TRANSCRIPT Episode 216 | Capricorn New Moon: A Relay Race! (Jan. 8, 2024)
« Listen and read show notes here
Hello Invisible Friend, April here and the date today is January 8th, 2024. Welcome to Episode 216 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week, the Capricorn New Moon has inspiration and change built in, Mars gets things done with Jupiter and Saturn, and Mercury makes one last square to Neptune in a series, and then enters Constructive Capricorn.
Mercury square Neptune (Jan. 8, 2024, 5:24 pm PST)
Mercury squares Neptune on January 8th at 5:24 p.m. Pacific Time, at 25º12’ Sagittarius and Pisces. This is the last in a series of Mercury squares to Neptune. The first was on November 27th, the second on December 26th. This has been a series of aspects that have to do, I think, with tempering our strong opinions – Mercury has been in Sagittarius, and tempering those opinions with Piscean and Neptunian kindness, empathy, and seeing other points of view. That requires us to seek clarity. it’s not always easy. It’s like driving through fog. But the square aspect between them says that we feel this strong impulse to keep trying to get clarity on what’s going on, where it is that we’re headed.
This is actually a wonderful combination of planets for trying to articulate the things that are hard to put into words. Neptune does symbolize things like love and pain and suffering and forgiveness. And these can be hard to put into words, so this is why it tends to be associated with poetry, or music, these forms that don’t rely just on words to get the point across. But when Mercury is square Neptune, there is this urge to articulate those things. This should be a little easier now that Mercury is direct.
Sun trine Uranus (Jan. 9, 2024, 4:07 pm PST)
The Sun trines Uranus on January 9th at 4:07 pm Pacific Time, 19º13’ Capricorn and Taurus. The Sun is the symbol of being one’s true, consistent self; Uranus symbolizes the willingness to change. And so when they come together in some kind of aspect, there’s a chance to take on a different persona.
When they’re in a hard aspect to each other, like the opposition back on November 13, these kinds of aspects prompt hard questions and sometimes confrontations about whether or not we are too stuck in our solar ways. But this trine aspect between the Sun and Uranus symbolizes a smoother glide into an examination of who we are, and more importantly, who we want to be.
This trine originated back with the conjunction between the Sun and Uranus on May 9th. And the final two major aspects in this cycle will be a square that’s coming up on February 8 – it will be one of those times for hard questions about who we are and who we want to be and how we want to be freer in our lives. And then on March 9, there will be a sextile between them, which will bring in opportunity. Do we want to make permanent the changes that we’ve been working with since May 2023?
Mars sextile Saturn (Jan. 9, 2024, 6:40 pm PST)
Just a couple of hours later on January 9 at 6 40 p.m. Pacific time, Mars sextiles Saturn. When these two planets are in aspect, we explore the ways that we direct our physical energy, our determination, and our competitive influences in constructive ways. The sextile in particular brings an offer or an opportunity or an idea of how we can step up our game in this area. It can sometimes bring a promotion or just additional duties in our work, which we can say yes to or no to, but if we say yes, it generally works out well when we have a sextile.
When these two were square each other on November 25, there was less of an offer than a demand for us to use our Mars resources more efficiently and effectively. And that is an aspect that can lead to some burnout, some illness, or even an injury, because we’re pushing very hard and it is like knocking our head against a brick wall. But if at that time you were able to use that square between Mars and Saturn to train your temper, to manage your physical energy, now comes the opportunity to take that strength and self-control and what you worked through at that time and use it in a new way.
Sun square Lunar Nodes (Jan. 10, 2024, 5:43 pm PST)
The Sun in Capricorn squares the Lunar Nodes on January 10th at 5:43 p.m. Pacific Time, at 20º18’ Capricorn and Aries. When the Sun squares the Lunar Nodes, it marks the midpoint between eclipse seasons. The last square between the Sun and the Nodes was on July 23, 2023, at 29º Cancer. The last eclipse season was in October and November, and the next comes in March and April.
