A dark Moon swims in the murky waters of Scorpio, looking to shed her skin before the cycle begins again. This can be an emotional and overly protective position for the Moon, anticipating shadows jumping from the locked closets we once hid them in. Early on this week, we may not feel like letting anyone in, especially as the Moon meets Venus by square. Protection and isolation, sometimes we just need to go inwards. The host of this dark Moon, Mars is now moving direct and preparing for greater action. Prepare your own mind and your own mental weapons for the upcoming waxing light of the New Moon.

As the Moon moves deeper toward her balsamic phase in Sagittarius,  the Sun itself gets blotted out as he meets the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto, by conjunction. This intensification can be felt on a very real, mundane level in Capricorn. The ground under our own feet may feel the burning of these two merging. This is the interplay of light and shadow, what we crave and what we really need, burning obsessions may surface and we may find ourselves either struggling to fight back or fully going in.

Pluto has been transiting through Capricorn since 2008, and as we meet the final critical degree points before Pluto departs, the Sun hitting Pluto could be a radiant spotlight shining on troves of transformational treasures. Where is Capricorn in your chart? Has there been radical transformation occuring in the last fourteen years? Is there still important work to be completed?

Pluto joining with the Sun possesses great power and heat, heat that can transform. I looked at the headlines from last year, on the day that the Sun and Pluto joined in Capricorn, just two degrees off from this current year. The first headline from the New York Times, speaks precisely to this transit, “Underwater Volcano Erupts, setting off Tsunami warnings across Pacific”.

Let this be our own personal tsunami warning, be careful around this period of what you are obsessively focusing on, the shadows that sit fiercely quiet below, they may begin to seek light, the Sun drawing them forward to the surface, a pressure cooker ready to explode. Yet maybe we are ready for new explosions, fireworks are not always bad. Just be conscientious of what is seeking emergence, feed the right tidal wave.

A Sun*Pluto combination can bring heightened intensification around creative endeavors, and personal drive. One must be cautious unto what end, and balance the point of obsession and self-undoing. 

Mercury is co-present with this conjunction, and ironically is the only planet given permission by the Gods to travel between our realm and Hades, what does Mercury gather as he stations direct in Capricorn. Ready to travel forward after a retrograde period, Mercury possesses knowledge of this titan meeting. 

The Sun leaves Capricorn on the 20th right at the same moment that the Moon and Mercury conjoin. Does Mercury begin to reveal the details of the Sun*Pluto secret meeting? There is a greater capacity now to understand emotionally and mentally how to sort and work through the details. 

Mercury will pick up speed, and details will leak as he glides. 

The Sun’s entrance into Aquarius is auspicious, especially as the Moon catches the Sun forming the New Moon. Is this New Moon that critical turning point for you and what you need to truly transform this year?  We now have Mercury and Mars moving forward, and this will encourage excitement, activation, and movement. The Sun and Pluto conspiring may lend real hints to what you need to take or what you need to leave behind for your own emotional and mental nourishment. The outset of the year is very much fresh, we have 11 months left, and we are now launching under a lunar cycle.

This New Moon is quickly followed by a potent conjunction of Venus and Saturn also in the sign of Aquarius, where Saturn has great strength. Is there a leveling up of our own personal wisdom and commitment? Can we move ourselves forward this year in a way that is not only good for us, but good for the collective? Aquarius’ concern lies in the overall collective, and soon Pluto will ingress into this sign for the next couple decades (more on this later). Venus and Saturn can help us harness our own personal goals and commitments with a more fortified strength, and lend greater insight to what is good for the collective as well.

I have a new years resolution that I have implemented, and it not only directly affects me and my home, but underlying the objective is to enhance the collective. I have made a personal vow to be more consistent with my composting, recycling, and overall consumption of goods. Really taking the time to break down the boxes properly, rinse out the plastic, walk the coffee grounds out back to the compost pit, purchasing household items with minimal packaging. It sounds trivial, but when life gets busy its easy to slip, create waste and ultimately claim no responsibility. This resolution is challenging me to slow down and be conscientious of what I consume and how I dispose my consumption. 

This Aquarian New Moon points to us where we fit in and where we fall out with others. On a deeper level, all of this astrological activity this week directs us closer to a greater intergration, both the shadows and light, can we begin to look at the harsher aspects of ourselves and soften the edges. Can we make malleable that which once constricted us, and use it like compost to feed future growth?

Perhaps we start planting hybrid seeds this month, feeding the personal and the collective. Watering our intentions for both, and blending the two that it is even harder to decipher what we do for ourselves or for others, the two begin to feed one other.  Like a sigil, let us create and activate a bright and more connected future, nourish the connective tissue that binds us all together on this wild ride.