MONTH OF January
Off you go! Your sign emcees the cosmic show in the first half of 2023, so you’re off to a running start. Well…kinda! Although the Sun’s in Capricorn and your ambitious tenth house until January 20, your success path could be something of an obstacle course. You’ll be navigating two retrograde planets—communicator Mercury (in your career house until January 18) and your ruler, motivational Mars (in your communication zone until January 12). The best-laid plans may need to be tweaked or deferred for a couple weeks. Patience, which is not your strong suit, will be needed.
Despite these counterforces, you won’t be held back. A big push comes courtesy of lucky and expansive Jupiter, who’s back in YOUR sign until May 16, revving you up to pursue your passions. Jupiter only comes to your sign every 12 years, and this is the red-spotted planet’s second of two installments in Aries (the first was from May 10 until October 28, 2022).
A passion project could hit warp speed by the time the Sun shifts into Aquarius on January 20, beaming into your collaborative eleventh house. Who can help make your dreams into reality? Balance your solo star inclinations and bring some dynamic people onto Team Aries. The Aquarius new moon on January 21 is also Lunar New Year’s Eve, when we bid adieu to the fierce Tiger and welcome the gentle and collaborative Water Rabbit. Take a cue from the bunny crew and multiply! There’s power and prosperity in numbers.
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If your money’s been unpredictable for the past few months, your innovative superpowers also get charged up. Changemaker Uranus turns direct (forward) on January 22 in your work and finance zone—then it’s zero retrogrades in the sky, baby! Under these clear conditions you can manifest the material security or funding to pursue the dreams that Jupiter in Aries is sure to ignite.
Ambition ablaze! It’s Capricorn season until January 20
As January begins, you’re revved up to make moves on your 2023 resolutions. The Sun is making its annual trek through Capricorn, your tenth house of professional advancement and goals, until January 20. With Mercury retrograde until January 18, though, you’ll want to take it one carefully considered step at a time instead of charging forward in your signature style.
Even so, with the holidays behind you, you’re feeling especially amped up to get back to your workspace and start making headway toward your most important goals. Think long-term now, even if that means putting in extra hours to make your dreams a reality. Tap mentors for tried-and-true advice, or take a younger colleague under your wing. The traditional route to greatness might be your best bet to scoring that next-level coup or garnering career-advancing accolades.
Turf war alert! You or someone you work with might dig in their heels on January 9, when the Sun unites with power monger Pluto in your professional zone. An opportunity could arise with your name written all over it—and nobody is getting through that door before you do! Just be careful not to mow anyone down along the way. If you sense a power struggle brewing with a colleague, do your best not to take the bait.
But…Mercury is retrograde in Capricorn until January 18
For the first three weeks of the monclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” th, communication and technology planet Mercury is in powered-down retrograde. During this period, mixed signals and crossed wires abound. If you’re sending out sensitive emails or initiating an important conversation, take extra precautions with your words—or better yet, hold off until the communication gods favor you once again. There’s a strong likelihood of being misunderstood or experiencing unnecessary conflict.
Since the usual Mercury retrograde hijinks could flare up, back up your technology and wait on important signings and commitments. Mercury is in Capricorn and your tenth house of career, long-term goals and authority figures. Watch out for conflict with clients and coworkers, and be careful not to promise more than you can deliver. Deadlines may shift, and it could be hard to get a decision maker to commit. Don’t force it, Aries. You might not have all the information you need, and by rushing, you could do yourself and the project a disservice. Better to scale back and prioritize—or at least, to be aware of what IS in your control.
The January 6 Cancer full moon illuminates home, family and feelings
The first full week of 2023 ends with a Friday full moon! And while most people have been getting back into work mode, this one’s in Cancer and your fourth house of home, family and foundations.
Instead of hitting the gas, la luna sits you down in your favorite comfy chair for a stern but motherly chat. First of all, do you have the emotional bandwidth for your grand mission? Are you getting enough self-care and nurturing to keep your tanks full as you go? Are your family bonds in good standing, or are you still letting some childhood wounds creep into your dynamics? There’s no sweeping past this stuff now because it ALL matters.
The full moon could also bring a long-overdue resolution to a domestic situation that’s been brewing since last summer. Since it will be in tight opposition to Mercury retrograde, there will be no avoiding the issue anymore. Where do you need to make a decision in your personal life, Aries?
You could move, take in a roommate or make plans to buy or sell a home. Maybe you’ll start the new year by radically changing your decor and making plans to add a new member to your brood. (Note to Rams in the childbearing demographic: If you got frisky under the mistletoe, Santa and the stork might have a belated holiday gift for you.) A woman, possibly your mom or a mother figure, could figure prominently into events as the year begins. Luckily, Jupiter in Aries makes you more open to new avenues now.
Every year, the first full moon is either in Cancer or Leo, which we think sets the tone for the entire year. Don’t be surprised if there’s a strong focus on your living situation and roots in 2023, even though the year ahead will also be ripe with opportunities to travel, launch and expand well beyond home base.
Network! The Sun enters Aquarius January 20
On January 20, the Sun swings into Aquarius, your eleventh house of socializing and group activity, putting you in a much lighter mood. Set down that massive to-do list and go hang out with your friends. This is a great time to network and you may meet some promising contacts while you’re out and about. You can also find uplifting inspiration by being with different kinds of people and in cerebral settings, like a live panel of thought leaders. Or check out what’s emerging cutting-edge innovation from the early January annual CES technology convention in Las Vegas. It could spark a big aha moment!
