If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. — Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Big dreams and visions have the capacity to help us see beyond where we are to where we want to be. They give us a direction and a destination.
But the dreams don’t turn into reality on their own. It takes a plan, hard work, dedication, and perseverance to turn your dreams into an embodied reality.
The new moon in Capricorn (January 18 at 2:41 PM ET at 28º43’ Capricorn) — the first new moon of 2026 – invites you formulate a practical plan and line up the support and structures you need to build foundations under your castles.
Planning, Persistence, and Perseverance
At this new moon, the Sun and Moon align at the end of Capricorn, a sign that’s all about planning, structure, persistence, and perseverance when taking action toward a big goal.
In the body, Capricorn is associated with the bones — the foundation of our anatomical structure. While many people focus on muscles as the key to movement, the muscles can’t work effectively if the skeletal structure is broken or weak. Just think about what happens if you break a bone in your leg — even if you have strong muscles, you won’t move far.
Capricorn reminds us that a solid foundation is necessary for consistent and persistent action.
Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of boundaries, structure, and time. It is also the sign where Mars is “exalted,” meaning Mars’ action energy is particularly strong here.
This combination is formidable.
We can think of Saturn as the bones and Mars as muscle.
It’s the combination of strong bones and strong muscles that enables us to persevere over the long road to achieving our goals.
This new moon gives us both.
Disrupt Your Status Quo
With supportive aspects to most of the outer planets, and facilitation from Mars (the planet of action), this new moon offers a supportive structure for planning and implementation.
If you’ve been contemplating a change for 2026, the moon’s harmonious trine to Uranus in Taurus, offers support to disrupt your status quo and embrace a new direction in life. Both Taurus and Capricorn are earth signs, which means this change can give you a new ground from which to build a new castle.
This disruptive change isn’t just a surface-level pivot. The moon’s conjunction with Pluto in Aquarius supplies a catalyst for a deeper transformation.
A supportive sextile to both Saturn — the ruler of this new moon — and Neptune, both in Pisces, helps us tap into the big dream (Neptune) while providing enough discernment and discretion (Saturn) to stay detached from fantasy realms.
Speak Up About Your Intentions
If you generally keep your plans to yourself until you’ve accomplished your goals, now’s a time to try a different strategy.
The moon’s conjunction with Mercury encourages discussion and sharing of your goals. You don’t have to tell everyone, but by sharing your goals strategically, you can open the door for potential collaborative support. You never know who can open a door for you to facilitate easier action.
But this is not a passive new moon merely for seeding or sharing intentions. This new moon promotes action to manifest your vision — in the original sense of that term.
Sustainable Action
The moon is also sitting next to Mars, the planet of action. Mars is approaching the exact degree of its exaltation, which means there’s a lot of energy available to support bold, sustainable action.
If there was a new moon that encouraged us to “get up and go,” this is it.
Journaling Prompts for the New Moon in Capricorn
This new moon is all about the practical actions you need to take to bring your big dreams and visions into form. Here are some journaling prompts to help you get clear on your goals and actions:
- What changes do you want to make in your life?
- What existing status quo do you want to disrupt?
- What are the practical actions you can take each day in support of your bigger goals?
- How can you take personal responsibility for achieving what you want?
- What systems, and structures do you need to put in place to support you in taking action?
- What foundations do you need to have in place to support your nervous system in taking action?
The TL;DR
January is typically a time for planning out the year ahead. This new moon encourages us to get clear on what results we want to create in our lives and identify the practical actions we need to take to make those results happen.
It also reminds us that the clearest visions and best plans are only as strong as the foundation we are building from.
It’s time to get clear on your dreams and build the foundations that support them.
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