By Ichrak Dahou
The Sun travels through Capricorn for much of this month, and the Sun’s light will bring the earthly energy of Capricorn into our consciousness. Many planets are in Pisces for much of the month, which means psychic fields are more porous than usual. Take care to keep both your physical and emotional spaces energetically clear. Be deliberate about creating and entertaining positive thoughts, and about seeking solutions that are aligned with your personal values. Focus on things that are immediately applicable in your world, rather than giving in to feelings of helplessness about what is happening in the world at large.
This month’s Full Moon on the 12th brings a powerful dose of energy that activates many planets in the sky. It is an action-filled Full Moon, and a great time to cook a meal with friends and loved ones, watch a movie, or have an art night together.
January is a highly creative month. There is lots of inspiration on tap, and the ability to give it form is just as present. Take advantage of this time to create a vision for your 2017.
Mercury turns direct on the 8th, so expect all Mercury-ruled affairs to resume normal functioning over the following week. That is, communications clear up, awaited messages come through, and electronics can be safely purchased. On the 19th, the Sun enters Aquarius, lightening the air and infusing it with a sense of orderly thinking, and an isolationist, yet philanthropic mood. (That is an Aquarius thing, though they are not all like that!) Also on the days leading up to the 19th, Mars squares Saturn, creating a somewhat contentious mood. Avoid shortcuts for the time being, and be sensitive to your own emotions and those of others as you go about your business.
The New Moon on the 28th features a bit of a relationship upheaval or test. Forewarned is forearmed, and the Aquarius vibe at the time offers detachment to be able to move through the situation with love and a view of the higher picture.
Happy New Year!
The following horoscopes are written according to the astrology for your Sun sign. Read for your rising sign, if you know it, for an additional layer of insight.
Illustrations by Abby Litman
ARIES
You are the first sign of the natural zodiac, and while much information can be derived from this fact, the most pertinent is that you are extremely dynamic. Aries is the eternal child, participating in the ever-expanding quest for the new; the pioneer; the inspiring rabble-rouser; and, recently, the fearless innovator. This month, however, you have a lot of subtle experiences occurring within you that might benefit from your slowing down, finding stillness, and contemplating. By the end of the month, you will be in top position to take action on all the inspiration that is churning beneath the surface of your consciousness for most of this month. This month, you can effectively seek out and explore long-established technologies of consciousness that offer a proven blueprint to navigating and enhancing the inner world. You are presented with an opportunity to ask yourself guiding questions about your life: what is the philosophy you live by, who are the teachers you surround yourself with, and how do you broadcast your raison d’être to the public? It’s okay if you let only a select few in on your secrets. It’s said that what is kept cloaked and in the darkness can be developed more powerfully than what is exposed in the light. But is also said that the best kept secrets are hidden in plain sight. Take that as an indication of the types of koans you can untangle over the course of this reflective month.
A word for Aries to meditate on this month: Imagination
TAURUS
This month, more energy is flowing between you and your friendships and social groups than usual. Power is created when two or more people come together with a common intention, much more than an individual could generate on their own. Collaborating with friends or groups of people means the intentions of the union become the masthead that guides forward movement. This intention is bigger than any individual desire, method of operating, or vision about how things should be done. Let what guides your action be the momentum of the collective vision and purpose. Notice the generosity of others in joining forces with you, and the substantial nourishment you bring to the table in return. The tone of this month is on the spiritual parts of life. Exposing yourself to spiritual teachings, lyrical poetry, or inspiring film both grounds and inspires you. Give great attention to your mind and see how the expansive experiences of spirituality, travel, or deep study influence the perceptions, thoughts, and words that come though you and find their way into the minds of others in your shared spaces.
A word for Taurus to meditate on this month: Collaboration
GEMINI
You could find yourself working a lot this month, as there is an increase of creative focus in your work life. Take meticulous care of career matters. Make sure everything is as it should be, that you are compensated fairly, and that all the letters that get dots get dots and all the letters that are crossed get crossed. This way if you find yourself challenged by someone, your ducks are preemptively in a row. If a partner in your life wants more time with you, but finds that your priorities are elsewhere this month, your astrology suggests that communication will be key to finding a middle ground — be explicit about your need to be accountable, keep the lines of communication open, and make an effort to open up pockets of time to let them know you’re thinking of them. This month’s Full Moon calls your attention to some area of deep research, and here you will want to follow the trail until you reach its source. Also consider that joining forces with others might mean slowing down a bit, but make sure to notice the enhanced creative benefits to all parties, and how together you seem to have you fingers the pulse of what’s happening in the wider world.
