Capricorn New Moon: Hope With Legs

In 2007, David Oyelowo had a profound experience shortly after receiving the script for Selma – the soon-to-be-released movie of Martin Luther King Jr.’s crusade for voting rights. The British actor was relaxing at home when suddenly, he says, “The voice of God popped into my head and told me I was going to play MLK.”

Unfortunately, the director at the time didn’t concur with God and someone else was cast in the role. Yet Oyelowo remained hopeful. He began studying the civil rights leader’s life, poring over his speeches and interviews and memorizing his accent and gestures. Then, three years later, another director took over and lo! – Oyelowo was cast. Still, it was still another three years until the film got green-lighted.

By spending seven years preparing for his dream to come true, Oyelowo was demonstrating the kind of hope that has legs. According to researcher Brene Brown in The Gifts of Imperfection, hope is not just a warm feeling of optimism and possibility. It’s also an active, grounded process of setting goals, having the tenacity and perseverance to pursue them, and believing in one’s own abilities.

This sounds very Saturnine to me. Yet hope has a Neptunian element too, that’s closely akin to faith – whether it’s the voice of God speaking to us, or an inner spark of knowing that things will turn out okay.

Auspiciously, the worldly and the otherworldly merge at the upcoming Capricorn New Moon (Sun. Dec. 21 at 5:36 pm PST). The Sun and Moon join in the sign ruled by practical Saturn, as magical Neptune makes a supportive sextile to them. Even more importantly, the New Moon coincides with the Solstice – a potent turning point as the old season makes way for the new (here in the Northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice lights a spark in the dead of winter – foretelling brighter days to come).

Change-agent Uranus in fiery Aries stations direct at the Solstice/New Moon as well, jumpstarting a burning desire and momentum that’s been held in abeyance for five months. In fact, the three-hour period from 2:45 pm to 5:36 pm PST on Dec. 21st is one of the strongest portals for release and rebirth that I’ve seen in a long while. This is especially true wherever zero degrees of Capricorn (New Moon) and 12 degrees of Aries (Uranus SD) fall in your chart. I’ve been telling all my clients to get out into nature or at least light a candle and do a ritual to celebrate the rebirth of the light within. Whatever intentions we set at this time will be supported by Saturn’s shift into Sagittarius on Dec. 23, which will help us cultivate and sustain hope, and stay on track to manifest our New Year’s goals.

Yes, hope can be cultivated – even if you’re still struggling to emerge from the wreckage of Saturn in Scorpio and the Uranus-Pluto square (which completes in March). Brene Brown assures us that we can develop hope by becoming more patient and realistic. “The new cultural belief that everything should be fun, fast and easy is inconsistent with hopeful thinking,” she notes. “It also sets us up for hopelessness.”

Although some worthy endeavors may indeed be fun, fast and easy, adds Brown, others will prove to be difficult, time-consuming and not enjoyable at all. “Rather than saying, ‘It’s only hard and slow because I’m not good at it,’” she advises, “hopeful talk sounds more like: ‘This is tough, but I can do it.’”

Like Martin Luther King Jr. and David Oyelowo, we can have a dream – and cultivate the hope to make it come true. If you need help believing in yourself and your dreams, check out this Capricorn New Moon ritual from my book, Astro Feng Shui: Making Magic in Your Home and Life.

To find out what’s up for you in the New Year, contact me for my annual Holiday Special Reading – only $150 for a 75-minute phone consultation (reg. $195). Must be purchased by the end of December, although readings will be booked into January.