This month you seem to have realized the truth of the saying, "No man is an island." With four heavenly bodies filling your seventh house of partnership, commitment, and marriage, you appear to be ready to align yourself with another person, to be able to do bigger and better things in life. You have Mercury, Pluto, the Sun, and new moon in Capricorn at 19 degrees on January 9.

Nothing will be straightforward, however, so how things go for you will depend in great measure how a certain relationship has proceeded so far. Pluto's presence opposed to your Sun (if your birthday falls on or within four days of July 6) may indicate you are dealing with a partner who is very dominant, and who wants his or her way, no matter what you say in your defense. This partner may be someone you love, or someone you may represent in business or a person who represents you, but either way, your point of view seems not to be heard or acknowledged.

Or, it may be that you are doing fine with a partner in love or business, but that a competitor has resorted to ruthless tactics that are almost impossible to cope with, because they are so off the grid and so unfair. You would never stoop so low as this person appears to be doing, but that makes things worse. It would not be worth bringing the matter to court because this person would have all the funds he needs to win by twisting truth or finding loopholes in the law. You can combat this, but your strategy must be perfect. Take your time and come up with a clever way to protect yourself.

This can be a tough aspect, and your friends who are Cancer, whose birthdays fall, say, at the end of June, went through this in late 2008 and 2009. They can help you if you listen to their stories about how things may have finally worked out. This person may have been a ruthless competitor or a soon-to-be ex who brought your Cancer friend a lot of grief. If your birthday falls June 21 to July 2, you are done with Pluto, but if you have other planets in Cancer, and one is at 15 degrees, you are feeling some of the remnant tensions of this planet.

A lot depends on your individual chart, and I cannot see all from where I sit. Some Cancers (and I hope this is you) will be on cloud nine, getting engaged or getting ready to get married soon, and the new moon in your marriage sector January 9 would trigger events. If this describes you, if you do feel any stress, it may emanate not from the person you love, but from one person in your business life - your marriage or established romantic partnership would likely remain fine.

This new moon is flawed in that Uranus will be in hard angle to this new moon, so your arrangement with this strong-willed person or regarding a situation with a tough competitor somehow may have a direct impact on your career. You may suddenly feel you need to make a change of some sort, such as to find a new job, or that you need to completely change your line of work. Whatever comes up regarding your career will happen almost the minute the new moon arrives on January 9.

Let's say you are not attached but single and not dating anyone in particular. Your outlook for love this month will actually be excellent. There are two houses that involve close romantic relationships - the fifth house of love and the seventh house of marriage and commitment. For your love relationship to move into the seventh house, it would require a contract. Mars will brilliantly light your fifth house of love all month, in the wildly compatible sign of Scorpio, a water sign like yours. Mars will enter this lyrical part of your chart to energize things on January 3, and remain there until March 5 - a fabulous phase for romance!

If you are attached and happy, you will enjoy this trend too. While single Cancers will meet new people to date - and it will be one of the very best times in two years for singles to circulate - if you are attached, you will have time to plan plenty of fun with your partner. Modern life can be tough on relationships, with a plethora of deadlines, pressures, and lists of things to do. Now, with Mars, you can find the time for love you seem to have lost so easily in the jumble of life's demands. All you need to do is long for more love and it will come.

Mars will also bring other goodies: fun with children, good news about a pregnancy, or a child that will soon arrive in the family. At work you may now notice an increased creative spirit in you. It'll also be a perfect time to travel far or near, to indulge in sports as a spectator or participant; go to the movies, museums, or browse bookstores; or participate in a beloved pastime. There's nothing like a super-friendly Mars to brighten your private life!

Moving on, I would like you to circle two special days, January 12 and 13. On January 12, it will be an ideal day to take a trip, so perhaps you will be away with your one-and-only in the middle of January. If so, you chose a glorious week to travel. With Jupiter in your third house until September, you will be in the mood to spend more on a pampering hotel where you can enjoy a bit of luxury. On January 12, and the days surrounding it, I feel you will be able to afford a bit of indulgence.

