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In the earliest hours of the morning, the Moon ingresses into Capricorn, the sign of its antithesis or detriment. The Moon—which signifies sensitivity, nurturing, and care—struggles in Capricorn where there is so much emphasis on work, structure, and focused building toward long-term goals. Having Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, also in this sign at least gives the Moon reception which offers some mitigation, but we may spend the next couple of days feeling very supported in diligent hard work when what we may want is tender care. The Moon makes a trine to Uranus in Taurus, inspiring us to break away from established patterns and to dare to do things differently. The plans we laid may no longer seem like the most effective way forward, and we may find ourselves improvising in new and unexpected directions. The Moon then makes a sextile to Venus in Pisces and a conjunction to Jupiter in Capricorn. With both benefics offering their affirmation and aid, we may find that the tasks and projects through which we are working become more meaningful when we align them with being in service to that which we love. Could the work of today become more satisfying if you reframed it as being in collaboration with your future self who will be so much more supported because of what you are accomplishing right now in the present? How might the work you are doing today be planting seeds for a life you want to be living months or even years from now? 
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Today the Moon spends the whole day moving through Sagittarius with no major aspects. With Jupiter—the ruler of Sagittarius—in aversion in Capricorn, there could a strong sense of movement without direction or expansive energy without focus. Jupiter is in the process of enriching whatever area of our lives is described by Capricorn in order to support our long-term growth; however, in Sagittarius, the Moon may be pulling our attention elsewhere, with a tendency to wander or follow our excitement without much sense of how this contributes to abiding, intentional expansion. The challenge today will be taming and focusing our attention that may insist on being ever-elsewhere, remembering that what we want to become in the days ahead will depend upon what we are able to put into practice in the present.  Today the Moon in Sagittarius makes a sextile to Mercury in Aquarius. You may find yourself in nurturing or emotionally supportive conversations, finding how to say and receive what needs to be said with sensitivity and care. The Moon then makes a square to Venus in Pisces, offering empathy and compassionate support to those around us, especially our loved ones and those we consider to be kin. As the Sun ingresses into Aquarius, illumination and attention shifts toward the big picture of our shared world, both in the present and moving forward into the future. Wherever Aquarius is in your chart will be receiving the life-sustaining light of the Sun throughout the month ahead. Then the Moon conjoins Mars in Sagittarius, which could describe the seeds or roots of irritation or conflict. In contrast to the loving and supportive mood of the morning, the Moon conjunct Mars can describe provocation and contention, giving or taking offense, and in Sagittarius, this may be due to treading through unfamiliar territory. If you experience agitation or activation this afternoon, give yourself time to breathe, respond with patience and curiosity, and remember how much you do not know about the situation you are facing. Finally, the Moon makes a square to Neptune in Pisces, which can cloud our judgement or lead us down the path of reacting to our own projections. If you find yourself in emotional turmoil, consider that what you are perceiving may be distorted. Give yourself time for more of the picture to become clear—which might mean waiting to respond or take action until tomorrow.  Today the Moon in Scorpio moves through sextiles to Pluto, Saturn, and the Sun in Capricorn before moving into Sagittarius. There’s a heaviness to the Moon in Scorpio, the sign of its fall or depression. The Moon describes the body and the emotional life, and in Scorpio, we often feel the weight or burden of the deep well of feelings that we hold within. In aspect to Pluto and Saturn, we may feel touched by grief or even despair as we encounter worlds that are collapsing around us and within. What if you gave yourself time to feel the grief and hold the despair today? What companions or allies might you reach for in order to support you in the difficult feelings that may come up? As we move through the waning quarter phase of the lunation, we may find that we are stepping away or letting go in order to create space for something new to emerge. When the Moon ingresses into Sagittarius, the mood lifts and opens up. We may feel inspired to explore or seek out new experiences. As we come back up to the surface from our own inner depths, there can be comfort and even joy in moving back outward, beyond our own borders and horizons. We may not yet know where we are going, but sometimes it is the departure and not the destination that offers us purpose and relief.  