Happy New Year, intrepid star-gazers! In proper pagan style we’re ushering in a new calendar count out of sync with the equinoctical cycle. This said, more than a few pens might be put to paper, aspirationally outlining the commitments we hope to make (and are likely to break) in the relentless pursuit of personal fulfilment.
My message to everyone who wants to do better, look better, accomplish more, dither less and monumentally shift counterproductive behaviour is go for it, but don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Our lack of satisfaction often comes from holding ourselves to impossible standards or viewing our lives from a lens of perpetual lack. We can always be thinner, richer or more ambitious, but how often do we focus on living the life that we have without comparing ourselves to the sometimes-harmful capitalist construct of the ideal self?
I’m no Marxist, but I do realize that everything from the make-up-industrial complex to the multi-billion-dollar diet industry to the purveyors of luscious luxury goods prey on our insecurities. Then there are the self-help books that help us conquer all manner of shortcomings: inherited, learned or innate.
Soap-box pedantry aside, I shall leave this little monologue with the wisdom of the Roman writer, Seneca, whose “On the Shortness of Life” is a startling reminder that we need to make the most of the seemingly short amount of time we have:
“It’s not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it’s been given to us in generous measure for accomplishing the greatest things, if the whole of it is well invested. But when life is squandered through soft and careless living, and when it’s spent on no worthwhile pursuit, death finally presses and we realize that the life which we didn’t notice passing has passed away.”
As you click you ballpoint pen, poised to record your resolutions, take a moment to consider the most worthwhile pursuit that you could undertake this year. Maybe it’s focusing on your physical health? Maybe it’s learning to chill out a little more? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to write poetry or enroll in a martial arts class? In short, aside from the ten pounds you want to lose, or that basement closet you finally want to clear out, how might you invest in your life to make it truly meaningful?
With that, let’s jump into the astrology of the month.
January 1–6, 2024
January may begin with a little regret as Venus in big, bold Sagittarius meets the cool, sobering reality of Saturn in Pisces. The hedonistic bent of the Christmas season may see us circumspect about our finances or the state of an intimate relationship now that the glitter has cleared. With Mercury stationing direct, a certain impulsiveness could have us acting hastily as we come off of the retrograde season. Take care to apply any homework done over the previous weeks before you dive head-first into anything.
Tuesday is sure to be a rollercoaster. Rise and shine to a Moon-Neptune opposition, bleary eyed and emotionally befuddled. Clarity may come later in the day as the Moon squares a risk-taking Sagittarian Mars propelling us into action. The subsequent trine to Pluto in Capricorn could intensify the reality of a situation as we reflect on any impulsive actions we might have taken. As the Moon enters Libra, emotional equilibrium returns under the supportive sextile that Luna forms to its current domicile ruler.
The real catalyst for action comes when Mars enters Capricorn on January 4. Sliding into its favourite zodiacal sign where it’s the superstar, this is the Mars that achieves superhero status, wedding ambition, drive and zeal to the prudent, relentless and hardworking thrust of the Saturnian sea-goat. Mars will remain in Capricorn until the second week of February, offering us the opportunity to harness its powerful bent for calculated action.
January 7–13, 2024
On January 7, Neptune imparts grace and hope as the Moon meets up with it in a benevolent trine. Make sure to stop and smell the roses, even if the intensity of the late-degree Scorpio Moon has you buried in emotional detritus. You’ll need to keep your feelings in check, especially as the Moon’s entry into wide-eyed Sagittarius has us concocting grand plans only to bump up against a Saturnian square, whispering defeating words in our ear.
A certain lacklustre may bleed into January 8 when Mercury squares Neptune. Already in a sign where the star of Hermes struggles to see the bigger picture, we may feel adrift in the Piscean waters of tenuous reality. Overwhelmed by circumstance or struggling to get a grasp on anything concrete under this tense, reality-dissolving aspect, our saving grace is certainly the January 9 Sun-Uranus trine, which could could bring a lightning-bolt of clarity our way. In the bull pen, Uranus may shed unexpected light on finances, resources or other foundational elements of our grand designs. The Mars-Saturn sextile perfecting almost concurrently gives us a positive push in the right direction.
The first major lunation of the month takes place on January 11. Rise to the challenge that the Capricorn New Moon brings, asking us to renew promises we made to ourselves months before. Perhaps we shied away from hard work? Uphill battles never seem worth the energy we expend on them, but something about steely Saturn underpinning this lunation suggests that when the going gets tough, the sea-goat always prevails.
A trine between the luminaries and Uranus suggests that anything we commit to under this celestial signature may benefit from the chaos of creative genius, tempered in more orderly Taurus. This could also be the manna-from-heaven signature: an unexpected financial injection could come your way if that’s the hold up to you pursuing your ambitions. And why shouldn’t you reach for the stars? The luminaries applying to dreamy Neptune in a mildly supportive sextile remind us of the importance of stretch goals.
