The Astrology Behind The Year's First New Moon + How To Work With It

It's officially a new calendar year, and January is kicking things off with a new moon, giving us extra fuel for our New Year's resolutions. This moon, in the sign of diligent and disciplined Capricorn, closes out a six-month lunar cycle that began with the Capricorn full moon back in July.

This month's new moon arrives in the sign of Capricorn on January 11, 2024, at 6:57 a.m. EST, and it couldn't be more fitting energy to bring into 2024. As astrology expert and author of Astrology SOS Imani Quinn tells mindbodygreen, Mercury, Chiron, and Jupiter's respective retrograde periods all just ended, and we're finally starting to feel that forward motion.

New moons are, after all, about getting the ball rolling, starting fresh, and planting seeds. "And with the influence of Capricorn," Quinn explains, "it's coming with a sense of like longevity and groundedness. We're really focusing on our long-term goals and how to take tangible action."

Speaking of action, fiery Mars in Capricorn is also forming a harmonious trine with abundant Jupiter in Taurus, which Quinn says makes this new moon a particularly powerful and energized one. "That could help bring some luck and extra energy to our intentions that we set for the new moons," she adds.

Another notable trine? The moon and Uranus (which is retrograde in Taurus). Quinn says this aspect gives the new moon a certain innovative flair, "helping us to change and see a new vision for our life because Uranus is all about change."

And that change is going to be needed soon, as less than two weeks from now, Pluto is making a big move from Capricorn to Aquarius. Quinn tells mindbodygreen that ahead of this shift, fears may be coming up as we all face Capricorn's shadow, but it's all to help us make transformative shifts on both an individual and collective level.

Quinn always recommends working with the element of fire through candle magic on a new moon. All you have to do is come up with your intentions, light a candle, and recite your intentions out loud.

Given that this moon is in an earth sign, Quinn also recommends doing some plant magic—which is as simple as getting a money plant and using it as a tangible representation of your goals.

This new moon did not come to play, and we can all harness this energy to amp up our New Year's resolutions. Be sure to check out what this new moon means for your sign and our guide to new moon rituals.