Important astrological energies for the month of January 2018:

• Full Moon with Sun in Capricorn and Moon in Cancer occurs on January 1, 2018.
• Jupiter forms a sextile to Pluto on January 15, 2018. This is the first sextile that Jupiter and Pluto will form in this triad sequence. The second sextile will occur on April 14, 2018 when Jupiter is retrograde and Pluto is direct. The third sextile will occur on September 12, 2018 when Jupiter is direct and Pluto is retrograde.
• New Moon with Sun and Moon in Capricorn occurs on January 16, 2018.
• Total Lunar Eclipse with Sun in Aquarius and Moon in Leo occurs on January 31, 2018. This is the first eclipse of the year and the second full Moon that occurs in the month of January.

Consider New Ventures

By Misty Kuceris ©2017

The year 2018 begins with a full Moon occurring on January 1, 2018. The Sun is in Capricorn and the Moon is in Cancer. The Sun in Capricorn usually indicates that you look at life from a serious perspective, hoping that your career and family will fit into society and you’ll see success enter your life. With the Sun forming a conjunction to Saturn, Venus, and Pluto, this seriousness increases. Not only do you want to have structure in your life, but you want to be able to live to the full potential of your value system.

With the Moon in Cancer you want to take care of your family. You don’t want them to feel deprived of anything. This may be a little difficult as the Moon forms an opposition to Saturn, Venus, and Pluto. You may feel that there are too many rules for you to follow which doesn’t give you enough time for your family.

When the full Moon occurs, it’s a time for reviewing your life and deciding if there is something that you need to let go. You may want to look at the structure that controls your life. You may find that you’re letting outside rules determine what you need to do in the privacy of your family. You may be working so hard that you’re not taking enough time to play. It’s important that your work goals don’t interfere with the time you spend with your family.

On January 2^nd, Ceres retrograde forms a square to Jupiter, Uranus turns stationary direct, and Mars forms a square to the Moon’s Nodal Axis.

Ceres retrograde in Leo means that you may have a romantic world view. You try to see the best in situations. You want to feel inspired and you want to inspire others. This desire to inspire increases when Ceres retrograde forms an aspect to Jupiter. But, with this aspect being a square you may also feel that you just can’t do enough. This is a time to be cautious in your relationships with other people. You don’t want to make so many commitments to other that you don’t have time for yourself. You need to be careful with any compromises you make. You don’t want to give up more than you get.

Uranus, which turns stationary direct a few minutes later, went retrograde on August 2, 2017. When Uranus was in retrograde motion, it felt as if some of your projects didn’t get off the ground. You may have tried some new ventures but there was always something that stood in your way. Now with Uranus turning direct, you’ll be able to move forward with some of those ventures.

Normally, the shift of motion for outer planets, such as Uranus, isn’t that important. But this one is. Uranus is at 24º of Aries. It is beginning to move out of the sign of Aries and will enter the sign of Taurus on May 15, 2018. Granted, it will be in the sign of Taurus for a few months and retrograde back into the sign of Aries on November 6, 2018 for the last time in 84 years. But you need to pay attention to any new ventures that you start. You want to make sure they have value to you and can be sustained financially. While there is a tendency to take risks when Uranus is in Aries, you need to cut the danger of those risks by watching your finances and your health. You also need to include your family in any plans you might make. They’ll help you in making the right decisions.

When Mars forms a square to the Moon’s Nodal Axis a few hours later, you understand just how important it is to balance your current needs with your future goals. This will help you in determining which new ventures can be started at this time. Usually when Mars is involved, you tend to rush into situations. But today it’s better if you take your time.

When Venus forms a sextile to Neptune on January 3^rd, you’re able to tap into your creative energies and come up with new solutions. You’re also able to understand your dreams and find ways to make them more realistic. While this is a great day for inspiration, it’s not the best day to sign any contracts. You may be able to tap into your dreams for inspiration, but you’re not able to discern the cost of those dreams. Use this energy to meditate on what’s important in your life.

You could have difficulties in romantic relationships on January 5^th when Mars forms a square to Ceres. You may want to make a commitment, but the other person isn’t interested. Or, you may fear that by getting involved in a relationship you could lose yourself.

It’s also important to pay attention to your needs. As you think about relationships or new ventures, you don’t want to sacrifice so much that you put yourself in jeopardy.

On January 6^th, Mercury forms a trine to Uranus and a square to Chiron. Between the time period that those two aspects occur, Mars forms a conjunction to Jupiter. This is a day where you need to look back to any significant incidents that may have occurred in November 2017 or December 2017. The reason is that Mercury made similar aspects to Uranus and Chiron during those months.

