the new moon in capricorn for writers

with writing prompts

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First, a story.

Here, in the heart of winter, there is a seed that might be planted. If we wake early, or stay up very late, we can venture to a sacred spot amongst the grove of trees, at the base of the mountain, where we can dig — whether by hand or by shovel — and make a home for this seed, which we have been growing within us for so long. 

The seed might pop out of your chest easily. You might have to whisper and coax it into emerging. You may have to push. This seed may be ready to be birthed, or it may be stubborn, like you. But it is here, now, in the palm of your hand, and it is ready, and it is potent — pulsing and simmering with potential. You can practically see the energy radiating from it. 

It is the last seed of its brethren: one full of desires and intentions you have spent years and years and years refining and polishing. 

You have been nurturing this seed for a very, very long time. For longer than perhaps you consciously knew. 

You may be tempted to try to thrust it back into your chest for safekeeping. You have wanted what this seed symbolizes for so, so long. 

But it is ready to be planted now. 

Stop waiting for the timing to be right. The lunar cycle often knows what we do not.  

Stop waiting for yourself to be better. What, even, is better? 

You have desired this into being. Trust yourself. Trust what you are making. 

You kneel to the ground and plant the seed in the tradition you know best. And you utter a prayer of thanks.

The New Moon arrived at 20* of Capricorn at 6:57am Eastern this morning, and on New Moons, we plant seeds. In the case of responsible, maturity-oriented, Saturnian Capricorn, our seeds are for Creative Works that will have deep, lasting roots. 

This one is particularly potent: it’s the last New Moon in Capricorn that will be co-present with transformative Pluto in our lifetime. 

Since 2008, every Capricorn lunar cycle — which is to say, what you’ve been both inviting in and letting go of — has been influenced by Pluto’s highlighting of underworld themes and slow sifting through the Capricorn part of your chart (more on that below). You would have especially felt this if you have personal planets or points (like your rising) in Capricorn or the other cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Cancer).

But you would definitely have felt this when it all came to a height in 2017-2020, when Saturn (restriction, limitation, responsibility, maturity), Jupiter (usually expansion and abundance, but in this case, barely buffering the weight of Saturn and Pluto), and the nodes (which is to say: the eclipse cycle) all also started bringing up This Part Of Your Life. To give you an idea of the dates: 

• Saturn in Capricorn: December 2017 to March 2020, and July-December of 2020

• Jupiter in Capricorn: December 2019-December 2020

• The Cancer/Capricorn eclipse cycle began in 2018 and finished in 2020; the final south node Capricorn eclipse was on July 4, 2020

The obvious world-changing events of those years — fascist elections and policies, and, most obviously, a worldwide pandemic that continues to impact us — have left us with aftermath we are still reckoning with. 

It was very, very difficult to grow our Capricorn seeds under those conditions. 

To so many of us, those events feel like yesterday. But here we are: January 11, 2024. Years later, we find ourselves at the tail end of the Capricorn moon’s dance with Pluto — something that felt impossible at the height of those years. 

Perhaps the creative work you are seeding right now felt impossible then, too. 

Almost as if to highlight how impactful this lunation is, we don’t just have one full moon we are reaping from this seed-planting, but two: the first Capricorn full moon this year is June 21, and the second is July 21. The second will be closely conjunct to Pluto when it is retrograde in Aquarius — and closely conjunct is not co-present in Capricorn. Still, it highlights the Plutonian influence this year brings: the extraordinarily transformative element of whatever it is you are planting here at the beginning of 2024. 

The thing about seeds is that they take root. And the thing about root systems is that they are part of an entire ecosystem. Roots do not survive well  in isolation. Most of you probably know this already: that trees talk to each other, negotiating for sunlight and sharing resources. Forests thrive when trees communicate, when they can help one another.  

Something often missing in the conversation around our New Moon intentions is the importance of community. 

Humans don’t survive well in isolation, either. Those difficult Capricorn-themed years at the height of the pandemic showed us that: that, even though isolation was essential for our survival, we still craved togetherness. We are social creatures. We require connection. (And we can do it COVID consciously! We can mask, we can test, we can be mindful.)

But that desire for connection and intimacy goes for our spiritual and creative lives, too. 

And so, in honoring and seeding this New Moon and reflecting on what has come before, I’d like to invite you into the comments but also to begin conversations with your loved ones who you trust with these sorts of topics. Because our roots do not exist in isolation, and we grow best — and our work becomes its most powerful and strong — when we are in the forest together.

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Writing Prompts for the New Moon in Capricorn

• What does your seed look like? What does it do? What is it about? What were its siblings like? Describe it. 

• What has your Capricorn story been over the last few years? How has it impacted your creative work or relationship to creativity, spirituality, and/or inspiration? See below for more info on what part of your life it was specifically impacting (and see this for why the rising! Is! important!): 

  • Capricorn rising: self-expression, identity, appearance, persona, your style of showing up in the world

  • Aquarius rising: the subconscious & our personal connection with the unseen world; what we are slowly integrating into our consciousness; ancestral legacy

  • Pisces rising: friendships; community commitments; professional networks; the internet; hopes and dreams

  • Aries rising: career & legacy; professional and public roles

  • Taurus rising: teaching & learning within the wisdom pathways (philosophy, religion, spirituality, and astrology); beliefs; long-term plans and ideas; publishing; travel

  • Gemini rising: collaborations with others; debts, taxes, inheritance, alimony, child support, and other such arrangements; grief and loss; mental health

  • Cancer rising: committed partnerships (whether romantic or business; also, agents, long-time editors, and co-writers)

  • Leo rising: daily work life; health & wellness; how work impacts the body; pets

  • Virgo rising: your creative and erotic energy; important children in your life

  • Libra rising: home; relationships with caregivers, parents, and grandparents; roots and cultural heritage

  • Scorpio rising: your daily rituals and routines; communication; K-12 education; siblings and close friends; local neighborhoods

  • Sagittarius rising: your budget and personal finances; how you spend and how you save

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Thank you for reading this edition of astrology for writers. If you enjoyed it, please consider becoming a paid subscriber, or sharing on social media or with your writer friends.

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Also! If you’re interested in incorporating more of your spiritual interests in their creative work, but are unsure of where to start, or if you’re burned out and are in need of grounding their practice in something other than a commitment to “productivity,” I have a brand new experiential workshop you might be interested in: Enchanting Your Writing. January 28th, 1-3pm Eastern, on Zoom. Sign up here. Hope to see you there!