January 13 is my favorite day of the month, when the Sun and generous, expansive Jupiter will be ideally angled to one another in "trine" aspect (that's one of the best aspects possible, along with the positive conjunction of two planets). If you need a raise, or to discuss better company benefits, like a superb health insurance policy or more vacation days, this would be the day to ask. (Or, if you already asked, you may hear back on January 13, fingers crossed.) If you need to discuss a loan, mortgage, refinancing plan, or any other financial matter, again, this is your golden day to do it.

The full moon on January 23 will also focus you on money. This full moon will be sweetly angled to generous good fortune Jupiter, so although you will be paying holiday bills, it seems you will have some left over and not feel tense about money at all. Mars will be in conflict with this full moon (but the degrees are wide, not tight). This means that you might need to temporarily delay a plan you have, say, to travel or to buy something pricey. It's only a delay, dear Cancer.

Speaking of buying things, don't be too eager to use those gift certificates you may have been given over the holidays. Mercury will be retrograde from January 5 to 25. Don't try to outrun Mercury retrograde, for you likely felt the slowdowns and re-do's that are the hallmark of Mercury out of phase. Still, you had a very hectic December, so you might not mind the leisurely pace of January. You will be able to catch your breath and set your course for the New Year.

These Mercury retrograde phases happen approximately three times a year for three-and-a-half weeks. It will be time to go shopping, especially for electronics or appliances like a refrigerator, sewing machine, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, and the like. It is a very bad time to buy computers or tablets. Wait until February when the Aquarius new moon, February 8, will give you ten days (that follow it) to shop for digital items, as many as you like. Aquarius rules the electronic world because Aquarius is associated with science, new technology, and all that will be invented in the future.

It would not be an ideal time to take a new position this month, not even at the very end of the month after the retrograde is over on January 25, because Mercury has a wide influence before and after the phase. It appears your job would change later in ways that may dismay you. If you own a business, don't go after new clients, but go back to former clients that always enjoyed working with you and try to develop new projects together. By all means, avoid signing a contract because you would only have to renegotiate the contract again later.

If you would like to learn more about Mercury retrograde, go to AstrologyZone.com's homepage, with the black background. Look under my blue Astrology Zone® logo, and you will see my essay in white type called "All You Need to Know about Mercury Retrograde."

I want to remind you to see my 30-minute TV show on the Internet that is on top of this page (look for my large logo and see the words The Show with an arrow to click). In my January TV forecast, I give you a general peek of the Year Ahead 2016. You can always see my show free, with global access, any time that is convenient for you. Go to this link: http://bit.ly/1eTnXol

For a different, big, detailed forecast in video, done by sign, each one lasting 22 minutes for each sign, go to www.Healthwire.FM, and buy the high-quality films I did in collaboration with Deepak Chopra and Martine Dubin, Chairman, CEO, and Executive Producer of www.Healthwire.FM. This TV show with a digital-platform has beautiful visual production values. The cost to you is one dollar US ($1.00) and you will own the show to view as many times as you like. I suggest you get one for your Sun sign, and one for your rising sign too. You can buy the entire bundle for $9.99 to share with family. Go to http://healthwire.fm/healthwire.php Or, go to www.Healthwire.FM and look at the menu that says "Pick Your Shows" - mine comes up first. It was an honor to work with Deepak Chopra's team on this project, and until now this show that I did in early December has been a total secret!

If you don't know your rising sign, start the year off right by ordering a color illustrated book, perfect bound, called My Personal Horoscope that I will write custom for you. This 65+ page book is made possible by print-on-demand technology. It will take a little over two weeks to receive your copy, and it will cost US $55.00 plus shipping. You need only do your natal chart once, for your chart will never change. This is a wonderful keepsake. I offer several versions (such as one for babies, couples, and so forth), but I urge you to choose the book for your own natal adult horoscope chart, with the yellow and deep blue-purple cover.