Mercury formed its first trine to Uranus on November 25, 2017 when Mercury was direct and Uranus was retrograde. The second time an aspect was formed between these two planets was on December 10, 2017 when both Mercury and Uranus were retrograde.

When Mercury does form a trine to Uranus, new ideas just seem to surface from your subconscious mind. Or someone may say something which generates a new idea. You may not have acted on those ideas at that time, but today you can. Perhaps you jotted them down in your journal. Or, perhaps you thought they were too grandiose. Today, as you re-evaluate those concepts, you may realize that you can finally create a realistic plan.

With Mars forming the conjunction to Jupiter, you’re excited about your ideas. You feel optimistic. You have the energy you need to move forward with your plans. Just make certain that you approach your plans in small increments if you want to succeed. There’s a tendency when this conjunction occurs for you to move so quickly that you miss important details.

When Mercury forms the square to Chiron, this will be the third time this square occurs. The first time it occurred was on November 24, 2017 when Mercury was direct and Chiron was retrograde. The second time this square occurred was on December 10, 2017 when Mercury was retrograde and Chiron was direct. Now both planets are direct.

Sometimes when Mercury forms a square to Chiron, you’re a little hesitant in taking risks. But today that’s a good thing, especially since Mars just formed that conjunction to Jupiter. You begin to understand the importance of moving slowly. You take steps to protect yourself from any risks that could harm you.

When Venus forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde on January 7^th, you want to re-evaluate how you handle relationships in your life. With Ceres retrograde in Leo, you are searching for the romantic involvement. With Venus in Capricorn, you feel that it’s more important to provide a practical foundation than it is to provide love and affection. That’s where the conflict is. You need to decide how to provide the people you love with a secure foundation while also taking time to let them know how much you appreciate and love them.

You have a better concept of what you want in your relationships on January 8^th as Venus forms a sextile to Jupiter and Mars forms a sextile to Pluto. With Venus forming the sextile to Jupiter, you feel good about the people in your life. While you want to provide them with security, you are also willing to let them know just how valuable they are in your life. As Mars forms the sextile to Pluto, you feel passionate about your relationships and you’re willing to take the time to express this passion.

This can also translate into a good day for business relationships. You are able to inspire other people so they want to work with you. You’re also able to focus on important matters and resolve any problems.

You continue to feel passionate about your relationships when Venus forms the conjunction to Pluto on January 9^th. You understand just how important these people are in your life. You also want to share this information with them. This is also a great day to delve into your own subconscious mind and realize how important relationships are.

Once again, this energy can translate into successful business relationships. People see how serious you are about getting things done. At the same time they realize that you care about their feelings as well. You’re able to listen to their needs, especially when it comes time to resolve any problems.

With Mercury entering the sign of Capricorn on January 11^th, there are now five planets in the sign of Capricorn (Mercury, Saturn, Pluto, Sun, and Venus). You may have thought that you were taking things seriously at the start of the year when the full Moon occurred on January 1^st, but today you feel as if you weren’t serious enough.

This is a good time to gather information which can help you with your goals. You can also re-evaluate the structure in your life to make certain that you are on the right track. When Mercury is in Capricorn, you not only think of your goals, but you also consider just how important it is for other people to understand what you’re saying and why. Past history is also important. You don’t want to forget those lessons from the past because you can use them to create a better future.

On January 13^th, Mercury forms a conjunction to Saturn while Venus forms a square to Uranus and a sextile to Chiron. This is one of those days where you’ll vacillate between using caution in your relationships with others and rushing into situations without considering what other people need.

As Mercury forms the conjunction to Saturn, you find that it’s easy to focus on your goals. You take your life seriously and do the best you can to achieve your goals. You’re willing to develop small milestones so you don’t feel overwhelmed with everything you have to do.

But, as Venus forms the square to Uranus, you begin to wonder if you’re not being too careful. You suddenly feel as if you need to rush into new situations without taking all the facts into consideration.

The balance does return as Venus makes a sextile to Chiron. You realize that if you rush into new situations without considering all the ramifications, you could be thrown off track. You could even suffer a set-back in your plans.

What’s good about this day is that you end up taking the time to develop a plan with a measurable time line. You also take some of these new concepts that just surfaced today and see if they will make your plan better. Where you need to, you make changes and feel good about them. Where you see potential problems you decide that those changes aren’t necessary or you decide to put off your final decision until you’ve researched more facts.

