Astrological Forecast: January 2020

Happy New Year! We find ourselves at the turn of the roaring twenties, though I know many of you are still recovering from the previous decade—with the last couple of years having been especially challenging! Capricorn energy is climbing to an all-time high with half the solar system transiting through the sign of the goat. I will preface this forecast by saying that I'm not trying to tell you what sort of month or year you will have. Astrology is a bit like the predicting the weather. While it might be a rainy day, what you choose to do with it is ultimately up to you.

I mentioned in many of the general readings for December that Capricorn or Saturn energy can feel restrictive or withholding. Saturn is a bit like a father figure that you must prove yourself to before it gives what you want. You may tell Saturn that you want a new puppy, but you're going have to prove you're responsible enough for one and will actually take care of it. While Saturn is technically considered a "malefic" planet, this energy is more designed to set us up for success, even if we throw a tantrum when we don't get what we want right away.

Within the past year or so, many of you have felt like you've been pouring all of your energy into one area of your life, without the payout or results you expected or felt you deserve. You may very well be feeling the influence of Saturn and Pluto slowly transiting through Capricorn, testing your patience, causing uncomfortable transformations, et cetera. Maybe you never even got to work on the things you intended to because too much else got in the way. Jupiter, which brings forth expansion, luck, and opportunities has already begun bestowing blessings in the very areas we have felt tested. However, with Jupiter traveling through a slow-moving sign like Capricorn, these boons may not manifest or become evident right away. I'm a bit hesitant to share that January feels a bit like a recap of all the trials we faced over the past year. You may find that many of the lessons you've been learning throughout 2019 have been in preparation for what is about to come this month and, by extension, this year. 2020 itself will be a great test as we transition from one decade into another.

We have a lunar eclipse on the night of the Full Moon in Cancer on January 10th, following the annular solar eclipse we had on December 26th. Eclipses, especially lunar eclipses, are often associated with losses or endings. We are indeed starting off this New Year by clearing the slate in some way. While it is most insightful to refer to your own natal chart to predict how this eclipse (which occurs at 20° in Cancer) will affect you for the next six months or so, the Moon being eclipsed in its native sign Cancer has profound implications for the collective at large. Cancer itself is associated with our home, family, and lineage.

The fourth house or IC (Imum Coeli) is naturally ruled by Cancer, and is determined by what lies directly beneath us from the moment of our birth. While this influence isn't always readily visible to others, it conveys a lot about our depths, and also represents our earliest (subconscious) conditioning or beliefs about ourselves and where we belong. We may experience purging at our core with this lunar eclipse. While there is potential for profound healing and release at the deepest level, it is occurring at one of our most sensitive areas of our charts, and is not for the faint of heart. Generally speaking, this eclipse is a great opportunity for a ritual or commitment to resolve wounds relative to belonging, family patterns, ancestral trauma, and our sense of home.

Just two days after, on January 12th, a conjunction between the Sun, Saturn, and Pluto at 22° in Capricorn, almost feels a bit like the "final exam," and we will likely find ourselves already feeling a bit raw from the eclipse. Ceres, an asteroid associated with the goddess of harvest, really makes us look even closer at our long-term plans; which we were already doing with this aspect to begin with! We should know soon enough if we have passed or failed, though it's likely the consequence won't be immediate. I get the sense something major that is to come for us down the road will be revealed around this time—we may finally know if we earned our "puppy" or not.

Do not fret, dear reader, for as we emerge into Aquarius season, we find ourselves gaining new perspectives, perhaps even gaining some distance from the turmoil that was stirred up in the middle of the month. After all of the personal transformations we have underwent, the collective vision is directed towards the distant future and new possibilities. With an Aquarius New Moon on January 24th, we are granted a powerful time to manifest a brighter tomorrow. Aquarius, naturally ruling over the eleventh house, is arguably one of the most auspicious energies of the zodiac. Traditionally the eleventh house is associated with friendships and social networks. Personally, I also perceive the eleventh house as where we receive support, both from others and the universe at large—making it the house of miracles, synchronicity, and divine intervention.

If you're unfamiliar with your astrological placements or would like to know how this month (especially for the Full Moon eclipse at 20° in Cancer and the Sun-Saturn-Pluto conjunction at 22° in Capricorn) will affect you personally, you may have your natal chart drawn using this calculator here. Without further ado, here are the aspects and transits for January 2020:

Welcome to Capricorn season! Aquarius seasons commences on January 20th.

- Mercury conjunct Jupiter in Capricorn on January 2nd.

- Mars enters Sagittarius on January 3rd.

- Sun in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces on January 7th.

- Mercury in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces on January 8th.

- Sun and Mercury conjunct in Capricorn on January 10th.

- Full Moon Eclipse in Cancer opposite Sun in Capricorn on January 10th.

- Uranus goes direct in Taurus on January 11th.

- Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto conjunct in Capricorn on January 12th. Ceres (the asteroid) will also be part of this conjunction.- Sun conjunct Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn on January 13th.

- Venus enters Pisces on January 13th.

- Venus in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus on January 15th.

- Mercury enters Aquarius on January 16th.

- Mercury in Aquarius sextile Uranus in Taurus on January 18th.

- Sun enters Aquarius on January 20th.

- Sun in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus on January 23rd.

- Venus in Pisces sextile Jupiter on January 23rd.

- New Moon in Aquarius on January 24th.

- Mercury in Aquarius sextile Mars in Sagittarius on January 25th.

- Venus in Pisces square mars in Sagittarius on January 27th.

- Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces on January 27th.

- Mars in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces on January 28th.