New Year's Day SuperMoon (New Moon) of 2014
The world hasn't seen a new moon on the day of the New Year for 19 years - the last one being the first day of January, 1995. Then, as now, the moon and sun were conjunct in Capricorn. Normally a New Year's Day is full of excitement and anticipation. Everyone is looking to the future and laying out plans for a whole new year ahead - but this time, we may not feel like celebrating quite as much.
The heavy emphasis of this day is centered on the four planets clustered together in Capricorn. The Sun, The Moon, Mercury and Pluto are involved, and at the time of the new moon at about 4 am MST on January 1st, they will all be within one degree of each other, a powerful and important aspect called a stellium, that lights up the sky with portents and omens.
Most critically, this stellium is part of the formation of the Grand Cross of 2014, a force which will bring about incredible activity and changes on both a personal and global level.
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| The Supermoon Stellium (bottom left) and the Cardinal Grand Cross of 2014 (red box) |
More about the planets in Capricorn
If you're already feeling this energy, you're not alone! Pluto has been in deep, dense Capricorn for a few years now, and this slow to move planet is in no hurry to leave. The other planets have been approaching Pluto for several days now, and the formation is about to come together very closely!
Capricorn is the final Earth sign of the Zodiac. It is governed by the planet Saturn, which gives us a lot of information about it's basic nature. Saturn is the teacher, the taskmaster and the keeper of everything that is traditional. Saturn keeps us on the path of our destiny, even when we would like to slack or shirk, it is difficult to escape his influence.
Steady, calm and determined, the Capricorn sun asks us to follow the path of the status quo, keeping everyone in line and frowning on impulse and gaiety as inessential to the practicalities of life.
With the New Moon in Capricorn, we may not feel up to confronting the sometimes messy and complicated landscape of our emotional lives. Capricorn moon shies away from confrontation, wanting only to retreat into a hermit cave and release any responsibility for the wild rush of the lunar tides. Capricorn moon dreams of things that are predictable and avoids speculation. It will take cold, hard facts over dreamy intuition any day, thank you. While the energies of full moons are more celebratory and fulfilled, a new moon heralds new beginnings and is best spent in quiet contemplation, something that may be a bit difficult on New Year's Eve!
Mercury in Capricorn wants us to communicate with deliberation and apply cold reason and logic to all of our thoughts and decisions. Mercury in Capricorn steers us towards thinking of everything in practicalities and helps us to cut out anything that is unnecessary or frivolous in the ways that we think and talk. Capricorn Mercury says to slow down and think before we speak!
Finally, the dark form of Pluto at 11 degrees of Capricorn anchors the stellium and sends messages through the subconscious of psychic import and hints of secrets left buried, sometimes for decades. Pluto always calls for transformation in some way, and at this time, the Lord of the Underworld will willingly receive that which you wish to shed, if you are strong enough to let go.
More positively, and with all of these planets, the influence of Capricorn can provide a stable base for making plans for the future. Along with the New Year, the Capricorn New Moon can help us put seeds of possibility into the dark rich earth of our psyches, allowing us to make lasting change possible. During this transitionary time, we may become more focused on our concrete goals and our duties to ourselves and to others in our lives. This would also be a great time to start on any goals relating to long term career changes, buying property or making investments.
Capricorn is the final Earth sign of the Zodiac. It is governed by the planet Saturn, which gives us a lot of information about it's basic nature. Saturn is the teacher, the taskmaster and the keeper of everything that is traditional. Saturn keeps us on the path of our destiny, even when we would like to slack or shirk, it is difficult to escape his influence.
Steady, calm and determined, the Capricorn sun asks us to follow the path of the status quo, keeping everyone in line and frowning on impulse and gaiety as inessential to the practicalities of life.
