A Fortune article on the longest-running scientific study of happiness — following over 700 Harvard students and low-income Boston boys since 1938, now expanded to include spouses and children for over 2,000 total participants — found one thing irrefutable: strong relationships, not good health, wealth, or success, most accurately predicted happiness throughout people's lives. Participants nearing the end of life consistently regretted how little time they spent with family and friends, and how much they cared about trivial success and money. This connects directly to the New Moon in Capricorn arriving December 30th at 9°, where the Moon sits in detriment — uncomfortable in Capricorn, the sign opposite its home rulership in Cancer. Capricorn's themes of authority, tradition, and old inherited structures raise the question: what old knowledge, tradition, or family authority are you emotionally tied to that might actually be a source of your unhappiness? With Mars retrograde in Leo approaching opposition to Pluto, supported by a North Node-Pluto sextile, this energy calls for courage to be authentically yourself within relationships and the willingness to walk away from tradition or authority figures — even family — that no longer serve you. Mercury trine Chiron adds healing around beliefs and self-image, while Saturn (ruling this New Moon) square Jupiter in dreamy Pisces asks whether you've been living an illusion of yourself rather than your authentic truth. As this New Moon plants seeds right before the New Year, the invitation is clear: prioritize the relationships that energize you, release the ones that drain you, and remember that the most precious thing you can give someone is your full, present attention. Know thyself. Balance your energy.

Takeaways:

1. An 85-year Harvard-led study of over 2,000 participants found that strong relationships — not health, wealth, or success — most reliably predicted lifelong happiness; people near the end of life regretted time not spent with loved ones far more than unmet ambitions.
2. The New Moon in Capricorn on December 30th at 9° finds the Moon in detriment, uncomfortable in Capricorn's structure and authority-driven energy, raising the question of what inherited tradition or authority figure may be a source of emotional pain.
3. Mars retrograde in Leo approaching opposition to Pluto, supported by a North Node-Pluto sextile, calls for courage to be authentically yourself in relationships and to walk away from outdated tradition or authority, even within family.
4. Saturn (this New Moon's ruler) square Jupiter in Pisces raises the question of whether you've been projecting an illusion of yourself to the world rather than living authentically.
5. The most valuable thing you can give someone isn't just your time — it's your full, undistracted attention; relationships that energize you deserve to be prioritized, while those that drain you are worth releasing.

Links referenced in this episode:

• iamastrologyreadings.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Iamastrologyreadings
• PayPal
• Venmo
• Cash App

Support the mythic classroom: https://i-am-astrology-readings.captivate.fm/support

Book a Reading: https://i-am-astrology-readings.captivate.fm/book-reading

• #astrologyrideoftheday