January 11 6:57 AM EST
This is a powerful and catalytic new moon to kick off 2024. The sun and moon unite at 20 degrees of Capricorn, conjunct Pluto at 29 degrees of that sign. As those of you who follow astrology closely are well aware, Pluto has been transiting through Capricorn since 2008 creating *massive* transformations in the Capricornian realms of government, big business, bureaucracy, patriarchy, institutions and structures. Both “for better and for worse”.
Between March and June of 2023 Pluto made a brief debut appearance in the sign of Aquarius. It re-enters Aquarius for the second time on January 20th, 2024- this time staying until September 1st. So we have more than half of 2024 with Pluto in Aquarius. For a small window this fall, between September 1 and November 19th, Pluto is back in Capricorn. And then on November 19th it *officially* commences its 20 year sojurn through Aquarius.
So 2024 on the whole is very much a year of transitions, with one leg in the new and one leg in the old, as we can see from Pluto’s residence in both Capricorn and Aquarius. But unlike 2023 when Pluto was more often in Capricorn, in 2024 Pluto is more often in Aquarius. So we have been gradually, incrementally working our way towards the new, and by 2025/2026, there will be some very powerful “new beginnings” energy in the air as both Saturn and Neptune move into the pioneer first sign of the zodiac, Aries.
But in the meantime we are STILL processing a lot of what has been coming up since 2008 and this new moon, conjunct Pluto in Capricorn, plays an important role in that process. Even those who struggle with change may be getting ever more fed up with clinging to old situations, relationships, ideas, beliefs, life paths. There are only so many times we can knock on a door and not have anyone answer. Unsatisfying situations are front and center, not to “make us miserable” but to make us finally see : “Hey! It’s time to move on.”
Pluto is the planet of deep change and transformation, the planet of transmutation, death and rebirth. We are taught to fear these processes in our contemporary Western culture. We are taught that life is a linear path towards success that is “cut short” through death or illness. We are not taught about the holistic, cyclic true nature of reality, that is constantly pivoting us, shifting us, rerouting us based on our consciousness, our beliefs, our expectations and our soul path. But these processes are at work nonetheless.
And they are most definitely at work when Pluto is strong. And Pluto is very strong during this new moon, and as mentioned, during this entire 2023/2024 period. The more we resist and struggle against the changes that are in front of us, the bumpier our ride may become.
Instead, this new moon is about getting curious about what Pluto is trying to teach us. Putting aside our fear of Pluto, and Plutonian themes, as best we can: we can then drop down deep during this new moon and get curious.
Capricorn is one of the more misunderstood signs of the zodiac in the contemporary culture (along with Scorpio and Gemini I would suggest). Our reductive stereotypes of Capricornian energy as ambition-crazed, sexually inexhaustible, and status/business-obsessed only tells one part of the story, the lower vibrational part of the story. (*Sidenote : these themes will of course be strong too. Reference the release of the Epstein client list around the new moon for further evidence, etc).
In reality, Capricorn is a complex and *spiritual* sign. The glyph for Capricorn shows a half fish / half mountain goat symbol. So while we tend to see Capricorn as the tenacious mountain goat, we may forget that the fishy part signifies their deep connection to spirit. That “ideally” the Capricorn’s drives and ambitions are guided by true inner wisdom and knowing and connection to divine source. Then their single-minded climb up the mountain is not for egoic self-aggrandizement and glory, but to achieve a dignified and holy soul purpose. This is also the true meaning of the 10th house, the house at the pinnacle of our charts, presided over by Capricorn. It is the area of our dharma, our true contribution and purpose for participating in the greater world in this lifetime.
So THIS is our focus for this new moon! No big deal 😉
Pluto is asking us, one final time, after the past 15 years: How are you doing on that climb? Have you gotten off course? Have you gone for the ego glory which may take you into some very tricky terrain ? Or are you in a steady sure-footed way heading incrementally towards a life that feels both internally satisfying and respectful of the collective?
The good news here is that there is no agenda for us to “fail”. We are not stranded and alone if we can honestly admit to ourselves that we may have gotten a little off course. Perhaps we have let shadow Pluto/Capricorn behaviors such as greed, gluttony, and desire for power/status and control/manipuation get the better of us. Certainly these traits are practically praised in our contemporary society! So we have no need to “feel bad” about any of it. It is part of being alive at this time to be “invited” to participate in these corrupt systems, even just so that we can KNOW and feel in our bodies that it is NOT right for us, it does not feel good, it only leads to increased fear and anxiety in our experience. Why? Because we are not on our sacred path.