One other thing: Don’t be surprised if you run into an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. If there were any problems when the friendship ended, you’ll be able to resolve them today.

On January 15^th, Jupiter forms a sextile to Pluto. This is the first sextile that Jupiter and Pluto will form in this triad sequence. The second sextile will occur on April 14, 2018 when Jupiter is retrograde and Pluto is direct. The third sextile will occur on September 12, 2018 when Jupiter is direct and Pluto is retrograde. Because this is the first time this triad sequence occurs, it’s important for you to record any critical events that occur or decisions that are made around this date.

Jupiter in Scorpio represents the need to take care of your finances. It also represents the need to make certain that your life is as private as possible. If you are having difficulty with your finances, any problems will surface at this time. If you aren’t protecting your privacy, information may become public that you don’t want others to know.

Pluto in Capricorn represents the need to understand the power structure and how it impacts your life. With these two aspects making a sextile, this is a good time to understand how you can use the past to create a better future. It’s also a good time for you to find a way to balance power in your life so you can use this power to your advantage.

In the positive, Jupiter forming a sextile to Pluto indicates that you understand what’s important in life. You are able to focus and create a plan that brings the best to you. Understanding the law of attraction is very important. By focusing your mind on your goals, you can attract people and situations into your life which enable you to achieve those goals.

Ceres retrograde forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node on January 16^th before the new Moon occurs. With the new Moon’s energy about to occur, you feel the need consider your future goals and find a way to do well for yourself. You want security in your life. You want a pleasant environment where you can have fun. But with the new Moon about to occur in Capricorn, you realize that you still need to live your life responsibly if you want to find that balance between security and fun.

The new Moon not only has both the Sun and Moon in Capricorn, but it is part of a major Capricorn energy burst. With the Sun and Moon in Capricorn, there are now six planets in the sign of Capricorn (Saturn, Mercury, Pluto, Sun, Moon, and Venus).

Following rules are very important. You don’t want to cause any ripples in society. You want to get along with other people. You also want to make certain that you have financial security.

This new Moon forms a square to Uranus, so you may feel a bit scattered. You may not know how to take care of your security while you also want to try new things. You may even feel confined by others. But, the new Moon also forms a sextile to the Jupiter/Mars conjunction. This means that if you understand your goals, you’ll be able to stay focused and not let other people tell you how to live your life. You’ll find a way to live life by your rules. And, that’s what this new Moon is all about: Finding a way to understand how to interact with others in an appropriate way without losing the values that are important to you.

On January 17^th, Mars forms a quincunx to Uranus and later in the day Venus enters the sign of Aquarius. With Mars forming a quincunx to Uranus, you feel a bit scattered. You don’t know how to focus your energy. Every time you think you have a goal in mind, something changes and you can’t achieve that goal. Be careful not to get so frustrated that you take it out on other people. Realize that you still need more information before you take any action.

As Venus enters the sign of Aquarius you want to reach out to friends but you don’t want to get too involved with them. You value the importance of freedom. You enjoy being an individual who plays by her own rules. You don’t even mind if other people play by their own rules, as long as their rules don’t prevent you from doing what you want to do.

January 18^th is a better day for you as Mars forms a trine to Chiron. You are less frustrated because understand your goals. You feel as if you can achieve them. This is a good day to focus on healing matters in your life. You may want to re-evaluate your lifestyle to see if you need to make any changes which increase your health. Or, you may decide that you just need to rest and that you don’t need to work so hard.

Before the Sun enters Aquarius on January 19^th, Mercury forms a sextile to Neptune. You want to be open to new ideas which can help you achieve your dreams. You want to sit back and relax and just let thoughts surface without any prompting. If you are a creative individual, this is a great day to jot down your thoughts, write in your journal, or create a piece of art.

Just don’t sign any contracts today because you won’t pay enough attention to the details. Instead you’ll go with your feelings and that’s not always the best thing when it comes to financial matters.

With the Sun entering the sign of Aquarius, you finally feel as if the deadlock created by so many planets in Capricorn is abating. Now only Saturn, Mercury, and Pluto are in Capricorn.

You feel as if you can breathe a sigh of relief. You realize that you don’t have to feel so responsible for situations. You can let other people take care of their own problems. Plus, you don’t have to play by their rules. You can move out into the world to make you own decisions.

You’re not too sure how much you want to say on January 20^th when Mercury forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde. You want to help other people but you feel as if they are not willing to help themselves. You’d like to be supportive, but you feel other people aren’t doing things right. And, you want to tell them how wrong they are. This is not an easy day for communications. If possible, try not to say too much. If you do, you may find yourself criticizing others.

