This is the chilly time of the year. You see, grim Saturn rules over both the season of the Goat and of the Waterbearer in January, and, as such, we might be more in our heads than our hearts over the next couple months. The first few weeks of Capricorn season are afflicted around communication, but, on the 12th, Mars uncoils from a sluggish retrograde in Gemini, followed by Mercury straightening out on the 18th, after its retro in Cap. We can expect more vigour around communication then (wanting to speak up, write more, finish term papers, chat). Jupiter has just left laid-back Pisces and is gaining momentum in Aries, while Venus is likewise busy making her way through three signs this month. And, of course, Capricorn (cardinal earth) is the most corporate member of the Zodiac–its tough-nosed CEO. All of this is to say that we are in a bit of business mode this January–planning, no playing. The Holidays are over. Saturnal resolutions are now the order of the day.
CAPRICORN
The serious Capricorn Sun and a Mercury retrograde populate your Selfhood zone to start the year. Ruled by Saturn, you’re a slower moving sign–so when speedster Mercury reverses until the 18th, you won’t mind its decelerated motion. In general, a Mercury retrograde is a time for editing (not publishing). Look over your memoir of 2022. Were you a bit brisk with friends–perhaps too aloof? Revise that chapter. Or maybe your sentences were too spare, regarding your interactions at work? Make sure your style flourishes more in that section of the book of your life. The bottom line: use this retrograde to make some changes in your script, so that it pops more when you present it to the world in 2023. Pay attention, too, to your Money zone this month. Saturn (your austere ruler) and Venus (the playful coquette) are waltzing together through this part of your chart all month. Imagine these two planets as characters in some ballroom scene from a Victorian novel, where the conservative old benefactor (Saturn) finally loosens up and smiles under the charming influence of a youthful upstart in high society (Venus). Under Saturn’s frugal watch, you may have been uptight with money of late, but with Venus co-present in January, anticipate a yen to spend. Invest in something long-lasting: such purchases will please Saturn, the time-keeper.
AQUARIUS
You’re nearing the end of the long Saturn return through your Selfhood zone–think back to when the Taskmaster entered your sign in March 2020.. It seems like a lifetime ago. All of this Saturnal pressure on the Self lifts in March and you will emerge feeling more free, while at the same time more grown-up (for that is the nature of this tough planetary passage). That said, you still have a few months left during this Saturnal prison sentence. As a little reward for your good behaviour, though, the Cosmos is sending lovely Venus for a conjugal visit until January 26th. It’s time to unplug from responsibility and closely watched train schedules. Instead, take advantage of this auspicious Venus placement to be a bit late to things rather than early to them. Drink responsibly, but drink some champagne nonetheless. On the 21st, the Sun enters your Selfhood zone, as well. From the 21st to the 26th, Saturn’s insistence on long term goals should take a backseat to Venus and short term pleasures.
PISCES
With the serious Capricorn Sun in your Friendship zone for the first few weeks of the year, it could be a good time to go through your phone and declutter your contact list. Your nature tends to accumulate, accrue, and acquire. That’s the work of your ruling planet, expansive Jupiter, which always wants more helpings and bigger portions. But sometimes bigger is not better. Indeed, sometimes bigger is messier. As a countermeasure, Capricorn’s energy is no frills, no drama. Perhaps you need some of that influence in your life at the moment? Perhaps you’re reading this now, and thinking, “yeah, I do have a bit too much messy friend drama, and could maybe scale back.” Work with Capricorn energy the next few weeks to pare down before you inevitably re-up, as the year goes on. On the 21st, the Sun shifts into Aquarius and your zone of the Unconscious and Emotional Baggage. Like Capricorn energy, Aquarius (ruled by austere Saturn) is objective and detached. You will benefit from this kind of objectivity during this introspective transit. Just as you could very well find solace in the act of decluttering your friend zone during Capricorn season, use Aquarius to declutter messy emotional attachments beginning late January into February. Your theme to start this month: simplify.
