Energy Update: January 2025

January is a "1" Universal Month [1 (January) + 9 (2025) = 10 = 1+0 =1] in a "9" Universal Year. 1 is the number of beginnings & starting over - this makes this January a 1/1 month as all Januarys bring 1 energy to the table, further amplified by our 9-themed year. It is worth remembering that 9 is the number of endings, so from a wide enough lens, we can say that this January is the beginning of the end. Or better said AN end.

The Set Up

January begins with the Sun in Capricorn, Mercury in Sagittarius, Venus & Pluto in Aquarius, retrograde Mars in Leo, retrograde Jupiter in Gemini, Saturn & Neptune in Pisces, & retrograde Uranus in Taurus. By the month's end, the Sun will have moved into Aquarius, Mercury will have moved through Capricorn into Aquarius, Venus will have entered Pisces, &Mars will have moved backward into Cancer. Additionally, we will see the switchover of our lunar nodes from the Aries-Libra axis to the Pisces-Virgo axis, & Uranus will have stationed direct.

The Nitty Gritty

All eyes are on our lunar nodes, moving away from the Aries-Libra axis towards Pisces-Virgo at the end of this month. The tides are shifting, & we need to shift with them.

The Lunar Nodes

In a year full of endings, this is a pretty big one. All month long, our North & South nodes will be sitting at 00° of Aries & Libra, respectively. This may seem counterintuitive because 00° is the first degree of a given sign, as I mentioned above, the lunar nodes are about to switch signs. This is because the nodes - overall - move retrograde to the movement of the planets throughout our skies.

For a quick refresher: the lunar nodes are not physical bodies in our sky but mathematical points representing the exact degree with which the Sun, Moon, & Earth can align to create a solar or lunar eclipse. So, from a wide lens, this indicates that our eclipse seasons are about to shift from Aries & Libra to Pisces and Virgo.

But we aren't there quite yet.

The lunar nodes move backward through the horoscope every 1.5 years, representing a compass point of focus away from the South Node & towards the North Node. Society generally becomes more focused on the themes of the signs the lunar nodes inhabit. This past year & a half have focused on the dichotomy between the self (Aries) &relationships (Libra). It has been a battle of "I" versus "We". It's wise to remember that Aries & Libra, though quite different, are an astrological pair - one can never truly be understood without the other. There can be no sense of togetherness without understanding separateness, & vice versa.

This cycle has caused a lot of disruptions & reworkings, specifically in the realm of relationships because the axis of Aries-Libra IS the axis of relationships. With the North Node in Aries, the focus was on individualization, & this process corrupted & broke down relationships that couldn't exist within an individualized framework.

When things end, there needs to be a mourning period or, at the least, a period of readjustment. 00° Aries will be a heavy focus point throughout 2025 as Mercury, Venus, Saturn, & Neptune move into & back out of Aries later this year.

When we talk "1" as new beginnings - many think of January 1st & our calendar new year. But in astrology, the year begins at 00° Aries with the equinox & our first breath of spring. 00° Aries is highly potentiated - it holds the potential of an entire new year within its grasp. This enhances our natural "1" energy of the month of January, which has already been further enhanced by this January being a 1/1 year.

As our Sun & personal planets change signs this month, each will move into aspect with our lunar nodes at 00° degrees, creating strong short-lived windows of opportunity & further enhancing the New energy inherent all month long.

We can view each of these days as one last chance to come to terms with the waning energy of this cycle of the lunar nodes but also as the cosmically right time to start over. It's worth noting here that the type of aspect makes some difference, as does whether the planet is in a stronger aspect to the North Node (progress) or South Node (endings). Here, the most potent aspects are conjunctions, squares, or trines, with sextiles being second to that & semi-sextiles or in conjunction being relatively inconsequential.

As our planets enter Aquarius, for example, they find themselves trine to the South Node - this is more indicative of endings & needing to make adjustments to change. Whereas when Mercury enters Capricorn, it forms an intense square, which may propel us into the future with stronger more intent "1" energy. I will speak more about our planetary aspects to the lunar nodes in each planet's section, where I feel it is warranted.

It's worth remembering here that beginnings & endings are two sides of the same coin - you (often) cannot have one without the other. Only our ultimate beginnings (birth) & our ultimate endings (death) are concrete & finitely separated from each other.

It's also worth mentioning here the peculiarity of astrology & how it relates to the tarot. The major arcana & the astrological wheel begin with the number 0 rather than the number 1. In this way, we can say that all month, we are sitting in Fool energy - all of the potential of the world, but on the edge of a cliff. Also, like the ongoing retrograde Mars energy, when the lunar nodes switch, we will go backward into Pisces, not forward in the future.

