Karma and Reinvention: The Seasons of Capricorn and Aquarius (Dec 21-Feb 21)

How to navigate our lives by uniquely combining astrology and psychology — and use our planets wisely. Plus a collective chart for early 2020

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The Sun moves into Capricorn on December 21st, then moves into Aquarius on January 21st. Whether Capricorn and Aquarius have prominent positions in your birth chart or not, you can allow the energies of these signs to support and inform you during this darkest, coldest time of year. 

For me, it’s always a challenging time because it is the holiday season and my birthday season. As an Aquarius Sun sign, I revel in my friendships and have many groups in which I am involved. However, come holiday party time I am quite reluctant to have a full calendar. My Taurus Moon sign prefers one-on-one time and I no longer have the capacity to get altered or party for any length of time. My digestive sensitivities over time have won out and now I need to be quite careful with what I eat and what I imbibe.

I become the one leaving early and taking fewer invitations. My closest friends understand me, but sometimes I just feel like an epic wet blanket. The good news is the seasons of Capricorn and Aquarius are great times to finish important work and I use these two months to review the projects of the year and wrap things up. With the cooler weather it is also an invitation to go inward and dig deep into what we have accomplished in the last year, and to take some serious time to express gratitude for those who have helped us along the way.  

As a psychological astrologer, my business booms during this season and I notice that many clients get very anxious at this time of the year because they feel so much pressure to have grand holiday celebrations and bulletproof resolves for the coming year. Many people actually get depressed because their outsized expectations cannot match the real and gritty experiences of family gatherings, and their strict promises around dieting, exercising, and emotional self management cannot be kept.

In Capricorn season, we are reminded to walk our talk and to be diligent in keeping our word. Capricorn calls us to work hard to improve ourselves and the systems we are a part of. 

Its initiatory force can help us move out of a slump and into discipline and accountability. Yet we all need to engage this sense of responsibility with some tenderness and compassion. The worst thing we can do is set harsh goals and fail, and then punish ourselves. Make sane and slow promises to yourself and others and keep them.

It’s also a great time to plan, sort, and organize — to do what’s necessary to prepare for the end of one year and the beginning of another. We can let Capricorn inspire us to get real about the structures we’re part of — our families, maybe, or our workplaces — and to begin to do the hard work of fixing or replacing those that aren’t working well. 

This can be a time of realizing the fruits of our labors, too. If you’ve been striving to achieve a goal or to improve something in your inner world, this might be a time where you recognize yourself and are recognized by others for the work you’ve put in. 

If you notice yourself or others being more bossy or judgmental than usual, that might be some of the less skillful energy of Capricorn at work. More concerned than customary about how others see you? Judgmental? Insecure? Might also be Capricorn’s influence. Forgive yourself and others and remember: one way out is to keep climbing! Work harder and keep trying to improve. That’s the Capricorn way. 

Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, which represents discipline, time, restriction, and karma. 

It reminds us that our lives are our own responsibility, and that when we choose to be accountable and responsible, we heal and enrich not only our own lives, but of those who came before us and will come after us.

Two other planets, Saturn and Pluto, are also in Capricorn this month. Saturn in Capricorn offers tremendous potential for restructuring at every level that which does not serve the common good, while Pluto brings deep transformational force to the current planetary dynamic. In our lifetimes, there has been no better moment for speaking truth to power; for refusing to tolerate a massively harmful status quo; and for the skillful creation of a new and honest order. 

Pluto and Saturn will stay in Capricorn as the Sun moves into Aquarius on January 21st, pouring their transformative power toward the Aquarian vision of collectivity and connection. The frameworks built so solidly during Capricorn season will be ready to fill with inspired community. It will be an ideal time to gather with others to hold and expand the vision of the world in which you all want to live. 

In Aquarius season, you might find yourself preoccupied with visions and decisions, and this can make you feel detached from others. Your brilliant ideas of how things should be — brilliant as they are — may lead you to feel superior to others when others don’t agree with you, or just don’t seem to get it. Take your irritation as a cue to pause, breathe, and hold your fellow humans in empathy and compassion as you work together (remember, Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn will keep inspiring a spirit of work) to build a better world. 

The highest expression of the next two months is a combination of modest and steady accountability for your words and deeds. 

The commitment to your dearest friends and family, which emphasizes the greatest good, and also the particularly quirky gifts of each person you love, including yourself.

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You may also enjoy reading Mercury Rising | Understanding Mercury Retrograde by Leslie McGuirk