As the year ends, I urge you to think back and pick out the very best day of the year, which made you smile, and the hardest day of the year too. If you have my annual calendars, you can see what aspects were at play on the days you choose, or the aspects very close to that day. Make a note of the aspects you find – they might be helpful to you over time…

This will be a month of great progress, especially in terms of your career, home, and family where apparently you are making a number of decisions. While you might feel tense at times, most likely because you are doing so much in short order, it will feel good to be so productive.

The month begins with a brilliant super moon on January 1-2 of the New Year, shining in your tenth house of career like a beacon, at the very pinnacle point of your chart. Within four days of this date, you will likely get some sort of very happy professional news. If you are starting a new job, it represents a big step up – this would be no lateral move. Although this full moon is all about your reputation in your industry and your rising status, you seem to have considered your family’s needs and feelings in the decision to take it. It is also possible that if you are staying in your current company that you will receive some enviable publicity at this time. This is just a glimmer of a theme that will grow bigger by mid-month, so stay with me.

This full moon of January 1-2 brings a golden triangle of harmony to various planets in the night sky, specifically linking the full moon to fortune Jupiter and energetic Mars, both orbiting now in your second house of earned income. This is especially lucky as you seem to have been spending a lot more money than usual lately, and you may have been alarmed at the outgo. This month you should see a good sum of money come back to you. The third leg of the triangle will connect the full moon to Neptune in your sixth house of work projects.

Neptune’s involvement with the January 1-2 full moon could mean the work you do will be highly creative, or, alternatively, be tied to furthering a charitable or philanthropic cause. In addition, Venus and the Sun will be conjunct Pluto, indicating that VIPs will love your work, and that a friend may have recommended you to at least one high level person. Finally, Neptune and Venus will be in sync, dusting this full moon with glamour and fun. Perhaps you will want to go out and celebrate the positive start to 2018 – yes, you should!

Later that week, on January 5 and 6, Jupiter, the great giver of gifts and luck, will align in mathematical precision with active Mars in your house of earned income. What a wonderful day to hear sensational financial news! Pitch a client, negotiate a salary for a new position, or ask for a raise. You can also easily pick up a lucrative side job – the world is your oyster at this time, dear Libra. Jupiter and Mars will not align in Scorpio again until November 24, 2053, so this aspect is as rare as diamonds and just as valuable.

By Monday, January 8, things will be heating up again when it comes to your financial outlook, and Jupiter in Scorpio in your financial house, will be contacted by the mighty Sun in an outstandingly friendly way. At the same time, Venus, your ruler, will also be in conversation with Jupiter on your behalf. When you’re hot, you’re hot, dear Libra. These aspects certainly do hold the promise to help you financially with a home situation that appears to be about to come up soon.

Let’s talk about that for a moment. It appears you have become nearly obsessed about looking for a new place to live, and your timing is perfect. You must look in early January, for on January 8 the pieces of your puzzle will start to fall into place. Moving requires money, and so does the purchase or rental of a new space, and if you are making any of these lifestyle changes soon, it will be comforting for you to know the money you need will be there for you. No need to worry!

The following day, January 9, you will have another stellar day when Venus, your ruling planet, contacts Mars – again your financial house will be lit up for all the right reasons. You are seeing a trend here, for from January 5 through 9, you will be very happy about financial news.

The big moment of the month will be at the new moon January 16 in Capricorn, which will appear with an astounding number of planets also in Capricorn: the Sun, new moon, Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Pluto. They will all light your house of home and family, an area you can see impressive progress this month. It is highly unusual to have six heavenly bodies in one part of the chart, so certainly, your mind will be on home and family, or other property you may rent or own. Most of the happy little planets will be clustered in late degrees of Capricorn, and in conjunction. If you could see them, these little guys will be crushed together, nearly on the head of a pin. A conjunction is the most powerful aspect in astrology – here you have a big conjunction involving several heavenly bodies.