Today Mercury in Aquarius makes a square to Uranus in Taurus. Mercury is the messenger who moves between the upper and lower realms, translating between different domains and delivering news that inspires movement or new perspectives. As Mercury makes a square to Uranus, today we may expect information or messages that disrupt, shake up, disorient, or displace our footing. We may also find ourselves inclined to say what we feel needs to be said, even if doing so is contentious or disruptive. With Mercury in Aquarius, we may be getting in touch with the bigger picture or future possible worlds, and it may be that speaking such worlds into being will send tremors through the world as it now is. I am reminded of Walidah Imarisha’s introduction to Octavia’s Brood: “Whenever we try to envision a world without war, without violence, without prisons, without capitalism, we are engaging in speculative fiction … are we brave enough to imagine beyond the boundaries of ‘the real’ and then do the hard work of sculpting reality from our dreams?” What might you speak or write or communicate today that participates in the work of sculpting a new reality? The Moon in Scorpio then makes a sextile to Jupiter in Capricorn. With both planets in their fall or depression, this helpful sextile may be limited in what it can deliver, but it suggests that generosity of feeling and tuning in to the abundance of gifts within your own body could be useful resources as we make our way through the day.  This is a busy day of aspects and transitions for the Moon: in the first half of the day, the Moon in Libra makes squares to Pluto, Saturn, and the Sun in Capricorn, entering the waning quarter phase of this lunation cycle. Today we may feel the personal stakes of challenging existing systems and refusing operations of power that depend upon domination, exploitation, and abuse. There may be a personal cost—particularly in how we connect with others—as we participate in the dismantling of processes of control and extraction. Parts of our world are coming undone, and it would be naïve to think that this would not require parts of ourselves coming undone as well. The Moon then ingresses into Scorpio, the sign of its fall or depression, without reception from its ruler Mars. We may be burdened by the weight of our own feelings or the feelings of others. It may feel as if our momentum or movement is turned inward toward the deep sensitivity of our own vulnerabilities. The Moon then makes a square to Mercury in Aquarius, which could challenge us to speak from our own depths in ways that leave us feeling exposed. Then the Moon opposes Uranus in Taurus, demanding that we break from familiar patterns that potentially contribute to our own repression or abandonment of parts of ourselves. Finally, the Moon makes a trine to Venus in Pisces, bringing relief from the intensities of the day in the form of compassionate care, both taking time to love and embrace the parts of ourselves that are feeling raw, unsettled, or exposed, as well as asking for and receiving the kinds of love that we need in order to sooth our systems.  Today the Moon in Libra makes a sextile to Mars in Sagittarius, bringing supportive opportunities into how we connect and work with others and how we blaze pathways into new directions. Who are the people or groups with whom you feel affirmed in taking action that potentially moves you into uncharted territory? With Mars in Sagittarius, optimism could be running high and hot, making risk-taking seem like a really good idea. Who are the friends and colleagues that you can trust to council you in a balanced way? The Moon then makes a square to Jupiter in Capricorn. No one said that growth would be easy. Today we may feel the difficulty of how we are being asked to expand and evolve, but hopefully with a glimpse of how the effort can pay off in the end. Finally, Mercury ingresses into Aquarius—no longer with reception from Saturn, but free from the restriction, pressure, and demolition taking place in Capricorn. Because Mercury made conjunctions to both Saturn and Pluto just as they were perfecting their conjunction to one another on January 12, today we may begin to receive some of the information that Mercury was gathering over the weekend. Wherever Capricorn occupies in your chart has been going through an intensive period over the last several years challenging how your life has been structured and how you relate to power. As Mercury moves into Aquarius, the messenger may offer insight from the underworld beneath what we have been able to witness, helping us understand not only the processes that have been unfolding but also what possibilities are opening up ahead.  