Thursday morning, we reach the New Moon in Capricorn conjunct Pluto. This first New Moon of 2024 brings us into lots of Capricorn energy to lay solid foundations for the year ahead.
At this point, we have as many planets and points in Earth as we have in Fire, and the Earth group includes more of the inner planets. The balance has tipped, offering support for getting grounded.
In Fire, we have the North Node, and the asteroids Eris and Chiron, in Aries, as well as Venus and Mercury, plus the asteroid Ceres, in Sagittarius. The Sun, Moon, Mars and Pluto are in Capricorn, plus Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus.
If you’ve been following the astrological overviews for the year ahead, you’ve heard that 2024 includes significant shifts and a fair amount of volatility.
We’re looking ahead to one eclipse that will be seen across much of the United States, visible comets (one of which will show up during an eclipse), and strong aspects with Mars, Saturn, and Pluto. A lot will be happening, including Pluto’s decisive entry into Aquarius.
This is an incentive to work with the grounded Earth energies of this New Moon to figure out what we want to maintain this year and how best to support it.
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At the New Moon, the Sun and Moon will be at 20º44’ of Capricorn. Austin Coppock names this third decan of Capricorn, “The Throne.” Having moved through two decans of building, we’ve reached a pinnacle of achievement. The question becomes, how do we manage what we have so we hold on to it?
Pluto is conjunct the New Moon at 29º41’ Capricorn, the final, intense, anaretic degree. Pluto tells us that to hold on to what we have, we must make sure the foundations supporting it are strong and secure. Pluto rules the deepest of roots, whether we’re speaking of the physical ground beneath our feet or the depths of our psyche.
It’s time to check in. What do we hold most dear? What are we relying on for our health and happiness? Are these things well supported in our lives? If not, what changes are needed?
Speaking of change, the New Moon trines Uranus retrograde at 19º11’ Taurus. Change is definitely part of the game plan. Are we ready? When Uranus is part of the picture, changes can arise unexpectedly and require quick answers.
The New Moon is a time to consider core values and goals. If we know, for sure, what our priorities are, it’s much easier to pivot quickly in the midst of change.
The New Moon also tightly squares the Nodes of the Moon. We feel ourselves to be in a time of fate. Fate is not doom. I’m not suggesting doom is at hand. This connection between the New Moon and the Nodes means the choices we make now will echo through the year ahead. Our choices are meaningful and important.
Anything squaring the Nodes is said to be “at the bendings.” There are two bendings, two potential squares. One is called the South Bending. The other, naturally enough, is the North Bending. Each bending leans into the Node that matches its name, one more focused on South Node things, the other linked to the North.
This New Moon is at the South Bending. There are different frameworks used to interpret the Nodes, but there are commonalities. The South Node is connected to things we’re letting go of, which includes things we look at from a more spiritual perspective. The South Node relates to the past, whether we’re considering past lives, or ancestral past and family legacies.
Linked to the tail of a dragon, the South Node is what is behind us. In this chart, it’s notable that the South Node in Libra is the only Air in the chart.
The past is foundational. This link between the New Moon and the South Node reinforces the connection with Pluto. What is underneath our current life? What supports us? What shores us up? At this New Moon, we can let go of anxieties about what know to be solid and turn our attention to what feels like its on shaky ground.
Mars in Capricorn trines Jupiter and sextiles Saturn at the New Moon, which means Saturn also sextiles Jupiter. This is a fortunate connection, something we see in the connections among the signs and rulerships.
Mars in Capricorn is ruled by Saturn. Saturn in Pisces is co-ruled by Neptune (the modern ruler) and Jupiter (the ancient one). Jupiter in Taurus is in mutual reception with Venus, as they are in each other’s signs of Taurus and Sagittarius.
The difficult planets (Mars and Saturn) are talking to each other, but are also connected to Jupiter, who connects to Venus, the two supportive planets. There’s a balancing act going on that hopefully allows us to find good solutions to difficult problems.
There’s more.
Capricorn is a traditional sort of sign, preferring the tried and true, working with what is already known. Yet this New Moon calls us to think outside the box when planning ahead.
Mars and the Moon are both out of bounds. Their current declinations are outside where the Sun can reach, which means they are beyond the influence of our solar ruler. They’re not in rebellion. They simply have their own unique view and are ready to follow their own plans.
The trine to Uranus also supports outside-the-box thinking.
In addition, Neptune has some influence. Neptune is sextiling the New Moon and Pluto, while squaring Mercury. While Mercury is now moving direct, they are still within their post retrograde shadow, completing the work of this retrograde.
Neptune can create confusion, uncertainty, or even misinformation. At the same time, Neptune is deeply creative and spiritual in out-of-the-box ways.
We do need to be aware that not everything we see, hear, or read right now is true. We can also enlist Neptune’s strengths by allowing time for open exploration and considering multiple perspectives. This way, we play to Neptune’s strengthens while remembering the challenges.
This waxing cycle is significant. Before we reach the Full Moon in Leo on January 25, Mercury and Venus will enter Capricorn. Mercury will leave their retrograde shadow. More significantly, the Sun and Pluto reach conjunction at the very end of Capricorn and then each enters Aquarius.
While we had a few months preview of Pluto in Aquarius in the spring of 2023, this reentry is decisive. Pluto will dip back into Capricorn in late fall, but we are now moving into the Pluto in Aquarius era, one that will bring many changes.
We find ourselves at a turning point in the lunar cycle, in the calendar year, and in much larger cycles as well. For all of these reasons, it’s an excellent to take stock, celebrate where our foundations are solid, and mend the ones that are not.
Everything rests on our foundations.
