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Astrological Forecast for Sun in Capricorn
Dec 21 through Jan 19

by our psychic astrologer

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Click here to consult with Phil, our resident astrologer, or Ask our Psychics for their insights on how astrology works...

What to do with New Year's resolutions, as well as a Mercury retrograde.

We make New Year's resolutions for one basic reason - hope. We hope the next year will be better than the one before, minus a habit or two, plus a new job, minus a few pounds, plus a new romance - shedding off or gaining whatever we didn't like about the previous 365 days. A hopeful mindset is the perfect place to start, especially when so many things seem so bleak.

We astrologers like to make a birth chart for the new year to see what potentials might lie ahead, with a lot depending on when we celebrate the transition. Most people will wait until midnight December 31, which is all well and good, while others will honor the Solstice of December 21 when the Sun enters Capricorn, the traditional New Year's Day of our ancestors and indigenous peoples around the world. Each new beginning date for 2009 has it's own set of potentials, however there's a third option, perhaps a happier medium, thrown in at the New Moon of December 27. Either of the three times to celebrate new beginnings has their advantages, so why not "do" all three?

One of the main differences between the Solstice, the New Moon of December 27 and midnight December 31 is of course the location of the Moon for each event, and it just so happens (!) that the Moon card of the tarot is turned up for this month. The Moon is in balancing-act Libra at the Solstice while we get a Pisces Moon for December 31, with the Capricorn New Moon happening essentially half-way between the two. Now, there's nothing wrong with a Piscean Moon for dreamy, deeply shifting moods, but 2009 will require actions that Cardinal signs like Libra and Capricorn offer more of for our emotional well-being, especially if we want to rectify all of the imbalances in our lives and in the world.

On the other hand, what's wrong with a good Piscean dream? If we can't envision a better world, it doesn't happen.

The Moon card for this month (when we make our resolutions) speaks of leading from the heart, trusting our intuition and listening to whatever the Divine Feminine is trying to tell us. The Moon also rules the darkness of the night, which is no place for the timid or fearful. The future belongs to the fearless individuals who lead with their intuitions, by listening to their hearts - AKA that "gut" feeling - just like it always has.

We all intuit that change is still very much in the air these days, with more changes to come courtesy of the continuing Saturn/Uranus oppositions, so we'll need to make the choice now (if we haven't already) between whether or not we want to become agents for positive change, or else play dead and allow the changes to roll over us - the latter can be really painful. If the uplifting spirit of 2008 was "yes we can," 2009 will be "yes we have no choice."

The possibilities for 2009 are awe-inspiring, challenging, inventive, filled with karmic consequences - you name it - details are forthcoming in my annual forecast. While the Moon is a significant indicator for future potentials in a birth chart, another key guiding light for this month (and 2009) is Venus in Her role as the Evening Star, that brightest of lights currently vivid above the Western horizon at sunset. We should follow Her lead as the bringer of love, understanding, peace, harmony (fill-in your favorite affirmations here) starts off the new year by lighting up the potentials of Aquarius. No, we're not necessarily entering the "Age of Aquarius" in 2009, we may already be there!

Full forecast

2008 was the "Year of the Imagination" because all three Mercury retrograde cycles occurred wholly within the Air signs - the planet and signs of our creative intellects where we find facility of communication (Gemini), balance in what works and what doesn't (Libra), and the collective will to invent a better future (Aquarius). All three complete Mercury retrograde cycles for 2009 will again begin in the Air signs, but Mercury back-peddles into the previous sign each time, making 2009 more of a "Year for Making it Real," whatever we want "it" to look like.

Okay, so 2008 wasn't exactly the year of peace and prosperity, but at least we began to use our imaginations enough to envision a world where a positive change could conceivably happen. Learn to honor and love those first baby steps - they'll be turning into giant leaps if we truly believe in the power (and the sheer audacity) of hope for 2009 and further on.

The question of when to celebrate the new year speaks of the birthright of our free-wills, breaking the rules if we want to so long as it harms no one. Let's break the rules and have three New Year's Days! Three is a sacred number in so many spiritual traditions, so why not? Regardless, make three wishes and/or resolutions for the new year and make them with the purest of intentions. Make them brave, bold and beautiful. This is no time to be wimpy or selfish about it, nor is it a time to be afraid of the unknown future. Let our mantra for 2009 be FDR's famous "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," said at a very similar time of economic uncertainty.

