Crescent Moon in Capricorn: Practical Magic

Before dawn, we’ll enter the Crescent phase. This is the pivot from planting new seeds, to tending the emerging shoots. What’s the plan? What do we do next?

The Sun is on a glorious quest. They’ve entered Sagittarius. Get your motor running.

This is the Eight of Wands, shown in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck as eight rough-hewn staves leaping into the air. Expect swift movement and swift messages.

The Moon in the middle of Capricorn, 45º from the Sun, is not in her happiest place, but she does know how to get work done. In Capricorn, the Moon learns to tighten her belt and keep moving steadily toward the goal.

This is a good pairing. You might think a Capricorn Moon would hold back a bold Sagittarian Sun, but this Moon will set up the “ready” and “aim” so the Sun’s “fire” is planned and effective. On its own, early Sag energy can be scattered.

The Grand Water Trine is still present and strong, although the cast of characters has changed.

Now we see Venus and Mercury together in late Scorpio, moving toward conjunction.

We’re deep in murky waters here. Venus rules last decan of Scorpio. Her desires are powerful. This Venus wants what she wants and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about it. Emotions run deep and focus on the unusual and unexpected.

Mercury remains retrograde. Our minds focus inward. Here at the end of Scorpio, shadows are deep. We are fascinated by the obscure, the unusual, the frightening.

This Venus–Mercury pairing can conjure up powerful and disturbing dreams, lead to unwise speech, and reveal where our emotions are strong and deep enough to drive the direction of our interests and focus. Great insight is possible here.

Saturn and Neptune remain together in late Pisces, currently about 4º apart. They continue to embody all the complexities of dreams and structures together in a place dissolving around them. Enticing new visions, compelling misinformation, and a dizzying mix of false and true dreams can emerge. Be wary.

Jupiter remains retrograde in late Cancer, the place of his exaltation. He can expand whatever Venus and Mercury dredge up, whatever Saturn and Neptune dream up, yet his goal is illumination, not disaster. He is grandly benevolent.

Notice the Moon connects to the Grand Water Trine. She’s applying to oppose Jupiter, 7º away at this Crescent phase. Again we see the benefits of Capricorn. She’s traveling through difficult terrain, rocky and sparse, yet this makes her tougher to fool. You have to work hard to pull the wool over Capricorn’s eyes.

So this Moon, holding the speed of the Sun in check, also channels the emotional power, mysticism, desire, and confusion of the Grand Trine. She’s translating in real time, letting us know how we can work with all this magic.

The Scorpio New Moon brought up plenty of complex and disturbing emotions.

At the Crescent phase, the Moon has light again. She has agency. She has energy. In the face of fiery speed and watery depths, she has the map and the plans and knows what to do.

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