January Energies

January is a "9" month [1 (January) + 8 (2+0+2+4=8) = 9] in an "8" year. Though we are on the edge of something new - both represented by some of the astrological transits of the month & the beginning of a new year - we still have some stuff to wrap up before we can truly move onwards. A lot has changed since the beginning of 2020 - everything really, if you want to look at it that way. As our lives slowly bend & adapt to the changes that have been wrought in the world, we still have to live in it.

Numerologically, 9 is our last number as each multi-digit number gets added back together again. In this way we know that February is a 10/1 month: 2 (February) + 8 (2023) = 10 = 1+0 = 1. February is not the beginning, but February is a beginning. Now we just need to get there.

The Details

We began January with the Sun & Pluto in Capricorn, retrograde Mercury & Mars in Sagittarius, Venus in Scorpio, Jupiter & retrograde Uranus in Taurus, & Saturn allong with Neptune in Pisces.

This is an unusual alignment of planets & worth noting here. We know that the Sun, Mercury, & Venus travel together, but right now they are being joined by both Mars & Pluto as they cross over Sagittarius & Capricorn this season. Additionally, our other planets are congregated together as well in Taurus & Pisces.

It's also worth noting that all of this began four years ago when all of our planets except for Uranus & Neptune were in the sign of Capricorn.

This month the last of our planets from this 2020 transit, Pluto, finally leaves Capricorn for good. This is one of the big gong crashes that denotes time. Pluto will remain in Aquarius until 2043.

Additionally, our Sun enters the sign of Aquarius, & Mercury, Venus, & Mars will enter the sign of Capricorn. January also marks the end of retrograde season for the next four months as Mercury & Uranus station direct.

The Nitty Gritty

January started with a bang as Jupiter stationed direct on 12/31/23 & Mercury stationed direct on 1/1/24. This was a great omen for both January & 2024 as a whole as the first day of the month/year would set the stage for the energy of the time ahead. All signs point to "go" as we only have one single planet left in retrograde (Uranus). Uranus also stations direct this month (on 1/27); we will not experience another planetary retrograde until April.

That said, many of us are still carrying some of the weight of our pasts and it may be hindering our progress. As mentioned above, January is a "9" month of endings that will lead to February being a "10/1" month of beginnings. In this way, January can be seen as a series of releases that can help to unburden us of the things that we do not need to bring with us into the future we see ahead. This process may be triggering for some, especially those who are lost in the past or unduly holding onto something that has passed its expiration date.

The big release dates to watch out for include: 1/1 when Mercury stations direct, 1/4 when Mars enters Capricorn, 1/11 our new moon in Capricorn, 1/13 when Mercury enters Capricorn, 1/20 when BOTH the Sun & Uranus enter Aquarius, 1/23 when Venus enters Capricorn, and 1/27 when Uranus stations direct.

Any of the above dates can be used magically to speed this change along if you are so inclined. Each of these days may be a relief or triggering depending on your life circumstances & general personality. Stay prepared & aware.

There are also a few days of the month where life may seem to "help" you along on this release process, whether you wish it to or not. As our personal planets move through the sign of Capricorn, each will make a cardinal t-square with our lunar nodes of fate (in Aries & Capricorn). Each of these transits will carry with it some of the energy of eclipse season. Some doors may open during this time & some will inevitably close. When the lunar nodes are involved we sometimes find that it is too late to make certain choices, but also that new & interesting choices have become available to us. Our Sun will form a t-square with the nodes on 1/10, Mercury will on 1/28, & Mars will on 1/30. In February, Venus will form one final t-square to complete this process.

For transits like these there is one simple piece of advice: don't hold on too tightly. With our North Node in Aries, we are being asked to stand up for ourselves & that often means letting go of prior conditioning from our childhood or society that keeps us small & forces us into conformity. This can trigger a lot of deep-seated defenses & unhealthy coping mechanisms from our past. The big flex is to name it & bring it into the light rather than letting these things control or destroy us. If you have Aries or Libra in the 12th house this may be especially difficult for you, but this makes this work especially important.

Chiron, also sitting in Aries, shows us that being our unique selves can be quite a painful process. Each of our personal planets will also square off with the Wounded Healer during this time & each of these dates (Sun square Chiron on 1/6, Mars square Chiron on 1/25, & Mercury square Chiron on 1/28 plus Venus in February) is another chance to reexamine our core wounding surrounding standing out versus fitting in. This shit leads deep back into our childhoods & often is the center of our deepest fears. If you are into shadow work, these topics will likely prove especially fruitful during these times. A word to the wise about Chiron: the way out of the pain is always through examining it & learning to understand & create adaptive strategies for management & mitigation. Many people who have Chiron highlighted in their natal birth chart find that healing "out loud" helps them to deal with & make sense of more painful or traumatic moments like these.

