As we move into a new calendar year, like many of my colleagues on here I’m hoping to get back to some regular blogging. A regular monthly update focused on astrological magic is something I’ve been thinking of doing for ages, to aid my own practice as much as anything. So let’s see how I go!
2024 ended with a new, or dark, moon in Capricorn, a seed point for the structures we begin to build. As we move through the month with the sun still in Capricorn and Mercury arriving there today, we still have a window for the magic of planning. I have to say, I’m not really a fan of leaping into a new calendar year. For me, the new beginning is a slow process between Winter Solstice and Imbolc. But this is a great time for figuring out what we want, for working out the steps that will get us there. Capricorn is an earth sign, practical and organised. But it is also the sea goat – there is wildness here, a reminder that convention isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.
Full Moon in Cancer
Since the sun is in Capricorn, it follows that the full moon is in the opposite sign of Cancer. These two signs are both concerned with security and stability. They are on the continuum of the emotional (Cancer) and the material (Capricorn). So this full moon is a great time for magic around job, home or finances – anything which gives us a solid foundation. These signs carry the cardinal energy of new beginnings, the spark which gets us moving. And the sun forms a helpful trine with Uranus the same day, so that we can ground our most radical ideas in a tangible way. Building space for the unexpected or the unconventional into our magic might be helpful too. Focus on what feels authentic to you, not what the books or lists of correspondences tell you. Listen to those flashes of intuition! And then surrender to the process. On January 12th, Mars trines Neptune, allowing for a creative alignment of our actions with a sense of mystery. Start the process, then release it. We are taught to keep silence for a reason. (Or as a magical mentor of mine used to say, ‘I’ve forgotten more magic than I ever remember’).
Venus – beauty and spirit
Following the full moon, bumping the ongoing Jupiter square Saturn with a square to Jupiter on the 14th January then a meeting with Saturn on 19th January. Venus in Pisces is in her happy place – Saturn not so much. Here is a story about boundaries, about priorities, about not scattering our energy. Spells for clear boundaries and loving communication are well aspected around this time. On the 19th, Mercury makes helpful sextiles to both Venus and Saturn to help us articulate our desires. Venus gains energy from Mars on the 25th and Uranus on the 26th, excellent times for making the unreal real. Taking the most direct approach isn’t always the most effective with these placements, so plan your magic accordingly.
Mercury connections
As the moon wanes back to the dark towards in the final days of January, Mercury is active. There’s a sextile with Neptune on the 26th and with the North Node on the 28th. These gather in the theme of this lunation which is the coming together of earth and water, of the tangible and the mysterious. The Neptune connection brings the possibility of creative inspiration or of articulating something just out of reach. when Mercury connects with the North node of the moon, we might be making connections with like minded people. Even better, we might be sharing ideas and seeking common ground with people outside of our bubble. This is a great time for magic which helps us to step out of a comfort zone. These Mercury connections are about intuition and empathy as much as logic. The planets this year are all about change. Which reflects the intuition I’ve seen many expressing that much will change in the next twelve months. Invoking Mercury to inspire us to change our thought patterns and connect more deeply is a powerful place to start.
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