Capricorn New Moon, 2024
(Originally published 1/11/2024)
Hello friends,
Tomorrow is the new moon and we are planting a new seed. We are also honoring the seeds sown over the past 16 years of Pluto in Capricorn. This is the last new moon in Capricorn before Pluto moves on into Aquarius.
My generation has a hard time with Capricorn. There was a Neptune/Uranus conjunction in the late 80s and early 90s in Capricorn, and it has defined my generation. Capricorn, the cardinal earth sign, is concerned with the material. Its capacity for leadership and its respect for tradition asks us to lead from the past. Neptune represents spirituality, seeking oneness. Uranus represents ideals and revolutionary zeal. This has created a tough challenge for my generation—we want to lead from a place of deep knowledge, but we need everything to change (quickly, please), and we need to feel spiritually fulfilled by that revolution. It’s no wonder so many of us dream of communal living, getting closer to the land. Of recalling our own ancestral beliefs. No wonder that so many of us want to reject modern norms of relating and offering care to one another.
Pluto represents transformations: substantive, core alterations—deaths and rebirths. As Pluto has been slowly transiting through Capricorn, it has passed over those generational Neptune/Uranus placements. It’s been fundamentally transforming our understanding of our dreams. It’s been stress testing us. Tempting us. Making us wonder how the hell we’ll ever get where we want to go. As Pluto approaches Aquarius, I feel it’s proven to us that our dreams are worthy pursuits, even if we’re not closer to achieving them.
So in these last gasps of Pluto in Capricorn, invite the questions, “How have my ideals and my spirituality developed since 2008? What have I learned? How have I changed and grown?” If you know what house Capricorn has in your chart, you can include that information in your questioning. For me as a Virgo rising, it’s my fifth house, and I see now how my romantic relationships, my art, and my joy are all tied up in these Millennial dreams. Maybe you’re an Aries rising who has finally found a career in activism. Maybe you’re a Scorpio rising collecting comrades. Maybe you’re a Taurus rising, and this last 16 years has upended every belief you’ve held dear. Maybe you’re an Aquarius rising, in which case, this next Pluto transit won’t be easy and I hope you went to therapy already.
As Pluto completes its transition into Aquarius, we’re feeling its pull. You will feel it strongly if you have any of your “big three” (sun, moon, rising) or your chart ruler (ask me!) in the first couple degrees of a fixed sign or an air sign (Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Gemini, Libra). I know I’ve felt this shift for all of 2023 and I’ll keep feeling it until Pluto has moved along. He’s a slow mover so expect this feeling to linger. Go ahead and take advantage of this pressure if you can, because there’s nothing else to be done but wait it out. Remember that this is a long grind, but also a once in a lifetime opportunity for a particular kind of transformation.
There’s so much more to say about what’s on the horizon, but I don’t want this first letter to go on too long. So let’s make a moon wish together now, and I’ll write to you again when the new moon is in Aquarius.
Tonight, think for a while about something you need in your life. We’re following the themes of Capricorn, so focus on “things” and “traditions” and “practices”. What could bring you more stability? What would bring you more wealth, in whatever way you define it?
Now imagine that you already have all those things. Visualize it. Really try to look at that scene. If you struggle to visualize, make a collage. It’s totally fine to simply pull images from the internet. Immerse yourself into the feelings that this scene brings you. Feel in your body the emotions that come up. Think about how, once you have what you’ve wished for, you will be able to use your stability and wealth for the benefit of your community.
Now write that all down, pen and paper, in a letter to the moon. Tell her all you intend to do in order to make that future a reality. Tell her how it will feel to have arrived in that scene. Tell her how grateful you are to know that you are on a path that will bring you there. Tell her how you will use your wish’s treasures for the benefit of others. Tell her thank you.
When you’re done writing, put a glass of water on the page. Let it sit there overnight, preferably in a space that can see the night sky and won’t get too much artificial light. In the morning, drink the water with a clear mind while you reread your letter.
And now you’ve made your moon wish. I hope you get everything you aim for.
If you have questions, about this practice, about your chart, about the coming transits, anything—my inbox is open to you. I want to hear from you. Let me know if this letter was fun, understandable, interesting. I hope to make this letter into a dialogue, because it is in the spaces between us that all knowledge lives.
Until next time. Sending you love.
Alanna