Not being on our sacred soul path creates a lot of dis-ease and dis-harmony in our system, in our bodies, in our lives. But culture tells us that these symptoms are “just part of being human” and need to be medicated. OR that they are caused by us not “reaching our potential” IE> our egoic “potential” to participate in and ‘benefit’ from a corrupt ambitious socio-political system.
All this to say, it is VERY easy and almost the default experience, to be led WAY off path in our current culture. These past 15 years have been a big part of showing us this, and helping “course correct” for many of us.
So where are we NOW ? And what shifts and course corrections is Pluto prompting during this FINAL new moon in Capricorn conjunct Pluto ? This is very LAST one we will experience in our LIFETIME.
Sensitive and spiritual Neptune, at 25 degrees of Pisces during this new moon, is also making a beautiful supportive sextile to the sun/moon/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn whispering encouragement and soul support to us through this process.
One of the “rewards” of getting back closer to our sacred soul path is that we end up keeping company with the tribe and communities that we are most suited to. And THAT is a huge part of what the upcoming 20 year Pluto in Aquarius period emphasizes. WHO are your people? Your tribe? Your collective? Those connections are a big part of our story moving forward. So just as we would not have made our lifelong “best friends” if we had chosen a different university, for example, we are making decisions now that put is in the path of the people and groups who will be a big part of the next chapter of our lives.
As the ruler of the new moon, Saturn has a big role to play. Saturn is at 4 degrees of Pisces connecting us to that fishy part of the sea-goat energy! Truly this entire transit of Saturn in Pisces (2023 – 2025) is a HUGE part of re-attuning our “Capricornian ambitions” BACK to their ‘divinely-guided’ origins, as we have been discussing. And so Saturn at 4 degrees Pisces is a big support to this new moon, and it is in near perfect sextile to Mars at 5 degrees of Capricorn. Mars is “exalted” in Capricorn, meaning that it is a sign where it thrives.
Where Mars is, we feel motivated. So all kinds of Capricornian themes are UP for us now. No surprise there. With Mars also in Capricorn it makes it truly an ideal time to “re-direct” our Capricornian path forward. Mars is ready to re-route no matter where we find ourselves ‘on the mountain’ and get us going in the direction of where we want to pivot to as fast as possible! Mars doesn’t waste time, and in Capricorn is especially shrewd and economical. So we are super supported now in moving on and redirecting. This is especially true because encouraging and expansive Jupiter is also at 5 degrees of Taurus, in perfect trine to Mars in Capricorn, and sextile to Saturn. This is pretty close to optimal harmony and a “team attitude” for Mars/Saturn/Jupiter.
Venus and Mercury are both in Sagittarius, at 15 and 27 degrees respectively. Venus in Sagittarius gives us an open-mindedness and inherent trust in the unknown which is a HUGE boon of support, especially if we are making big moves or redirections. Mercury has recently come out of retrograde on January 1st in Sagittarius. Between December 13th and January 1st we may have experienced MANY curve balls and changes of plan, during what is inevitably a very busy time of year. But again, trusting those re-directions is what this is all about.
And now Mercury is direct and at 27 degrees is actually located at a point in space known as “the galactic center”. Without getting too deep into the astronomy of it all, it is a very important degree where deep cosmic connection and information is available. Think of it as a portal to the rest of the galaxy. And since Mercury is concerned with ideas, information and communication, we could be getting serious downloads during this time. This is exactly the kind of information that can help us find clarity and speed us along our re-directions and path forward!
Besides for the conjunction to Pluto, of course, this new moon’s other most dominant aspect is a near exact trine to Uranus at 19 degrees of Taurus. There is an inherent tension in the fact that both Pluto and Uranus insist on changes/upgrades/transformation and yet they are both currently transiting earth signs, the signs that are most attached to the status quo. That has been a big part of our collective process: the things that are most resistant to change are the things that are most in need of change! And this is part of what Pluto in Capricorn since 2008 and Uranus in Taurus since 2018 have been showing us. And again a big part of this time period and this new moon.
While Pluto’s style of transformation is deep, internal, cathartic, powerful and psychological- Uranus’ style of transformation is electric, sudden, clarifying, and spontaneous. So just like Mercury conjunct the Galactic Center in Sagittarius is an invitation to major celestial downloads, this Uranus trine to the new moon is an open doorway into worlds unknown!
We may THINK we know that we have gotten “off path” and what the “right path” that we need to re-direct back to is.. but Uranus could say “Surprise! There is another path altogther.. one you have never even imagined!”
The capacity to stay open to these surprises and redirections, to listen to our wisdom guiding us through these changes, and to know we have the tools and resilience to handle whatever comes up- that is the very rare and magical opportunity of this new moon.
*art by @chariskm
vibrational-astrology.com 