Happy New Year, Mainers! There’s lots to celebrate! We’ve already weathered winter’s darkest day (the Solstice on Dec. 21) and now we can open up to receive a little more light and warmth as we stride headlong into 2024. But before we launch into the new and the now, note that we are not arriving unscathed. Last month’s massive storm caused flooding, property damage, prolonged utility outages and several deaths. Unlike astrology, storms like that are not metaphors, though they do represent something larger: the worsening climate crisis. The Gulf of Maine is warming at an alarming rate. Our winters are shorter and warmer, bringing exponentially more ticks into the area, and climate scientists insist we’ll continue to see flash storms — akin to December’s deluge, or worse — with greater frequency and intensity every year. It’s sobering, friends. But at some point we have to confront this reality and figure out what to do.
Cue Capricorn Season. Ruled by stodgy old Saturn, revisiting the past (a.k.a. all the choices we’ve made for which we’re now accountable) in order to move more confidently into the future (a.k.a. all the new, more aligned choices we are committing to making from now on) is what some might call Capricorn’s forté. And while this sign is known for its determination, raw ambition and ladder-climbing mega-success stories, Capricorns are also represented by one of the most mystical and mysterious astro symbols: the Seagoat. With a front end that can scale seemingly vertical terrain with ease, Capricorn’s back end sports an oceanic tail, allowing it to dive deep (into the past) as it climbs high (into the future). It’s this ability to look inward at lessons learned and then alchemize the findings into something useful that really defines Cap’s superpower. Luckily, this month we have more than enough of this energy to go around, so let’s use it to move toward the future we actually want — for ourselves and for our planet.
Jan. 1 kicks off with Mercury moving out of its most recent retrograde period and into direct motion (in expansive Sagittarius, no less). Momentum feels electric — nay, charmed. At the same time, the Moon sits in Virgo for a few days, forming a Grand Trine with Jupiter in Taurus and the Sun in Capricorn — in other words, we are ready to absolutely crush it. My advice is to skip the resolutions and instead write down a list of ways you bolstered your inner stability in 2023 (Taurus in Jupiter), what you worked on the hardest last year and what this process taught you (Virgo Moon), and what marks you hope to make upon the world in 2024 (Cap Sun).
Then, on Jan. 3 and 4, we have a waning 3rd Quarter Moon in Libra: let go of things still hanging in the balance, including relationship expectations that don’t fit the future you desire. It’s OK to gently decline to give your energy to those who aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. On Jan. 11 we’ve got a New Moon in Capricorn, joining both the Sun and Mars, tripling Cap’s determination and skills to pay the bills. On that day, reaffirm that you’re not only deserving of your dreams, but capable of realizing them. On Jan. 13, Mercury also moves into the goaty sign: suddenly it doesn’t feel braggy to name what you want, nor to affirm that you’re gonna go out and get it.
The shadow side of so much Cap energy is self-doubt — procrastinating or refusing to try if you think you can’t be the best. Also shame; so much shame. But that said, all the direct planetary motion will allow you to meet these doubt-burdening demons bravely, one by one, and politely ask them to step aside because you’ve got work to do. If, for example, you were impacted by December’s storm, you might use some of this energy to consider your role in climate change and how you can help mitigate its worst impacts.
On Jan. 20, the Sun and Pluto both sail into revolutionary Aquarius, which can feel like another game-changer. The beginning of the month focused on our personal power and influence; now it’s time to expand the frame. Are the systems we participate in benefiting humanity? If not, what are we going to do about it?
Aquarius is the sign of the collective, and this particular moment will support new connections within groups or organizations — particularly online, as Aqua also rules technology. Maybe it’s time to get on Greenpeace’s mailing list or, even better, start organizing the revolution. By the end of the month you can soak up some much-needed warmth: the Full Moon in Leo on the 25th is a great day for getting together with loved ones and appreciating one another. Admire each person’s courage just to wake up and be human every day in this complicated, precarious world. Acknowledge each other’s unique contributions. And love each other well.
Caitlin Scholl is a writer, artist and intuitive astrologer living in Yarmouth. For private consultations, inquiries or comments about Astral Tides, e-mail her at coaching@friendenergies.com.
