New Moon in Capricorn 12/25 at 9:13pm PT, 4 Capricorn 07 | Solar Eclipse 12/26

The moon lives in the lining of your skin.     

~ Pablo Neruda

This coming NewMoonand Eclipse can serve as a wonderful portal to launching the energies of possibilities for this next year, and the beginning of a new decade. This time of year, can be a very full time with many tempting distractions and activities. Even with all that is going on, please do find some time on this day to honor this last New Moon and spend a moment or two to drop into contemplation about what paths of possibility you might want to travel down in this coming year. Or, if you want to be an ambitious Capricorn you could look at the journey for the entire decade![caption id="attachment_23149" align="alignright" width="300"]

Photo credit: @Lunayasyoga[/caption]The New Moon on the 25th is a Solar Eclipse in the sign of Capricorn. Public life, career, reputation, achievement, and accountability are themes, and they’re also subject to new beginnings.This eclipse awakens our ambitions, sense of time/limits, and need for order. It offers us the opportunity to set practical, attainable goals, work on developing maturity and common sense, consider and prepare for the future, work on self-discipline, and recognize our responsibilities.We may be called to give up something in order to move forward into a new chapter in our lives. We might need to work hard to achieve our goals, and possibly face some roadblocks along the way. Fortunately, it occurs near the time of a Sun-Jupiter conjunction, fueling us with optimism.Saturn and Pluto are heading toward alignment, and we may sense that we need to break something down before rebuilding it stronger and better. This New Moon sets the ball rolling for a brilliantly productive period ahead. (excerpted from Café Astrology)

"I engage in a profound conversation with the lively, intelligent world that surrounds me."

"I shape my experience with exceptional skill."

"I allow my thinking to be expansive and strategic rather than rigid."

"I open to surrendering control."

"I resolve difficulties and conflicts with inspiration."

Crystals for New Moon in Capricorn

Garnet ~ This deep red stone provides support for the driving, ambitious energy of Capricorn. Garnet is a crystal of love, loyalty to your friends and family, and commitment to your goals. It will aid in creating emotional harmony, boosting confidence and positive thoughts, and generally revitalizing, purifying and balancing your energy.Rose Quartz ~ Opens the heart on every level, to strength love, self-love, friendship, heart healing, and feelings of peace. Rose Quartz is calming and comforting, helping to soothe the soul in times of grief. It also deflects negativity, replacing it with loving energy. Especially useful in emotionally charged situations and family gatherings, balancing the relentless energy of Capricorn with a much-needed helping of tranquility.Fluorite ~ For end-of-year emotional housekeeping, Fluorite is a must. It will allow you to heal from anything that has happened in the past, and cleanse yourself of negativity in order to move into the new year, protected from whatever may come your way in the future.Work with Fluorite for a mind-body-spirit detox, clear up cluttered thoughts, and patterns of thought that no longer serve you. Transform toxic negativity into new ideas and inspiration...with renewed and re-energized powers of focus, mental organization, and logical reasoning.For more astrological insights, click here to read Anna's article!

Intention Setting for New Moon in Capricorn

The Winter Solstice and Yuletide are traditionally known as a time of intention setting. It is thought that doing so helps our intentions grow with the light and warmth of the Sun. This year’s Winter Solstice ushers us into Eclipse Season.The New Moon in Capricorn, arriving on December 25, is a time to set new patterns, clear our system of toxins, and reclaim our agency. Happening at a time of year when work schedules tend to recede, this first eclipse gives us ample opportunity to feel, awaken, and sort through the emotional debris of our lives.Brimming with an abundance of opportunities to do things differently, break with the traditions that no longer serve us, our families, our communities, or our world, the beginning of Eclipse Season isn’t subtle, but it is on our side. Chani NicholasStep Zero: PrepareSit upright in a comfortable position, with you feet firmly planted on the floor, or on a meditation cushion.

Step One: Relax 

The first step of this meditation is to relax your entire body, body part by body part. Start with the top of your head and relax this area, then focus on your forehead and relax this section, from the front of your head to the back and the middle, too, if you can. Then move down to your eyes, relax everything here, then your nose, below your nose, and your lips. Step by step focus on each area and relax all of the muscles you can.

You can do both arms at the same time and your legs too. Finally, relax your entire feet, from the top near your ankle all the way down to your toes.

Then scan your entire body down and up and down again, relaxing any tense areas.

Stage Two: Focus 

Focus your attention on the sensation of the breath as it comes in and comes out of your nostrils. What do you feel? What do you notice? Breath in and out of your nostrils normally but focus your mind, with alertness on all of the sensations you feel as the breath comes in and out of the nostrils.

Step Three: Open Your Heart

For five minutes repeat silently to yourself, in your mind's eye, “My heart is open. I open my heart. My heart is open to guidance” You can adapt this to some other phrases if they feel more natural to you, too. Some examples might be, “I am worthy. I am cared for. I care for others. I love myself. I love others.”

When we do this type of heart-opening meditation, which helps us feel more calm, open and relaxed, the tone of our vagus nerve actually increases, and we activate the parasympathetic nervous system which “stimulates our rest-and-digest response.” This helps us be more focused,  calmer and boosts our immune system. It’s a stark contrast to how our body responds to stress, which decreases the vagus nerve tone and increases our blood pressure and heart rate.

Step Four: Manifest

In a relaxed state with an open heart, start to allow manifestation to arise. Start with the intentions of your heart.

With your eyes closed and still in meditation, imagine what your life would look like if this goal were already accomplished. If your eyes were open, as you, with this goal having happened, what do you see? What colors? What shapes? Where are you? What are you wearing, what do you smell, who is with you? Stay with this. It may be hard at first. You might only see shapes or shadings of colors. But over time, and over days and weeks and months, the details will start to fill out. See, from your eyes as you, as much as you can about what your life looks like once you've manifested this dream. 

These four steps are an extraordinary way to put you in the mindset for manifesting what is truly most important to you, to look for things that will help you along this path each moment of your day, and to help make your dreams reality.(adapted from Into the Magic Shop by neuroscientist James Doty)