Venus will be the first of our planets to cross the line from Pisces into Aries in forward motion this year, but she will also retrograde & move back across it, following in the lunar nodes' footsteps. So will Mercury, Saturn, & Neptune over the coming months.

You might begin to see what I mean about beginnings & endings here. You might begin to understand why the lunar nodes are more important than many astrologers seem to comprehend.

The lunar nodal movement is certainly a changing of the guard, but it isn't always felt by everyone. I suspect this one will be, though, since those degrees of 00° Aries & 29° Pisces play so much into the energy of our year ahead. It is worth watching - especially if you have luminaries or personal planets within 5 of 00 for cardinal signs or 25-29 degrees for mutable signs.

The nodes switch on 1/28 at the end of the month, but there will be a building tension in advance of this actualizing. I will write more about our new Pisces-Virgo era as we get there, as that is mostly February's ( the future) situation.

Our Lights: The Sun and the Moon

As our Sun moves through Capricorn, it meets up for a brief sextile with Saturn in Pisces on 1/04. This is a check on our New Year's goals - have we set ourselves up with a solid framework to achieve in the coming year (Saturn), or are we grasping at a pipe dream (Pisces)? Capricorn especially wants to dot every I &cross every T; this is why it is auspicious to begin our calendar year in the sign of the goat. In what might be a rocky year, Capricorn can give us the confidence to keep our footing, but we do need to set ourselves up for success.

Our full moon for the month is on 1/13 at 24° Cancer, which looks like a less-than-auspicious day. Uranus forms a trine to our Capricorn Sun & sextile to our Cancerian moon, which adds a layer of volatility to anything that might come up during this lunation. Additionally, Venus in Pisces will square off with retrograde Jupiter in Gemini. This screams "unlucky in love," but it's wise to remember that Venus rules all kinds of getting along, not just the romantic vibes. Venus in Pisces has the bad habit of wearing rose-colored glasses & only seeing what she wants to see, & retrograde Jupiter in Gemini is an outright liar. All that glitters is not gold around this full moon, & certain inconsistencies or falsehoods may come to light or be revealed during this time. Tempers will also be high, stoked by retrograde Uranus in Taurus, who is breaking down old ground & not taking any prisoners.

Expect some waterworks, as Cancerian moons always seem to bring out the big emotions in all of us.

Our Cancer Full Moon is a 5/6 Full Moon.

10 (Capricorn Sun) + 4 (Cancer Moon) = 14 = 1+4 =5. 5 (Capricorn Full Moon) + 1 (January 2025) = 6.

The numerology echoes the astrological energy of the lunation - there's a lot of conflict inherent in the Number 5, but its conflict meant to show the fallacy of the complacency sometimes found within structures. We must work hard to harness the "6" energy of working together to find solutions. Still, the energy IS available if everyone involved is willing to put aside their reactionary brains & seek compromise for the higher good - a function of 6 energy.

It's unlikely, though. Our Capricorn moon is already closely opposed to retrograde Mars in Cancer at its height of reactivity. Mars is in its fall in the cardinal water sign of the crab, which often seems to move sideways rather than forward toward its goals. This creates a lot of angst & discomfort, further enhanced by Mars's current backward motion. Nobody is at their best right now, & patience has never been Cancer's forte. As I've said before, when referencing this Mars in the Cancer cycle, crabby hands are grabby hands, & grabby hands never let go. To compromise during January, we will have to meet the other person halfway, & retrograde Mars in Cancer makes it exceptionally difficult for us to do so.

The Sun will oppose retrograde Mars exactly on 1/15; this is definitely a day to lie low & do & say less. Set your expectations at the absolute bottom of what you can imagine, & give yourself space to go even lower.

When the Sun enters Aquarius on 1/19, it forms an immediate conjunction with Pluto & trine to our South Node in Libra. This accentuates the letting go part of our 1-themed month, as Pluto is the dwarf planet of erosion & disintegration, & the South Node shows what we are moving away from during this time. This aligns well with the waning moon cycle & is a great time to do any cleansing, banishing, or removal work. This energy will stretch through to 1/21 when the Sun meets up with Pluto in exactitude.

Our new moon for the month is on 1/29 at 09° Aquarius, which mirrors the full moon early with retrograde Jupiter in a tight trine to our Sun & Moon. This will be a low day, maybe one of the lowest of the entire year, as a lot going on around it will heighten this dark moon energy. The day before, Venus entered her pre-retrograde shadow in Pisces, & , more importantly, the lunar nodes switched signs. We may not know up from down, as if this were a Piscean moon or we are stuck deep in 12th house energy. If you can't even on this day, know that you are right on time.