Mars trines Jupiter on January 12, igniting our passions on the heels of a catalytic lunation. This is the benefic boost we need to get sh*t done — not necessarily the minutiae of the day-to-day (though Mars, no doubt on Capricornian steroids, will knock things off our to-do lists anyway), but the vision-boarding ambition we need to realize what we seeded under the New Moon the day before. This is the moment where grand plans meet battle plans; strategic Mars can help bring Jupiter down from its loftiest realms.
On January 13, Mercury also follows the God of War into the sea-goat’s den. With so much Saturnian energy at play, we’ll invariably feel committed to whatever we’re pursuing. The difficulty will come in sustaining it beyond the month, especially after the planets of thought and deed shift out of the more focused and concretizing earth energy in favour of cerebral Aquarius. Seneca’s words hardly ring truer than under this sky: don’t squander the favourable astrology that could have us making tremendous inroads.
January 14–20, 2024
Shuffle off to dreamland on January 14 as the Piscean Moon governs our inner terrain. Most of us on the eastern seaboard will sleep through the austere conjunction between Luna and Kronos, while early risers may get to luxuriate in the brief sextile the Moon makes to Jupiter. This may be the ideal sky under which to hit the yoga mat, or to crack open that gratitude journal further fuelled by a Moon-Mars sextile later in the morning. Take care that the late-afternoon Sun-Eris square doesn’t have you coming to blows with someone if they offer you a little well-intentioned (if not poorly phrased) advice.
A mid-morning Moon-Juno opposition on January 15 could make partnerships a little more difficult especially as elemental opposites clash in the telltale struggle between vision-maker and practical-doer. In the office, expect work colleagues to be offside with any sudden insights that you could share particularly as the Moon comes off its insightful sextile to Uranus. Though the Piscean Moon may not be the clearest of communicators, don’t discount the words of nay-sayers; in this instance the holes poked into your proposals are only opportunities to go back to the drawing board in pursuit of better results. Under the Moon-Neptune conjunction and sextile to the Sun in Capricorn, we may see any advice imparted through more compassionate eyes.
Venus’s conjunction with Ceres on January 16 could have us rekindling romances or renewing friendships. Maybe you’ve lost touch with someone far away? This is the signature under which we might do well to fire off that e-mail or pick up the phone. In fact, the square between the Moon in Aries and Mars in Capricorn could give us the push we need if we’ve been waffling after the idea first strikes. Meanwhile, Saturn and Hygeia rendezvous, inviting a window where we can get serious about some mental endeavour, even if it’s clearing our heads of self-defeating thoughts and less-than-positive energetic mantras.
Frustrations could mount as the Aries Moon reaches its First Quarter phase on January 17. Circumstances fettering our independence could reach a boiling point, especially as the Moon cruises towards a conjunction with spiky Eris. A flash of clarity, however, may take the edge off as Mercury sextiles Saturn (though our benefits may flow from the separation of the aspect, rather than the exact conjunction).
You didn’t hear it from me, but January 19 might be a good day to play hooky. After you conjure a plan, waking up under the fumes of the fleeting Mercury-Jupiter trine, the influence of the applying Venus-Neptune square is sure to cast a glow of discontent over your present circumstances. You deserve a little magic, darn it! Let Venusian energies guide your activities, if you can, pulling you in social, artistic, or luxuriating directions.
Those waking early will benefit from the Sol-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn taking place on January 20 right before the Sun accepts its annual exile in the water-bearer’s sign. Expect to find inner strength you didn’t know you had. Even if the aspect is brief, its lingering effects could inject the confidence you need to renovate outmoded aspects of your life. With the Sun in Aquarius, the next few weeks could see us wrestle with old thinking or turn our noses up against everything that seems boring and predictable. Novelty will be the name of the game as cerebral Aquarian air challenges us to think differently about people, projects and passions. On the heels of the Sun, Pluto’s re-entry in Aquarius will no doubt echo our earlier confidence, shifting our can-do attitude from the realm of the material to the ether of ideas.
January 21–27, 2024
With Luna entering the middle degrees of Gemini on January 21, ideas are sure to flow fast and furious. In fact, the electrifying Mercurial energy may demand that we slow down, take deep breaths and recalibrate before leaping into anything. Thankfully, with Mercury in a slower earth sign and hovering within degrees of conjunction to Mars, there may be ample opportunity to successfully conquer any neural overload that this sign imparts.