As the Moon continues to move through Virgo, it makes trines to the Sun and its ruler Mercury in Capricorn. What would it take for the work you are doing to be life-affirming? What do you need to communicate or express in order to feel supported and valued in the tasks that are expected of you? In writing about women, wages, and housework, Silvia Federici suggests, “The things we have to prove are our capacity to expose what we are already doing, what capital is doing to us and our power in the struggle against it.” She describes the exploitative conditions of invisible domestic labor without wages and demands a feminist revolution of wages for housework, writing, “We want to call work what is work so that eventually we might rediscover what is love and create what will be our sexuality which we have never known.” Following the lead of this feminist critique of labor, as the Moon moves through these trines to the Sun and Mercury, we may contemplate and communicate the work we are no longer willing to do, and the ways to bring the work we are doing into alignment with our well-being. The Moon then ingresses into Libra, emphasizing connection, harmony, and just social relations. However, the Moon does not have reception from its ruler Venus as it moves through Libra—and it will not have reception from Mars and Jupiter as it moves through Scorpio and Sagittarius later in the week. The Moon’s sustained aversion to its domicile rulers gives the week a feeling of getting by without much support. Finally, Venus in Pisces makes a sextile to Uranus in Taurus. The revolutionary impulse of Uranus may inspire radical acts of care and daring experiments with pleasure that dissolve our perceived limitations of self and other.  Today the Moon in Virgo makes a trine to Jupiter in Capricorn. This is a productive aspect, supporting us in taking practical steps toward long-term goals. The growth that Jupiter in Capricorn describes is gradual and deliberate, and the Moon in Virgo is meticulous, methodical, and precise. Today is a day for checking in with how you want to grow into the future, breaking down the steps between here and there, making to-do lists, and getting to work. As the Moon makes an opposition to Neptune in Pisces, we may be drawn to daydreaming or getting swept away in fantasies of all our lives could become. It may take some effort, but stay focused on the practical matters at hand, balancing your need for dreaming with doing the work to bring those dreams into reality. The Moon will then make trines to Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn, empowering us to take responsibility for the parts of our lives that we can shape the most and to commit to the discipline needed to create the lives that we want to be living—personally and collectively.  Today the Sun in Capricorn makes conjunctions to Pluto and Saturn, just beginning to separate from their union yesterday. The Sun brings illumination and understanding, so as it meets up with Pluto and then Saturn, we may receive clarity or insight regarding the structures on which we have relied that are now coming undone. At the same time, both Pluto and Saturn can describe challenges to the light and vitality of the Sun. It may be that as old systems begin to break down, how we understand wellness and what we require for health must change as well. The Moon in Leo opposes Venus in Aquarius, and it may feel as if we must choose between the love and connections we desire for the future and our ability to show up more fully as we are in the present. But if you feel that you must diminish or reduce yourself in order to preserve your access to love, it may not be love to which you are attached. The Moon ingresses into Virgo, drawing focus to making practical matters more efficient and productive—themes that are even more pronounced as Mercury, the ruler of Virgo, moves through Capricorn. Then Venus ingresses into Pisces, the sign of its exaltation. Venus in Pisces celebrates love that is nourished by empathy, compassion, and practices of mutual care that dissolve rigid boundaries. For Venus in Pisces, union comes from sharing emotional needs, choosing to make your needs my concern and asking that my needs concern you as well. Finally, the Moon in Virgo moves through a trine to Uranus in Taurus and a square to Mars in Sagittarius. Conditions may require radical adaptability and a willingness to change in order to repair harm.  