We are quickly approaching the Winter Solstice on December 21, a sacred time of year when new energetic portals for awakening the very structures of our DNA and sacred life missions are more accessible to us. It is a time of great inner and outer stillness, of reflection on the past year, and a time rich with cosmic potential for exploration of our soul’s desires. This solstice is especially significant, as it coincides with a New Moon in Capricorn, making a profound depth of peace and vision-seed planting even more available to us in the void from which all potential is birthed into form.

This year's Solstice/New Moon combined event is the beginning of a powerful cycle of manifestation and conscious creation that we can connect with for powerful results in 2015 (the last time a Winter Solstice coincided with a New Moon was in 2003, and the next will be in 2033!). Themes that are central to Capricorn such as dedication, commitment, and realism will all play out in the many planetary connections that are grounded in this sign for the new moon.

Stellium in Capricorn: Getting Serious in Career, Relationships, and Life Purpose

The Sun ingresses into Capricorn for the official First Day of Winter at 6:03 P.M. EST; the Moon joins the Sun at zero degrees Capricorn for the coinciding New Moon at 8:26 P.M. EST. Since Capricorn is a sign that centers on putting in the effort to make our dreams a reality, we will be supported in birthing our inner visions in profound ways over the coming year. This weekend and the days that immediately follow are an ideal time to create a quiet, meditative space to explore inner dreams and visions...and then make a list and action plan to see those dreams through to completion! Capricorn and Saturn impel us to review facts, stick to a plan, and endure any trials or hardships we might meet on the path to achieving our goals with strength and composure. 2015 will be a year of building dreams from the ground up, and will be especially auspicious for career and "life mission" types of endeavors. The birthing pangs may be uncomfortable, but Saturn teaches us that the work is well worth the satisfaction of seeing our long-term goals through to completion.

Perhaps the most significant energies woven into the existing New Moon themes are those brought by the stellium of Venus/Pluto/Mercury in Capricorn. Expect issues around relationships, money/shared resources, secrets, or deepening of commitments in personal and business partnerships to take center stage. These issues, in addition to possible lower-vibrational expressions of jealousy, manipulation, or power struggles began around December 17 and will continue through the Solstice. The asteroid goddess Vesta is also involved here, calling us to examine our interactions with others/our own values and material resources to align them with choices that benefit our whole selves. With Saturn at the final degree of Scorpio, honest assessments of needs and wants in relationships will bring necessary endings and subsequent new beginnings.

Venus and Pluto also form a sextile to Chiron, the asteroid of wounding and holistic healing. With Chiron in the deeply empathic sign of Pisces, the opportunity for deep healing in relationships of any kind will be available now; this aspect could open the doorway to sexual healing or healing that results from merging with the right people in any way, shape, or form. We might also experience significant changes in our relationship energies and approaches during 2015, since Capricorn deals with structures and organization. However, discrimination would be wise here; Pisces may pull us into destructive choice patterns for the sake of escapism rather than truly spiritual experiences that bring healing. We may experience victim/martyr consciousness as a result of these aspects, as well as the release of buried emotions that have held us back until now. Allowing feelings to surface without judgment for the sake of inner cleansing will clear the way for a greater integration of self.

Uranus, Mars, and the Nodes

Uranus stations direct at the Solstice, giving us the drive and innovative vision to take radical action in all areas of life (especially in career and partnerships)! Venus adds her partnership/money/aesthetics-centered energies to the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square, bringing the likelihood of profound and empowering awakenings in these areas. Mars also forms a sextile link to Uranus and the nodes, igniting our impulse for action that frees us from constraints of the past. We are moving into greater alignment with Cosmic Consciousness, and the unprecedented astrological patterns at play act as catalysts to move us forward on our journey into love and Oneness on Earth.

Saturn in Sagittarius

As Saturn’s time in Scorpio draws to a close, feelings of fear, restrictions, cynicism, and self-doubt are surfacing for many. This provides an opportunity to examine our deepest doubts and shadow to embrace the truth of our own worth and goodness more fully when Saturn moves into Sagittarius on December 23. We will all have an opportunity to define and crystallize our truth – and act in full alignment with those truths – and can turn big dreams into reality by taking advantage of this powerful placement.

Key Questions for Contemplation

• Am I willing to set aside sacred time and space to for rejuvenation and to explore my deepest desires now?

• What dreams and visions are emerging from the stillness within me? Am I willing to explore and honor them, trusting that the Universe supports me in making all choices that are aligned with my Highest Good?

•  What practical steps are necessary to manifest my dreams into being? How can I take regular, consistent action to see long-term goals through to completion?
  