With Mercury direct, it’s a great time to reach out to business contacts and friends again since people will start being a lot more decisive. Attending a casual get-together (the more the merrier) or inspiring group gatherings will get the wheels turning. This is a big year, and you don’t want to squander a second of it. With lucky Jupiter in your sign, you’ve got moves to make. The Mercury retrograde takeaway: Be discerning about the company you keep and make sure they’re propelling your personal goals forward.
Enter the Water Rabbit! Aquarius new moon and Lunar New Year’s Eve on January 21
Hop to it! This Janclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” uary 21 the Aquarius new moon—the first new moon of the year—will also kick off the Lunar New Year of the Water Rabbit. Aquarius rules your eleventh house of groups and teamwork, the perfect complement to the collaborative nature of those ever-multiplying bunnies.
You’re still only one person, Aries, albeit an especially powerful one. The Water Rabbit reminds you to share the load and let others support you. Build a community and connect with people who are up to similar things or share your sensibilities. This new moon and fresh Lunar Year are your cue to add friends, allies and ambassadors to your ranks—it doesn’t have to be lonely at the top or at any step of the journey!
Finances flow again: Uranus retrograde ends on January 22
Stability is underrated, Aries. Yes, you’ll spend the first half of 2023 in hot pursuit of adventure, but that doesn’t mean your finances have to fluctuate because of it. When destabilizing and rebellious Uranus ends a five-month retrograde in Taurus this January 22, unpredictable conditions at work should level out. Even better? Your genius is released from cosmic captivity. If you’ve felt suppressed or held back in your earning power, get ready to rev up your revenue with some original moves.
Have you been playing it too safe lately? With Uranus direct, you might create greater fiscal security by swinging far outside of the box. Tap into the pioneering side of your nature, Aries. The people are ready to follow…and buy!
Has love felt overly serious in the past few weeks? Shake off the holiday heaviness, whether that was pressure to pair up or too much focus on the future. Levity returns this January 2, when Venus glides into Aquarius and your free-spirited eleventh house until January 26, helping you shift back into a “live and let live” mindset. Don’t underestimate the power of a good laugh with friends over brunch—even if it’s just a two-hour distraction from seething over a breakup or obsessing over a love interest. If you’re in a relationship, mix it up and do some things independently from each other or in a group setting.
Make an effort to get out and socialize, even if the winter temperatures and early sundown are luring you to stay in. You never know who you’ll meet with vivacious Venus in this outgoing sector. Even if you don’t make a long-term love connection, you’ll be reminded that there’s a big world out there, filled with fun, interesting characters, and at worst, you might make a new friend. Go be among your people, no matter what’s going on in your personal life. Volunteering for a worthy cause or getting involved in a community project can restore perspective or add more meaning to a happy relationship.
Need a little more incentive? Your ruling planet, passionate Mars, wakes up from a retrograde that started on October 30. When Mars turns direct in Gemini on January 12, your witty and experimental ways return. This could bring an uptick to your social life and you’ll magnetize interesting people with kindred-spirit potential between now and March 25 as Mars completes its extended trek through Gemini.
While the love planets are visiting more platonic zones of your chart for most of January, you could feel some friendly fire with someone you never thought of “that way” on January 9, when Venus and Mars harmonize in a 120-degree trine. If friends are eager to introduce you to someone they think would be a great match, be open to it. Paired-up Aries might want to jointly organize a post-holiday gathering. Opt for an informal meetup at a favorite pub or hangout where everyone can show up casually within a two- or three-hour window. It will be great to reconnect, and maybe even introduce a few of your favorite friends to each other to score some karmic Cupid points.
Heads up: This Mars transit can make you argumentative or cause you to come on too strong. Soften your overly direct delivery. For couples, Mars can help bring touchy topics out into the open for a necessary air-clearing. Don’t avoid the discomfort of conflict, especially if the greater outcome is a stronger and more honest relationship.
All fired up! Until January 20, the Sun is in Capricorn, your tenth house of career and success, helping you tap into your drive to get ahead. The new year brings a lot of motivation to make progress on your goals, including the ones that sometimes feel grandiose or unreachable—not that this has ever stopped you, Aries!
But wait: Before you send out that resume or schedule face time with your boss, know that communicator Mercury is retrograde (backward) until January 18, so you might need to rethink plans, backtrack or correct course as you go. Mercury’s signal-scrambling retrograde will touch your career house in particular, which could cause miscommunications, red tape and technology breakdowns around the office. Expect the unexpected—and don’t assume that your emails or voice messages were received. Follow up, Aries.
This can be a weakened time for launching anything major because your ultimate message might not get across as powerfully as you hope (unless you’re doing a redux with an already-familiar audience). If possible, you might wait until the retrograde ends or do a soft launch for now. You can’t put ALL your plans on hold, but listen carefully to the energy. If you’re meeting resistance, you’re better off pausing.
On January 18, the Sun is conjunct powerful Pluto in Capricorn, a catalyzing day in your professional life. You might team up with an influential person or make a strategic, heavy-hitting move yourself. Watch out for inflated egos, though. You could be crossing paths with some VIPs who have definitely earned their velvet-rope access, and you will need to be savvy. This is no time to get intimidated—it says a LOT that you’re swimming in their high-status sea. There’s no need to show your whole hand yet. Hold that powerful energetic space and create a little intrigue around yourself.
Love Days: 8, 13
Money Days: 28, 20
Luck Days: 26, 18
Off Days: 11, 15, 24
Identical twin sisters Ophira and Tali Edut (The AstroTwins), have been ELLE.com‘s official astrologers for over a decade. They are the authors of several astrology books, including their popular yearly horoscope guides, and have read charts for celebrities including Beyonce, Karlie Kloss and Emma Roberts. For their spot-on predictions, books and online courses, visit them at astrostyle.com.
