This will be a landmark month for you and you will like most of what happens now. It's birthday time, when the smaller, personal planets that orbit close to earth surround you like loving little relatives, hoping that they can make any possible wish you hold in your heart come true. However, we all will need to make it through the cranky full moon that will come up quickly, almost the minute the month begins. Let's get that out of the way first, and then you and I can get to the juicy stuff.

On January 4, the full moon will appear in Cancer, in your sixth house of work assignments. You will have just come back from the holiday, and bingo, you will be expected to produce. Many Aquarians are reading this and saying, "What holiday? I worked the whole time." Yes, I see that possibility, dear Aquarius, for December was a very critical time for you to show the world what you were capable of doing. That theme continues now. (December was so important for you that I would suggest you read my December report if you don't remember all that I said. I always show the link to the last month's forecast at the bottom of my report, below Dates to Note, below, but above the PS of Announcements. You will see the link clearly as we made it bigger so you could find it instantly.

This same full moon, January 4, may be hard on your health. In fact, you may be more focused on your health than you will on job projects. If something wrong has been developing quietly, and was latent within you, this full moon will bring news out in the open so that your doctor can address it. Pluto will be in your twelfth house of confinement, so you may have to rest, and Uranus will be in your third house of short travel, so you may have to go to another city to visit a specialist, or it may simply be the news itself that has you a little bit rattled. (The third house rules travel and news - both.)

Mars will still be in your sign until January 12. You only get Mars' favor every two years, and you have it now. Mars will give you courage and drive, and the kind of energy that would allow you to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Ancient astrologers always said it was such a privilege to have Mars in your sign, for it meant you would fight passionately for the projects, endeavors, and relationships that are important to you. You will go the extra mile not to be turned down - failure does not exist in your universe. This will impress everyone around you, dear Aquarius. If you have anyone you will still need to see, you should get on the stick and get those appointments lined up quickly, before Mars leaves Aquarius.

There is another reason to move quickly. Mercury, the planet of communication, perception, commerce, and negotiation, will be retrograde in Aquarius from January 21 to February 11. This will slow you down, but it won't stop your steamroll to success. When you make it back to birthday time, the Sun will always be standing nearby to protect you. For you, your "weakest" time is when the Sun is six months away from your birthday. That's the sign of Leo in August for you - that's your "winter" - a time when the Sun is as far away as it can possibly rotate, and it's hard for you to feel the Sun's warmth. In January and February you will have everything working for you, so you need to snap to it, and get lots done. You can impress all those you meet with now, so it's certainly not a time to stay home.

This is true for love and fun too. Venus will be in Aquarius from January 3 to January 27, heightening your charms and making you sparkle at any gathering. This month should be more social and more exciting than December ever was for you. You are so lucky to have BOTH Venus and her lover Mars in Aquarius - that never happens! Gee, you are gathering up all the best aspects and squirrelling them away in your little bag, to keep them all for yourself. It's true that Mars is about to pack his bags and depart on January 12, but that only will give you the impetus to get going quickly, the minute January dawns so that you can give a push to one of your dearest goals. In astrology, the day you take your first steps is important, for it is the "birth" of the venture. Even a baby step counts, so think about what you'd like to do to take full advantage of these golden aspects.

One of my favorite days for you will be January 13, when Venus will be in perfect angle to your ruling planet, Uranus. Uranus rules surprises, so yours may be a romantic surprise, or simply a day that is so exciting you can barely contain yourself. You may need to travel spontaneously to a nearby town, or this week may be the week you've chosen for a vacation and you will be away all week. Whatever you decide to do, this day deserves a big gold star - everything will work in your favor, and the week may prove to be highly romantic and very social.

The following day will bring gorgeous fireworks too. On January 14, Mercury, the planet of thinking, will meet with your ruling planet, Uranus, to create a day of high voltage energy, great chemistry, and excitement. It will be a day that bubbles up many original ideas. Allow for serendipity to play a role too. You won't expect all the wondrous things that can happen on January 14, so allow the day to unfold as you sit back and enjoy the surprises. January 27 will have the very same rare aspects, but Mercury will be weak, in retrograde, so of the two, January 14 will be your best.

Mars will change signs on January 12, and from then until February 19, you will see your spending rise. You may have expenses you know are coming up, such as a deposit for your child's summer camp or your own tuition, as two examples. If you are sending checks to fulfill a financial obligation, that's good, so do that, but if you plan to make some big purchases on new products, you may want to hold off.

The new moon of January 20 will be one of your best new moons of the year! Think of a new moon as a portal to a whole new place. Once a year you get a new moon in your own sign, to use as you please. Usually I tell you how to best use the new moon and the ten days of energy that follow, but when it falls in your sign, you can choose. This new moon is so special because it will receive such comforting beams from Saturn. Saturn is so very comforting at this angle, and will help you set up a very stable plan for your future. A friend seems to be involved with your planning at the new moon, or it may be that you join a club (social or professional) or a charity / humanitarian or community project to make a difference to a segment of people who have suffered and been overlooked by society.

If your birthday falls on January 29, or within four days of this date, this new moon will be extra-strong for you, and you will have plenty of opportunities that thrill you. The same is true if you have 0 degrees Aquarius, Libra, or Gemini rising, or a natal planet or rising sign within five degrees of 0 degrees.

