Solar Eclipses mark 4-6 month periods of fresh starts, freedom and forging a new course of (independent) action, as solar eclipses mark advents of change and renewal as a result of sudden shake-ups, wake-ups, and new information that compels us to let go of long-held beliefs or alter long-term plans. Capricorn is known for embodying a unilateral if not myopic focus on meeting lofty personal aspirations by first establishing themselves professionally. But even as Boss, Cap often slaves in early life to pay (perceived) dues, thriving in the structure that traditional hierarchy provides while secretly yearning to be recognized as Someone in the world. 

On a metaphorical level, this Solar Eclipse in Capricorn reminds me of Kevin, the protagonist of the movie Home Alone, where he’s accidentally left at home by his family on Christmas: he starts out melancholic but without any other recourse ends up teaching himself how to do things he wouldn’t normally do independently, ultimately protecting his family home against unanticipated invaders. Thus, what starts as boredom leads to teaching ourselves to be more autonomous— and before we know it we’ve not only invented but are actively pursuing a patent for a pulley system that protects people from Joe Pesci-esque intruders.    

2019: Great Expectations

While 2019 was in many ways a year of chasing rainbows, waterfalls and dreaming (lots of) little dreams, whatever chases we’ve been on have left us more than a little burnt out. This has left some of us feeling like we’ve spent the year in some form of purgatory, chasing our own tails rather than making concrete achievements. In the windy fog of 2019 it was often difficult to glimpse our futures, as our expectations for achievement may have fallen short of our Great Expectations.

Working to maintain a healthy Work/Life balance hasn’t been easy in 2019, with many of us putting out fires at Work, only have the floodgates open at Home. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that building a lasting Career is nearly impossible when we’re lost in the fog of our ideals—just as building a fulfilling Home Life in the midst of a challenging emotional climate can become a source of considerable fear.

But as we come to the close of what was in many ways a “Whack-a-Mole” kind of year, we’re reminded that in working hard to consolidate our career, we may have inadvertently alienated those close to us, leading us to become further and further isolated from the world. New career paths, sick family members, moving house—the changes demanded of us this year were at times overwhelming, with many situations that made us feel “at sea,” sitting on a buoy one moment only to be frantically treading water the next. 

With the eclipses this year forcing us to “deal,” the intense practical demands of life of late have led us to lean on the Familiar, even if cooking up plans to pursue greener pastures in the meantime. The pressure to revamp our personal and professional identities, for one, has led us to compartmentalize our personal needs or hide our private selves. Yet on a personal level we may have been overwhelmed by the simultaneous push to strengthen our emotional and financial foundation to the point of drowning in thoughts about work on the one hand and fantasizing about the ideal family, relationship or home life the next.

For sure, any apparent failures experienced in 2019 exposed all potholes and pockmarks at Work and at Home. But 2020 is about confronting these flaws without feeling like the proverbial Martyr constantly drowning in demands. Because though we likely experienced disappointments of various kinds this year, once the Solar Eclipse rolls around we won’t want to eat alone at the kitchen sink anymore. We want to get creative now, building a future that incorporates the vastness of Experience and Identity by making changes to our Immediate Environments and Everyday Lives that better support such a future. 

Work/Life Balancing Acts & The Paradox of the Working Lunch

Whether we had to give up (on) a business, career path or even a marriage this year, many decided to shift jobs or take up entirely new careers, moving offices or moving house as we felt forced to “downsize or be downsized,” either at Work or in our Personal Lives. Consequently, “re-branding” ourselves, whether literally through the name change that comes with events like marriage or a new job title, figures strongly with any Capricorn eclipse, but especially this one on December 26th.

This Solar Eclipse in Capricorn on December 26th drives out of the Fog of 2019 and motivates us to embody the Practical Idealist—the defining theme of this eclipse series and, in many ways, of 2020. After having experiencing the disappointment, disillusionment and feelings of abandonment of 2019, we’re finally on our way back to a period of clarity that will crystallize our goals, prompting us to make decisions more easily in the short-term that will get us where we need to be in the long-term.