Each New Year's Day will have a particular Moon theme, befitting the Moon card of the tarot, so a little care will be needed to flow correctly with the Moon if we want our wishes and resolutions to become reality. Creative rituals in sacred space would be a good idea on each day.

New Year's Day Part One, December 21 the Solstice, Moon in balancing Libra:

The Sun enters Capricorn at the Solstice with a bang, meeting up with Pluto in the same degree, the first time the Sun and Pluto have gotten together in Capricorn since 1777. Nope, that isn't a typo. The Sun will simply be magnifying the Plutonian tendency to kill off the old (in a nice way!) to make room for the new, so it's important that we don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

At the exact moment of Solstice (7:04 AM EST), the Libran Moon (at 25°) forms sweet trines to Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius, shortly after leaving a trine to Libra's ruling planet Venus, also in Aquarius. Venus as the Evening Star will be adding a soft touch for spiritual (Neptune) healing (Chiron) in the next few days, a foretaste of the Aquarian astrological event of the year coming in May and June. Stay tuned for that!

The Sabian* image for this twenty-five degrees Libra Moon speaks to Pluto's influence in the birth/death/rebirth energetic, "The sight of an autumn leaf brings to a pilgrim the sudden revelation of the mystery of life and death." This "pilgrim" shouldn't strictly be identified as someone who landed on Plymouth Rock 388 years ago, this pilgrim represents anyone who has ever sought after Universal truths.

Hopefully, we've all wondered why we're alive and what our purpose in life might be, an invaluable way to find out is by doing past-life regression work. So, if we make a New Year's resolution at this Solstice to find out more about our past-lives, the Universe promises to come through for us in major ways in 2009. Start looking for clues at this Solstice and please don't ignore something as simple as a falling leaf. We know there will be new green leaves budding in just a few short months, reminding us that rebirth is only a patient moment away.

New Year's Day Part Two, December 27, the Capricorn New Moon:

The Moon at seven degrees Capricorn represents our ability to channel the invaluable information we can be receiving from our higher selves throughout the next year as "ghosts" from our past-lives will surely be trying to remind us of why we're all here, especially during the Venus retrograde cycle of March through May.

The Sabian imagery for this New Moon is "A veiled prophet speaks, seized by the power of a god - the ability to act as a mouthpiece for the revelation of a transcendent will and truth determining future action." Notice how this communication for "future action" is happening with "a god" and not necessarily the "big-G God"? This symbol clearly indicates a yearning for a closer one-on-one with our higher selves, our "small g god" if you will, which may or may not have a direct link with the all-that-is "big G God." It's your call on how that works for yourself.

What this New Moon of December 27 is telling us is to make an investment in our higher selves for 2009, as our guides will be an invaluable resource as we attempt to maneuver the upcoming changes correctly. Those spooks of ours know all about our past-lives, we just need to be courageously open to what they are trying to tell us. Helping out tremendously is Venus transiting Neptune just minutes after this New Moon is exact, lending the Goddess' touch to whatever our spiritual (Neptune) needs may be.

We all intuitively know that we're living here and now at this pivotal moment in the history of our species for a reason. We also intuit that we need to start making it all real for the benefit of our individual and collective karmic souls, no? If we've ever wanted a more direct link with our spirit guides - our higher selves - this New Moon near the beginning of changing calendars is about as perfect as it ever gets.

New Year's Day Part Three, December 31, Moon on the Aquarius/Pisces cusp at midnight:

Check out the crescent Moon just after sunset on December 31! In a cloudless sky we'll be seeing the Moon and Venus within a degree or two of each other, reminiscent of last months' Moon/Venus/Jupiter combustion on December 1. Together they are in the last few degrees of Aquarius, both about ready to enter Pisces, forming helpful sextiles to a potential trouble spot, Mars on Pluto.