When a planet is square the nodes, we say it’s at the bendings. The Sun at the square is bending toward the South Node, meaning this is a message of releasing, in this case using the Sun in Capricorn as a way out of the Libra South Node. The Libra South Node can symbolize that in some ways it’s much easier for us to just say yes to other people, to just accommodate others, instead of moving forward in our own direction, which is symbolized by the North Node in Aries. So the Sun in Capricorn, in this case, is a bit of an antidote to that Libra South Node because the Sun in Capricorn will not concede to others as a rule. So around the time of the square from the Sun to the notes, pay attention to information that comes your way, whether about you personally or just about the issue surrounding giving in too much instead of standing up and letting yourself be recognized for your accomplishments.
Capricorn New Moon (Jan. 11, 2024, 3:57 a.m. PST)
And now for the Moon Report, and it begins with a Capricorn New Moon on January 11th at 3:57 a.m. Pacific Time at 20º44’ Capricorn on the Sabian symbol 21 Capricorn, A relay race. The New Moon comes just a couple of days after the Sun’s trine to Uranus, so it is a major feature of this whole New Moon cycle and its three-year lunar phase family cycle.
The message of a Capricorn New Moon is examining the role that we want to play in the world, what we want to stand for, what we want to be recognized for. This New Moon degree is on 21 Capricorn, A relay race, and I know I talked about this one on a recent episode. It’s a nice reminder that achieving what we want to achieve, which is what the Capricorn New Moon is focused on, is often a matter of taking something as far as we can personally, and then passing it off to another generation to take it even further.
This New Moon point, trine Uranus, sextile Neptune, in a wide conjunction with Pluto, symbolizes that we’re in the process of transforming into new versions of ourselves. We have to make big changes in order to succeed in the world as it is currently, and to keep up with huge transformations in the world. We’re called to color outside the lines, incorporate intuition and spiritual intelligence, and be willing to look at the things that are hard to look at.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This New Moon initiates a Lunar Phase Family Cycle that will play out over the next three years as major lunations fall close to this New Moon point. This is the New Moon of conceiving what it is that we want to accomplish and stand for in the world. This is not something that’s going to happen just in a month, but it is where the kernel of an idea is being planted. Nine months from now, at the First Quarter Moon on October 10, 2024, which is at 17º57’ Capricorn, an action is required to begin to take the things that we’re conceiving of at this New Moon and move towards making them a reality.
Nine months after that, there’s a Full Moon at 18º50’ Capricorn on July 10, 2025. And at that point, we can begin to see the full picture of what it is that we initiated at this New Moon. Nine months after that, there’s a Last Quarter Moon on April 9, 2026, at 20º20’ Capricorn. That’s when we take a final completing action to bring this New Moon’s promise to fruition.
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On January 9, the Moon in Sagittarius makes a conjunction with Mercury at 10:24 a.m. Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for a little over 7 hours – we have some kind of long Void-of-Course Moon periods this week. And then the Moon enters Capricorn at 5:33 p.m. Pacific Time.
The feeling of planets in a conjunction with each other is often one of pressure, as something new is being conceived, but we can’t quite see what it is. When the Moon is in conjunction with Mercury, this has to do with putting our feelings into words, or articulating our feelings. This goes back to the aspect between Mercury and Neptune on the previous day that deals with the same themes. Taking the feelings that we have and putting them into words, which can be a challenge. As this Void-of-Course Moon period begins, think about the ways in which you do find it hard to talk about your feelings.
This conjunction takes place in Sagittarius, and it’s a very rich one for storytelling. Often when I write – I write a weekly column as well as doing this podcast – I usually try to use stories to explain the planetary aspects for the week, because it’s the way humans make sense of our world. We love narrative and we love storytelling. So during this Void-of-Course period, which is about breaking old habits or initiating new ones, think about maybe sitting down and writing a little story. Pay attention to the stories that you’re taking in during this day, whether it’s watching television, reading a book, or just listening to people talking around you.