A word for Gemini to meditate on this month: Responsibility
CANCER
This month sees a lot of activity in your house of higher awareness. This is the house of divination, and signs and symbols by extension. This highly active space in your chart ensures that plenty of inspired information will seem to soak into you from unknowable places. This begins a chain reaction of invoking sacredness, liberally doling out compassion, and being inspired to go through a self-revelatory process of deep emotional healing. This month you are called on to make space to absorb these perceptions and use them to peer out far into your future. This month’s events urge you to lay down the tracks for your future day-to-day life. You are encouraged to define a vision of your future, and take tangible steps to be prepared to meet them when they materialize. Much momentum finds its way to you in the first half of this month, making it a good time to put your best face forward, and show the world the best of what you have to offer. This is also a good time to get intimate with your own inner chambers and do a check up to make sure all your desires are in alignment as you step forward into the year. In the latter half of the month, consider the ways you unite efforts with others and how everyone can be served by streamlining the various visions of all involved.
A word for Cancer to meditate on this month: Visionary
LEO
This month is about extreme experiences. It’s about the kind of thrill you get from climbing a mountain with a 70-degree incline, or the kind of validating liberation you get from exploring the dusty corners of your psychology. It’s the kind of lush feeling you get when you make a life change you’ve wanted for a long time, and it is beautiful. This month is that kind of intense. It is also asking for you maintain tip top care of your body as you pursue this emotionally demanding work, and to cleanse from your body anything that isn’t helping you to keep up the kind of energy you need to be your best self. If you come into a situation this month that asks you hard questions about how you share your creativity with others, pursue the point with an eye for fairness, and an eye for the long view. Consider collaborations that are fair, in terms of the energy you would give and receive. There is a balance to be struck between the creative labor you put forth and throwing it into the pot with others to simmer and create something greater than the sum of the parts. Just be sure your heart is in the right place, and that all vagueness in the terms of collaboration are eliminated. It is a great month to emotionally purge and separate yourself from what does not serve you. On the 19th, watch for partners — old and new — making themselves known while the Sun travels through Aquarius.
A word for Leo to meditate on this month: Regeneration
VIRGO
It’s not that your romantic partners are intentionally behaving in an unusual, confusing manner, beautiful beings that they are, it’s just that they’ve got a lot going on right now. And by extension, so do you. Your creative project for the month is finding a new way of relating. It brings a solution to matters having to do with home and heart. What is important now is doing the right thing when it comes to home and family. Your experiences with a partner are helping to bring about realizations in you about what the security of a strong foundation means to you. You might want to slow down and give this thorough consideration, as this is a longer term story-arc that is being brought into your life in full color this month. You are in an important phase of building a secure base, and this process will serve as a safeguard to ensure future peace, and the kind of upward growth that happens best when the roots have had a chance to grow deep into the ground. Relish the happiness that simple joys bring into your life, the surprisingly deep insights you garner from them are beneficial to many others in your social sphere.
A word for Virgo to meditate on this month: Hearth
LIBRA
This is a good month to peer deeper into those parts of life that might be taken as “normal,” but warrant further examination. What are the habits that would be healthier to kick, and how can you share pertinent information with the people you care about? In another vein, you could ask yourself questions about the spiritual cost of being informed, in our increasingly complex world. You might find it worth it to take up or deepen a spiritual practice that expands your inner space and strengthens your mind and spirit for the daily information battles we all engage in. This month you can exercise fluidity in your daily routine, as long as you are funneling the inspiration that comes with variety, flexibility, and movement toward the thorough work engaging your mind at this time. There is a knowledge deep within you that you can draw upon to reflect out into the world. This is an intuitive type of knowledge that is part of your ancestral heritage or has been passed down through lessons from family, or it might bubble up through the land you call home.