Mars as our inner and outer initiator does a good job at starting something/anything while in Capricorn, but both Mars and Pluto have traditionally been known as "Great Malefics" (bad guys) for a time-honored reason. Mars and Pluto together can be way too aggressive (Mars) in the transformation (Pluto) department, and while a lot of things need to change in a hurry, the necessary changes will require a management style based on intelligent wisdom, scientific/creative curiosity, and an openness to new and bold ideas.

That's the job of the continuing Saturn/Uranus oppositions, redefining the essential nature of change since this past November 4 ("Yes we can!"), and NOT in the Plutonian realm of the karmic death/rebirth energetic ("yes, we might be able to pull it off in this lifetime, if not we'll have to wait until the next life."), extending well into 2010 and beyond. As always, constructive change needs to be dealt with intelligently in the here and now, otherwise we'll miss the boat in the lead-up to 2012 and whatever awaits us at the end of the Mayan calendar.

Helping us out with this on December 31 is Mercury shooting past Jupiter, a seemingly micro event that can be of macro significance in January and February, details below.

(BTW, the last time Mars and Pluto got together in Capricorn was in late 1775 during the American Revolution. Let's start a new one - bloodless this time - one that looks a lot more like the next Great Renaissance!)

In other words, it's the purest energetic of transformation (Sun/Pluto) at the Solstice and it's potentially the "rebel without a clue" (Mars/Pluto) by December 31. We'll be needing wisdom and guidance from a Good Professor-type who can teach us how to act. Is there a ringed planet in the house?

Fortunately, Saturn moves retrograde on December 31 at 22° Virgo, however the Good Professor has been in this same degree for the past month and will stay within 22° Virgo for the next month, imperceptibly beginning to move backward in it's reflective mode. As mentioned in last month's forecast, this is Saturn's professorial syllabus in Advanced Wisdom for 2009, highlighting the importance of behaving with nobility. The Full Moon of January 10 echoes and amplifies the significance of nobility, with sacrificial courage and humility to boot, but first a key component for 2009 shows up with Jupiter moving into Aquarius on January 5.

Jupiter in Capricorn this past year has been like the life of the party being forced into kitchen duty. All work and no play has made Jove a dull boy, spotlighting only the bad news coming out of Capricornian institutions all over the place. Jupiter moving into Aquarius on January 5 signals a year-long rejuvenation - a Renaissance in itself if you will - for artists and scientific researchers. The Creative Class will be seeing their stock rise with Jupiter in Aquarius, so we can expect some spectacular technological advances as well as a resurgence in the avant garde Arts, befitting the Aquarian archetype of unconventionality in communal settings.

(As a preview of coming attractions, Jupiter in Aquarius will slow down to move retrograde in May and June as part of the aforementioned Aquarian astrological event of the year, moving into [and out of] the same degree of Aquarius with Neptune and Chiron for three whole weeks - such an event has never occurred in at least the past two thousand years. We can clearly see Jupiter with our naked eyes on a cloudless night but not Chiron nor Neptune - we will be seeing this combustion in our third-eye view-finder. There will no doubt be call-outs for global meditations for big-time [Jupiter] spiritual [Neptune] healing [Chiron] in late May and early June, much like a three week-long Harmonic Convergence. Keep your third-eyes on that prize!)

Back to the here and now, the Full Moon of January 10 occurs almost simultaneously with the beginning of a Mercury retrograde cycle, where things can get very "interesting" in a hurry. An important thing to remember at this time will be "this too shall pass," a huge benefit that comes with studying astrology. The usual warnings will go out to drive more carefully, expect delays and failing electronic gizmos, and don't even think about signing any contracts - that goes for you B-Rock and Congress too! More on the Mercury retrograde later - it's important to keep things in their proper perspectives.

The Sun at 22° Capricorn opposes the Moon at 22° Cancer on January 10 with the Sabian symbols for each telling us how to maneuver these tricky events successfully. Keep in mind that the New Moon of December 27 was about a closer communication with our higher selves, and also remember the Good Professor Saturn's syllabus for 2009 (with Saturn now retrograde) - it's all about nobility and reclaiming our individual sovereignty by being fully responsible for our own actions and reactions.