It isn't a day for doing. It might not even be a day for feeling, given the airy spaciness of Aquarius.

Our Aquarius New Moon is a 4/5 New Moon.

11 (Aquarius Moon) + 11 (Aquarius Sun) = 22 = 2+2 = 4. 4 (Aquarius New Moon) + 1 (January 2025) = 5.

When one considers that Aquarius new moons are actually 22/4 moons, meaning that they carry the double 2 energy of choice & movement & the 4 energy of stability, this could be a very auspicious day. But, again, we see the 5 energy coming along to disrupt or break up that solidarity.

There may be too many unknowns to make any concrete plans. Sometimes, that is just the way that things are.

Mercury

Since Mercury was retrograde through the end of November & early December, it is lagging behind the Sun & playing catch-up all month long. It exits its post-retrograde shadow on 1/04 at 22° Sagittarius before moving on into Capricorn on 1/08. The Sun plus Mercury in Capricorn will add a serious tone to the two weeks that follow - people will likely be thinking carefully before they speak, which is ultimately positive in a month that is quite Saturnian.

In Capricorn, Mercury immediately squares off with the lunar nodes at 00° Aries & Libra, respectively. We are at a turning point, not quite stepping into the future (the North Node) & not quite ready to give up the past (South Node). There may be some unfinished business that needs attending around 1/8-1/9, & it's likely something best worked through verbally. Write it out or talk it out. Make a pros/cons list. Be practical here: Mercury is in Capricorn's realm now &, therefore, ruled by the planet of getting it right, Saturn. Squares (& this is technically a t-square with Mercury square at once to both the North Node & the South due to their inherent opposition) can be a harsh aspect, but as mentioned in the lunar nodes section above, this provides powerful energy to right your path & tap into the 1/1 energy that January so readily provides. Use this energy to intellectualize your plans for the year ahead of you & make concrete plans to make it happen.

Capricorn isn't the strongest placement for Mercury, but it can be used so long as you are willing to do the work to make it happen. (That's pretty much the theme of the month, after all)

Interestingly, we don't see another Mercury aspect after this until Mercury meets up in sextile to a conjunction between Venus & Saturn on 1/18. Saturn is making moves later this year (changing signs over the border from sign #12, Pisces, to sign #1, Aries), we are now deep in the planning stages. Venus in Pisces wants to dream big, but Saturn holds things soundly grounded deep into reality. Saturn says there is no use in having goals if you aren't taking active steps to achieve them. With Mercury in tow, Saturn wants us to think things through to their logical conclusions. That is the skill that Capricorn has which Pisces often so desperately needs, use it.

By 10/23, Mercury is in a tough opposition with retrograde Mars sitting in its fall in watery Cancer. This is a test of our resolve to follow through on our ideas. We are most likely failing, but that said - it's not our fault. With retrograde Mars in its exile in cardinal Cancer, very few people are living up to their obligations at the moment. It may feel like a punch in the gut & old thoughts (Mercury) around being not good enough, not brave enough, not smart enough, not Enough Enough may arise to the surface. Mercury in Capricorn can be a bit of a downer (Saturn has a suppressive influence on everything it touches), & retrograde Mars is far from giving us the pep needed to overcome that winter slump.

It's certainly right on time, but it won't feel fun. Stay aware if you're prone to the bad kind of depression & take steps early to care for yourself through this transit.

Some big changes are happening, & Mercury is at the forefront, as it so often is. (I suspect this is because we have to think our way through things before we can do much else, but I digress a bit there) Mercury enters Aquarius on 1/27 & immediately conjuncts Pluto (death/erosions/decomposition) while also meeting up in a sextile to the North Node & trine to the South the very day before the lunar nodes move backward into Pisces & Virgo, respectively.

The flex will be using your mind & staying aware during this time, but things will feel tenuous & incredibly murky. Put on your seeing glasses or your very best pathfinding charm if you've got 'em. The nodes shift, we experience a dense & low Aquarius full moon, & the Uranus stations direct - all three days in a row. All somehow involving Mercury (it is sextile/trine the nodes, widely conjunct the new moon, & the lower octave of all Uranian energy).

If you know how to look for one, an Ah-Ha moment might be hidden in all this nonsense.

Venus

Venus is out ahead of the pack & moving quickly through the mutable, watery sign of Pisces. Venus is exalted in Pisces, which means it is at its best - especially when pushing forward the radical idea that EVERYBODY deserves more love. Even so, all planetary placements have mature & immature sides. The above is Venus in Pisces showing up in its mature form, but the immature form of Venus in Pisces can be erratic & downright avoidant.

