The New Moon in Capricorn is the first lunation of 2024, so it has an even greater symbolism of renewal, coming so soon in the New Year. This is the time of year we take a good look at our lives and promise to change a few things for the better. We have all the determination you would expect in the Capricorn season – though whether our good intentions will survive longer than the month is anyone’s guess. It takes hard work and determination to stay a difficult course, but if something is important, then that’s reason enough to try.
And the course may be difficult. When I published my astrological forecast for 2024, the overall theme was simple: this is going to be a year of significant change, some of it shocking or unexpected, and – whatever occurs – there is going to be no turning back. This makes me think that, whatever you have planned, or whatever your goals may be, you may have to be prepared to change course – or follow a different route – to get to where you need to be. It may take more than determination to get you there.
New Moon in Capricorn: The Basics
The New Moon culminates on 11th January at 20˚ 44′ Capricorn, at 11:57 (UT). It’s a seeding time and, in Capricorn, the focus is structural. If we are in control of our lives, we plant seeds that are going to reshape our lives in accordance with a goal that we are prepared to work on during the coming months. It’s a dynamic that keeps us focused on the task in hand, so it’s best to use that influence to direct your energy towards something specific – especially if it will being you a sense of achievement. You may feel that it is time to take things seriously.
Like all astrological events, this New Moon will affect those with important planets or points in aspect to the lunation, but that doesn’t mean its effects won’t become noticed by the rest of us. New Moon’s represent the beginning of a cycle that will culminate with the Full Moon in Capricorn later this year. The cycle will be deeply personal for some, but it’s also be observable in the wider world. If you want to be alert to this, think about what Capricorn represents: it’s people and things in high places. It’s power and status. It’s heads of state, governments and the national interest. Watch those spaces, as things are getting serious.
New Moon in Capricorn: The Chart
New Moon in Capricorn: The Aspects
The chart for this lunation shows us what influences are being laid down now, and will come to a head in six months time – and this influences are found in the aspects to the New Moon. The New Moon in Capricorn occurs close to Pluto in the last degree of that sign. As this is a lunation, and Pluto is on the anaretic degree, I am of the opinion that the orb (9˚) is close enough to call it a conjunction. When two powerful astrological occurrences are that close, the energies given off by both of them are amplified – especially when the concentrated power of Pluto is involved.
The New Moon in Capricorn also trines Uranus retrograde in Taurus, and it sextiles Neptune in Pisces. So, all the outer planets are involved in this lunation – and that emphases the transitional and structural themes of this New Moon in a big way. The aspects tie this lunation into a process that has been ongoing for a few years – the transit of Uranus through Taurus that has created so much instability, and the transit of Neptune through Pisces that has undermined even the nature of truth. This lunation marks the beginning of another stage in that process of change – and it occurs just as Pluto is about to make ingress into Aquarius.
Astrologically, this contains the potential to be a big moment, but let’s not overlook the personal implications; events cause turning points for all of us. We react to events that happen to us directly, and we react as a result of the way the world turns. This is a time to dig deep and plot your own course through the changes that are headed your way – it’s always better to be in control of events than have them be in control of you. Let’s look at the aspects in detail:
New Moon in Capricorn Conjunct Pluto
In a break with astrological tradition, I’m going to analyse the New Moon’s aspects in order of magnitude: the most powerful one comes first – and that’s the conjunction with Pluto. It’s inconceivable that the New Moon isn’t going to have plutonic overtones; it’s a dark and disturbing influence. Pluto themes include big money, fraud, corruption, extremism and sexual deviation – the things that people want to keep hidden.
As I write this (in the UK) the New Moon is already playing out to some considerable effect. There is a major plutonic scandal involving a public organisation- The Post Office. It involves miscarriages of justice, crime, long-term cover-ups by people at the top of power that have gone on for years, huge mounts of money involved, death, devastation and ordinary people’s lives being ruined. It’s as ‘New Moon in Capricorn conjunct Pluto type of plutonic’ as it is possible to be – and the ramifications are going to rumble on for months to come.
It’s exactly the kind of thing that we would expect to see at this time – extremes and abuses of corporate and governmental power being exposed. Falls from grace. Hero to Zero. Pluto does extreme. In your own lives, Pluto is more likely to signify a process of transformation – and that may not be easy. The kind of things that Pluto represents are things you may have internalised at a psychological level. Being damaged by hidden forces is a dynamic that we can experience on the inside – and it’s difficult to deal with, especially if you have been carrying the wound for many years.