A word for Libra to meditate on this month: Ancestry
SCORPIO
A rich storehouse of creative energy is available to you this month. If you are thinking of how you can earn money from your creative efforts, this would be a month where you can make progress in this area. Carry a paper and pencil with you to record the impressions that will find their way to you this month. You may be trying to balance the urge to create that is coursing through you and your simultaneous need to earn a living. The world is undergoing a change in the way that regular people handle their financial affairs and aspirations; earning a living from creative pursuits that serve your soul and serve other people in the world is a matter of creativity itself. Ideas about selling out, or not staying to true to the art if you were to put that pressure on your creativity, can be sorted out as long as you have a clear intention in your heart guiding the creations that come forth. Keep referring back to these intentions if things get a bit muddled. And if you really want to pursue this, see if you can’t call in a trustworthy, wise, experienced teacher or mentor figure who is doing with grace and success what you want to be doing.
A word for Scorpio to meditate on this month: Intention
SAGITTARIUS
A great focus on home and family challenges how you might prefer to spend your time this month. That part of your life that roots you down and gives you access to a deep sense of meaning is asking for a lot more energy than usual. And you have to adjust. The way through this is to see it as a part of the journey of self-definition that you are going through. You have the opportunity to see in technicolor how your efforts are bringing you closer to becoming the person you want to be, taking your chosen direction in life. Your consciousness is uniquely objective in analyzing your own self. So when you are challenged by outside forces that want your attention, you have the opportunity to reevaluate anew how you choose to respond. You are the brightest and most optimistic sign of the zodiac, and a big part of those qualities find their roots in your ability to be free in how you live your life. Build some freedom into your life, and your creativity, your generosity, and self-esteem will benefit from the wide open spaces you give yourself.
A word for Sagittarius to meditate on this month: Discernment
CAPRICORN
This month, be intentional about seeking a more circumspect approach to your usual opinions and points of view. Don’t be afraid to go outside the boundaries of the topics you normally approach, the literature you normally read, the people you normally interact with, and the ways you normally verify your information. You are being called on to discover and expand new palates of taste when it comes to your experiences, and your perception of the world. Absorb and digest this variety, and see how it comes through in the information you relay to others. Your writing, your thinking, and your conversations are all influenced by the longer-term introspection project you have been undergoing. This is a good time to pursue a hunch or take a chance on an idea that comes to you out of nowhere. Always do your due diligence, but know that this month your sources may at first be somewhat ethereal. During this month’s very active Full Moon, plan to juggle several priorities at once. After work, after your unusual research bouts, and after loving up on yourself, it might be nice to share a romantic dinner with a partner who also wants in on the loving.
A word for Capricorn to meditate on this month: Confidence
AQUARIUS
This month brings attention to all the various activities you do to keep yourself lushly resourced. There is no end to the ways you can finance yourself. This area of your life is associated with the sign Pisces, a fertile sign of endless creativity. What you are being encouraged to consider this month, though, is how you can support what really matters in your life. If it is family and friends, or a close relationship that matters to you, this month is a good time to begin to build on commitments in your life that demonstrate that. If it is a long held vision, a dream, or a part of yourself that would just love to have the space to expand into existence, this month is a good time acknowledge that. Choose one action that can be a living symbol of your determination to bring about the change in your life that you know would make you happier. It’s true that money makes life easier, and you can afford to think differently about it even while you engage with the necessities of the current society. Your astrology this month encourages you consider your relationship to earning money. Do you have any hangups about how big you can get and how much space you can take up? Do you really want what you’ve been working toward, or want it in a different form, or do you want something completely different? Pick up these questions as necessary. And remember that you can use money to enjoy the goodness of life, to share with others, to ask the questions to you need to ask, and to deepen your impact in the world. Your brand of creativity means you can make it any number of ways.
A word for Aquarius to meditate on this month: Ingenuity
PISCES
There is quite the eventful month in store for you to get the year started. You have energy in abundance this month, but you might be feeling a pull between giving that energy to yourself and all the career demands that are being made of you. While you are facing this dilemma, it is a good opportunity to think about how much time and energy you want or need to be devoting to work, and how much time and energy you want or need to be devoting to the care and keeping of you. You are experiencing a career high now, where the fruits of your labors for many years before this moment are being quite visibly rewarded. This month infuses you with both charm and increased vital life force, and presents you with the question about how you really want to spend your time here on earth. Your dreams and visions for what you want to do with your life have changed a lot over the last decade or so. You’ve come a long way toward actually figuring out the direction you want to head toward, and have even taken important steps to make those visions real. You can congratulate yourself for staying true to the calling of your heart as you play within the rules that come with the package of being incarnated into a particular place and time, body, and society.
A word for Pisces to meditate on this month: Self-Epression
