Spades are for digging the ground preparing for a harvest you want to reap. This New Moon chart is so Capricorn - the Sun and Moon, of course, but also Mercury (our thought processes and communications), Pluto (who’s reflecting the deep changes the world is undergoing at present), and Venus (the way we relate, what attracts us, and how we recognise love). Anyone who feels Capricorn as heavy will be feeling life weighing on their shoulders around this time, but it doesn’t have to feel that way if you take responsibility for only what is yours, and leave other people to carry theirs.

Clear a path to your goals

Communication this month is likely to show up where we don’t match our thoughts and feelings to our words, and words to our actions. Speaking our truth is saying what we mean; and doing what we say we’ll do, demonstrates an integrity that the world will reflect back to us by delivering what we aim for. Not only does it feel good; when everything matches, our aura is so clear we can see through it to the truth around us = accurate intuition.

Capricorn thoughts are serious partly because they are based on the understanding that the results of our actions are what we live with. It brings a sense of responsibility. Some people will feel resentful about this fact, assuming that life should be easier than this, and realising that they need to put in some effort. Others will rejoice as they recognise that their efforts are effective and not wasted. We really do know that our dreams can come true when we put some effort into walking towards them. Practical steps need to be taken at this time if anything real is to be accomplished, but taking those steps will accomplish the aimed-for result.

Let each step be appropriate to what is available

Both globally and personally, the transformation of our material reality is being supported this year (Saturn who rules Capricorn, sextiling Pluto). That support shows up as opportunities to do what we need in order to get what we want, but it does require that we be alert and realistic about what actions make best use of each situation. Determination and disciplined perseverance will pay off very fast this month. We can make huge strides in reaching any goals we’ve chosen - as long as we don’t hold back from situations that we fear (the Saturn/Pluto pattern includes Chiron). If they are part of what needs to be done, life will assist us when we do them. To quote from one translation of the I Ching: ‘problems don’t get in the way, they lead the way.’ You could be very surprised how easily and quickly apparently difficult hurdles can be crossed. We get to see that the hurdle really was the fear itself.

Work and rest, work and rest

One Capricorn tendency that doesn’t always help is insisting on working hard all the time, and this New Moon chart shows that the energy designed to be used for action is directed towards mental activity (Mars in Aquarius trine Jupiter in Gemini). We may find ourselves preferring to talk about things rather than doing them, putting off the very next thing that needs to be done, and then berating ourselves for not having done it when we first thought of it.

‘Disciplined perseverance’ sounds like a lot of hard work, but what I find is that when I do something as it occurs to me, it takes very little effort at all, and that effort is satisfying and even enjoyable. It’s only if I leave it that I begin to feel it will require a huge amount of effort. Thinking about it is definitely more tiring than doing it!

The answer is to aim for being careful and organised in our thoughts, and following through with each one before being distracted. If necessary make a list, and allow the order things occur to you dictate the priority of action - start at the top and work down. To prevent the pressure of work become overwhelming, schedule in some time out. Include in your ‘to-do’ list things like eating lunch, or reading the next chapter of your current book, or whatever you personally need to feel refreshed and cared for.

What is mine and what is yours?

For Capricorn, how their loved ones are managing in life is extremely important (Venus will be in Capricorn until 2 February). Where there is a perceived need for support or help, the Capricorn way is to move in with all its expertise and make the situation work however it can. There is a strong sense of responsibility for those they care about, which often has them interfering and insisting on doing the job themselves, or at least advising on the ‘right’ way of doing it. It is their way of demonstrating love and concern - but it can have the effect of making the loved one feel incompetent and dependent on them, or even driving that person away (Venus squaring Uranus in Aries).

This month, we are all likely to be facing family and friends where we question again what our ‘responsibility’ really is in each situation: should we be taking more of it on, or freeing ourselves from it? Feeling responsible for others is a self-made burden, a trap, creating a desire to escape from it (Venus squaring Uranus). The truth is, we are not responsible for the experience of anyone else. We may trigger others’ reactions, but those reactions stem originally in the other’s history. What we are responsible for is our own inner experience, our own reaction patterns (our history), and very importantly how we then behave - because we are also responsible for the present time effects that our actions may have on the life of another - refrain from harm, through kind and respectful intention.

Getting up-to-date with rejected pockets of history

Saturn rules Capricorn and represents the truth we need to stand on as we move forward in life. Truth is the best security! So perhaps this month is mostly about getting up to date with the truth of our own lives (insofar as that is possible) - what really is going on in all departments.

We have a tendency to think of any situation or relationship in terms of what happened last: that upsetting phrase, the mess we may have walked away from. Nowadays, if that event or exchange was more than a month ago, we will probably find that things have changed since then. During these times, everything is changing fast in ways that surprise us. We cannot know how things are in the present without checking them. So have another contact with that person or situation and check how things really are now - you may be surprised to discover that it is not just the outside that has changed. You could find that your attitude or feelings may not be as rigid as you thought, when you face what’s left of the context you’ve been remembering - and that is wonderful! The situation or person is then free to relate to you differently, and a whole new landscape of love and possibilities could build before your eyes.

It’s all about getting into the present so that you can continue growing, because maintaining an attitude or emotional reaction to something in the past keeps that part of you fixed. You leak energy into holding on to that position, and that holds back the rest of your growth. The beauty of Venus’s position in this New Moon chart is that it connects well to Neptune: our efforts to really connect in relationship will be rewarded because our intuited perceptions are likely to be clearer than usual. Using the imagery of Neptune, the angels are helping anyone who reaches out with love.

Rest and work, rest and work

As the month unfolds it is likely to be our need for freedom that we will be exploring, how much room we need to be joyful and creative. If we think of freedom as an escape from work, the need to persevere with the movement towards our goals could slip too far into the background. Freedom is about choice, not escape, and choosing when and how to focus our energy can be wonderfully liberating. I think a good message is:

Enjoy yourself whether you are working or playing,

and everything will get done well.