Astrum Opus is shaking things up for 2024, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride! This year, all subscribers will get a weekly dose of stellar insights delivered right to their inbox. New Moon musings, including rituals to make the most of the lunar cycle, Full Moon illuminations, a peek at the Sun’s ingress into a new sign, and chart delineations. You’ll also receive articles at the solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarter days, love letters from the planets, and more.
Astro Salons will continue on Zoom every other month starting with our first one of the year, January 25, 11 am – 12:30 pm PT.
RSVP to info@astrumopus.com.
As we approach our third year on Substack, joined by new contributors, we hope you will consider supporting Astrum Opus by becoming a paid subscriber. We’ve added a few juicy perks to tempt you. Check it out!
Monthly – $5 per month. Receive all our written content for free plus discounts on readings, classes, or workshops and astro-tarot spreads at the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days—a powerful tool to align with cosmic rhythms throughout the year.
Yearly – $55 per year. Receive all perks above, plus one original digital art piece by AO artists based on your natal chart (300 DPI file provided). And, an invitation to AstroExplore, a fun, community-inspired way to learn about your natal chart with two AO staff and a small group of participants every other month on Zoom.
And now… onto the Moon!
Whistling crisp harmonies in the new year, Luna flanks Sol atop snow-capped mountains on January 11, 3:57 am PT (your time). Coming up for air after a poky holiday season, there’s an aura of freshness; angel wings sweeping the horizon clean. But to scale distant peaks in the Sea Goat’s rugged terrain, one must be willing to toss the weight of old bones and construct innovative pathways toward success.
There’s a power to be wielded in this timeless time. Mars, exalted and co-present, pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, carving his warrior signature into flowing Piscean river banks. Earth and water align to support our highest aspirations in tangible ways as a determined Mars meets his host, Saturn, by sextile. Even Jupiter, also sextile Saturn, thunders his Sky God powers, laying out a clear view of available resources.
This is indeed the perfect New Moon to lay the groundwork for what it is you want to achieve over the next six months. Along with a standard “to-do” list, consider guided meditation, collage, mind-mapping, or other creative avenues for arriving at concrete tasks toward new directions. Saturn asks, “What floats your boat?”
No longer satisfied with dreaming of the future, Luna’s dark face beckons her mentees toward structured action and responsible, long-term planning. But first, one must come to the work of foundation-building with intention as grit and grace splash rapids over ancient, rocky boundaries. Transmute old ideas into daring new strategies. Making a trine to Uranus in Taurus is a signal to rebel against the old order.
Squaring Rahu’s fiery peaks and Ketu’s airy tunnels, Luna whistles a new tune at the precipice of “I” and “We.” The echoes of destiny ring from the heavens, “Who will you include in your grand plans? Could this be the time for independent actions? How much do you go it alone, and when do you ask for support?
As you make your plans for the new year, be cognizant of who and how you share your inner workings. Sometimes, it’s best to keep things to yourself until a few solid bricks are in place. Be cautious of side-stepping your tactics to please others.
Mercury, the beloved messenger, joins the Mystical Sea Goat Team on January 14. Perception and communication line up to assist earthly manifestations. Ready to tell all, Mercury digs his winged heels in and awaits the power play between King Sol and Pluto. Brimming with intensity, the Titans conjoin at the crusty 29th degree of Capricorn on January 20. Here, towers crumble. The old guard steps aside or is cast aside. The bowels of society are purged, tossing seeds that will slowly become a new world. One day later, Sol, having said farewell to the old goat, awaits Pluto’s arrival into Aquarius.
Pay attention to this ingress. Secrets from the deep transform into feathered creatures that land on your right shoulder. They are omens that speak of Pluto’s long stay in the sign of the Water Pourer, now through September 1 and then settling into Aquarius on November 19 for the next twenty years.
Consider this…
Within this lunar cycle, the full pantheon of melodious planets will forge ahead right alongside our best-laid initiatives. Uranus, the only planet retrograde, will join the forward motion on January 27. All signals point to “go.” Take advantage of this New Moon with Saffron’s first New Moon Ritual!
Capricorn New Moon Ritual
Capricorn season with Saturn as the domicile lord suggests the cool, damp earth of the winter season. Exalted lord Mars reflects the struggle for re-emergence into the light that we feel at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere.
One of the birthstones associated with the sign of Capricorn is garnet, a stone that, in its raw state, is inconspicuously brown and dull. When polished, however, it has a vibrant, deep red lustre that, even in ancient times, was connected to our inner, spiritual light.
Thank you for the crystal ritual 🌑🙌❤️