The First New Moon Of 2022 Is Bringing Us Clarity, Luck, & New Possibilities

Astrologically speaking, 2022 is already off to a pretty good start. We've got Jupiter in Pisces, Mars in Sagittarius, and now, the very first new moon of the year will occur in the ambitious, hard-working sign of Capricorn on January 2. Thankfully, we'll be starting the New Year out on the right foot.

This new moon is setting the vibes for 2022, and we're using this year to get down to business. "Having the first new moon of the year be in Capricorn, as opposed to Aquarius, sets the tone for the year ahead, and it's all about taking action steps and bringing family and career to the forefront," says Madi Murphy, co-founder of The Cosmic RX and The Cosmic Revolution.

The luminary doesn't just mark the start of 2022 — it also marks the start of a brand-new personal year, Murphy says. "We think of it this way because it’s a time when we set our intentions for what we want in the year ahead," she says. "These goals become like a mountain, and that mountain becomes the object we set out to climb. Luckily, Capricorn has a determination that equips us with the patience, discipline, and persistence to reach the top."

It may be cliché to tell you to set goals for yourself this New Year, but the proof is in the stars — or, rather, the moon. Now is, astrologically, the perfect time to create mood boards, write down action plans, and start working towards what we want for ourselves as 2022 starts to unravel before us. "While this may not be the most entertaining or fun-filled lunation, it will serve us extremely well if we put these positive, realistic, and useful energies to work getting in gear for the New Year," says Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer for Keen.com.

The first new moon of the year is especially... Capricorn-y, because four celestial bodies are in the sign of the goat: the sun, the moon, Venus retrograde, and Juno, the asteroid. "This is going to be one of the most critical points of the retrograde of Venus, when things might be super intense in relationships of all kinds," says Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com and author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Luminary Power. "This is when some of them might come to an end, in fact. However, if we manage to look beneath the annoyance and pain, this lunation can really give us a glance at the things we need to change in order to be more successful in the new year."

Your relationship could fall victim to the Great Uncuffing, or it could persevere through the holiday season and into 2022 — just know that either way, there may be some road bumps that you have to tackle first. If anything, the new moon energy will give us a relationship reality check and help us to realize what we really want out of love.

During this new moon, both the sun and the moon will be forming a trine with Uranus, the Planet of Change and Freedom, according to Montúfar. This astrological happening is bringing that tried and true "new year, new me" energy. "This connection is more than ideal for abandoning the old and stepping into the new," she says. "So, if we feel like we are still dragging negative stuff from 2021, Uranus will help us liberate ourselves from what no longer serves us. While awakening to hard truths might be tough, Uranus will help us err on the side of freedom so we can move on with more confidence and a stronger sense of identity."

Lisa Stardust, the author of Saturn Return Survival Guide and The Astrology Deck, echoes this, adding that we'll be "focused on exploring new possibilities as we enter the new year." She advises us to "get our manifestations in order and write down everything that we want to attain and achieve in the new year" to really take advantage of the new moon in Capricorn.

The moon will also be in a sextile with Neptune, which Montúfar says is a time in which we can trust our intuition. "Connecting to it will be key when it comes to making important decisions," she says. "During this lunation, our intuition, creativity, and perception will be stronger than usual." In other words: trust your gut.

New moons are known as a celestial clean slate, and these vibes coupled with the new year are making letting go and moving on all the more important. What do you want to leave behind in 2021? What do you want to change and pursue in 2022? Think on it, manifest it, and get to work.

"The new moon is inviting you to sit down, put pen to paper, and get really honest with ourselves," Murphy says. This is the time to open your heart to those seemingly unattainable dreams and desires — the ones that thrill you and scare you in equal measure. This moon is giving you its blessing. What are you going to do with it?