Today is one of the most prominent aspects of the astrology of 2020: after years of approaching one another, today Saturn perfects its conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto describes how power operates—often abuses of power—and Saturn describes structure, boundaries, limitation, and refusal. In many ways, this conjunction describes a refusal of existing power structures, even if such a rejection requires the collapse of existing systems. We’ve been building toward this moment for quite a while, ever since Saturn entered Capricorn in December 2017. We have seen immense pressure on the ways that we have ordered and organized our lives, the kinds of limitations that have been set to both support and constrain how we live, as well as how power operates on and through our bodies and our communities. We’ve spent the last two years examining, dismantling, and struggling against existing patterns in whatever area of our charts are occupied by Capricorn. This conjunction is a peak moment in this process, closing out one cycle and beginning the next. This process will continue until Saturn moves into Aquarius—first in March, then again finally in December. If you have Saturn in Capricorn in your own chart, this conjunction is part of your Saturn return. If you were born at night, then Saturn is likely a more challenging planet for you, and this conjunction could be emphasizing a breakdown or breakthrough moment of boring down through foundations in your life that can no longer support you. Whatever this transit describes, it will not be something new or out of nowhere today; rather, today may hold an intense transition from one phase of the process and into the next phase as we move toward a conclusion. Mercury is making conjunctions to both Saturn and Pluto a few hours before their conjunction. Whatever process Pluto and Saturn are describing, Mercury—the planet of communication, translation, and travel—seems to be gathering more information, but it may be information that is repressed or restricted in some way until Mercury clears the last degrees of Capricorn. Whatever insight Mercury might offer may not become available until Mercury moves into Aquarius on January 16. Pay attention, stay alert, and reach out for support that allows you to stay resilient.  After the heaviness of yesterday’s eclipse, today the Moon ingresses into Leo, brightening the mood a bit as the Moon moves away from the nodal axis and the opposition to Saturn and Pluto. In Leo, we turn our attention back to our desires to be seen and celebrated by others, our need to be seen and known as we see and know ourselves to be. The Moon makes a square to Uranus in Taurus, finally direct after spending five months retrograde. Uranus pushes us toward authenticity, especially when authenticity means breaking with established expectations for who we have been and will be. Brené Brown writes, “Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving—even when it’s hard, even when we’re wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we’re afraid to let ourselves feel it.” This square from Uranus now moving direct in Taurus may push us beyond our comfort zones, may demand that we show up more fully and completely in our wholehearted living and loving, and may challenge us to trust that we are already more than enough. The Moon then makes a trine to Mars in Sagittarius, a supportive offering of courage to stoke the fires of our confidence, giving us the confidence to blaze brightly and brilliantly as who we know ourselves to be—regardless of whether others approve. Trust that the more you show up more fully as your whole self, the more available you will be to love and be loved by those who see and celebrate you.  Today the Moon in Cancer makes a trine to Neptune in Pisces, which can bring cascades of immense feelings rushing through our bodies. What if you simply move out of the way and let all that you are feeling flood through you—without trying to hold it back, manage it, or contain it? Allowing the tides of compassion, grief, sorrow, and rage that are bigger than you to flow through you may feel overwhelming but can also be cleansing and healing. Mercury makes a conjunction to the Sun, a condition called “cazimi” or “in the heart of the Sun,” a time of purifying and clarifying what we think and what needs to be said. This conjunction happens just hours before the partial lunar eclipse in Cancer—which is only two degrees away from the perfecting Saturn/Pluto conjunction, which the Moon will oppose shortly after its opposition to the Sun. The eclipse brings the shadow into prominence, asks us to witness and respond to that which we may prefer not to see or acknowledge. As all of this heavy astrology unfolds, we may feel the weight of powerful systems eroding before our eyes; remember that such systems live inside of us as well, and make time for connecting to that which nourishes you even as familiar structures within and without collapse. The Mercury cazimi amidst all of this suggests that today we may come into fresh understanding of what has been hidden, what is passing away, and what now is becoming possible. Uranus in Taurus stations direct, advancing the story of upheaval and revolution that is unfolding in whatever part of our charts Taurus occupies.  