In the wee hours of Thursday morning, the Sun and Moon joined up at 7 degrees Capricorn: a New Moon accompanied by Mercury, and encouraged by Neptune and Mars. This New Moon asked us (and continues to ask, through Wednesday) to feel our way through the reality of our life – who we are, what we have built, where we are headed, and why we try.
It’s a relatively somber but ultimately hopeful and productive New Year’s Eve on planet earth, as 2016 comes to a close under Capricorn Mercury retrograde, asking us to reassess our actions and decisions. What did you accomplish, and fail to accomplish, in the past twelve months? Where did you bite off more than you could chew? What responsibilities will you take on? Where can you do a better job of standing up for yourself, and for others?
The New Moon chart features at Hard Rectangle – a stressful yet powerful aspect – with stationing Uranus, Jupiter, and the Nodes, Mars, and Neptune.
Uranus, the planet of chaos and change, stationed direct at 21 degrees Aries just after the New Moon on Thursday morning, finally moving forward after a long retrograde. Uranus entered his shadow on April 12th, 2016, and stationed to go retrograde on July 30th. Now he’s moving forward (full steam ahead!) and the stories from April through July are back up and running. His mojo is back, and he’s collaborating with Saturn in Sagittarius, getting ready to set the world on fire.
At the same time, Uranus locked in a tug-of-war with Jupiter in Libra. Normally, the Lord of Change gets along with his grandson Jupiter (especially when they’re complaining about Saturn, Uranus’s son and Jupiter’s father). Right now, however, Jupiter and Uranus are on opposite sides of the Zodiac, as Jupiter argues for peace and civility while Uranus longs for freedom and independence, even if that means blowing up the relationship. Can’t we all just get along? Maybe, maybe not.
It’s a scorched-earth energy. Or alternately, with Mars in Pisces conjunct Neptune and the South Node, a sneaky sort of passive-aggressive energy. We feel a strong urge to get the hell out of Dodge, either with a bang or with a whimper.
The key here is to accept that the reality before you was created by choices you made in the past (whether consciously or unconsciously). No, of course we don’t control *everything* that happens our lives – but we do have more power than we often think. With Saturn trining Uranus in the Hard Rectangle, this is about doubling-down on personal responsibility. Examine the uncomfortable situations in your life with fresh eyes: if you find you are even 1% responsible, take responsibility for THAT part, and do your best to change. Work on yourself, and let the other guy change at his own pace.
Change is hard. As my dear friend Michael Colberg says, change is hard even when we really WANT to change – there’s no use trying to change others when they don’t want to.
This is actually a great night for new year’s resolutions that stick, as long as you make sure to reaffirm them after Mercury goes direct on January 8th. Big commitments get big results. The North Node of Fate is on the Arabic part of Sudden Advancement, and the closing aspect of the Capricorn Moon was a hyper-abundant square to Jupiter.
Furthermore, we’re seeing the formation of the cardinal T-square between Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto, which will rule the sky on and off for most of 2017. Last year’s big T-square was mutable, all about deciding. Now we have decided and we’re ready to move forward. The T-square planets (in Libra, Aries, and Capricorn) pour out their tense energy into the sign of Cancer. Do you have any planets between 16 and 23 degrees Cancer in your natal chart? Those planets, and the House they’re in, are being activated now.
(To learn more about these aspects and the year ahead, you may want to sign up for one or both of the New Year’s webinars I’m teaching in the first weeks of January. My next webinar is next Wednesday, and I’ll also be participating in a FREE online conference with AstrologyHub on January 12th!)
As I look back on 2016 and forward to 2017, I’m reminded of the classic Kenny Rogers song, “The Gambler.”
You gotta know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run.
You never count your money
When you’re sitting at the table
There’ll be time enough for counting
When the dealing’s done.
Wishing a very happy new year to you and your loved ones.
xo,
Anne Ortelee
