January 18: Capricorn New Moon
"To ignore evil is to become accomplice to it"
-Martin Luther King, Jr. b. January 15, 1929
The Full Moon at 28°44 Capricorn at 2:52PM ET on January 18, in a sextile with Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, is a solemn vow for what we wish to devote ourselves to for the first half of the year. This lunation is a conjunction with Mercury and Mars, aligns our body and mind with the work that has emerged for us to undertake in 2026.
Capricorn feels responsible for upholding standards. There is a sense of duty towards what is right and a willingness to be unpopular in speaking the truth. Saturn is associated with outsiders, people on the margins, who have been excluded from the inner circle and hold a unique and necessary perspective that those on the inside are missing.
The cazimi of Venus and Mars (superior conjunction with the Sun that I wrote about in greater detail here), that peaked on January 6th and 9th, illuminated the nature of our relationships, and whether we feel aligned with our true purpose. This weekend is an opportunity to clarify what is yours to do and what is not, and how you'd like to dedicate your time over the next six months. Make your plan because the world is changing and each of us has a little piece of the planet that needs us.
These are disturbing, heart breaking, soul sickening times. The violence and repression that was unleashed at the Venus-Mars conjunction in Capricorn on January 7, with the assassination of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of an ICE agent, has caused millions of people to feel powerless, vulnerable, and out of control. There is true terror in the collective and a sense of despair at how to meet the rising forces of authoritarianism and fascism.
Domination and abuse often manifest when there are heavy doses of Saturn, Mars, and Pluto aligned in the sky. We have been living through a karmic crucible with the Pluto return of the US since 2015, and the worst of the past is being repeated. Those of us who were taught that humanity had evolved away from such cruelty and evil are now faced with the question of who will stand for us and how we will protect our neighbors? The 250 birthday of the US on July 4, 2026, features an explosive Mars-Uranus conjunction in a trine with Pluto in Aquarius. We are building to major moments this year and Capricorn season is pivotal.
The Capricorn New Moon is ruled by Saturn, conjoined with Neptune in the final degrees of Pisces, brings a sense of disillusionment and despair, as the world spins dangerously towards confrontation and collapse. Social structures are being destroyed by capricious and cruel dictators, such as The Department of Health and Human Services suddenly and unexpectedly announcing the cancellation of $2 billion funding towards mental health and addiction recovery on January 13th. The political outcry was enough to immediately reinstate the grants, but the fear, chaos, and insecurity for millions of people who rely on those life saving programs remains.
There is a weight to Capricorn season. The heaviness of time presses us downwards into the dirt. Anyone with significant Capricorn placements experiences depression; the gravity of Saturn leaning on us, slowing us down, pushing us to pause, and, occasionally, rendering us immobile. The Moon struggles to feel supported so if adulting is hard right now then let yourself take it easy. The Moon in Capricorn can become forlorn by the mundane tasks of caring for our bodies, home, and loved ones. Don't force it if you don't have anything to give.
The intense Capricorn conjunctions have characterized the start of 2026, and are now being seeded into this part of our star chart for the next six months (book a reading with your fave astrologer if you're not sure what that means). The good news is that Mars is exalted in Capricorn where it acts skillfully and effectively. We've come a long way from the Mars retrograde in Cancer overwhelming onslaught in January 2025. Now people are mobilized and taking action. The Capricorn New Moon is an opportunity to take stock, consider what gives life purpose, and make a realistic, executable plan for what is ours to do. Getting grounded in the tangible and manageable will help mitigate overwhelm and hopelessness.
Our relationship with time is illuminated by Saturn-Neptune final days of sailing the eternal seas of Pisces. Neptune moves into Aries on January 26, 2026, where it will stay until March 2038! Neptune has expanded our consciousness towards the subtle, spiritual, and timeless realms since 2011. It's influence on this lunation in Capricorn invokes the need to stay connected with the imaginal realm of dreams and possibilities as we seek to make concrete changes in the world. Where are we doing too much or too little and how can we imagine a more generative flow this year?
The to-do list of Capricorn often leaves us feeling like there isn't enough time. This lunation is an opportunity to meditate on the structure of our lives and whether we live within our means. Many people push past what is good for us. We do "too much" in some area, whether that is work, spending, eating, or scrolling. What we have time for is dictated by our values, priorities, and our subconscious sense of ability. Some people have blocks around self care or household maintenance, while others don't feel like they should have to engage in meaningless labor to survive. Consider what you struggle to make time for that you know would improve your life: cleaning the house, exercising the body, balancing the budget, looking for a new job, etc.
Capricorn always has an excellent five year plan to achieve its 30 year goal, but all we really have is today. The lunation can help us identify the simple and manageable amount of work it's possible to achieve in 24 hours and then let the rest go.
Venus moved into Aquarius on January 17, and is in a conjunction with Pluto at the New Moon. During times of uncertainty it is often necessary to pare down, and consider what we can and can't afford in terms of time, money, spending, and values. The Moon immediately changes sign and meets with both of them in the evening of January 18, so notice the connection between what you are intending in Capricorn and what needs to be adjusted in the Aquarius area of life. This part of our chart is going to get worked over the next 18 months as we start having eclipses along the Leo-Aquarius axis for the first time in 9 years.
The final days of Capricorn season, December 21, 2025-January 19, 2026, are an opportunity to get clarity on the roles and responsibilities of your home and workplace before we face the historic transits of February:
February 13th: Saturn moves into Aries until April 2028
February 17th: Aquarius New Moon eclipse (the first in the Aquarius-Leo cycle)
February 20th: Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries (hasn't happened since 1989!)
The New Moon in Capricorn is the final vision from Saturn in Pisces who holds the wisdom of all we've been through since March 2023. The discipline of Saturn demands that we commit to making real whatever dreams we've been longing for in Pisces. We won't face this kind of restructuring for another 30 years. Commitment involves choice, a definitive yes or no is required to build something lasting. The cosmic seagoat has a reputation for being a workaholic but Capricorn gets a deep sense of satisfaction from being productive, and that doesn't have to be about profession. Pisces whispers in the heart about our purpose: that which our spirit-soul longs to realize on earth.
The art of living is about coming into harmony with all of life so that our duties, responsibilities, and health requirements are balanced with creativity, pleasure, and joy. This lunation warns against burn out and encourages us to prioritize art, creativity, and the mystical as much as possible. May you find a way to show up for the best and most difficult of life while taking as many breaks as needed. Rest is needed on the long haul.