Solar Eclipse in Capricorn
26 December 2019, 05h13 GMT
December’s Solar Eclipse in Capricorn is all about transformation, transmutation and change with a capital C! Not only does it set in motion a brand new six month soli-lunar cycle , but it also sets the tone for masculine and feminine energies as we enter a brand new decade!
Thanks to Jupiter, there is some very fortunate and expansive energy tied up with this eclipse, making it a great moment to plant some seeds for the coming year, especially when it comes ot travel and career goals.
As usual, we need to bear in mind that this eclipse is a mirror image of July’s Solar Eclipse, which took place in Cancer – the sign opposite Capricorn on the zodiac wheel. This gives us a chance to balance out the work we may have done during the last six months, by focusing on their flip sides.
MAJOR THEMES
Sign
The December solar eclipse is simultaneously the last eclipse of 2019 AND the first New Moon of 2020. It will take place at 4 degrees of Capricorn. (To find out what the Sabian symbol is for this degree, see the section below).
Anyone who has planets or chart points at, or between, 0-10 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn, is bound to be more affected on a personal level by events triggered at the December solar eclipse than most other people.
A cardinal earth sign, the Goat is the polar opposite of Cancer. So rather than being emotional, touchy-feely, needy and nurturing, Capricorn is tough, self-reliant, determined, pragmatic and ambitious. Think of the strong, silent characters played by actors like Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro and Ryan Gosling and you’ll get the picture.
Career and Coin Are the New Priority
The Capricorn solar eclipse is a mirror image of last eclipse season, which began with July’s Eclipse in Cancer. This gives us a chance to balance things out during the upcoming six months, by focusing on the flip side of those life areas we spent the second half of 2019 focused on. So if relationships, emotions, family, self-care and security were big issues for you during the Cancer eclipse cycle, then you may find yourself choosing to work on career, finances, skills, social networks, and your public profile.
This eclipse is all about finding your purpose, making your mark professionally and achieving mastery in your chosen field of expertise. While Cancer is focused on belonging to heart-based or private family groups, Capricorn is all about our relationships with public groups and social structures and conventions – hence it’s association with business networking, roles in office, social status, public reputation, management/leadership responsibilities. You could say it is about ‘what’, rather than ‘who’ we are. In essence, it is about coming to terms with how to live in the material world and our encounters with the establishment.
Other key themes associated with Capricorn include:
- Pragmatism, getting real, gain through pain
- Cutting back, curbing excesses, thrift eg. diet, drinking or spending
- Future-focused, long-term thinking
- Work, career ambitions and public achievement
- Self-discipline, mastering a skill, becoming an expert/authority
- Fatherhood, retirement, death and old age
- Cultivated habits, conscious behaviour, learned reactions
- Financial security, protection of self, self-reliance
The Big Picture: Putting this Eclipse into Context
Sabian Symbol
This eclipse occurs at 5th degree of Capricorn. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is:
Indians – some rowing a canoe while others are dancing a war dance.
5th Degree of Capricorn
To me, this symbol is asking you to choose between two ways of modes of living:
- Are you ready to live life from a space of joy, grace and flow?
- Or are you going to stay stuck in a fear and conflict-based mentality, in which aggression, competition and scarcity thinking predominate?
The Sabian Oracle therefore gives the following keywords as starting points for meditations on this particular degree:
Keywords: Some getting on with their lives whilst others are not. Vehicles of discovery versus arguing and bickering. Threats and intimidation. Making a show of power and mobility. Cooperation bringing release from difficulties. Mobilizing forces. Psyching oneself up. Group efforts. Traffic.
The Caution: Making one’s case whilst having to be continually on the move. Being emotionally charged. Arguments and bickering that halt forward movement or growth. Intimidation. Moving targets. Superficial shows of strength for display purposes. Making a lot of noise. Pulling faces. Gestures that threaten. Accepting no opposition to progress. Aggression. Divergent motivations leading to confusion. Road rage.
Astrological chart
Key Aspects
At the December solar eclipse, the Sun and Moon will make a conjunction to fortunate and expansive Jupiter – what a wonderful way to start a new year – and decade! As a result, most of us will start 2020 feeling optimistic and hopeful.
See the next six months as a great time to broaden your personal horizons, either by travelling more, studying something new or forming personal connections with people form other cultures or religious persuasions. You may also be drawn to teaching or sharing your knowledge more, perhaps even make a living from it – Jupiter in Capricorn is quite an ambitious placement.
You’ll be feeling much more open to adventure and new experiences than usual – great news if you want a fresh start or life has become a little stale recently.
Your confidence levels should also soar. So, if you’ve been feeling a bit meh or blah – as many people have during the last six months, then take heart because things are about to change. Your optimism and joie de vivre are about to return.
saros series
The Cancer eclipse forms part of the Bernadette Brady’s 3 South Saros series (Van den Berg 132), which she associates with sudden endings, including relationships, often with younger or immature people. See this as a chance to shed any people in your life with whom you no longer resonate, or who keep you stuck in toxic patterns. Growth is a major theme at this time, so you may need to let go of anyone who holds you back or stops you from expanding energetically.
She also describes this Saros series as being quite intense and emotional. Personal transformation, sometimes triggered by life changing news, short journeys or a tragic event, is another signature.
Past Precedent
This group of eclipses first began in the year 1208 CE/AD and will end in around 2452. More recent solar eclipses in this series occurred in 1911, 1929, 1947, 1965, 1983 and 2001. The next elipse in this series takes place in 2038.
Geographical position
This particular solar eclipse occurs in the Pacific, which means that it will mainly be visible to people living in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Phillipines.
