Here we are ending the month of miracles and wonder and entering into the month of Capricorn. This month always begins towards the end of the holiday of Chanukah, helping us to carry the last bits of Light and miracles into the practical and earthy upcoming period. Capricorn is known to represent the energy of manifestation—the energy of work and achievements that can support any existing goal we set up for ourselves. It's not a coincidence that the month of Capricorn always falls during the Gregorian New Year as a great boost of energy to manifest all our New Year's resolutions.
Capricorn, an earth sign ruled by the planet Saturn, is also known to be drawn into the more serious (and at times gloomy or pessimistic) aspects of life. And here is the trick: this month, we want to use the serious nature of Capricorn to take responsibility and commit to manifesting changes and growth in our lives. We have the ability to work hard and not give up (as a motivated Capricorn). But at the same time, we also want to be mindful not to take ourselves too seriously and fall into the cold, overly practical, and detached approach that can easily lead to sadness or loneliness.
Let's see how we can utilize the cosmic influences for our benefit and support the spiritual work that is available for all of us this month.
The first cosmic activity we notice that will affect us the entire month is Mercury in Capricorn, going retrograde December 30th until January 17th. Mercury in retrograde always encourages us to take a deep look into the past and learn our lessons before moving forward. Since this time Mercury resides in the sign of Capricorn, it signals us to re-evaluate the difficulties and hardships of the past few years: our challenges and what we perceive as failures or betrayals. This deep look into the past is here to awaken us to take responsibility for our actions (sometimes even our soul's karmic responsibility beyond this lifetime) and make a new and renewed commitment as we look ahead into the New Year. Even though it might seem like a painful process, this is really a good time for an emotional and mental deep-clean, so we can move into the New Year without carrying the heavy burdens of the past.
As we move on to the second week of the month, the sun in Capricorn creates a very powerful and positive aspect with Uranus in Taurus (on the few days between January 3rd and January 7th). This is a cosmic reminder to create a big shift in our financial state. Anything related to the materialistic aspects of our lives is highlighted, and we are encouraged to give bigger and take risks. (Of course, I would first check with your kabbalistic astrologer regarding how this influences you personally in your own chart.) Since Venus moves into the sign of Aquarius at this time and forms a good aspect with Jupiter in Aries, we receive a double message to think big and think outside of the box. It's an invitation to be courageous with any changes that we would like to manifest this month.
I would also like to mention a warning sign that is active this month. The planet Mars, which is in retrograde in part of the month, will also create a challenging aspect to Mercury in Capricorn in the second half of the month. This cosmic setting is here to remind us to be mindful of the way we communicate. The way we convey our thoughts and ideas. We want to make sure that we don't come off as too insensitive, too logical and technical, unemotional, or detached and cold. This can be a struggle in the month of Capricorn any year or for the ones born under the influence of the sign. If we are mindful of those cosmic forces, we can secure a month of growth, success, and powerful achievements rather than falling into the gloomier, lonelier, and heavy aspects of this month.