I have a Libra friend who is about to get married and let’s call her Emily. Emily will have to move from New York to Los Angeles soon, for that is where her fiance is based. She was thinking she would find her new home in February, but I said no – her new space is coming up much faster than she can imagine. Her best changes of all 2018 (and yours too, dear Libra) will come in the days following this new moon, January 16. It is imperative that if she, and you, be ready to look at new places to live nearly immediately. If you are hoping to sell property, the same advice holds. You will get clues of good news on January 5, 6, 8, and 9, but the real home or property breakthrough will come in the days or weeks that follow January 16.

Keep in mind that the fourth house of home where this commotion of planets will be also rules your parents and those who you think of as parents. If you are not planning a move, renovation, repair job, or decorating your apartment (as some examples), you may not be training your thinking on your physical space, but on the relationships you have with your family. For example, you may be thinking about how to assist one of your parents, in any number of ways.

Saturn has just entered this part of your chart on December 20, 2017, a few weeks ago, and is set to say for three years, until December 20, 2020. During that time, it appears you will take on a new responsibility, say, by buying a house, or renting your first apartment. You may be undergoing your first renovation, or working on a big repair project to improve the look and value of your home. If the physical space is not your focus, you may be in charge of helping your mother, by getting a companion to live with her, by overseeing her care, for example, or by finding an assisted living situation that would suit her and make her happy. Saturn asks us to learn and grow when he comes into any new house of the horoscope. Often we are asked to make a sacrifice, of time (help mom or dad) or money (save up to buy a condo or house).

Planets in Capricorn suggest you are looking at a rental, purchase, or sale of an older structure, and that the structure might have landmark or historical status. Or, it might be that you are selling the valuable contents of an estate, or attending an estate auction, and finding bargains from the historical, valuable items for sale.

Here is the problem with this new moon, and why you are likely to feel some tension. Uranus will be in very harsh angle to most of the planets in your house of home. Uranus is currently orbiting in your house of marriage and partnership, so the unexpected problem that will come out of the blue will likely stem from your romantic partner or business partner (agent, decorator, architect, or contractor).

As an example, you might be surprised to see that you and your sweetheart / spouse don’t agree on the suitability of a certain space you love but your partner doesn’t. Or, your problem might come from a competitive tenant who might offer the landlord a bribe to get the space you have your heart set on. I am just grasping at straws here, for Uranus always strikes like lightning, but in ways you would have never imagined possible. This is why I can’t give you the precise situation that will come up. As said, the focus will be on your residence, other property (say, a rental or purchase of a vacation home, for example) or in regard to the well-being of a close family member, such as your parent. If your birthday falls on October 18 plus or minus five days, you need to be ready for anything.

In a month that has everything, we have a full moon lunar eclipse on January 31 in Leo 12 degrees, lighting your house of friendship, fun, and events. It appears you will enjoy this moment very much, and because the lunar eclipse is in Leo, the party or gathering would have a touch of luxury about it. Eclipses bring important events that have weight and meaning, and they point to future paths that are starting to open up.

If you were an adult on January 31, 1999, think about the eclipse that occurred on that day and year, for lunar eclipses, like this one, repeat in sign and precise mathematical degree every 19 years. While the other planets will have since moved dramatically, no year would ever be an exact copy of the year that came before. It’s still worth thinking back, for you might get clues to an emerging theme that is about to come up.

Mars will be friendly to the lunar full moon’s Sun and moon, so it should be an active time for you, with lots of news being stirred up. As said, one of your friends will be in the spotlight. Sometimes an eclipse can be bittersweet, and we see a friend move away and become “eclipsed out” of our life. We become quite cognizant that the friendship you share might not be the same in the future. Eclipses often reflect the passage of time, so for example, your friend may be moving on with his life, perhaps getting married, and you know in your heart that you both will have fewer interests in common in the future.

