Happy New Year: December 2019's New Moon Solar Eclipse

On December 26th, 2019, there was a New Moon Solar Eclipse at about 4'06 degrees Capricorn. Because this Eclipse is so close to both New Years Eve and the Winter Solstice, I think it's energy is a good preview for the themes of the year ahead.

This article is over a week late, because I was sick with a very bad strain of the flu virus but since the energy of the eclipse will stay with us for six months, I think it's worth writing about anyway.

What is a Solar Eclipse?

A Solar Eclipse happens when the Moon is caught between the Earth and the Sun, blocking off sunlight. It's as if the Sun has disappeared (or partially disappeared, anyway)! A Solar Eclipse always coincides with the New Moon (and a Lunar Eclipse always coincides with the Full Moon). A regular New Moon is the first phase of the lunar cycle, when the Moon is conjunct the Sun. New Moons in general are a good time for new beginnings and fresh starts, kind of like on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day when we plan our resolutions. A Solar Eclipse is in effect like a REALLY strong New Moon. Often, a Solar Eclipse will coincide with major life events, such as a marriage, a promotion or a baby being born, and its effects will last long after the end of the lunar cycle. While the effects of a regular New Moon will last about 28 days, the effects of a Solar Eclipse will last for about six months, when another eclipse occurs in the opposite sign.

Solar Eclipses are here to help us evolve, to wake us up from out of our rut and make important changes to our lives. They will often bring sudden and surprising changes to your life, and shocking revelations and realizations of truth. These changes and revelations are far more dramatic and life-changing than a regular New Moon, but they're usually for the better. Life will feel as if it's moving at a rapid speed, and you'll accomplish things much sooner than you thought you would. If a Solar Eclipse brings something to an end, it is often so that something new can begin.

It's always important to note that eclipses always occur when the Sun is near the orbit of one of the two nodes. The North Node and South Node are lunar points representing our karma. They are always in opposite signs from one another. The North Node represents where we are going, our purpose, what we came here to master. The South Node represents our karma and past lives, what we're familiar with and need to let go of. This is what makes an eclipse such a crucial time for evolution and spiritual growth.

December 2019's Solar Eclipse in Capricorn

December 2019's Solar Eclipse occurred at 4 degrees Capricorn, the sign of the goat. A cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn, Capricorn is associated with government, business, order, hierarchy and the material world. The eclipse will likely bring about new beginnings and major changes to these particular areas of life.

This total eclipse was visible from the Middle East, India, South East Asia and Australia, affecting these parts of the world. Solar Eclipses historically were thought to bring about changes at a larger scale relating to government, community, and the world at large. In retrospect, this Solar Eclipse seems to carry with it a very heavy, negative energy, given what's going on in the news today. Two days into 2020, and Australia is on fire, a high Iranian official was assassinated by Donald Trump and there's rumors of World War 3.

However, perhaps if we look beyond what we see on the news, we can see something positive. The Solar Eclipse is only one degree away from Jupiter in Capricorn . Jupiter is the planet of good luck, abundance and positive energy. It is also the planet of faith and hope. The Solar Eclipse also makes a trine to Uranus, bringing about excitement, shocks, and surprises, but a trine aspect usually indicates surprises of a more positive effect. Capricorn is the sign of Jupiter's Fall and so, not the most comfortable position This is also a South Node Eclipse, and the South Node represents endings. Still, I believe that if we have faith and hope and choose not to give in to the fear-mongering saturating our media, this Solar Eclipse will bring about positive changes, enhancing our spiritual development to a degree never before seen. Our governments may not like it - but we are evolving, and we are not going to let them get away with the crimes they've done to our planet.

Eclipses are known to affect everybody, but check your natal chart to see if you have any personal planets or angles (ASC, IC, DSC or MC) between roughly zero and ten degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn). People with these placements will be especially affected. You may also be significantly affected if you have any personal planets or angles between zero and ten degrees Pisces or Scorpio. People with this placement may experience the eclipse in a more positive but also subtler way. How it will affect you will depend on the house Capricorn sits in your birth chart, and in the case of angles or personal planets, which planets are effected.

The events brought on by the eclipse may not happen right away. The energies surrounding an eclipse are generally effective for up to six months. This is because eclipses come in seasons of two or three consecutive eclipses that happen twice a year. Themes related to the season's past Solar Eclipse in Cancer may revisit us at this time, as well as themes relating to the Full Moon in Gemini last month.

This Solar Eclipse is an important time for manifestation, so remember, manifest wisely! Whatever we manifest now will likely be felt during the upcoming Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Cancer on January 10th.