On January 11th, the Moon in Capricorn makes a conjunction with Pluto at 6:33 p.m. Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for only a half an hour. Blink, and you’ll miss it. And then it enters Aquarius at 7:01 pm. Pluto is at the very end of Capricorn; it will soon be moving back into Aquarius. And so, the Moon makes its conjunction, and before you know it, it’s on into Aquarius. But while it’s there, and during this very brief Void-of-Course Moon period, take a moment to think about the ways in which you stand alone, apart from the collective.
Maybe you’re a little bit of a lone wolf, maybe you like working on your own, you don’t have high social needs, whatever it might be. But consider during this Void-of-Course period that the personal and the collective – the Moon is more personal, Pluto is more of the collective – but in each individual we see a reflection of the whole.
On January 13th, the Moon in Aquarius squares Uranus at 1:59 a.m. Pacific Time, and ushers in an epic, 17 1/2 hours, Void-of-Course Moon period, before it enters Pisces at 7:29 p.m.
Now we might look at the Moon in Aquarius and Uranus, which is the modern ruler of Aquarius. And think, oh, this doesn’t sound like too bad of a square. They have plenty in common. I don’t think it’s a bad square or a bad Void-of-Course Moon period. But there is a conflict whenever we see a square. The conflict here is between the part of Aquarius that is fixed and is ruled by Saturn, its traditional ruler, versus the rule breaker and liberator, symbolized by its modern ruler, Uranus. This really talks of an internal struggle in each of us, and during this Void-of-Course Moon period, it’s a time for reflecting on and releasing old habits related to resisting change or letting chaos rule and rejecting any kind of discipline or structure.
So it is a big conflict and a couple of years ago we had a series of squares between transiting Saturn and transiting Uranus, and we worked through these themes as a collective for a full year. This is a little bit of a flashback to that, and saying, how are you doing with reconciling these two parts of your nature, the rule maker and the rule breaker?
Mars trine Jupiter (Jan. 12, 2024, 2:42 am PST)
On January 12, at 2:42 a.m. Pacific Time, Mars trines Jupiter. This is a building aspect. Mars in Capricorn can be so productive, and this is a symbol of putting our drive and our energy into building something that is big and important, symbolized by Jupiter. The planning and discipline of Mars in Capricorn is flowing effortlessly towards success and reward, especially when it comes to things in the physical world.
Both of the Sabian symbols for this combination are about structures. Mars is on 6 Capricorn, A dark archway with ten logs at the bottom. And Jupiter is on 6 Taurus, A bridge being built across a gorge. In one, we have logs underneath this archway and the implication is that we have these extra logs and now we can add to the archway or even build something else with it.
And that other symbol literally has a bridge being built across a gorge.
This is a building aspect, building something that will be successful and will bring reward. If you have been thinking about launching a business, doing something to your house that’s a really big undertaking, this is a very supportive aspect for that.
Mercury enters Capricorn (Jan. 13, 2024, 6:49 pm PST)
And finally, on January 13th at 6:49 p.m. Pacific Time, Mercury enters Capricorn. It will be in this sign through February 4th. This is what I’ve been waiting for in the New Year, for really establishing concrete plans. Between Christmas and New Year, I performed my annual ritual of sitting down with calendars and my astrology ephemeris for the coming year. I wrote in my schedule, in pencil, the things that I want to accomplish this year, but I told myself I’m going to wait until January 13, when Mercury is direct and it enters Capricorn, before I finalize anything.
Mercury is the part of us that likes schedules and calendars. And when it goes into Capricorn, we are able to take all of those ideas and put them into a structure that is practical and makes sense and builds step by step through the coming year. So join me this week in sitting down and filling in your schedule for the coming year in pen.
Listener Question: Is our experience of a transit influenced by its natal position?
In this week’s listener question, listener Diane writes, “I have a question I hope I can verbalize clearly.” April: That’s the week for this, Diane, getting through this Neptune stuff and Mercury going into Capricorn! She continues, “Is the effect of a transcending planet influenced by its natal position? One planet I struggle with understanding in my chart is Mars and Cancer.
