The January New Moon in Capricorn: Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

The January New Moon in Capricorn: Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Last week I serendipitously caught a clip of Patti Smith talking about her new book, Just Kids, which just won the National Book Award and tells the story of her life with Robert Mapplethorp. Intrigued, I downloaded the book on my Kindle.

Patti Smith is a poet, artist, and rock singer. She came of age in the late 1960s and she, along with Robert, lived and created art in New York city in the 1970s and beyond. I expected the book to be much more tawdry than it is, assuming that anyone associated with the underground art world and punk rock scene at that time must have lived on the edge (sex, drugs, rock-n-roll). But surprisingly Patti stayed focused on her work and the vision of herself as an artist, even in the beginning when she wasn't sure where it would take her. And contrary to her tough image, she didn't give into the excesses of the time.

I was impressed with her perseverance and ability to call herself an artist from day one. Whatever circumstances she found herself in she never waivered from her goals. When I looked up her birthday I saw she was a Capricorn. Aha!

The Astrology of the New Moon

The new moon (January-2011-New-Moon chart) occurs on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 13° Capricorn. All new moons are an invitation and in the sign of the mountain goat this new moon in Capricorn is about taking action and moving towards your goals- one step at a time. Last month's new moon in Sagittarius was about taking aim. Now that we have our goals firmly in sight it's time to begin the process of actually achieving them- and that only comes through action and persistence.

Capricorn is a cardinal sign, which means it initiates (just as Dec 21st, the start of the sign, is the beginning of winter). Capricorn is also an earth sign. Consider how Maurice Fernandez describes this element:

Thus earth describes the maturity of self-control, patience, consistency, and the ability to adapt to environmental requirements. It also inspires responsibility and the use of discrimination and judgement to dimish the odds of error and failure.

- from Astrology and the Evolution of Consciousness

Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn. Saturn, in mythology, was the god of time (Cronos) and so Saturn has become associated with those things related to time: maturity, mastery, and authority. However, these don't come easily and it takes discipline, responsibility, and hard work to reach them. Saturn often gets a bad rap for being a task-master, but the rewards are a sense of personal fulfillment, confidence, and respect.

Thus the new moon in Capricorn is about taking that first step- a concrete action- towards attaining your goal. Just as the mountain goat navigates the narrow precipice, he perseveres because he keeps the vision of the mountain top, and its expansive vista at the forefront of its mind. And step-by-step it reaches the pinnacle....

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