Since Januarys are supposed to be about all the challenges for the new you, I’ve entered one myself. Not completely intentionally, but I thought “might as well.” And because Jupiter just entered Capricorn.
Say what?
Jupiter is the planet that coordinates expansion – of mind, resources and opportunities. Capricorn, on the other hand, is the sign of discipline and form, a very grounding sign. When a planet enters a specific sign, the energy of that planet takes on the characteristics of that sign. The pure nature of Jupiter is happy go lucky. It’s all about abundance and optimism. The pure nature of Capricorn is slow and steady, disciplined and practical, at times even cold and too practical.
What do we get from those two getting together? The idea that resources and opportunities need a plan. We need to find new organizational systems for ourselves, our communities and the society (Jupiter is a ‘higher planet’, meaning he’s a big guy and rules on a very broad level).
So, for myself, I needed to set goals (Jupiter). Tangible (Capricorn), specific (Capricorn) but the types of goals that make me feel good (Jupiter), not the types that I think I’m “supposed” to be achieving. So, no weight loss or whatever else new year’s resolutions normally include.
One of them was hitting a specific financial one – paying off a car loan by the summer. I don’t have to do it – I’ve been paying way over my monthly amount and I have another 4 or so years to do so. But I also have other financial goals I’m more excited about (Jupiter) and the only way I can get to them quicker is through discipline (Capricorn).
To comply with Capricorn, here’s where the “tangible” part came in. I set “the summer” as my deadline. This could be June, July or August – whatever I feel comfortable with as I go. As long as I am not putting unnecessary pressure on myself, but as long as it’s specific enough to keep me on track, that works for me. My centering thought – “this will not last forever.”
I used to have a Google Sheets budget tracker but, of course, as I didn’t set finances as priority in the past (not sure why…oh wait, Pisces Sun), I ended up ditching it for 6 months at a time. This time, I’ve been sticking to it and actually looking forward to entering my expenses (I do it weekly). I’ve estimated my monthly expenses and analyzed how much I was likely to save, what the biggest categories were and where could I do better.
That resulted in no more Costco trips when I’m home alone and bored. More cooking at home (it’s healthier too). Surprisingly, that also turned into going to the gym more (otherwise, I couldn’t justify keeping that category), more books in my life (so I can let myself keep my Audible subscription) and, as a result, more walks by the ocean so I can listen to those books. And, most importantly, I’m on track of reaching my initial goal – I saved almost 60% of my income, on top of making a few big ol’ chunk payments on my loan.
The bottom line – when we go with the flow of astrology, good things happen. Aspects aren’t there to punish us. They’re there to guide us to experience good things we didn’t even plan on experiencing.
Not Retrograde 