A New Moon Eclipse of Continued Transformational Intention

There is a mid-Capricorn New Moon eclipse that is taking place late afternoon/evening on Saturday, January 5th, and this first major lunation of the New Year is what we astrologers call in technical terms a real doozy. That is because it is not only a powerful New Moon with outer planet ties, but also a Solar Eclipse, and therefore extra-potent just in that factor alone. The Sun and Moon closely aspect numinous Neptune, while trickster Uranus remains in wide conjunction with Eris, giving him extra strength as well, and is additionally triggered by a partile or same-degree inconjunct from Venus in late Scorpio. The transformational energies of Pluto are also quite prominent, indicating that times of great change are indeed still upon us in 2019, just as they were for the preceding summer and fall. We might well wonder just what the point is, with all this outer planet activity, presaging a further squeeze upon us to get real with our changes. Haven’t we suffered enough ? But the point is that the Universe, infinitely compassionate and all knowing, does have our ongoing developmental evolution in the scope of his or her or its intention, which can also be translated to refer to what is often called our higher Self. I love the lines that Gerard Manly Hopkins penned over one hundred and thirty years ago, speaking of the long dark night of the soul, his suffering, his struggles with the forces and seemed to hold him down to his unwished-for task. He asked that same question, and answered it: “Why? That my chaff might fly, my grain lie sheer and clear.” In other words, in order that he lose inconsequentials and transform into the person that he was always meant to be.

Mystical Neptune has been prominent for the last several lunations of 2018, and now is featured in this first New Moon of 2019. Taking another look at Neptune in this Solar Eclipse configuration, we must also note that additionally to the strong aspect from the eclipse Sun and Moon, Jupiter is in forming square to Neptune, while Uranus is in semi-square. This is a very prominent Neptune, and we would expect the themes related to this numinous and otherworldly energy to predominate over the next month, or even several months. This is reflected in a rising spiritual attitude in the zeitgeist, an attitude that is also indicated by a powerful presence of the new planet, Haumea, which is an earth goddess energy of profound connection to Nature. Haumea is exactly opposed by the Eris/Uranus midpoint now, and for the next several months, and this could bring earth issues, including global warming, to the fore as 2019 gets underway. With Neptune, there is also the issue of “fake news,” of knowing what information source to trust. In sizing up the deep polarities of our times, this issue becomes more and more important with opposite sides claiming what often amounts to opposite viewpoints on any given matter. In our individual lives as well, we must recognize that we are changing with each moment (Neptune has also a transformational component, just as Pluto does) and our mantra must be to accept and to trust the information that comes to us from our intuitive levels, deep within us, over false norms and consensus thinking.

Uranus, too, is about intuition, as well as surprises. With prominent Uranus so profoundly in the mix for us now, we win when we stay as open as possible to the unexpected and to unexpected enlightenment. Epiphany can overtake us at any point, and, once again, we do well, rather than to dismiss these sudden notions out of hand, to recognize and honor them as the voice of the god within.

The prominence of Pluto in this Solar Eclipse configuration comes from his close parallel to Saturn, which actually grows even closer over the next six months of the New Year. The eclipse Sun contributes a close parallel also, primarily to Saturn, while the eclipse Moon is in close parallel to Pluto. With Saturn-Pluto so prominent, we have to think about structural transformation, including the idea of massive societal changes coming down, and this is an important chime with the volatile configurations of January and of November of 2020. We are, as a culture, headed for the next two years over a waterfall, and rather than allow fear of the unknown to dominate, we could rather put our shoulder to the wheel of change and attempt to assist in any way that we can. We cannot make time stand still; yet we can employ time to its best advantage if we seize this significant moment and seek, as we can, to sincerely address it.

A New Moon Eclipse of Continued Transformational Intention

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Chart for the New Moon on January 5, 2019

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