January 1, 2024 — We begin January and the New Year with Mercury stationing direct just after Jupiter did the same on December 31. We can begin to feel clarity and hope return as we look ahead to a life-altering year. Many planets stack up in Capricorn this month, while Mars in stable Capricorn forms a harmonious trine to earthy Taurus. More than usual, this January is a month to ground, prepare, and lay the foundation for the rest of the year. We can set goals and put into place routines and structures that will support us, no matter what shifts we experience in our external lives.

Big changes and rapid evolution are on the horizon, so finding our anchors is extra important. Already this month, Pluto moves into Aquarius, in one of the most significant transits of the year. Because of his retrograde cycles, this is Pluto’s second ingress into the sign of the Water Bearer since last year. Pluto will return to Capricorn one more time in June, then he moves into Aquarius for good in November—where he remains for twenty years.

While the past few months have been tumultuous and many have struggled with losing faith, we’re starting to see something shift already this month. Aquarius, sign of technological innovation, progress, and humanitarianism, is ready to reveal our future potentials. As Pluto leaves Capricorn, we are ending our ongoing frustrations with a years-long cycle of stop-starts and push-pulls. The battle with the past—our stuckness, olds traumas, outgrown entrenched patterns, and destructive norms—will finally begin to dislodge.

january 2024 TRANSITS

MERCURY STATIONS DIRECT

Mercury stations direct on January 1, and will now begin moving forward toward Sagittarius, restoring our clarity and optimism. If we’ve been feeling caught in mental fog or a depressive mindset, we can feel that start to lift, especially since Jupiter stationed direct on December 31 as well, restoring our buoyancy and hope. 

CAPRICORN NEW MOON

On January 11, a Capricorn New Moon forms. We can think of this as the real initiation of the new year. Forming an exact square to the nodes while in wide conjunction to Pluto at the final degree of Capricorn, we are grounding and exerting discipline. We are finding ways to remain in our strength and integrity as we release the last remnants of our former selves and outmoded cycles of suffering. Mars in Capricorn is trining Jupiter in Taurus, exact on January 12, so we are blessed with perseverance, confidence, quiet joy, and the deep knowing that we will accomplish whatever we focus on this year. We can take this opportunity to begin good habits that will support us in the rapid expansion that is yet to come.

VENUS SQUARE NEPTUNE

Venus in Sagittarius squares Neptune in Pisces on January 19, and we may feel extra sensitive around now—our hearts expanding to impossible reaches. This is a beautiful day for making art, meditating, grieving, and going inward to feel the immensity of love. We only need to be careful not to go too far—overindulging in pleasure, spending, romanticization, or fantasy.

SUN CONJUNCT PLUTO IN CAPRICORN

Just before Pluto moves into Aquarius, he conjoins with the Sun on January 20, forming a Pluto cazimi. This is a day of epic clarity about what we’ve been working to release since 2008, when Pluto first entered Capricorn. On a collective scale, we’ve been transmuting society—our systems, structures, and politics—and we’ve been undergoing an epic karmic reckoning with past decisions. We might now become still and receptive to any messages coming through about how far we’ve come in our hard-won evolution as we prepare to leap into future potentials.

PLUTO MOVES INTO AQUARIUS

As Pluto moves into Aquarius on January 20 for the second time since last year (after his retrograde back into Capricorn), we are receiving the next glimpse of our future reality. As Pluto begins to fully inhabit Aquarius this year, we are stepping into more egalitarian times without so much resistance. People are rising, revolting against oppression and fascism, and we are establishing fresh norms as we reinvent all facets of life. We’re ready to come up against the blessings and destruction of technological advance as invention and innovation soar to new heights.

SUN ENTERS AQUARIUS

The Sun joins Pluto, this time in Aquarius, on January 20, further illuminating the themes of the new paradigm that are taking root. We are moving away from stodginess and seriousness and beginning to feel more rebellious and friendly. This is the season of community, group activity, activism, and thinking outside the box. We can speak our truth with shocking humor, pushing the envelop and shaking things up.

LEO FULL MOON

A Leo Full Moon forms on January 25, opposite Pluto in Aquarius while squaring expansive Jupiter. Mercury, Venus, and Mars are still forming a Capricorn stellium, giving us the steady momentum and structure that we need, while Mars and Mercury are squaring the lunar nodes, exaggerating our courage and optimism. We may feel a combination of wild creativity, visions of what could be, and the quiet diligence and practicality that can help lead us to fruition. The energies are becoming wild, but we are anchored into reality and feeling inspired to work hard to achieve our dreams. We can allow our imaginations, inventiveness, and insight to shine and shock us as we join together with our communities to construct the next iterations of our lives.

URANUS STATIONS DIRECT

Shocking Uranus stations direct in stubborn Taurus on January 27. The electric change that 2024 promises is now kicking into gear more fully. We are unsticking, innovating, and shifting out of our stuck patterns as intuition and epiphany abound. By now, we may feel much more prepared for the rapid evolution that is still to come as we break free of our troublesome ruts. New solutions and new problems alike are ready to emerge as we co-create the next version of humanity. Is enlightened society possible? Are we heading to utopia or oblivion? It’s up to us. More seems possible now as unexpected rumbles shake us out of our complacency and despair.

January 2024 Aspiration

In the silence of snow, may we anchor to the Earth, as glimmers of hope and courage beam through the dark clouds. May we steady ourselves as we prepare for breakthrough and rapid change.

My book, The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology, is available for purchase. Check it out!

Sign up for a personal astrology reading here.

I post astrology videos, talks, and classes regularly to my Patreon page. Sign up here to join!