On January 24^th, you’re able to focus on your goals as Mercury forms a conjunction to Pluto. You may become so focused on your goals that you miss other important information around you. Or, you may get involved in some form of intense communications with others. If you do get into a debate, you’ll want to win. But if you do get into a debate, be cautious. You may enjoy the fun of the debate more than the actual act of winning. Perhaps you would be better off listening to what people have to say.

Where you may have been very quiet yesterday but today, January 25^th, is different. With Mercury forming a sextile to Jupiter it’s difficult to keep your mouth shut. You can’t hold on to secrets. You say too much. You spend too much time justifying your behavior.

Still, this energy can work very well in a business environment. If you need to give a presentation or lecture today, you’ll do well. You’ll be both engaging and inspirational. You may not listen to others, but you’ll be able to share stories which others enjoy hearing. You’ll also be able to suggest important strategies for success.

Mars enters the sign of Sagittarius and Ceres retrograde forms a quincunx to Neptune on January 26^th. Mars likes action and Sagittarius exploration. You also want to push boundaries. You don’t want to be held back. You’re willing to try new things.

With Ceres retrograde forming a quincunx to Neptune after Mars enters the sign of Sagittarius, you may feel a little confused about those new experiences that you’d like to try. You want to go out into the world and experience romance. You’d like to try some new adventures. But you need to be careful not to chase unrealistic situations. Don’t take anything other people say at face value. Don’t compromise too much or else you’ll end up losing while the other person gains a lot more.

Venus forms an opposition to Ceres retrograde on January 27^th. You may feel frustrated that your feelings towards other people are not reciprocated. Or, you may feel as if you just want to be left alone and not deal with any intimate situations. Usually these planets work in harmony: Venus feeling compassion while Ceres offering compromises to solve problems. But today is a day where you feel that people may be the problem and you don’t want to relate to them. If that’s the case, just pull back. Spend time with yourself and enjoy a day of solitude.

Mercury forms a square to Uranus and a sextile to Chiron on January 28^th. With Mercury forming these two aspects, it’s important that you take time to listen and not respond. When Mercury forms the square to Uranus, a lot of information is entering your life. Your brain is on over load. You can’t process all this information and it’s making you nervous.

As Mercury forms the sextile to Chiron later in the day, you finally feel as if all the “noise” (the overload of information) around you is slowing down. You’re able to start processing this information.

With Venus forming a conjunction to the Moon’s South Node on January 29^th, you think about the past and what you’ve achieved. How you feel about this will depend. If you feel that you did everything you could, you won’t regret your past actions. If you feel as if you could have done things differently, you’ll feel some regrets. But the important thing about today is that you realize you did everything you could in the past. Use that knowledge so you can decide on how you want to move into your future.

As the month of January draws to a close, the first eclipse of the year occurs on January 31^st and a few minutes after that eclipse occurs, Mercury enters the sign of Aquarius.

This is a total lunar eclipse with the Sun in Aquarius and the Moon in Leo. It is also the second full Moon that occurs during the month of January. This eclipse will be seen in Asia, Australia, Pacific, and the western part of North America. It is part of the Saros cycle 124. This year there will be a total of five eclipses (two lunar and three solar).

When eclipses occur, matters tend to be obscured. A total lunar eclipse occurs at the time of a full Moon when you usually make some decisions to decide what to let go and where to make changes. With the Sun in Aquarius, review your friendships and associations with professional colleagues. Determine if you are getting the support you need from other people. You want to be your own individual. At the same time, with the Moon in Leo, you want to be appreciated by others. You don’t want to be ignored. You also want to have fun.

There are several interesting things going on at the time of this eclipse. Mercury is still in the sign of Capricorn but about to enter the sign of Aquarius a few minutes after this eclipse occurs. This means that you want to take things seriously, but can’t. You also may have difficulty listening to what others have to say. You may not take that information seriously. Or, other people may be distorting the information they are giving you.

The Moon in this eclipse forms a conjunction to Ceres retrograde while the Sun forms an opposition to Ceres retrograde. Emotionally you want to compromise to get your way. But you need to be cautious. A compromise at this time may require that you give up too much of your freedom.

When Mercury does enter the sign of Aquarius, you feel a sense of relief. You feel as if your mind is open to new ideas and not stuck in the past. Even when you share your ideas with others, you’re able to think independently. You’re willing to look at the diversity of the situation. You could even resolve some important matters.

For more information on Misty Kuceris, her classes and seminars, as well as other articles, just go to www.mistykuceris.com.

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