Pisces rules the unconscious & our ideals. Immature Piscean energy can be so obsessed with their sense of idealism that they lose sight of reality entirely. An immature Venus in Pisces type might prefer to be lied to rather than know the truth; they can live their entire life with their head in the sand focused on their fantasy while their Others are running around doing untoward things that they refuse to look at or admit to. Through this Venus in Pisces transit, we should all hope for the first mature type of Venus in Pisces energy - that is empathetic to all humans (hopefully with firm boundaries) & try to avoid the immature Piscean state of delusion and avoidance.

It may not be easy this month as Venus always needs to be read in relation to their counterpart, Mars. There are two sides to the same coin, as both deal with different ways we get along & work towards achieving our desires. We often view Venus as passive, drawing in what we want, & Mars as active, seeking out desires, but it is not that cut & dry. When Venus is in the more active signs (Air, Fire, & Cardinal), it plays a more traditional aggressor role, & Mars tends to be more passive in Earth, Water, & Mutable signs. Although Venus in Pisces can be infinitely loving, it is not the strongest placement from an outward energy perspective…likewise, Mars retrograde in the sign of its exile, Cancer, is also not at its best.

This will be an easier month than when Venus was in Aquarius, directly opposed to retrograde Mars in Leo, but easier is a matter of degrees here. Mars is doubly exiled, & Venus isn't stepping up to take the reigns to get things done in her mutable, watery form.

Once you accept that, the month will probably run much smoother for you.

We don't see a lot of action from Venus this month aspect-wise, & what we do see shows the depths of the situation. As Venus moves through Pisces, it will re-activate our waning Jupiter-Saturn mutable square from December through a square to Jupiter on 1/14 & a conjunction to Saturn on 1/18. We are being brought to task by our relationship choices all month long as part of the last dregs of this lunar nodal cycle on the Aries-Libra axis, where we have let our relationships overwhelm us (Jupiter) & also where we have held on too tight & not given them room to breathe (Saturn). We all walk a tightrope between wanting & needing connection (Libra, the placement of our South Node) & needing space (Aries, the placement of our North Node). The truth is that we need both at the correct levels - right for us & our others.

Therein, at times, lies the crux of the issue. In its immature form, Venus in Pisces wants to wear rose-colored glasses and focus wholly on the good in relationships. Venus in Pisces is the type to keep a relationship going with a toxic person because of the potential they saw in their other once upon a time. But in the real world (ruled by Saturn), potential is not enough.

I don't think this will be a hard pass for everyone, but it will be for those hiding things from themselves or trying to keep relationships long past their expiration date alive. I don't just mean bit R-romantic relationships here, either.

The big flex around 1/14-1/18 will be seeing your Others for who they really are, warts & all. In realizing they have the intrinsic right to have wants & needs that have nothing to do with you. They are a whole person in & of themselves without you involved. This is going to strike a hard note for those dealing with issues around codependency for sure. The toxic "Us" will certainly rear its ugly head as people grapple with enmeshment within family systems & relationships. This is a bit of a glimpse into our future here as our North Node enters Pisces on 1/28, putting all Piscean ideals, good & bad, in the spotlight for the next year & a half.

Pisces, in its purest form, is a servant of love - it hints at the idea that on a long enough timeline (Pisces is our last sign in the horoscope lineup), humans will realize that universal love is the answer—the ideal. Piscean love is never meant to be personal as Piscean is - by its position as the last sign - the least personal of all.

This isn't going to be an easy road or an easy transition. As Venus moves through Pisces, it will enter its pre-retrograde shadow on 1/28 at 24° Pisces. Notably, this is the day the North Node moves into Pisces, forming a loose (05°) conjunction with Venus. Venus will move into Aries next month & then retrograde BACK into Pisces, following the path the lunar nodes have so recently trod.

As mentioned above, Mercury, Saturn, & Neptune will also retrograde & move backward from Aries into Pisces later this year. If Pisces is the most universal sign, Aries is the most personal. That they are neighbors, that one always becomes the other either by forward or backward motion shows a lot about the nature of humanity. About the many stages of being who we are as a species.

This is the meat of the work we all need to do this year, & we can see by the transits that we will get many chances to get it right, so it's okay if you don't the first time around.

Stay aware in and around 1/28, as it may be a sneak peek into what will arise for you again and again in the year ahead.