With the New Moon in Capricorn, we may not feel up to confronting the sometimes messy and complicated landscape of our emotional lives. Capricorn moon shies away from confrontation, wanting only to retreat into a hermit cave and release any responsibility for the wild rush of the lunar tides. Capricorn moon dreams of things that are predictable and avoids speculation. It will take cold, hard facts over dreamy intuition any day, thank you. While the energies of full moons are more celebratory and fulfilled, a new moon heralds new beginnings and is best spent in quiet contemplation, something that may be a bit difficult on New Year's Eve!
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| Capricorn image courtesy Josephine Wall |
Finally, the dark form of Pluto at 11 degrees of Capricorn anchors the stellium and sends messages through the subconscious of psychic import and hints of secrets left buried, sometimes for decades. Pluto always calls for transformation in some way, and at this time, the Lord of the Underworld will willingly receive that which you wish to shed, if you are strong enough to let go.
More positively, and with all of these planets, the influence of Capricorn can provide a stable base for making plans for the future. Along with the New Year, the Capricorn New Moon can help us put seeds of possibility into the dark rich earth of our psyches, allowing us to make lasting change possible. During this transitionary time, we may become more focused on our concrete goals and our duties to ourselves and to others in our lives. This would also be a great time to start on any goals relating to long term career changes, buying property or making investments.
The Grand Cross of 2014
Another piece of this powerful planetary puzzle, the Cardinal Grand Cross of 2014 is activated during this time of change and upheaval. From December 27, 2013 - January 14, 2014 the planets Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Uranus will be within 8 degrees of aspect to one another, and throughout the coming months, and until the end of May 2014, this pattern will wane and wax, coming to an apex when they are all within 1 degree of each other from April 20-24th, 2014.
Although the influence of this aspect will begin to fade after the end of the year, it will leave lasting echoes of it's influence throughout 2015. Events and decisions made now will continue to reverberate through the energies of the Grand Cross for some time, so be cautious and conscientious about any plans you put in place in the next two weeks. Be careful what you ask for, as you may get it!
The following excerpt is from the article on discoveringwisdom.com - Cardinal Grand Cross 2013/2014
A grand cross is formed when four planets are 90 degrees apart in the sky and is composed of two oppositions and four squares. This is a cardinal grand cross because each of the four planets are in cardinal signs which means they initiate action – so a very active configuration. We will be compelled to resolve four different areas of our lives: our self-identity (Aries), relationships (Libra), home life (Cancer) and work (Capricorn).
Planets are in constant motion in the sky above us. Sometimes they appear to move backwards due to the movement of the earth relative to the movement of the planet. We call this apparent backward motion retrograde. That’s why this grand cross sort of comes and goes into and out of configuration over the next several months.
The position of the planets in the sky is measured by degrees of a sign. The closer these four planets get to the exact degree of the grand cross the more intense the transformational energy will be felt. Here are the dates when they will be the most exact:
1. December 27, 2013 through January 12, 2014 all four planets will be within 8 degrees of exact aspect with one another.
2. April 20 – 24, 2014 they will be within 1 degree. April 7 – May 14 within 8 degrees.
3. There is also a total lunar eclipse at 25 degrees Libra on April 15, 2014. It will last nearly an hour with the Moon turning dark red. It will be visible from anywhere in North and South America. Eclipses are the exclamation points – they enhance or ramp up planetary energies.
4. Finally a solar eclipse at 8 degrees Taurus on April 29, 2014 may bring another wave of intensity. Taurus is an Earth sign, so it may also bring some stability and calm as this grand cross begins to move out of aspect.
No planetary configuration is either harmful or helpful. It all depends on how each of us responds to the energies at play.
Most astrologers feel this grand cross signals a very challenging time period for most of us. As you can see from the above dates, the cross will form in December 2013 and cycle out by May 2014, with the most intense time period being April 2014, followed by January 2014.
This grand cross will bring us plenty of energy and lots of chances to make changes in our lives. How we choose to use the energy or respond to it is the question for each of us. To what extent are we mature enough to work with these energies? How clearly do we see ourselves?