the possible future. Mercury going backward in the sign of Capricorn is like the mountain goat walking the treacherous path of a mountain side: every steps are carefully calculated. With the Sun also in Capricorn and a recent conjunction to Pluto, we could feel extremely ambitious and ready to tackle pretty much anything. Mars in Scorpio is also supporting us with the staying power and resilience needed.
The year 2016 starts with an opportunity to review our values and what we consider important. There is an emphasis on all the little things that makes up the whole. Our attention is on analysis and perspective. The small but important details and the patience required to achieve mastery. The idea here is not to become a martyr but to find greater satisfaction through dedicated awareness in our everyday actions. Negotiating a chosen path requires a little give and take at every moment as we learn to develop a more efficient strategy. Success demands effort, commitment and nerves.
NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN ☾♑︎
The New Moon is at 21:31 EST on January 9th at 19º Capricorn and is carrying with her clues about our role and responsibilities and the place we want to occupy in the grand scheme of things. There might have been some difficult realisations brought up in the recent days around our relationships and habits that no longer serves you. Since this New Moon is ruled by Saturn she brings with her an awareness of time passing and our own or others mortality.
Saturn is currently conjunct Venus which confuse work with pleasure, labour with leisure. Even more so with the square to Neptune which can act as a distraction and a desire to avoid reality all together.
Jupiter just started its retrograde motion through the sign of Virgo and will only turn direct 5 months from now. *Special attention to the nitpickers and perfectionists out there, the possibility to get lost in the never good enough labyrinth is real.
Those planetary aspects, can indicate that we are aligning our work and our beliefs into a more unified version. If only we could find the simple formula that would allow us to combine the obligations of our reality with our inner truth. There is great need to adjust what we do on a daily basis with our beliefs and vice versa. This can create a sort of cognitive dissonance if our words do not match our actions. We are learning to walk the talk and we need to let go of certain habits, situations or people who might be holding us back.
The New Moon in Capricorn supports fresh ideas and concepts that are grounded and achievable. Since Mercury is retrograde for most of January, I would suggest focusing on restructuring the systems you have in place that will allow you to become more efficient. Favour concrete, step-by-step approach and let-go of time-wasting habits without becoming too obsessive.
Modern Vanitas by Kalico the Kat
We are weighed down, every moment, by the conception and the sensation of Time. And there are but two means of escaping and forgetting this nightmare: pleasure and work. Pleasure consumes us. Work strengthens us. Let us choose.
-Charles Baudelaire
Today the Sun meets up with Pluto and illuminates the depth of our debts, the dead ends and the crumbling foundations built on borrowed wealth. This is one of the big opening act of the year triggering the recent Uranus/Pluto square. The Sun/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn reflects images of environmental crisis, excessive consumerism, corruption and unsustainable economies. The Earth’s resources are being depleted for the sake of objects with a planned obsolescence. We are escaping from the natural world and into a virtual refuge where we can be heroes of our made up reality. If we can’t find peace in our physical environment we can certainly get lost in the fantasies of the stories we tell ourselves through our phones, televisions and the ever present interweb. (The ongoing Saturn/Neptune square for most of 2016 will confuse boundaries between the real and the virtual increasingly)
The Sun meeting Pluto in Capricorn to begin the year warns us that there is a price to pay for our excess as we trade the wealth of the earth for an ephemeral one. The rot is showing. Our comfort is built not only from unsustainable practices but also on the sweat and blood of millions. Are we willing to pay the price with more wars and less water and air? Everyday we vote with the choices we make.
On a personal level, the Sun/Pluto conjunction can bring up and exposed subjects that had remain hidden until now. Digging within to find some buried treasures could be a painful and healing process all at once depending on how many secrets you keep from yourself. There could also be an underlying desire to have more personal power or control over something or someone. Awareness is the key.
Panel of hell (detail), Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1480-1505
The Moon just entered the sign of Leo and will be there until December 29
With the Sun in ambitious and earthy Capricorn, we see our goals and we are willing to work to succeed. The Moon in Leo can help fuel the creative fires with the supportive trines from Saturn and Uranus. This can add an overall inspiring and beneficial influence. The Moon will also square Venus in Scorpio showing that we might be ruled by unconscious desires at the moment. If we can tame our spirits and connect to our deeper motivations we can discriminate between the genuine need to surpass ourselves and the more superficial ambitions that are driving us. Overall the next 2 days are very creative and exciting. We can fuel on the passionate and innovative fires and design new structures and new ways of doing things. We can also expect a few philosophical or religious debates around the fireplace since some of us are still in the midst of family reunions and holiday gatherings.
Horitomo- State of Grace
The Moon in Leo person is usually warm-hearted and expressive with their emotions. They can go to great length to spoil the ones they love showering them with gifts and attention. Leo is a Fixed Fire sign which gives these natives lasting powers and an overall courageous disposition. They are bold, generous and faithful in their passions. It can be difficult for the Moon in Leo people to put down the more brazen persona and show their vulnerable side. They can benefit in learning to discriminate between their social mask and the more private self.
We are entering the Winter season in the Northern Hemisphere as the Sun moves into the sign of Capricorn and we celebrate the return of the light.
Tonight will be the longest night of the year and its a great opportunity to mark this time in your own personal way. The seeds of our future enterprises, our visions and our dreams are germinating in the darkness. The veil between worlds is thin and easier to access at the crossroads between seasons. Listen to the incoming messages.
This can be a difficult time of the year for some people so keep your heart open and be generous with your light.
9th House 