“Carrie’s Moon Interpreted,” chalk pastel by Maria Theresa Maggi
Happy New Year, Dear Readers and Listeners! As I begin, I ask that the forces of love and light surround us and bless our communication.
The moon is new at 20 degrees Capricorn of the tropical zodiac on January 11, 2024 at 3:58 AM Pacific Standard Time. Capricorn is the 10th sign of the tropical zodiac, and the last earth sign. It is also the last of the cardinal signs that bring in the seasons. The beginning of Capricorn is ushered in by the Winter Solstice. As we slow down in the stillness and darkness of Winter, Capricorn asks that we find uses in the discipline of being slowed down or kept back or having to be careful in Winter weather. We learn patience during the time of the hardening up of seeds and plants that need the cold to blossom when Spring returns.
Capricorn is opposite or “in detriment” to the moon’s home sign of Cancer, so when the moon is new in Capricorn it may feel a bit constricted in terms of emotional fluidity. Capricorn rules the structures of the world, from crystalline structure in rocks and snowflakes, our bones and skeletons to the corporations and institutions that govern our lives. Anything entering Capricorn is subject to the instinct to crystalize into form, and our emotions are no exemption. By their very nature emotions are invisible and fluid and even ephemeral. So when emotional instinct is generated by a Capricorn moon, we might find ourselves hardening into a hierarchy of correct and incorrect feelings which can make us feel alone or unloved. On the other hand, Capricorn allows us to consider whether something, even an emotion, is useful or not. If we bow to an authority outside ourselves, we may struggle to find emotional authenticity or affinity from or with others. But if we take on the discipline required to become responsible for our own emotional well being and that of others, we can master how to best grow our own souls within the conditional structures that define our life on earth.
Capricorn is ruled by Saturn and as I used to tell my clients, while Neptune can represent that longing we might have to be able to float through a door like a ghost, Saturn requires that here on earth we if want to open a door we have to unlock it and turn the handle—we don’t float through wood. At this new moon, however, Saturn, Capricorn’s ruler is traveling in Pisces, the home of Neptune. So there is a resonance that opens up doors to what has been previously invisible or unattainable to us, if we seek to unlock our soul’s potential. It just might feel a little lonely.