Still, there is always opportunity for good news too with a lunar eclipse, and especially with this one that will be as sweet as a ripe peach. You may make a new friend who becomes a powerful force in your life. Or, you may join a professional or social group that you find you enjoy very much. The eleventh house rules charities too, so you may roll up your sleeves to help a charity that is in need of funds that you can help by raising awareness of what the organization is doing to help others. If your birthday falls on October 5 (plus or minus five days), or if you have Libra rising 12 degrees, or the natal moon in Libra, this eclipse will affect you more than most members of your sign.

Your outlook for January is that you will be unusually busy, for it’s a month that is packed with planetary conversations. The New Year starts out with a full moon in your prestigious career tenth house of honors, awards, and achievement. You may be starting an exciting new position, or ending a high profile project that you are proud to show the world. Mars will be close enough to support all that happens at this time, so you seem to be excited by developments, and rightly so. Positive publicity may flow from this full moon too, so you would have plenty to cheer about.

A sterling day for financial news will come up for you on or very close to January 6, when Jupiter, giver of gifts and luck, will conjunct Mars. This is a rare aspect, for these two Titans of the planetary lineup only happen once every two years, but when they do, the always meet in a different sign. This year these luminaries will meet in your second house of earned income, so you will have the money for any life transitions you might be planning. Take this aspect seriously – it won’t come again until November 24, 2053.

Considering what’s coming next – at the new moon January 16 – you may need to spend quite a bit of money if you are making changes in your living situation. Your family and home will certainly need your attention mid-to-late month, so you may be pulled between the demands of work and those at home.

You may be moving, buying, selling, or leasing property, making extensive repairs, renovating, or planning a decor redesign. You may be putting in a new kitchen, or upgrading all your appliances. With six heavenly bodies in Capricorn ruling this part of your chart, there is no doubt you will have your main attention on home and family not only now, but in the months ahead.

Uranus will be a disruptive influence in this area of your life, for he will not be getting along with the Capricorn planets, and this may result in sudden difficulties with your spouse, fiance, or steady partner that you will not see coming. To say that you will have your hands full in January is an understatement. Whoever gives you grief won’t be easily talked out of their opinions or plans, so it may not be worth trying to find accord the minute you sense a disagreement or conflict start to surface.

Instead of focusing on your physical home or other property, you might instead be thinking about how to best help a member of your family. Here again, your spouse may not agree with your plan. This is a new moon, which is known to set up a long-term situation, so remind yourself that change cannot be accomplished overnight – opinions take time to change, so remain realistic but optimistic too. Take a deep breath – your instincts will lead you to the right answer, so screen out the cacophony of voices of advice around you.

If you are not married, not dating anyone seriously, or don’t have a parent or other adult family member who needs your attention, then it might be that a competitor or business partner / collaborator will make you tense, perhaps because you need to move your office or about something else that will suddenly require you to find ways to combat surprise aggression from a competitor who is trying to steal your market base.

Life will likely brighten at month’s end, thanks to the full moon lunar eclipse in Leo on January 31. This full moon will bring news about a friend. Because eclipses bring landmark events we long remember, it might be that a close friend is being “eclipsed out” of your life, most likely by moving away. You may be happy for your friend, but feel sentimental too. Eclipses always remind us of the passage of time, for they force us to move on with our lives too. It is alternatively possible that you may be giving a large party or charity benefit (or be invited to one), and if so, it will likely bring you a happy experience.

This eclipse is a mild one as eclipses go, and it is similar to one you had experienced on January 31, 1999 – think back to see if you can recall any striking themes that emerged at that time. This eclipse will also bring up a topic that is tied to discussions that you had last August (remember when we all wore the special glasses to look at the solar eclipse?) or as far back as February 2017. Life never repeats exactly, for the other planets will have moved position, but by thinking back, you may get a general idea of the type of discussions you will have ahead.

Month’s end should be a social, and possibly a romantic time, for the mighty Sun, Mercury, and Venus (your ruler) will glide in Aquarius in your sector of true love, and Aquarius is a fellow air sign that blends beautifully with your Sun sign. Dear Libra, love is in air.