ARIES
Magnificent Jupiter, planet of excess, luck, and largesse, is now in your Selfhood zone for an extended stay. Lucky you, Ram. With your Cardinal fire nature further fueled by Jupiter, you should feel extra self-motivated and full of beaucoup energy to initiate stuff. But herein lies the rub. Initiate what exactly? Lots of energy without direction is not good for you–it leads to the narcissistic grandiosity of a swollen head. Therefore, we need to look elsewhere in the chart to help ground this hot air balloon placement. This is where the earthy Capricorn Sun comes into play. Until the 21st, it will be squaring Jupiter in your Career zone. Aries loves square aspects (that is, 90 degree angles between planets) because such aspects are said to be of the nature of Mars (your ruler). Most other signs don’t like squares, because they erect obstacles to fulfilment. Not you. You require them. So, while you might face some sort of challenge at work over the next three weeks, this is just the kind of frisson you need to channel the fire power of Aries+Jupiter. If you meet challenges at work with gratitude and energy (rather than irritation), you will start the year off in great alignment.
TAURUS
Your ruling planet, ritzy Venus, goes full cosmopolitan mode this January, jet setting through three signs. New Year’s Day marks the end of Planet Love’s transit in your Travel zone, which also pertains to expanding horizons through education and knowledge–learning to love or loving to learn is the theme here. Venus then switches for most of the month into your Career zone. This is the most public part of your chart–how you’re seen by the world. Venus here attracts positive attention and recognition by colleagues or supervisors. Overall, this is a magnificent placement, if you’re wanting to make headway career-wise. The caveat, though, is that because Venus represents a powerfully attractive force in our Cosmos (people and things are drawn to its energy), it doesn’t have to work hard to receive perks and benefits. Don’t let this side of Planet Love be your model–no kicking your feet up and expecting praises. Instead, make sure you align to your steady and consistent nature–and from there, let Venus attract recognition for jobs well done. The month ends with Planet Diamonds glittering in Pisces, where it activates your Friendship and Social Networking zone. Take care of business during the bulk of the month, and you will be rewarded by others at the end of it.
GEMINI
You may feel like your wheels are spinning in place to start the year, as you rev your engine at what seems like an interminable red light. Your ruler, speed demon Mercury, is all retrograde in Capricorn until January 18th. Further, motorhead Mars also is retrograding in your Selfhood zone until the 12th. All this stalled planetary motion might make you fidgety and anxious. Understandable. Mercury in particular does not like to be where it’s at: your mysterious 8th House of the Occult and Transformation. This is a time where you could want to be alone–but will have trouble articulating these feelings to others (or maybe even to yourself). By mid-month, the red light turns green, as your ruling planet and Mars straighten out. Expect way more energy to get things done (Mars) and precision and speed in accomplishing goals and tasks (Mercury). This sense of moving forward again is further intensified toward month’s end, when the Aquarius Sun activates your Travel zone. Here we have the chance to expand horizons through study or adventure. It’s a transit where the blocked intersections of early January give right of way to the hope and freedom of the open road.
CANCER
There are celebration times sanctioned dutifully by the calendar–December 25th, January 1st–and then there are those sanctioned by the Stars. These forms of cosmic and human time-keeping seldom align. To wit: it could be ventured that your personal New Year’s Eve is January 6th, the night that your ruling planet, the Moon, waxes full in your very own sign. This lunation will be a highly charged, emotionally robust one, during which maternal care for friends and family could predominate. Moreover, it’s a Moon in direct contrast to the sombre Capricorn Sun, which highlights your Relationship sector until the 21st. This Sun will also be joined until mid-month by a Mercury retrograde, likewise in the Goat. That’s a lot of loggerheads energy in the Relationship zone of your chart. Mercury retrograde, in particular, could have you feeling tongue-tied with a help-mate. With communications around feelings mixed-up, anticipate some accruing frustrations with partnerships (either professional or romantic ones). Capricorn energy, in this part of the chart, can be too business-oriented or transactional, both of which might leave you emotionally alienated from others. On the 21st, the Sun shifts into independent Aquarius and your Intimacy zone. Aquarius needs space: you might need some, too, when it comes to the boudoir.