In this way, the month may feel very cyclical. You see a way forward & grab for it. It's painful beyond what was expected as it sparks deep wounds. From there the work is to transcend & release the wounds. Rinse & repeat.

It's certainly not work for the faint of heart. But that's not a surprise, we're in Capricorn season - a sign known for almost being compelled to work. This isn't the summer work of planting seeds, tending, & bringing them to harvest. This is the winter work of reexamination & reclamation. Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, is sitting in a supportive sextile in Pisces to help us along in this process but it WILL be work. The big flex all month is to keep moving, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, & to keep on keepin' on. With some many chances, you CAN get it right.

Our two lunar events for the month are a new moon at 20° Capricorn on 1/11 & a full moon at 05° Leo on 1/25.

The new moon will be more supercharged as 1/11 is 111 reflecting an influx of 1/new beginnings energy which will also be in close square to our lunar nodes. If you do not set intentions for the year on 1/1, 1/11 will be another strong time to do so. The new moon's numerology is 2/2 [2 (10 Capricorn Sun + 10 Capricorn Moon = 2), & 2 (2 Capricorn new moon + 9 January = 11 = 2] which shows that it is a powerful day for creation & togetherness.

Our full moon in Leo carries the energy of 7/7 [7 (11 Aquarius Sun + 5 Leo Moon = 16 = 7) and 7 (7 Aquarius full moon + 9 January = 16 = 7]. 7 is the number of spirituality & is generally associated with intuition & inner understandings of all kinds. This is a great day to divine on your journey through January & will aid in any magic designed to align you with where your path is leading you.

If you're looking for a day to do money magic or other prosperity work in January, Friday 1/12 is your day when Mars in Capricorn is in exact trine with Jupiter in Taurus. Work that earth money magic - Capricorn is seeing to their future & Taurus loves the finer things in life. This is a big luxury day - this is a day to treat yo' self even if you're not doing any magic. Consider doing that money magic if you've got it - earthy trines like this don't come around every day.

I see two days to watch out for during the month.

On Saturday, 1/20, the Sun meets up in its yearly conjunction with our planet of death & transformation, Pluto & they both enter the sign of Aquarius in lockstep with one another. This is a big change of the guard & it's likely to be reflected both in the outer world at large & in our personal lives. Pluto has been in the sign of Capricorn for more than a decade & its force has been slowly eroding our outdated systems of government & bureaucracy. Now, it shifts its gaze to Aquarius where it will remain until 2043.

Pluto moves on a glacial scale so we shouldn't expect to see the effects of its ingress initially, but what we should expect to see is the fallout of what has been left behind. Given the planet & its namesake, I use the term fallout very intentionally here. Capricorn rules the governing systems of our lives; in truth, it rules all things that are contractual like government bodies, businesses, & even marriage. Anything that requires signing a contract is in some way controlled by Saturn & Capricorn as Saturn's emissary in this world. Pluto has been shaking up these systems for quite some time & not all of them will survive the release that comes as our dwarf planet finally exits the scene.

Sometimes you don't know how bad the disaster is until it's over & the dust has settled. I would expect to see governmental shutdowns, businesses failing or entering bankruptcy, & the dissolution of marriages as the energy slowly begins to shift away from Capricorn & into Aquarius. In this sense, any structures that are held on by a thread will be most at risk through the beginning of the year. If this is you and it impacts your life specifically, I will guide you back to the words above: Don't Hold on too tight.

Sometimes things need to fall apart. Sometimes you can't pick up the pieces.

The second day of interest is 1/29 when Mars in Capricorn meets up in trine with Uranus in Taurus. I have found that it is best to keep an eye on when these two planets meet, regardless of the aspect that they make with one another. Mars is our planet of passionate action & war while Uranus rules the unexpected disaster. This is Tower weather; it is best to do less & avoid any overt dangers if you can. It's a day to stay away from explosives of all kinds. Uranus in Taurus is especially eruption-prone, make of that what you will. We are nearing the end of Uranus's transit of Taurus (something that we should be very grateful for) but it's not over until it's over.

January is the cosmic right time to put in the work to better your life.

January is the cosmic right time to take accountability for where you are the problem.

January is the cosmic right time to let that shit go so that when February rolls around, you are ready.