•  Am I being called to release a relationship/relationship patterns that no longer serve me? Am I being called to deepen relationship connections for a higher purpose at this time? Am I willing to merge with others in forming powerful partnerships to further my own growth and evolution and aid in the collective growth and evolution of Human Consciousness?
  
• Am I being called to bring a greater depth of healing into my life? If so, are there others in my family, circle of friends, or community who can assist me in this process?
  
• How can I liberate myself from past limitations to share more of my authentic self with the world? Am I willing to begin releasing feelings of insecurity, fear, and self-doubt to step more fully into alignment with my truths and life purpose?
  

The August 25 New Moon in Virgo coincides with some very powerful and influential planetary placements. These deeply intense energies - especially the conjunction of Mars and Saturn in Scorpio - will influence a two-year cycle beginning now, as well as a culmination and new level of commitment to issues that surfaced around the Virgo Full Moon in March. I'll discuss the other planetary influences in Part 2 of this article, but for now, I would like to share my perspective on the Virgoan Archetype to bring the meaning of today's new moon more clearly into focus.

As an astrologer and energy healer, Virgo is one of the signs I find to be the most fascinating. She has three ruling planets: Mercury and the asteroids Vesta and Ceres. Mercury is the planet of the mind/communications/teaching and learning, lending itself to Virgo's keen gift for discrimination and analyzing/organizing the details of any given situation. But Virgo is so much more than pure analytical prowess, and certainly not all about sexual virginity: The Virgin (or more fully, "The Pure One" in ways pertaining to the whole self) possesses a richness and depth that cannot be gleaned from studying Mercury alone, and for this, we turn to her co-rulers. 

Vesta is the asteroid that symbolizes the traditional High Priestess archetype. In ancient times, these were the women who performed sacred rites and rituals to assist individuals with merging their physical selves with their Higher Selves; they facilitated the embracing of sexuality as a path to spiritual enlightenment and empowerment, the cultivation of spiritual awareness as a means to live a "whole" life that worked in tandem with emotional and physical health. Their role was to aid in the purification of Self on every level through introspection and sacred ceremony. When viewed from this perspective, the term "vestal virgin" could indeed refer to the woman who has committed to self-purification via deep analytical introspection to continually improve oneself, not the stuffy, sexual virgin as we've likely heard via "pop astrology" stereotypes.

Ceres, Virgo's third ruler, brings the meaning of this sign full-circle. She is the asteroid symbolizing our ability to unconditionally care for and nourish ourselves and those around us. Ceres is The Great Mother, linked not only to unconditional love of self and other, but to family relationships, nutrition, and physical health and wellness. Demetra George writes that Ceres "...uses the feminine creative energy to birth and sustain new life forms" and "...presides over the fertility of the Earth and the procreation of her peoples." In mythology, she was the mother of Persephone, who was abducted and taken into the underworld by Pluto. This asteroid represents not only our call to sustain ourselves and the earth through love and self-care, but to understand that a key part of nurturance is in letting go of things, people, or situations that we cannot control, and that sharing is a key part of looking after one another.

When we combine the influences of Mercury, Vesta, and Ceres, we begin to see why a multi-faceted crystal is a symbol of Virgo. In more direct terms, she deals with all manner of aspects that relate to the merger of Heaven and Earth. We are each called to rise to the challenge of healing and purifying and integrating our whole selves to achieve this - and have within us the full capability to do so - so long as we look after all the parts of ourselves. Holistic wellness and full integration of mind, body, and spirit is truly the key to understanding the Virgoan archetype and of applying the highest expression of Virgo energy in our lives. 

It becomes easier, then, to glean an understanding of what this new moon symbolizes for us at the most basic level: it's about getting down to details, organization, and reviewing current lifestyle and daily habit patterns in all ways to move forward in a holistic fashion. This is a prime time to take a close look at your current life goals, lifestyle, and wellness on all levels. Some key questions for this New Moon might be:

• Are you ready to commit to taking the the steps to achieve new career goals, or in beginning new endeavors in your personal life? Are you ready to "get down to details" in order to make your dreams a reality?
• Are you honoring your body by eating foods that nourishing you and drinking plenty of water? Do you give your body the exercise/rest that it needs? 
• Are there emotional issues surfacing that are in need of healing now? Are you willing to make the journey within to release the past and embrace the new? Are you receiving and giving the emotional support necessary in your most important relationships? Are you ready to commit to doing this more fully if need be?
• Do you have a spiritual practice that connects you with a greater sense of the whole of creation such as meditation, yoga, or receiving healing energy work? Are you willing to explore new ways to cultivate mindfulness and a greater sense of peace and Oneness in your life?

When we bring one area of our lives into balance, we are supporting all other aspects of our lives. This is the highest expression of Virgo's energy , and through intention-setting and taking action to achieve our goals, this energy is available to us now in profound ways.