Unfortunately, clarity may be the one thing lacking under this constellation as Luna squares perplexing Neptune the very next day. Luna’s early afternoon opposition to Venus may not help matters as we stand-off against friends and lovers. Perhaps we can turn any poorly worded phrases into playful banter under Ceres’s trine to Eris? As Luna slides into Cancer later that day, retreat may, nevertheless, be necessary to restore equilibrium.
On January 23, Venus joins the planetary assembly in Capricorn, bringing her harmonizing bent to the party. With all the inner planets congregating in the sea-goat’s sign, a shift from levity to sobriety may colour the weeks ahead as we get serious about priorities, actions, finances and relationships. A pull towards circumspection may be amplified by Luna’s successive oppositions to these planets.
The Leo Full Moon headlining just before the end of the lunch hour on January 25 is sure to be dramatic as spikiness kicks off with a combative Mars-Chiron square just before the lunation perfects. With intensity amplified by the wide-orb conjunction of Pluto, there’s sure to be a power play or two taking centre stage. And, with the ruler of this lunation in a more challenging astrological house, sunshine and lollipops may be harder to come by as events in the morning build to a tense crescendo. Seething with fixed energy, the battle between ideas and action, internal thoughts and confident expression seems unavoidable. With Jupiter in Taurus squaring both lights, our values, resources or finances could emerge as the central source of conflict unpinning this climactic lunar event.
As we pick up the pieces after yesterday’s fireworks, January 26 is notable for the regretful Mercury-Chiron square leading us to consider how our words might have wounded. Take care because Mercury continues to creep ever closer to an exact conjunction to Mars which can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the competitive bent of this signature could have us sharpening our words for the incisive, strategic win — arguing our case for a raise or a promotion — on the other hand, however, nothing quite cuts to the quick like the sting of fighting words. Matters are hardly helped by Luna’s brief square to rebellious Uranus or the day’s more notable closing aspect between the Sun squaring a might-makes-right Jupiter.
The applying Venus-Saturn sextile on January 27 (perfecting in the wee hours of January 28) may help us re-evaluate the weight of our actions, especially after Mercury and Mars finally make their rendezvous. If the two planets dealt more than a few verbal punches, Venus and Saturn may offer a little balm for the wounds of regret. We also stand to benefit from the coolness of the Virgo Moon sailing into an opposition with Saturn by bedtime. Although the aspect perfects when most of us are sleeping (true night owls excepted!), the emerging energies may bring a little reflection, coupled with a feelings of loss or isolation.
January 28–31, 2024
The waning days of the month conclude on a late-afternoon Mercury-Uranus trine on January 28. Still energized by its conjunction with Mars, this Mercury is spicy and competitive. With Uranus in the mix, ideas may flow with unprecedented speed, challenging conceptions of conformity, hierarchy and structure. Not long after the Alchemical Goddess slides into a trine of her own, aspecting benevolent Jupiter. With two benefics favourably configured, a shrewd financial deal may pay off or that commitment you’ve been seeking from a loved one could finally materialize.
Expect fireworks (of the good kind!) as Mars perfects to a trine with Uranus on January 29. Although the aspect itself meets up around the dinner hour, the effects are sure to be felt from the moment we rise in the morning. The elemental emphasis on harmonious air aspects the last couple of days make manifestation easier. Under this celestial signature inspiration meets action with auspicious outcomes. Meanwhile, Luna’s square to these planets, coupled with her opposition to Neptune, could have us questioning the reality of our circumstances. Take care that any actions precipitated under the goading of powder keg Mars and Uranus has some of that Capricornian due diligence behind it, especially as our gut may be telling us that everything is not as it appears.
As we slumber, the Moon enters peace-loving Libra, bringing a necessary calm to the day on January 30. Although we’ll snooze through Luna’s trine to Pluto in Aquarius, the reverberations might be felt into the morning as we consider how to take back our power without excessively upsetting the apple cart. The Moon’s late-afternoon quincunx to Jupiter in Taurus may highlight a stumbling block of a financial or conceptual nature — do our loftiest aspirations match current relationship realities? A subsequent square to Venus could amplify insecurities.
As we peer gaze into February from the vantage point of the last day of January, a pre-lunch Moon-Chiron opposition could send us reeling. Frustrations could bubble to the surface as a loved one may reveal that they feel their independence stifled by our best intentions. Luna’s subsequent conjunction to the South Node may remind us that we shouldn’t internalize someone else’s baggage. By the evening, another pang of dissatisfaction could strike as the Moon squares Mars. Is anything ever good enough? That’s what the astrology of February may help us sort out!
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*DISCLAIMER: All astrological forecasts are for ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. Any decisions that you might make as a result of reading this or any other astrological blog entry are YOURS ALONE and the creator of this blog will not be held responsible! For any legal issues, see a lawyer; for medical ones, consult a physician. None of the information in this blog constitutes actionable advice from a licensed professional. Once again, this forecast is for ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
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