The first New Moon of 2014

Today's New Moon is a powerful one for many reasons, in particular due to its alignment with Pluto and Mercury. This combination of planets provides the support for us to transform habits of emotion and thought that no longer serve us, and the opportunity for us to make great strides in our level of conscious awareness.

How and where this influence is acting for each of us varies, of course. We are all individuals, a fact clearly demonstrated by the uniqueness of our astrological charts. Even twins are usually separated in birth time by a minute or two, which can make subtle but important differences in their birth charts.

If you would like insights into the purposes of this New Year New Moon in your life, find the house location of 11 degrees Capricorn. This is where the New Moon occurred. (If you do not have a copy of your birth chart, www.astro.com is an excellent website where you can enter your birth data and run your own chart.)

Once you've found that house location, here are some ideas to ponder about the intentions of this New Moon for you:

• In the 1st House: Transformation and new beginnings in your self-concept, how you present yourself to the world
• In the 2nd House: Transformation and new beginnings in your values, self-worth, how you support yourself
• In the 3rd House: Transformation and new beginnings in your thought and communication patterns, relationships with siblings
• In the 4th House: Transformation and new beginnings of attachments to the past, childhood issues, themes of self-nurturance
• In the 5th House: Transformation and new beginnings in your means of self-expression, how you experience joy and take risks
• In the 6th House: Transformation and new beginnings in how you handle responsibilities, your employment and service, your health
• In the 7th House: Transformation and new beginnings in your primary relationships, partnerships (personal and business), commitments
• In the 8th House: Transformation and new beginnings in your ability to share, merge resources, and gain intimacy in relationships
• In the 9th House: Transformation and new beginnings in your beliefs and where you find meaning in life
• In the 10th House: Transformation and new beginnings in your sense of purpose, career, ambitions
• In the 11th House: Transformation and new beginnings in your long-term goals and dreams and in your group associations
• In the 12th House. Transformation and new beginnings in your spiritual journey, your connection to the inner planes

I hope this helps shed a little light on your personal journey as we begin 2014. And, oh yes -- Happy New Year! May 2014 be a blessed and fulfilling year for each and all of us.