Capricorn New Moon:
The Capricorn Happiness Coach
By Dana Gerhardt

I had just bought my gold pens, the strapless bra, and was crossing the plaza to the bank, when I did the unthinkable: I started talking to myself, out loud, my lips moving, within earshot of strangers. Since when had I decided it was okay to chatter in public, like the addled lady on the corner, or the guy sipping alcohol from a brown paper bag? What next? Would I join my old piano teacher—greeting clients in my bathrobe, wearing cookie crumbs on my chin?

When I was young, I drew several lines in the sand. I wasn’t going to be like any adult I actually knew. I wasn’t going to wear bras or lipstick, buy a boring tract house, or get a corporate job—all of which I’ve done. Instead I was going to write several best-selling books, buy a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and if I got married, my husband would be a famous intellectual-artist-political-activist-type person. Of course none of this I’ve done, which takes us to the bright and gloomy faces of this New Moon. Capricorn inspires both our dreams for achievement and the realization that life doesn’t always turn out as we planned. Capricorn rules ambition—and reality—and after that, comes a little wisdom. This is where we get to change our minds and say screw it. Or to paraphrase J. Alfred Prufrock, "I grow old, I grow old. I wear the bottom of my pants legs rolled… so what? As long as I’m happy."

Only the young write New Year’s Resolutions.

If you’re wondering how best to use this Capricorn New Moon, first connect with your inner know-it-all. Because we're in the early degrees of Capricorn, I suspect you'll be hearing from this voice over the next few weeks. This is your inner "should" Master, the one who knows what you should and shouldn't be doing, the one who cares what other people think and keeps your personal rulebook up to date. Sometimes this is a good thing, a wonderful thing. My poet friend calls this voice "the coach in the head," and sorry are those lacking a strong one. They never wake in the morning to do a hundred sit-ups or recite thirty mantras after a half hour of meditation; they always leave the last knob unpolished on the rail; and they never close the big deal or in any way dazzle the boss or co-workers.

After you locate your inner coach, open up the rulebook she’s been clutching. Take a good look. The Capricorn New Moon is an annual event, which means that every year it’s worth reviewing the rules you use to judge yourself. Do you really need them all? What I’m proposing is the opposite of a New Year’s Resolution. I suggest that the Capricorn New Moon is the perfect time to review your expectations and toss out all the ones that have been ruining your happiness. They’re irrelevant—if, like me, you’re not anywhere near the life you thought you’d be leading when you first dreamed them up. This is not about failure. As Byron Katie says, "Reality is always kinder than the stories we tell about it."

You may want to keep a few goals. We humans like the sensations of reaching and climbing. But the true secret of Capricorn is recognizing you’re the one authority who matters. You get to decide what’s important and proper for you. So this year I’ve decided I’ll keep cleaning any cookie crumbs off my face. But I just might chatter to myself in public again. That day in the plaza, it was my inner coach cheering me on, voicing out loud, "Good girl, Dana, all your chores are done!" So what? It made me happy.

If you’d like to keep your own inner coach on your toes—that is flexible, flowing, and fun—consider enrolling in my Twelve Moons Workshop by mail. The Capricorn cycle is an auspicious time to commit to positive creative work for the coming year. For a minimal monthly fee, you’ll get a 20-page gift of inspiration for each 2009 New Moon. I’d love you to join us!

© Dana Gerhardt
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