Perseverance + a Capricorn New Moon

(note: I’m hosting a Year Ahead Astrology lecture + New Moon ritual on Saturday the 13th. Tickets are still available and everyone who registers will get access to the recording).

Our Capricorn New Moon, which is exact on Thursday, January 11 at 3:57am PST takes place just a degree or so away from that Saturn-Pluto conjunction degree, stimulating not only the memories contained in that too-heavily emphasized last decan of Capricorn, but our anniversary memory as well. 

On January 12, 2020 China shared sequencing of a novel coronavirus with the World Health Organization after initially reporting concerning disease activity on December 21, 2019. That same January day, Saturn and Pluto came together in the sky, perfecting a conjunction between the two sky gods in the 22nd degree of Capricorn.

I had based my at that point ten year career around the astrology of that moment. Knowing something constricting, crisis-y and complex would change the world as we knew it and that there was nothing better I could do with my life than help that preparation… and then continue working with that on the other side.

I remember very clearly seeing a man on the news reporting about the virus on that day and thinking “oh, wow. That is not how I thought this would play out.” Soon after, I watched a documentary on Netflix called “Pandemic.

At the same time, we are also existing through yet another wave of increased Covid alongside flu and RSV, further echoing that time period - even though lockdowns didn’t begin in the US until March, 2020. And even though lockdowns are far from happening now.

The term that keeps coming to mind when I lean into Cappy season this time around is perseverance. To persevere comes from the Latin root persevereus which means "continue steadfastly, persist". That word comes from two others: per (very) and severus (strict).  

Today the connotation of the word is to persist in a methodical way despite obstacles or distractions.

Generally speaking, to persevere thought of as a positive quality in our culture. And indeed, the image of the mountain goat – Capricorn’s friendly representative and symbol – evokes the epitome of perseverance. 

I remember a dream I once had in which I was following  a mountain goat guide up a mountain as a storm brewed on the horizon. I was acutely aware of the importance of careful, confident consideration of each footstep. I was in awe at the steadfastness and focus of my guide. It knew the goal and how to reach it. 

Capricorn strives for mastery in the name of legacy as much as reward and reputation. At its best, it reveres integrity, accountability, strength and purpose. It takes hard won beliefs and knowledge and builds literal and metaphorical foundations based in those beliefs. 

At its worst, it is reflective of what happens when the status quo is maintained for the sake of perpetuating existing systems of power and domination. It is control through fear – particularly fear of punishment. 

We have been swamped in the shadow of Capricorn for 16 years now as Pluto has brought its chthonic tsunamis to a sign most closely associated with social systems and societal conditioning.

This New Moon is striking to me for several reasons, even though it is potentially among the more subtle of the year. 

First, because Pluto makes its second of three entrances into Aquarius on January 20th, this is the last New Moon in Cap that will be co-present with the lord of the underworld. At a practical level, I suppose this might most be felt in terms of emotional intensity. Any time we’ve had a Cap New Moon since 2009, the Moon has either been coming straight from or heading straight towards a conjunction with Pluto, picking up all kinds of intense frequencies that then needed to be metabolized through the emotional body. 

Second, this lunation takes place in an exact square with the lunar nodes. My interpretation of this is that at a minimum, it would be a good idea to pay extra attention to relational patterns. Particularly those that need to go, and particularly those that have roots in ways relational dynamics were imprinted on you as a child. 

But more than that: because this lunation activates the Saturn-Pluto degree as well as the US Pluto Return schtuff that I’ve been talking about ad nauseum for years now, Sol and Luna – the outer and the inner - are unified in a mandate that we get real about the ways systems of power and domination impact our relationships, justice and our ability to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities.

They are unified in a mandate that we understand what it means to persevere. Whether that is through maintaining status quo or destroying it.

Our society – particularly those of us who live in the US - can see all of the issues with the ways our country works laid out for us in plain sight. Amidst another wave of pandemic – which appears to be the second worst – and a new pandemic of leaving entire groups of people behind. Amidst funding the annihilation of an entire group of people, despite the fact that the US population at large does not support those acts. Amidst a whole host of other issues and difficulties, and the 100,000 ways humans have of dealing (or not dealing) with what it means to live through times of such heart wrenching complexity and violence.

Within this context, what does it mean to persevere? Is perseverance about proceeding without distraction no matter the consequences? Perseverance can be used as a shield, intensifying Capricornian tendencies towards repression (let’s say… of emotions) and denial (let’s say…of humanity). 

Is it about identifying cause or purpose and moving with strict adherence to that? Again… at what cost? 

One cool feature of this lunation is a close trine from Uranus in Taurus, indicating some level of ease when it comes to shrugging off some layer of whatever it is that keeps us stuck in old patterns. And perhaps for you that is something more simple and/or personal that any of these bigger currents I just asked us to swim through. It is okay to focus on the very personal for these lunations. Although, as always, I recommend dedicating any personal magical or growth-oriented work you do to the liberation of the whole. 

But I would recommend taking some time, even if briefly, to reflect a bit on the last four years. Pay specific attention to sensations and emotions that make an appearance. Vent them even a tiny bit if you can, or make a point of working with them over the coming months. Capricornian fear is often accompanied by the difficult-to-move-through combo of grief and guilt Acknowledging the presence of those bed buddies, if they’re there for you, goes a long way in starting the process of healing. 

The coming lunar cycle sees that monumental (if temporary) shift of Pluto into Aquarius once again, along with Uranus moving into direct motion. If you’re so inclined, use this New Moon to put down some solid foundations for yourself in the year to come. Spend some time considering purpose alongside practicality with reverence for where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you want to go.

Amanda is a queer astrologer who is very into relational, evolutionary and psychological astrologies. Sometimes she also writes about the world and her place in it. You can support her work — and get rad incentives like monthly AstroCircles, community hangouts with QA and free sessions through Patreon.