Star Codes
IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL if we could spend the month of January in a meditation retreat. Mercury is now retrograde in Capricorn through Jan. 26, and offers mental discipline, encouraging us to be still and look within. The retreat will need to include movement too, as friendly Venus, now in expansive, peripatetic Sagittarius, can make us restless if we sit still for too long. Mars in deep Scorpio calls for moments of solitude; it can also stir our more primordial feelings and make us irritable with interruption. Venus conjuncts serious Saturn this week, which helps us put disciplined practice into anything we love.
If we can’t make that retreat, this could be a complicated time. Although we may like to plan our year ahead, retrograde Mercury asks us to review the year behind first, and use this month to finish the work we began before the holidays. We can launch new projects in February. We also may need to deal with life’s little sidebars, short-term problems we weren’t counting on that now urgently need our attention.
Mercury retrograde can also bring technical complications and disrupt communication if we’re in a rush. Mars in Scorpio can make us cautious about new approaches.
Mercury in Capricorn encourages our minds to be extra industrious and wise on a good day, but more easily worried or depressed on a bad one. So let’s give our brains good work and celebrate each completed step. Watch the thinking process and practice mindfulness.
As the week progresses, we’ll want more transparent information. We may also have a flash of insight that breaks open an old assumption and lets in fresh understanding as the sun and Mercury both trine liberating Jupiter.
FRIDAY, JAN. 8: Be wary of a sluggish depression that fixates on the past. We feel better after a good day’s work catching up as Mercury conjuncts a determined Capricorn moon. Don’t test one another tonight as Venus conjuncts Saturn — build trust instead.
SATURDAY, JAN. 9: Frustration can make us restless or reckless as the waning Capricorn moon conjuncts Pluto and squares Uranus midday. Let retrospection encourage healthy resolutions for the future under tonight’s new moon in Capricorn.
SUNDAY, JAN. 10: We feel a little old or creaky on this thoughtful morning, but our mood and muscles improve with movement as the moon enters Aquarius midday. Ask how collaboration with the family or community can improve the situation.
MONDAY, JAN. 11: Keep conversation in the present to work around strong mixed feelings. As Venus in Sagittarius begins to trine Uranus over the next few days, look for interesting new relationships or collaborations with roots in the past. Reconnect with old contacts.
TUESDAY, JAN. 12: Stir the coals of hopefulness as Mercury trines Jupiter during the upcoming days. As important facts become clear, an old ally may need to be lovingly challenged. We grow more sensitive and can tap into our creative process tonight as the moon enters Pisces. Blow on the sparks of romance and affection — loved ones need warmth.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13: We drift around in our inner realms this morning as the moon conjuncts Neptune in Pisces. Look for opportunities to help others with the benefit of experience this afternoon.
THURSDAY, JAN. 14: We are infused with great strength of mind as the sun conjuncts Mercury and both trine Jupiter, but we can use that to become obsessive as easily as to find answers. Choose carefully what to focus on. Give people room to express and tell their story, and let a challenge instigate a moment for compassionate teaching.