Full Moon Eclipse in Leo

This is on the 31st January, 1:27 pm UTC.

The moon in Leo will be conjunct the north node, making this a total lunar eclipse – or blood moon. It's also a supermoon – the moon will be at its closest point to earth in its orbit, so it'll appear larger than usual.

It's also the second full moon in January, making it a “blue moon”. As in “once in a blue moon”. Blue moons are not astrologically significant, but the symbolism of something extraordinary and rare fits here, because this eclipse is pretty zingy: a bolt from the blue. You can expect surprising revelations under a sky like this – and lightning inspiration, and shocks and electrical instability in general.

Leo is about drama, showmanship, creativity, joy, self-expression. Feeling special, being in the spotlight, being the star of your own show.

This showy, individualistic moon is facing off against the sun and Venus in cool, theoretical, collectivist Aquarius.

So if conflicts come up for you under this eclipse, they're likely to have to do with emotional engagement vs. detachment and evasion. Or stepping out in authentic self-expression vs. fitting in with the group.

It doesn't have to be a conflict though! Aquarius is an oddball, zany sign, and Venus in Aquarius values anything new or strange – so you can let your freak flag fly, publicly and proudly. In fact, you should. And if you're stuck on worrying about what other people will think, this is your chance to figure out where that's coming from and get over it.

Mercury will shift signs – from stolid, taciturn Capricorn to freaky, brilliant Aquarius – at the exact time of the eclipse. This is pretty significant. It means communication will loosen up very suddenly – shockingly illuminating things may be said or thought under this eclipse. Or maybe just shocking. If you find yourself caught up in Leo-style drama, use Aquarian rationality and emotional detachment to calm things down.

This eclipse is the culmination of the cycle opened two weeks ago at the new moon in Capricorn. That new moon was about starting a new chapter – one that would require hard work and a willingness to see and do things in a radically new way. There was a breakaway feeling to it, for women especially.

This eclipse continues that theme and amps it up to 11. This is where the new path asserts itself, where you break out and start expressing yourself fearlessly, from the heart - because there's really nothing to lose anymore.

New Moon in Capricorn

This is early tomorrow, the 17th January. It's exact at 2:15 am UTC.

We have a big stellium in Capricorn for this: the sun, moon,Venus and Pluto are conjunct in the later part of the sign, and Mercury, Lilith and Saturn are conjunct at the beginning. It's a serious dose of a very serious, work-and-achievement focused sign. We are at the start of a long uphill climb.

New moons represent new beginnings, and this is our first new moon of 2018, and the first with Saturn in his home sign of Capricorn. The symbolism is of a sober, intensely pragmatic new start, especially as regards love and money matters. This is the right time to begin something – but it has to be something grounded in the real world, not fantasy. Capricorn works with the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. What's valuable to this sign is what's solid, tangible and secure, and what's built slowly and carefully, step by step. Rome wasn't built in a day.

With Saturn in Capricorn, we are working to create solid foundations for future security. And I mean WORKING – Saturn rewards effort. You get back what you put in and there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Mars and Jupiter in Scorpio beneficially aspect this new moon, meaning there's a lot of very focused energy to be poured into new projects, and big potential gains to be had.

But Uranus squares the new moon from the end of Aries, and this denotes disruption. Don't expect things to run easily – there will be blockages, shocks and setbacks. But if you're willing to work with them, they can lead to beneficial adaptations to changed circumstances.

The point of the Uranus square is innovation, which can be difficult for traditionalist Capricorn. But doing the same old thing the same old way will not work anymore – we are rewriting the rule-book.

We saw this breakaway Uranian influence at the full moon in Cancer two weeks ago, and it continues for this new moon. We'll be dealing with the conflict between following established rules vs. creating an entirely new operating system all this year.

As at the Cancer full moon, this applies to women especially. We have Venus and the moon squaring Uranus, and Lilith conjunct Mercury and Saturn in Capricorn. That's a lot of fed-up, enraged female energy – but it's also articulate, independent, authoritative and decisive. There is a theme of women examining their relationship with authority and power, and taking responsibility for their own security.

Mary Beard is my mascot for this new moon – she embodies this energy. She's a classical scholar – very Capricorn – who has brought the world of ancient Rome to life in documentaries aimed at a popular audience, and with an emphasis on the lives of ordinary people – very innovative and Uranian. She is also a Lilith figure, a target of vicious misogynist bullying and derision because of her refusal to conform to societal beauty standards – and she has made a point of standing up to the bullies and exposing them. She also published a book on women and power last year. More power to her.

The stellium in Capricorn at this new moon gives a serious emotional tone to the month ahead – but the moon, Venus and the sun will be moving into Uranus-ruled Aquarius over the next week. Also Mars shifts signs on the 26th January, from dark Scorpio to happy-go-lucky Sagittarius. So it's not all heaviness and gloom. Things should start to feel lighter and zingier as we move toward the full moon in Leo on the 31st January, which looks a bit revelatory and surprising! I'll write about it closer to the time.