Today the Moon ingresses into Cancer, its domicile, where it has dignity and access to the resources it needs in order to bring about that which it signifies. In Cancer, we are brought back to our fundamental needs for safety, security, care, and belonging. These could be tender days as the Moon moves through Cancer, especially as the Moon approaches tomorrow’s lunar eclipse and its opposition to the perfecting Saturn/Pluto conjunction. I invite you to take some time to be still and get quiet, to lay your hands on your body, and ask yourself the questions: what do you need? What needs to be heard and held and healed? Listen to what arises, comfort and care for the wounded places that ask for your attention. We all carry our younger selves inside of us, and we all get to practice mothering ourselves, as Audre Lorde taught us. We get to affirm our own worth by committing ourselves to our own survival. The Moon makes an opposition to Jupiter in Capricorn, and we may feel pulled to grow and take responsibility in ways that our younger, wounded selves do not feel ready for. This is an opportunity to reassure our younger, wounded selves: “Don’t worry. I’ve got this. I know you don’t feel ready to step into these responsibilities, but I am ready, and I can take this on for all of us.”  Today the Moon in Gemini moves through a square to Neptune in Pisces. Clear thinking may be challenging. Do not be surprised if you find yourself overwhelmed by more information than it feels like you can hold or handle. Neptune can describe illusions and projections, so if you find yourself in a state of overwhelm, consider that you may not yet be experiencing the reality of the situation. Mercury in Capricorn—the ruler of the Moon in Gemini—then makes a sextile to Neptune, and we may receive messages that clarify what it is we need to hear and understand in order to move forward taking practical steps. The Moon then makes a trine to Venus in Aquarius. This aspect supports social connections, sharing perspectives and ideas about how we might care for one another more in worlds to come. There are lessons for how to love in our interactions today; we get to practice today how we want to be in right-relation to one another in the days ahead. What if you approached today as an opportunity to prepare for our future together, to—as adrienne maree brown writes in Emergent Strategy—practice justice together, practice living into new stories, and to create a new world together through what we practice today?  Today the Sun in Capricorn makes a sextile to Neptune in Pisces. Like flashes of sunlight glistening on the rippling surface of water, fresh illumination and understanding of your purpose can arise when you invite intuition and mystery into our reason and rationality. Soften your gaze, allow it to drift over the shifting contours of your fantasies and dreams, and catch the shimmering insights that flow into consciousness when you surrender the need for certainty. Daydream, vision, and follow the circuitous direction of what becomes clear when you wade into uncertainty. The Moon in Gemini then makes an opposition to Mars in Sagittarius. When conflict arises, get curious. When you feel the aggressive drive to convince others of your perspective, seek out other points of view. If you experience injury today, be willing to speak up and name the ways that you were hurt. In this opposition, balance will come from adaptability, the ability to inhabit and move between multiple positions simultaneously. Be willing to stand courageously for what you believe, and also be willing to recognize the limitations of your beliefs. Both the Moon and Mars are ruled by Mercury in Capricorn; there are limits to what we can know and understand, and we do not lose by accepting the finitude of our own understanding. Rather, when we come to the edges of what we can know, we find where our knowledge meets and fits together with what other experiences and points of view can teach us.  Today the Moon in Taurus makes a square to its ruler Venus in Aquarius. Receiving a superior square from a benefic is a condition of bonification—meaning that the Moon receives support and affirmation from its ruler. However, a square can also indicate that the gifts of this aspect may require effort or adjustment. What experiences that live in your body might you have to confront and work through in order to accept your own value and the ways in which you are loved by others? The Moon then moves through rapid trines to Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. While a trine can describe an especially easeful or supportive relationship, the mounting pressure between Saturn and Pluto is still challenging; we may find that what flows easily into our lives as the Moon moves through these trines are the reverberations of power struggles, the cumulative effects of repression, and the weight of unresolved histories streaming through our nervous systems. Taurus reminds us to ground and stay close to sensation as a strategy for persistence. The Moon then ingresses into Gemini, relieving the pressure from earlier in the day through a shift into curiosity, social connections, and learning more about the situations in which we find ourselves. Whatever you are experiencing, who might you call into your experience? Sharing your stories with those you trust may be part of coming into more clarity about what you think and understanding, how your story fits within larger narratives of which we are all a part.  