Mars

As Mars' retrograde cycle deepens, the pace of life may seem to continue to slow or halt altogether. If you feel like you can't get ahead this month, know that you are right on time. Retrograde Mars in Leo trines the North Node in Aries on 1/02, which will hit on those themes of Individuality/Togetherness that we have one last chance to rectify this month. Mars in Leo's prominent immature trait is that of inherent narcissism - Leo can be every bit as "Me First" as sign #1, Aries, albeit for differing reasons. Aries has an instinctive understanding that somebody has to go first, & they are willing to take the hit for the team (it often is detrimental to go first, whatever people might think); Leo goes first because they usually believe they are most deserving.

Therefore, when Leo stumbles into the consequence of going first, they are often shocked by the result (rather than Aries, who is expecting this & has agreed to it). In this way, it is worth considering the consequences of your actions early in the month - are you, like immature Leo, barreling ahead without thinking about what will happen next, or like mature Aries, are you prepared to face what lies ahead, even if it less than ideal. It's worth remembering that January is an unusually Saturnian month, & Saturn will play a large part in the year ahead, so there will most certainly BE consequences.

Consequences don't have to be bad. They can be a reward for hard work. Sometimes, the difference between the two is all in your state of mind.

The energy of our inability to act will change drastically on 1/06 as retrograde Mars moves backward into Cancer, where it will remain for the rest of its retrograde cycle. It's worth noting that Cancer is the sign of Mars's exile - as it is the opposite sign of its exaltation, Capricorn. This means a couple of things concerning this month. For starters, the natural energy of Cancer (sideways, grabby hands, crab motion) does not suit Mars's energy well. Additionally, as our Sun & Mercury move through Capricorn - each will have to oppose Mars in their time.

If you think about the nature of the crab, their pinchers are likely the first thing to come to mind. Crabs are known to grab onto something & never let go. This is the immature energy of Mars in Cancer - otherwise known as "this is mine." Mature Cancerean energy is about sharing resources that you might see in a community or family unit. Still, immature Cancer energy is obsessed with keeping whatever it has at any cost! Because Cancer is a water sign & ruled by the capricious moon, this includes the dreaded emotional manipulation.

"Look what I have done for you." "I am the best you will ever find." "You owe me."

Remember we are in the last dregs of this Aries-Libra lunar node cycle, & Mars has just crossed backward from Leo into Cancer (fire to water), which is the point trine to Aries into Pisces that our nodes, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, & Neptune are all about to pass over as well. Everything is interrelated. Our story has no outliers this month, showing us that we must pay close attention.

This month, the big flex from a Mars perspective will be understanding that you have the right to any emotions you feel (Mars in Cancer has all of the feelings), but you don't have the right to use your emotions against your Others. On the other hand, you have the right to hold boundaries with others if they try to use their emotions against you.

"No" is a complete sentence, even if that person is your parent, sibling, friend, or lover.

You do not need to be a casualty in somebody else's war with themselves.

This has been an aggressively long Mars in Cancer transit that began months ago, & it's not much fun for anyone—emphasis on the aggressive.

Mars doesn't make a lot of aspects this month, which is a small favor, but those it does make will be challenging days for everyone involved. As retrograde Mars opposes the Sun, we will face the battling egos between ourselves & our Others; when Mars opposes Mercury, people will be looking for an argument. You can walk away & not engage (at least most of the time).

Relationship issues will be close to the surface all month long, as typical for a Mars retrograde cycle. Pick your battles. Bring a literal or figurative white flag, & try not to quarrel about the little things. Let people be emotional without taking on their emotions as your own. That won't be as easy as it sounds, but it is a practice worth cultivating all month. Again, this circles back to that pesky codependency issue I mentioned in the Venus section - like Pisces, Cancer can hold on too hard for too long.

This reads like the cliche: "Family must stick together because they are family."

And (spoken like a true Aries moon native here): fuck that shit.

You don't have to stay in contact or close communication with anyone for any reason other than that you are their direct care-er. If they aren't a minor, tell them to STFU if you need to this month. Iron-clad boundaries are a must when Mars is muddied in the waters of Cancer. Protect your personal space & your emotions.

You don't need to engage.

Mars doesn't station direct until the end of February, but we are now 2/3 of the way through this retrograde cycle and that's...something. Maybe not enough, but we've got what we've got.

Uranus

Uranus stations direct on 1/30 at 23° Taurus. This probably won't be particularly notable in comparison to the mess forming around the boundary between Pisces & Aries. Still, it is worth noting because Uranus will move out of Taurus and into Gemini later this year. It is a step forward, but one that may fall under the radar for quite some time.

Looking Forward

February will be a month of major personal planetary movement as Mars (finally) stations direct & Venus retrogrades at the end of the month. Stay tuned!