When you order, you will need to supply your precise time of birth to the minute, your day, month, year, and city of birth. If you don't know the precise time of your birth, I can't be as accurate, and the rising sign cannot be calculated. In that case I default your time of birth to sunrise, and doing that, you will know where all your other planets were on the day you were born. Knowing those will be valuable to you too.

Check to see if your mother had a baby book where she may have recorded the time of your birth. Also check the Hall of Records or Bureau of Vital Statistics where birth records are stored by your municipality. You need the handwritten birth certificate, not the computer copy - if it costs five dollars in the US, it's the wrong certificate. It should cost a bit more and each state sets its own price. You will be glad you had your natal chart done for you will always get more out of my monthly free reports on Astrology Zone if you do. You'll know so much more about your nature, your talents, and how you love to be loved! For more information, go to www.SusanMillerMyPersonalHoroscope.com

You've been thinking quite a bit about your career and your living situation, but by January you can turn away from those cares and center your attention on your private, romantic life. If you are dating seriously, the possibly of a proposal for marriage may come up just after the new moon, January 9, and that vital question may be generated by your partner, or you. With a crowd of planets in your commitment house, including Mercury, Pluto, the Sun, and new moon, the universe will gently push you forward, even if you had planned to wait. Reasons may come up now to make you change your timetable, so go with the flow.

Couples that are already in an established partnership may now make plans for the future. Jupiter will be friendly from your house of contracts, travel, and communication, so you appear to be on the same page with your partner. Mars will tour your most romantic sector all month until March 5, so you find yourself getting lots of attention and admiration from a partner, whether established or a new one.

If you are not thinking about an impending wedding, you may be thinking about taking on a professional in your business, such as a business partner, agent, representative, manager, publicist, or other person who can help you get ahead.

If you have not been happy, chances are your birthday falls near July 8, for Pluto is in direct opposition to your Sun. If you are happy in your relationship, it may be a business partner or competitor who is creating a great deal of tension in you. You seem to be attracted to powerful types, but when you are in the relationship, you may find the other person to be unfair or so dominant that you are treated not as an equal but almost as an employee. You will have to stand up for yourself, but doing so will take courage.

Uranus will not be one bit friendly to the new moon, so you may find that you and your partner will disagree over a matter important to you, most likely a career choice you are about to make. The objections that come up from your partner will be unexpected, or you may be rocked by changes at work when top management or a client announces news you never anticipated. Or it may be that a competitor suddenly does tactics that are outrageous, just to steal a portion of your market territory. All that goes on now may make you consider changing jobs or making a complete job switch. The suddenness of what happens will be unnerving, but you will make the right decisions. Uranus will show you where you are vulnerable and where you can become strong.

You will need to take care of financial matters within four days of the full moon, January 23. That full moon would be the right time to organize your receipts for your accountant to prepare your tax return. At a full moon, productivity is always high, so the sooner you send your files to your accountant, the sooner you will know if you are due a refund. Self-employed people hardly ever know precisely how much they earned and owe until their accountant calls with the result, and as a Cancer you prefer working for yourself. If you do, at the very least, your part of the process will be done.

If you need a mortgage or a refinanced mortgage, a car loan, or an infusion of capital for any other reason, meet with your banker on January 13 when all news should be good news because Jupiter, the planet of generosity and happiness, will be in conversation with the Sun. Although you may get a car loan this month, hold off buying a car until February. A good deal is not a good deal if a newer model is coming out next month and when you see it, you will have wished you had waited.

Keep in mind that in the background to all the financial talks that you seem to be part of in January, you will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the kind of romantic episodes in January that you assumed only existed on the silver screen. Mars in wildly compatible Scorpio will see that you do. Imagine the setting, dear Cancer - with just a little effort from you, this month it can materialize before your eyes.