Today the Moon in Taurus makes a series of supportive aspects, first perfecting trines to Jupiter, Mercury, and the Sun in Capricorn, then a sextile to Neptune in Pisces. In its exaltation in Taurus and configured to its ruler, the Moon is already extremely well-supported, inviting us to root down into what grounds and nourishes us. Jupiter encourages growth and coherence and invites us back into the perspective that abundance and more-than-enough are already potentials alive within our physical and emotional systems. Mercury, the planet of translation and communication, reminds us to ask for the support that we want and need, and to remain responsive to the ways that the world around us asks for support that we can offer. The Sun brings us into the path of that which is life-affirming. Take notice of how the ways you spend your day enliven or deplete you and consider how your life might be different if you were to move more toward that which enlivens. Finally, Neptune offers inspiration in the forms of dreams and fantasies. Judith Butler writes, “To posit possibilities beyond the norm or, indeed, a different future for the norm itself, is part of the work of fantasy when we understand fantasy as taking the body as a point of departure for an articulation that is not always constrained by the body as it is … fantasy is part of the articulation of the possible; it moves us beyond what is merely actual and present into a realm of possibility, the not yet actualized or the not actualizable.” What if you gave yourself time and permission to set sail through your fantasies, those that begin from the body and then carry you into possibilities beyond the norms of what is, drifting into the realms of how else we might live our embodied lives?  Today the Moon ingresses into Taurus, the sign of its exaltation. This is a time for slowing down, grounding our energy, reconnecting to the sensual pleasures of the body and the experiences that allow us to feel well. With Venus, the ruler of Taurus, in Aquarius, I am recalling two of adrienne maree brown’s “pleasure principles”: “We become what we practice” and “The deepest pleasure comes from riding the line between commitment and detachment.” Aquarius turns our attention toward the future, toward the kinds of worlds we want to bring into being. If we become what we practice, how do you want to feel in the future, and how might you begin to practice feeling that way today? Aquarius is also a fixed sign, inspiring allegiance to future possibilities rather than the legacies of the past. What kinds of pleasure might become available to you if you were to ride the line between committing to another way of feeling in your body, while detaching from determining in advance how you might come into such future possibilities? As the Moon makes a conjunction to Uranus in Taurus, we may be propelled to shake things up, to try something new, and to break through the patterns that have been limiting our access to feeling good. Feel into where there are desires that feel like risk, and then ask how you might support yourself in risking exploring new pleasures.  Today Mars ingresses into Sagittarius, leaving its domicile Scorpio behind. Mars in Sagittarius is bold, assertive, ready to courageously pioneer possibilities beyond the borders of where we are standing now. Mars in Sagittarius can bring excitement and adventure, but take care around actions that may be driven by the will to conquer. Remember that what may be uncharted territory for you is very likely the well-tended traditions and homes of those we often fail to notice in the blaze of our own exhilaration. The Moon in Aries then moves through a lovely sextile from Venus in Aquarius. Fueled by Mars in Sagittarius, the Moon in Aries is driven by ambition and personal will; Venus in Aquarius reminds us to connect with others, especially those who may be different from the communities and relationships in which we have found ourselves in the past. Finally, the Moon moves through squares to Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. Less than a full degree apart from one another, the pressure is building between these slow-moving planets. We may find that as we reject and refuse operations and abuses of power in our world, we are also confronted with the responsibility for dismantling traces of such abuses and operations within our personal lives, our desires, and our bodies. As we move toward acting in alignment with what we really want, let’s also remember that our desires may not be innocent. We are all charged with the task of liberating and decolonizing our desires as we learn to honor what we feel within the social contexts through which what we feel, what we want, and who we are have all been constituted.  |
AuthorMichael J. Morris is a witch, an artist, a writer, and a teacher. Categories
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