The chart above depicts the solar eclipse occurring on December 26, 2019 as the Moon connects with the Sun at exactly 4°07’ of Capricorn. With Capricorn dominating this eclipse chart, whatever fresh starts we make will be imbued with decidedly “Capricornian” themes. This may mean a new Career direction or pivot, possibly leading us to explore options like deciding to jettison corporate connections in lieu of becoming our own boss, work more from home or even take on a new role that involves travelling for work or even adopting a bi-coastal lifestyle. 

Big changes, though, however exciting they might be, require a solid support system. In this vein, learning to ask for help, forgiveness and opening up to others is something we may have struggled with this year, as many of us have felt a little too leaned on, used or downright abused in interpersonal or family dynamics. Embracing the familiar while letting go vestiges of personal lives long past is a conundrum now, as we become cognizant of bad habits we’d rather not carry on. In other words, ways of coping that didn’t work this year call for cultivation of new coping strategies in 2020.

The chart for this Solar Eclipse in Capricorn shows an overwhelming emphasis on Earth (practicality), with comparatively little emphasis on the other Elements, particularly Fire and Air. Similarly, the chart signature is heavily Cardinal, signaling a need to lead in whatever events transpire now. Venus in Aquarius is the one and only planet in Air at the time of this Eclipse, so our “social sparkle” may be challenging to tap into now. Capricorn shares with Aquarius a tendency to hide themselves away, busying themselves with one pet project, relationship or job after another, conveniently allowing themselves enough solitude to forget the world outside.

Occurring in the chart’s 3rd house, this eclipse is an opportunity not only to “re-brand,” but to change the way you communicate to alter negative dynamics and open up new avenues for connection with our immediate environment. The secret here involves re-conceptualizing our environment (and the people in it) both at Work and at Home, so that we feel supported in terms of both personal and professional growth, acknowledging our need to combine practical work with our need for meaningful connections with others.

Speed of thought (3rd house) and action (Earth) is intense with this aspect pattern in addition to the houses, signs and planets involved. When the trine is prominent in predictive work, it symbolizes the removal of obstacles. But this can mean speedy gains or speedy losses: whatever we’ve been going after we’ll get; whatever we’ve been trying to hold onto, we’ll lose. So if you’ve been pushing for a certain change, you’ll likely get it now, though it may be wise to consider that such changes often creates a Ripple Effect, inciting other, smaller changes that we may or may not be ready for.

The main point of this eclipse, though, is not to exhaust ourselves in an attempt to please everyone but to pare down our personal and professional obligations, looking for opportunities to blend the two. This could mean looking for a job in a field that’s more social, or developing more of a satisfying social network at your current one. Either way, just as time moves faster when we’re having fun, so does it slow down when we’re, um, not.

This begs the question: if indeed we’ve made career progress this year, which in turn promises to put more bread on the table, what does it matter if we’re eating at a Table for One? Can we mix work with pleasure in a way that’s not completely devastating to our long-term success? Is there a way to make our guilty pleasures less about guilt and more about pleasure? How can we incorporate people, places and things into our day-to-day that gratify without feeling like we’re indulging in some illicit affair that takes us away from “what’s important”?

Taken together, the symbols mentioned above show a flurry of opportunities and news coming in and out, lots of plans and quick decisions to be made. Yet there’s a marked tension throughout this eclipse chart, much like the contradiction inherent in the idea of the working vacation. There’s a lot of options now, but our agenda is focused on creating a stimulating yet realistic plan for our future.

But as ambitious as this eclipse is, we may become aware that the goals we want to achieve needn’t be career/work-oriented to the point of eclipsing (yep) personal needs, desires and demands, or vice versa. Rather, it’s about altering what it means to mix business with pleasure, using it as a metaphor not for indulging at work but for finding a more personally satisfying career path—or at least a job that doesn’t demand so much of our time and attention that personal demands go unmet. 

Whereas 2019 made us (at times painfully) aware of the competing demands of Career v. Home and Family, the period following December 26th and beyond marks the beginning of a new cycle. This cycle begins the concrete transformation of our day-to-day lives, moving us to redefine the meaning of the working lunch wherein we’re not planning on combining them for the sake of getting work done while we eat, but find ourselves suddenly working while we’re out to lunch.  

So whether you start a Luncheon Club for Ladies Who Lunch, or there’s an opportunity to transform a Hobby into a Suddenly Sound Investment, remember to ask yourself whether your business gives you pleasure—or at least to take more control of your life in a way that gives us more time to pursue the two in equal measure.