LEO
The Holidays, in all their Netflixery of sloth, have now concluded. Thankfully for you, the serious Capricorn Sun energises your Health and Routine zone. Capricorn gets down to business, like some new CEO, who instantly starts cutting corporate fat and deadweight. Take a cue from this Capricorn influence to cut your own holiday deadweight, too. Devise your workout routine to hit the ground running, so to speak, with health conscious choices to start 2023. On the 21st, the Sun shifts into independent Aquarius, where it lights up your Relationship zone. You may feel some tension between Aquarius, the sign of long walks alone in the park, and this part of your chart (inherently dyadic). Don’t push a help-mate away with alienating, Aquarian claims of “needing space,” but rather engage in activities where you can do your thing next to your bae doing theirs. The image of couples absorbed in the siloed micro-fascinations of their screens, while vaguely touching hands every now and then, is the future of romance, which is now, which is your transit to end January (Sidenote: love will be increasingly Aquarian for us all).
VIRGO
Here’s a slightly counterintuitive claim: Mercury retrogrades, like the one you’ll be experiencing in your Fun and Romance zone until January 18th, aren’t necessarily debilitating for you. Your nature tends to love decluttering and organising. When Mercury retrogrades, it transmutes from prolific wordsmith to considered editor. As such, you could feel an extra bit of this Mercury retro energy for the first weeks of the year, particularly as it pertains to 5th House themes of creativity (in love and art). Mercury is saying that now is the time to craft, refine, and perfect your creative pursuits. Wait until after the retrograde ends to share your latest work with the world. On the 21st, the Sun shifts into innovative Aquarius, where it will light up your Routine zone. Aquarius brings with it a kind of futuristic element–looking at old problems in new ways. Apply this outside-the-box thinking to food, work, or exercise regimens. Incorporating one Aquarian life hack into your routine will make your world feel more fresh.
LIBRA
Your ruling planet, diamond-studded Venus, has a very busy month ahead, as it passes through three signs. On January 1st, Planet Love finishes a transit in your Home zone. The theme of New Year’s Day is thus pretty clear: bringing love and beauty to the hearth with family and friends, if possible. Venus then switches over to your Fun and Romance sector until the 26th. Planet Diamonds has its “joy” here. Your keywords, therefore: procreation, recreation, and artistic creation. In other words, no more relaxing around the home. Think, instead, about being out in the world, with a particular emphasis on proximity to art, music, film, and other beautiful things. Venus will be pleased. On the 21st, the innovative Aquarius Sun joins Venus in your Fun Zone for a week (before Planet Love moves on). Aquarius wants to do things in new ways. Look for romance in unexpected places that nonetheless align with Venusian themes. Check out a museum to find a love object amid art objects. On the 26th, your ruler heads over into your zone of Routine, Diet, and Health. Bringing beauty to the body is the theme here, as this transit lasts into February.
SCORPIO
Until the 12th, Mars, your cantankerous ruler, is all pent up with retrograde energy in your Intimacy zone, which also deals with shared finances. This is not the time time to be acquisitive of goods, property, and sexual adventures. With Mars energy pointed inward, you may be especially prone to privacy and not wanting to be seen to start the year. Such privacy concerns are buttressed by lovely Venus in your Home zone until the 26th. Rather than being out on the tiles, work with both of these planetary placements and unplug, especially until Mars moves forward mid-month. On the 21st, the independent Aquarius Sun further energises your Home zone, joining Venus there. Aquarius betokens innovative thinking, while Venus functions to beautify. You have a week around the 21st, therefore, where Venus+Aquarius indicates an inclination toward re-working your crib in some way to make it feel more livable and beautiful. This needn’t be a major project: oftentimes one tiny change (removing that cumbersome chair in the corner, say) can revolutionise a room.
SAGITTARIUS
Expect some nice tension between high rolling Jupiter-in-Aries and the frugal Capricorn Sun until the 21st. Planet Luck is camped out in your Fun and Romance zone (excellent). But that placement tends to dent bank accounts. In contradistinction, the Capricorn Sun is going full accountant mode in your Money zone. Penny-pinching Saturn rules the Goat, meaning that our two big cosmic forces are pulling at your heart- and purse strings, simultaneously. Of course, you’re of Jupiter’s nature, and while indulging in romantic interludes with a helpmate or hookup is always fun, do not give the cold shoulder to Capricorn/Saturn. As always, moderation is key. Have fun (Jupiter in the 5th House) but refrain from that trip to Miami for now (Cap Sun in the 2nd). They say all work and no play is bad for us. But the opposite is also true: all play with no work (that is, no Saturnal restraint) leads to the unbearable lightness and boredom of being.