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Capricorn
New Moon: After recent frigid rainstorms, dim sunlight filters through the branches of my backyard pine tree, and I'm feeling the finality of winter. I just signed a contract on my new residence--exchanging my cozy Escondido cottage, where hawks fly overhead and rabbits run underfoot, for a smaller (and more expensive) place in the North Park area of San Diego. Moving does not come easily for a Cancer. I've been in Escondido four-and-a-half years, and love the place. Yet I need to be closer to my 84-year-old father, who is barely making it on his own. So I'm sorting through my possessions, letting go. For my whole adult life, I've been dragging around a battered suitcase filled with childhood memorabilia. I kept the autograph book with signatures from Harry James and Betty Grable, the strapless sundress that reminds me of the lithe young woman I once was. But I bid adieu to Corey Koala, the now-musty-smelling teddy bear who slept with me as a youngster, and some journals in which I'd poured my adolescent heart out, then transferred the remaining items to a smaller, newer suitcase. Now that the Sun has moved into Capricorn (Dec. 21 at the Winter Solstice), it's time to consolidate our resources. As animals hibernate to conserve energy, so we turn within to focus on what's important--family, meaningful work, connection to Spirit. Capricorn favors simplifying, streamlining and commitment. Any sacrifices we make at this time of year are similar to pruning a tree, leading to an abundant profusion in the spring. The Dec. 27 New Moon occurs at the same time warrior Mars joins powerhouse Pluto in Capricorn. This signals the start of a highly transformational year in which outmoded political and economic systems will continue to crumble, and be replaced by more workable and equitable forms. Expansive Jupiter and communicative Mercury finish their stay in resolute Capricorn at the end of Dec., too. With half the zodiac in this serious sign, and Saturn, Capricorn's ruler, slowing down to turn retrograde on Dec. 31, you'll be forgiven if you don't feel much like partying this New Year's. It's a sober but highly sacred time in which we take a hard look at what we want to create in 2009. However, this solemn mood begins to lift with Jupiter's entry into visionary Aquarius on Jan. 5 (especially good news for Aquarians!), which infuses us with hope. Jupiter in the sign of brotherhood chants, "We'll get by with a little help from our friends." Jupiter is headed toward a rendezvous with healer Chiron and idealistic Neptune in the spring, which will catalyze a period of progressive change so rapid that it takes our breath away. Mercury briefly enters Aquarius too, on New Year's Day, but retrogrades on the 11th and back-tracks into Capricorn through mid-February. Make realistic New Year's resolutions that you know you'll keep, and with Mercury retrograde until Feb. 1, be patient with the results. February is actually a more auspicious month in which to launch new endeavors. I just took a break for my daily walk down the hill to my rural mailbox. It is a simple ritual, one I will miss in the city. Inhaling the smell of the still-damp earth and pine trees, I gave thanks for all the precious gifts I have received while living on this land. The Capricorn season has pared me down to my essential self, to remind me that everything is sacred. I wish the same for you at this profound turning of the wheel. © 2008
Simone Butler If you'd
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