The Capricorn New Moon 2011

As we enter the winter season, Mercury has now gone back to its regular, direct motion and on Dec. 25th, 2011, when Jupiter turns direct, none of the planets will be in retrograde. This will be true until Jan. 24th, 2012 when Mars goes retrograde. I will be writing a great deal about this very significant transit later. Actually, it is not rare to have one or more planets in retrograde. Most of the time at least one planet is in retrograde motion. What is rare is to have all of the planets moving forward as they are about to be. This means that we can move forward in the latter part of this year and the first three weeks of January quite easily. The energy for this is there, but that may not help unless one can push past the inertia or lack of desire for movement that often occurs during the holiday season and the first few weeks of January. It may feel like a push-pull which will require us to really decide if we want to engage in action or wait until it feels better.

Having said this though, Mars is now moving much more slowly than it does normally. It usually moves almost one degree a day. But, right now it will only go about one degree per week. This tells us that the normal speedy Martian desire for movement is just not there. Many of us may be sensing this already. Hopefully this information will help us in that we can know that it isn’t just us feeling lazy. To act, we will have to really be conscious about it.

Right now, we are at the end of a Moon cycle. It is called the balsamic phase and lasts until the New Moon, which occurs on Dec. 24 at 10:06am PST. This is a phase of slowing down as the energy that began at the last new moon is running out. It is a time for evaluating where you are and looking forward to the coming new beginnings made possible by the next New Moon. The New Moon on the 24th is at 2°Capricorn which means that it is very cardinal. The Sun has now reached the bottom of its descent (latitude) and is now returning towards the north. We won’t feel it for several months, but the days will be getting longer again. So, even though the winter months represent dormancy in the northern hemisphere, new beginnings are both possible now and encouraged. But there is a caveat. With Mars going retrograde, something it only does once every two years, we can’t really depend on being able to start something completely new. What? OK, then. So, what is possible?

What is possible now is thinking about new ideas, new directions, and new possibilities. I have found that long before I actually make a significant change in my life that it is prepared for by many months, or sometimes years, of thought about it. It can’t go from the idea realm to the manifestation realm without having to go through many steps and even many levels of both contemplation and research. This New Moon is interesting because it contains an exact square to Uranus, the planet of sudden shifts, revolutions and independence. So, the next month is a time to consider major and even radical new ideas and concepts of where you would like to go in the coming future. It is not an ideal time to start completely new projects, though if you are in one now, it is necessary to use this time to move strongly towards furthering its development. And, if you can, try to bring it to some kind of completion.

The best use of this time period is to be very open to new ideas of what is possible for you.

Along with the square to Uranus, this New Moon also trines Jupiter. This is what makes me believe that there are a lot of opportunities presenting themselves. They may not be spectacular as Jupiter is in the stable earth sign of Taurus, but they can be important in a practical way that should not be underestimated. What we do now has a very good chance of succeeding. And, the more you have done the research and the ‘due diligence’, the better the odds.

This holiday season has Venus in Aquarius dominating the landscape. It is a great time for socializing, connecting with family and friends in a casual way that brings people together. Lively communication, some of it even being a bit out there is the way things can go. It should be a fun time for all of us. Maybe there will even be some sharing of astrological ideas. It can certainly stir up a party.

So, here’s wishing you a very happy holiday season.

Best wishes,

Jim Sher