The Sabian image for the Sun at this Full Moon is "By accepting defeat gracefully, a General reveals nobility of character," which of course echoes the Good Professor Saturn's call to us for the new year. The word "defeat" in this case can easily be substituted for "surrender," another aspect of the tarot's Moon card, strongly suggesting that we surrender our selfish egos for the betterment of the collective whole. A beneficial side effect of ego surrender is that we get to receive the self-less wisdom from our higher selves, as seen with the New Moon of December 27.

The Moon (full on January 10 at 22° Cancer) might well be crabby-full of Herself, and emotions will no doubt be running high, but in a much different way for "A young woman awaiting a sailboat, the longing for transcendent happiness in the soul opened to great dreams." Sounds like a vision of pure hope to me! This Sabian image speaks more about the young woman being an aspect of the "Eternal Feminine" as Rudhyar puts it, with hopes and dreams of sailing into the seas of an unknown yet optimistic future. She's young too - she's got time - a precious commodity the rest of us may well be running out of.

In review, the term "Eternal Feminine" can easily be applied to the Moon, the Moon card of the tarot is up for this month, 2009 is clearly the unknown future - a blank slate - so what better way to face the new year than by leading from the heart? With fearless optimism and a nobility of character of course - the Good Professor Saturn's teaching method for how to navigate the uncharted waters of the future successfully.

Folks into numerology will get a kick out of when this Mercury retrograde cycle officially begins (1/11), at 11:42 AM (EST) on the eleventh day of the new year. (2+0+0+9 = eleven, and isn't "42" the answer to everything?). While the thought of a Mercury retrograde can cause sheer terror for the fear-filled, especially with a Cancerian Full Moon starting it off, this Mercury retrograde begins at eight degrees Aquarius with the Sabian keynote "The inspiration one may derive from the appearance of Exemplars who present to us the archetypes of a new culture (and) new collective developments." Keep in mind that "new collective developments" are what the exalted Aquarian mindset is all about and we'll be way ahead of the game.

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In other words, Mercury (our inner connection to our Life Source the Sun) begins this retrograde cycle with "exemplars" (ideal role models) and "archetypes" (psychological aspects of the Universal mind) emerging to help us form a "new culture" with "new collective developments." An unevolved mind might be wondering if these whacko's (exemplars and archetypes) are appearing at this time as agents working for or against their selfish "best" interests, while the evolved mind can begin to realize (making it real) that we humans are truly the crown of creation, also known as the height of human evolution.

Again, the Mercury retrograde cycles of 2008 (the "Year of the Imagination") occurred wholly within the Air signs, generally meaning they lacked cosmic anchors in making "outside-the-box" ideas reality - not all - but more often than not. In this retrograde cycle, Mercury slides back into officious Capricorn on January 21, providing an Earthy foundation for whatever has been on our altered (retrograde) minds (Mercury). With this Mercury retrograde starting off in creative and unconventional Aquarius, whatever whacky and inventive ideas (Aquarius) we get during the first half of this Mercury retrograde cycle can find practical applications (Capricorn) during the second half, well into February.

Mercury tangles with think-big Jupiter three times during it's retrograde cycle and beyond (from December 31 to February 24), giving us plenty of time to make big (Jupiter) whacky (retrograde) ideas (Mercury) find practical (Capricorn) solutions. Again, the future belongs to fearless individuals who can make this sort of thing happen - making it real - in whatever way we want "it" to look like.

In fact, when Mercury reenters Aquarius on February 14, it will be joining the Sun, Mars, Goddess of Partnerships Juno, Jupiter, Chiron, Neptune and the collective North Node, all in Aquarius, a creative bouillabaisse where anything positive can happen.

That will be the subject for the next forecast with an eclipse cycle thrown in for good measure. Until then, have a happy New Year - three times! - and may all of our resolutions come true in 2009.

(* The Sabian symbols are from Dane Rudhyar's "An Astrological Mandala," 1972)

See the Sagittarius Forecast here
See the Scorpio Forecast here
See the Libra Forecast here
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Astrology

Astrological Forecast for Sun in Capricorn Dec 21 through Jan 19

by our psychic astrologer

Click here to consult with Phil, our resident astrologer, or Ask our Psychics for their insights on how astrology works...

Astrological Forecast for Sun in Capricorn
Dec 21 through Jan 19