Think of a new moon as a time to plant new seeds. After you do, you will see that the steps you took in the ten days that followed the new moon were especially potent and can affect your future for a year, or even longer. All new moons work that way, but what makes this one special is that 1) it is in your sign, and 2) it is supported by sturdy Saturn, which is, by the way, your ancient ruling planet before Uranus was discovered. This gives special "weight" to this new moon, so take it seriously. This new moon comes with her elegant entourage: the Sun on her arm, followed by Venus and Mercury, all in Aquarius. You can have the best aspects, but without an important new moon (yes, like this one), not much can happen. Now you have all the pieces of your puzzle, dear Aquarius! You must take action to make this new moon work for you.

Things will be a little complicated by the move of Mercury in retrograde in Aquarius from January 21 to February 11. It would not be the time to accept a new job, not unless you know the person who is offering it to you, and you started your relationship with that person a long time ago, possibly years ago. In that case, you would not be starting anything new now, but rather continuing a long-term relationship with someone that you liked and trust. Otherwise, if the situation is a new one, go very slowly, because although you can't tell everything will be in flux, they will be, and you will not have any idea which direction things will heading, not for a while. Now, if you had done a pilot, say, for a new TV show (as an example), but it never got approved to air, but another producer comes to work on it and air it a few years later, that's good - the situation is returning, but in this case, not the person you first worked with on the pilot. Nevertheless, this is a good situation, for a dream you had will now take flight - going back to the past will be fortunate for you.

You CAN stage talks on any level in any direction, but stay flexible and don't make solid, binding commitments. If you HAVE to make a commitment, know that things will change - for example, the job you think you will have will shift and perhaps become very different from the one you think you will have - but that might not concern you. If you desperately need a job, sometimes we have to act at unfortunate times.

Mercury retrograde is also a bad time to spend a lot of money, especially on items that have moving parts, like a car, an electronic, or appliance. While it's never wise, ever, to spend on these types of items with Mercury retrograde, it will be doubly bad to do so now, as Aquarius rules all things newly invented - high technology - so you do want to keep those gift cards carefully in your drawer until the second half of February.

See an old friend on January 25, when the Sun and Saturn will be so beautifully in sync. A friend may have wise advice that makes you ponder what he says for many days after you see one another. This day will also be special for those who are attached. The Sun rules your commitment sector - if you are in love, the two of you may set a wedding date, and it would be one that sticks.

After a relaxing holiday, it appears your boss or client expects you to hit the ground running the minute you are back to work. The full moon of January 4 (strongly influential for four days beyond this date) will bring a deadline for the wrap-up of a major work project. Everything about this project seems unnecessarily difficult. Team members will be scattered, so you will need to rally them to the cause and get them to focus as a unit. It will take all your strength and concentration to keep this project from going off the rails. Uranus, your ruling planet, will be at odds with the full moon, so watch for typos and inaccuracies. Pluto will be in hard angle too, suggesting you may have a political situation in the office where one shifty competitor (who keeps his identity hidden) is hoping you won't be able to pull things together. Too bad - you can, and will, so there, take that!

Keep your health as strong as possible, as this full moon January 4 may drain you. You clearly will need extra rest, and with so many people being emotional around you, it's easy to see how worn to the bone you may feel by week's end.

The rest of the month should be silky smooth. For a time, you have pretty-me Venus and energetic Mars both in Aquarius, a major privilege, for you will have grace and magnetism, along with just the right amount of can-do attitude to charm anyone in your path. As if that were not enough, you will have your annual birthday new moon, January 20 in Aquarius, allowing you to take steps toward a goal dear to your heart.

This new moon in Aquarius January 20 will be simply divine, as Saturn, in your house of hopes and wishes, will see that your efforts are fruitful. This new moon will be like a gift certificate that will allow you to direct its energy in any way you choose. Birthday time is the only time of the year that the universe sends such a considerable gift. What would you love to see happen next in life, dear Aquarius? If the phone were to ring, who would be calling and what would that person say to you?

With all this cosmic support, as you may have surmised, romantically, your outlook this month could not be brighter. Take special note of January 13 when Venus and your ruler Uranus will be in sync, making it the standout day for love. When it comes to romance, few will be able to resist you. If you need to travel on this day, or if this week happens to fall at a time when you are on vacation, January 13 will be extra romantic. This day sparkles!

Two other days bear mentioning: January 14 and 27, when Mercury, planet of thinking and communicating, will interact sublimely with Uranus, making you very articulate and persuasive. Use these days for an interview or presentation - you will find all the right words, and impress everyone within range of you. It's also a day when you would be highly stimulated by a talk you attend, such as a book signing or other event.

Mercury will be retrograde in Aquarius from January 21 to February 11. This means that you will have to deal with delays, indecisive executives, shifting directives, and changing schedules, but you seem to benefit from the slowdown. Don't push against these delays or try to speed things up (you couldn't anyway) but rather, for now, go with the flow. You may reactivate a project from your past, or reconnect with a person you enjoyed working with long ago and would like to work with again. Going back to the past will be very lucky for you indeed. In all ways, this will be a special month for you, chockfull of opportunity and reason for expecting only happy days ahead.

The full moon of January 4 may bring a work project to fullness. There are problems, however, with this full moon as it comes packed with tension. The project may need corrections, or staff may quit and leave.

Those attached are under heavenly aspects for coming closer in commitment, thanks to Jupiter in Leo, a once-in-twelve-year visit of this good fortune planet. This year will be a wonderful year to wed.

The new moon of January 20 will be an important moment for, it will allow you to begin steps toward a dream that you hold dear to your heart. Is your birthday near that date? Then this new moon will be doubly important for you.

Saturn used to be your ruler, before Uranus was discovered, so this January 23 could be a very special day for you to have any important action, whether an interview, presentation, and first date - you name it.