If that sounds like a familiar scenario. lets look more closely at the New Moon in Capricorn conjunct Pluto. Capricorn signifies things that are long term and Pluto signifies toxicity. The New moon signals it’s time to start afresh – and Pluto provides the means of doing so. Pluto transforms by bringing poison to the surface so it can be drawn out. If something you have internalised is preventing you from achieving your aims, or finding the right path – then this is the time to eliminate it. This is a difficult process, but the signs are that it could happen remarkably quickly, if you’re prepared to go with the energy flow.
New Moon in Capricorn Trine Uranus
With Uranus, we expect the unexpected. Uranus also signifies events that ‘come out of the blue’ and situations that evolve fast and/or change quickly. The New Moon in Capricorn trines Uranus – and the trine is also a signifier of things that happen at speed or are already underway. Chaotic Uranus can be summed up in one word – ‘suddenly’, so sudden changes may have their origins in this New Moon. Suddenly the game changes in some way – and that’s as applicable to your personal life as it is to external events.
I’m going to go back to the UK ‘Post Office Scandal’. It’s origins lie in that most Uranus of things – a faulty IT system. The whole saga has been an issue for years – but the whole story (and the extent of the cover-up) has only just come to light this week. Things ‘coming to light’ is also in Uranus’s domain. There is a saying that goes something like this: things happen slowly, then suddenly all at once. That’s exactly the dynamic associated with the New Moon in Capricorn (slowly) trine Uranus (suddenly).
Putting that in a more personal context, I’m going to refer to the situation that I described above – holding on to a toxic situation – whether its an internalised one or otherwise. It takes a bolt from the blue – a moment of realisation or sudden revelation – to prompt a change of direction. Those of you most affected by the New Moon in Capricorn may experience just that: a sudden shift that enables you to release whatever it is that has been holding you back. Uranus is in Taurus – and Taurus is a retentive sign. Uranus in this sign challenges what we possess – especially if we wake up to find our possessions are worthless.
New Moon in Capricorn Sextile Neptune
Where there are secrets, there are usually lies – and the final aspect involving the New Moon in Capricorn is the sextile to Neptune. Neptune is illusory, delusional, ephemeral and vague. It obscures – and this New Moon provides us with the opportunity to start engaging with the effects of Neptune, as it has been an incredibly powerful influence during its long transit through Pisces. Sextiles represent an open door and they are communicative, Will the door be opened to reveal something that has been obscured? And what will that tell us?
Once more I’m going to return to the UK Post Office Scandal. Neptune opened the door to the sudden, plutonic revelations, via the medium of TV drama. And there was a public outcry. The scandal erupted, not through a media expose or a legal investigation, but via a film dramatisation of the story of injustice. Neptune rules film and the arts and – as is usual in astrology – we see the planets are a metaphor for both the problem and the solution: Neptune’s artistic medium enabled the veil to be lifted on a cover-up where lies were told on an ‘industrial scale’.
Let’s apply that principle to the personal level. Neptune often represents the lies we tell ourselves. They’re called ‘excuses’ and we use them to avoid facing up to reality – another Neptune specialism. So is it time to junk the excuses? The answer is yes – and perhaps you could have dispensed with them some time ago. However, something is likely to point out to you that it’s time to let go – as that’s what Neptune is concerned with – letting things slip away.
Sometimes, it’s the realisation that time is slipping away from you that pulls the scales from your eyes. How does that happen? With Neptune it’s subtle: it could be something you see – or don’t see. It could be a dream, a book you read, a film you see, an artistic event that has an impact on you at a profound level. Something opens the door – and you wake up to reality. Bear in mind, it may not be something artistic that holds the key; Neptune is also associated with drugs, illness and addiction. The realisation that you need to deal with those kinds of issues may be part of this lunation for you.
Whatever new direction, fresh start or new beginning that is made around now, it will be tested by the Full Moon in Capricorn in around six months time when things will come to fruition, come to a head or be held up for inspection. When the Full Moon’s light shines at that time, you will have ample time to reflect on the path you have chosen to follow.
Further Reading
The Big 2024 Horoscope: The Year Ahead
January 2024 Horoscope: The Month Ahead
Uranus Transits Taurus: Is This The New Normal?
Neptune Transits Pisces: The Big Lie
Pluto in Aquarius: What Happens Next?
Post Office Scandal Explained: What the Horizon saga is all about
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© Sara Shipman 2024
Picture Credit: Image by Angela from Pixabay
