Happy new year everyone!

I apologize for being somewhat AWOL over the past few weeks.  I have been making a lot of changes in the physical space and the technology in my office, and combined with the activities of the holidays there has not been much time for writing.  Now that the new year has begun, and my projects are ALMOST complete, I hope to see you more often once again.

The second in a series of eclipses that began with the lunar eclipse at the Winter Solstice occurred this morning at around 4 am Eastern time.   This eclipse, a solar eclipse at the New Moon in Capricorn on January 4th, features a lineup of four planets in Capricorn including not only the Sun and Moon, but also Pluto and Mars.  An eclipse occurs when one of the lunar nodes conjoins the Sun or Moon at the time of a lunation (a full or new Moon), and in the case of this eclipse Pluto is the bridge between the New Moon and the North Node.

Because the New Moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle, and because this New Moon contains the North Node which represents our future direction and Pluto creates endings that assist us in transformation, there is a sense here of propulsion into a new framework (Capricorn) that will help to support our lives and provide us with a stronger foundation than we have had before.  Any time Pluto is involved, there is a need to surrender and allow our higher selves and spirit teachers to create the necessary movement that will help to facilitate growth and evolution.  The Jupiter/Uranus urge to break apart these structures makes it absolutely imperative that the foundation we build at the Capricorn New Moon offers opportunities for new experiences and freedom of feeling and belief.

Venus (love and beauty) is extremely active at this New Moon, adding a grace note of love and beauty into the unfoldment of this new direction.  A challenging square from Venus to Neptune and Chiron may cloud our ability to clearly see the emotional issues that fragment our relationships, and it may take more conscious attention to unlock the core values that we find in our life. Fortunately, a trine from Venus to Jupiter and Uranus helps to make this happen, opening our hearts and creating ease as our emotional doors are opened wide to receive this expansion of energy that the New Moon bestows.

The lunation itself (the Sun/Moon conjunction) is squared by Saturn (achievement and restriction) which would normally add a challenging note, but since Saturn rules all four Capricorn planets it provides an additional stabilizing force that aids in the building of a strong foundation here.

This eclipse opens up an opportunity to restabilize our foundations and to discover what is truly real in our lives.  Capricorn doesn’t really care about magic or imagination – it has no patience for dreaming of possibilities yet to come.  Its focus is on the practical – what will serve us in our quest to become more successful at being human.  That is the focus for the energy that is coming through now.

What a great influence to aid us in our planning for a new year.  I have always felt that a new year offered a clean slate with which to begin anew.  Not to make resolutions that are too easily broken, but to make decisions that will help us to move closer to a life that we can really love.  Under this New Moon, allow yourself to discover what is real for you.  You may be surprised in what you find!

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