capricorn new moon

“The father’s job is to teach his children how to be warriors, to give them the confidence to get on the horse to ride into battle when it’s necessary to do so. If you don’t get that from your father, you have to teach yourself.”
~Cheryl Strayed, Wild
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Cycles. Astrology is the art of observing and working with the Wonder of cycles in our natural universe. Today begins the next lunar cycle as the New Moon culminated while most of us were asleep at the 8th degree in the sign of Capricorn a few hours ago.

Each month we experience new lunar cycles. The Moon moves fast compared to other Starry bodies and as such, its effects are felt quickest and most palpably. Learning the Lunar cycles, how they ebb and flow and also how it weaves its Starry story in your journey helps us to best align with the energy that abounds, giving it space of its own to come about as productively as possible.

New Moons offer us the opportunity to begin again, to start, to initiate. Aligning our initiations with the energy at hand we can best see how we may want to guide the New Moon in.

Today’s New Moon occurs in the sign of Capricorn at the 8th degree. Just yesterday, the Sun and Mercury met at this degree and made their special conjunction, kicking off a new cycle of their own. Mercury is currently retrograding and as such, what is beginning at this time will continue to be brought to the forefront and re-examined and re-worked over the next month ahead.

The New Moon culminates in the industrious sign of Capricorn. Capricorn, ruled by austere Saturn embodies the archetypal stern parent energy that instills a strong work ethic and a drive to pull our own selves up by the proverbial boot straps and get sh*t done. In Capricorn we don’t need help, we can’t trust that anyone would do it right anyways. In Capricorn we make our own success and also know that if we fail, it is by our own design as well. However, failure won’t come easy as Capricorn ambition energy is fierce and passionate. As a Cardinal (initiating) Earth (material success, grounding, stability) sign, Capricorn is a driving force for self-made success. But it doesn’t come easy. Capricorn takes the lashes and keeps climbing, working.

In at least 1 of the 12 houses in each of our natal charts, we have this Capricorn energy. There, in that area of life we have the tendency for stoicism, get out of my way, I’ll do it kind of energy and patterns.

The Moon isn’t at its most comfortable in Capricorn. The Moon is the ruling planet of the sign opposite of Capricorn – Cancer. When in Capricorn the Moon is farthest away from her homeland, where she is most herself. Here in Capricorn – the moon struggles with the strict and stern surroundings. Often we may find extremes of the Moon, overcompensating or retreating.

The Moon in our natal charts can tell us about our relationship with our Mother and how we mother others. As this new cycle begins, we may also see themes relating to “mom” and some difficulties and perhaps something from the past that needs to be re-examined (Mercury retrograde).

I’m a fan of anything Cheryl Strayed and her quote above from Wild perfectly fits this new moon for me personally. I am a Cancer Sun (ruled by the Moon) and what seems forever ago, experienced both of my parents passing away. My father when I was 6 and my Mom at my 19th birthday. At this new moon, an issue relating to “mom” has come up, it was in the past as well but has come back up again – as a result a new cycle begins for me today on this. It is a full-on Capricornian issue – uncomfortable for my Cancerian Sun, difficult, a need for stoicism and also a need to pull myself up by the bootstraps to see it through.

I didn’t have much time with my father, so I didn’t learn from him how to “ride into battle”… but what, in hindsight, seem to be just the few short years that I had with my Mom and mostly, by experiencing her death – I learned how to get up on the horse, each time and learn to ride again.

Here’s to everyone who keeps on, keepin’ on. May we continue to find the strength and see the treasure buried in the moments laced in difficulty and hard work.

What is your new beginning today?