The archetype of Mars doesn’t fit me, so when general astrology forecasts specify a fiery high-energy aspect from Mars, how would a Cancer Mars interpret that? I hope that makes sense.”
April: Well, Diane, thank you for this question, and it makes perfect sense. I’m really happy that you asked. Because I really do feel that the way we experience transiting planets is very much related to the condition of that planet in our birth chart.
The way you understand Mars is in a Cancerian way, and that is very, very different than somebody who has Mars in a very fiery or outgoing sign. I understand your different orientation toward Mars, because its placement for you is not just in a water sign, but in Cancer, the sign of its fall, which means it will express itself in more subtle ways.
It may generally be difficult for you to relate to the themes of Mars. Years ago, I did a research project about Mars and women. The respondents who had Mars in Cancer had the hardest time relating to the warrior planet. One of them wrote, “I don’t usually get angry. I get frustrated and then I cry. I have always had a hard time with anger. It scares me.” And, Diane, your response to transits of Mars may feel less fiery and high energy, and perhaps a little overwhelming emotionally, but even if your own Mars struggles to express itself, Mars is still Mars. It symbolizes the strategies that we use to get what we need and to keep ourselves safe.
Mars in Cancer may not seem quite as formidable as an Aries type, or Scorpio, or maybe Leo, but it knows how to protect itself by withdrawing. Think of the crab going into its shell. Generally, this is a sign that dislikes conflict and competition. Now, the one area where Mars really seems to express itself well in Cancer is in the protection and defense of loved ones. If you’ve ever had a loved one who has been threatened or a pet, remember what that felt like, and how you responded. That is your Mars. And when it comes out, people are probably taken aback, because normally you probably seem very gentle.
When Mars transits come along, there are some good ways you can channel Mars energy with a Mars like yours. Foremost, I would channel it into Cancerian pursuits. This is the time to tackle home-related projects, to take your pets for their checkups, to look into services maybe for ailing parents, or for children who have special learning needs at school. It sounds funny, but incorporate the color red into your home during high power transits of Mars! It is the color associated with Mars.
Now, for you specifically, with Mars in Cancer, when Mars is transiting through Aries or Libra, it will square your natal Mars, and you will often find yourself forced to confront the things that frighten you or frustrate you, because you’re struggling to claim more of what you need for yourself, or to deal with tensions in relationships.
When Mars transits through Capricorn, the opposite sign of Cancer as it is now, pay close attention to people in your world who are good at putting feelings aside so that they can get things done. That’s never really going to be your way, but you can be inspired by that example to try to contain your emotional overload so that you can push on to accomplish specific goals.
My friend astrologer Dana Gerhart has observed that planets that are in the signs of their detriment or fall – and Mars in Cancer is an example of that, as well as the Moon and Venus in Scorpio, the Sun in Aquarius or Libra and so on – that these planets work overtime to express themselves because they are in these challenging signs. So, often, they actually become very prominent characteristics in us that other people notice whether or not we notice them in ourselves.
Diane, I hope that that helps!
And if you, Invisible Friend, have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode, just leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com /bigskyastrologypodcast or email me at april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com and put “podcast question” in the subject line.
Donor Thanks
Well, that is everything I have on my show sheet, so I’m going to wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, please be sure to subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice, leave a rating or a review, and I hope that you’ll help spread the word by telling an astrology-loving friend about the podcast. You can read show notes and full transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at BigSkyAstropod.com.
I want to thank everyone who’s shown support for the podcast in the last year and during my September Podathon. On each episode, I’m thanking some of my financial donors by name. This week, let’s give a Big Sky Astrology podcast shout-out to Julie Perdue and Janice Manson!
Julie and Janice, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting the show with your donations.
If you would like to support the show and receive access to my bonus episodes of the equinoxes and solstices, including my recent episode for the Capricorn solstice, please go to BigSkyAstropod.com and make a contribution of $10 or more. You can make a one-time donation in any amount or become an ongoing monthly contributor.
That’s it for this episode. Join me again bright and early next Monday, and until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars!
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my weekly column!
