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 is an interesting month, a kind of litmus test for your emotional life and for your closest committed relationship you have in love and marriage, or in business. I will explain more as we go along, but this month might well set the tone for the rest of the year in respect to your relationship.

The month starts off with a full moon, January 1, in Cancer 12 degrees, putting the spotlight on you, your emotions, and all matters that are dearly important to you. This full moon will be friendly to Mars and Jupiter, and both are in in your house of true love, children, and creativity. A golden triangle will appear, linking the full moon in your first house that describes your desires and personality; Neptune in your house of travel, education, and the media; and the fifth house of love, children, and creativity. Clearly, something is coming to culmination, and a decision or action involving one or more of these areas will be required almost instantly. It’s hard to say more, only that this full moon will clarify your feelings.

I am always concerned when I see a full moon on January 1, for many people drink quite a bit over New Year’s Eve, and alcohol is not always a good mix in close relationships or for accidental mishaps. People can argue for no reason, or say things they later regret. By all means go out to a party if you like, but be sure to have a car service like Uber pick you up to bring you home.

On the other hand, on the bright side, the full moon January 1 might bring a proposal for marriage (from you or the person you love). Many couples get engaged by the romantic light of fireworks in the midnight sky. As said, you will know the state of your relationship by the time this month is over, for feelings will be pushed to either end of the spectrum, either exciting and happy or just the opposite. This is a case of mixed messages – your love life will be very strong, but if you are married or in a serious business partnership of any kind, that relationship might be under stress. This is one of those months whether everything will be seen in high relief, black or white, making choices very clear.

If your birthday falls on July 3, have Cancer rising 12 degrees, or the natal moon in Cancer 12 degrees, in all cases, plus or minus five degrees, you will feel this full moon directly and will likely see good things flow from it. You will also receive benefits from this full moon if you have a natal planet in Pisces, Scorpio, or Cancer, 12 degrees, or a natal planet in Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn, and in all cases, plus or minus five degrees.

A few days later, on Saturday, January 6, you have one of the finest days of the year. Mars and Jupiter will make a rare conjunction in your solar fifth house of true love. In case you think this is a commonplace aspect, think again – this aspect is as rare as diamonds. The last time we had Mars aligned with Jupiter in Scorpio and in your solar fifth house of true love, it was August 8, 1982. This will not happen again until November 24, 2053. To explain, while Jupiter aligns with Mars every two years, this always happens in a different sign – having these two in the water sign of Scorpio will be quite divine for you. January 6 should be a dazzlingly romantic date night, and you will also feel the energy building on Friday, January 5, too.

If you want to have a baby, get serious about that plan in early January. If you already have your children, plans made for them on January 5 or 6, such as for summer camp or special lessons, should turn out exceedingly well, too.

There is another way January 5-6 could be used, and that is to further your career, especially if you are in a creative field. Your ideas will burn brightly, and steps you take to present a project or work on one should turn out exceptionally well, so by all means, share them in a presentation on January 5.

Monday, January 8, will be special too, for on this day, Jupiter in Scorpio will reach out to the Sun in Capricorn, linking love, children, and creativity to a business or marriage partner. Having a collaborator or business partner / agent / representative / manager will put you ahead of the class.

On the following day, January 9, Venus and Mars will again create a link between your fifth house and seventh house, just as will happen the day prior, on January 8. Truly, the span of days from January 1 to 9 will be remarkably positive for you.

    On Saturday, January 6, you have one of the finest days of the year. Mars and Jupiter will make a rare conjunction in your solar fifth house of true love, setting the stage for a magnificent romantic episode. This aspect is as rare as diamonds.

The big moment of the month will be January 16 when an elegant party will take place at the new moon in Capricorn 27 degrees. This new moon will gather many heavenly bodies from all corners of the universe. All the planetary guests will be in place to welcome the hosts, the magnificent new moon and Sun, arriving arm in arm, in Capricorn, and ready to greet their guests, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto.

You are a Cancer, so all these planets will be 180 degrees from your Sun. You might find this to be either exciting or awful, but there will be almost no milder, more moderate emotion in between. This is, as said, a new moon, which denotes beginnings, so you may be drawing up papers for a formal agreement for a serious commitment to a partnership. New moons are operative for at least six months, if not a full year, and all the actions that you take in the days that follow the new moon will become critical to the course things take in coming years. Marriage is a contract, so engagement or marriage is possible in the days after the new moon appears.

There are different ways this new moon can assert its message. The seventh house rules not only contractual matters influencing two people who want to be together or who decide they need to part, it also rules competitors. In this case, instead of an emphasis on marriage or partnership, you might be thinking of a person or company who is launching an offensive to take away a piece of your pie. The competitor in question would be out in the open and easy to see, but nevertheless quite rambunctious and ardent about going after your market. In this case, you may be surprised to see your competitor launch an attack, and you will have to devise a response. Fortunately, you have both Mars and Jupiter in your corner, giving you the ability to come up with brilliant, original ideas that are rooted in savvy financial thinking.

Last month, Saturn left Sagittarius and entered Capricorn on December 20 for a three-year stay, not to leave until December 2020. This is headline news in astrological circles. Saturn teaches us life lessons, so in the coming three years, your lessons will come through partners and your interaction with them in your life, in love, or business, or both. Having studied Saturn in all of his forms, I can say having Saturn in this position is not easy, but if you work with Saturn, he will make you very strong and ready for anything life throws your way.

In terms of partnerships, you will learn about the give and take necessary in a partnership and what you want to give, and what you expect to receive in return. A partnership only works if both parties live up to their promises and commit fully to the success of the partnership – energy creates more energy. At times you will have to pull more of the weight of the alliance, and at other times your partner will have to do the same for you. This is what two committed persons do for each other.

Saturn will teach you to be giving, but also not overly trusting, for Saturn is practical and objective. You may learn that having a contract is wise, whether in business or in love (as a prenuptial agreement). Additionally, with Saturn in Capricorn, you might feel that your normal sources of support are not accessible and that you need to stand on your own – that can feel lonely, but it’s Saturn’s way to show you the strength you have within, and that you need not always rely on others, especially if they are not readily available. Not all Cancer readers will feel this, but this feeling of isolation will happen at some point during the coming three years and foster a strong and independent streak in you. If you are a reader born in June, you are feeling this energy now.

Saturn in the seventh house, oppose your Sun in Cancer, can be difficult for health, so it will be important to keep up your strength and resistance, and to especially protect teeth and bones, as Saturn is known to be prone to drain the body’s calcium reserves. Sometimes Saturn in the seventh house points to a partner who is going through a difficult patch, and if this is true in your case, you will want to help your partner as much as possible.

Going back to this month, the January 16 new moon will bring one difficulty in the form of unpredictable Uranus in Aries, orbiting your solar tenth house of profession, in hard angle to the transiting Sun, new moon, and Venus in Capricorn. This is why I listed a competitor as a possible problem instead of difficulty with your significant other in love or your business partner / agent / manager / collaborator. You may feel your world has been rocked when surprise news comes up that you would never have expected. You will be called upon to instantly strategize a solution. You might feel your career reputation is at stake, but you can find the right answer – just don’t make an impulsive, obvious reaction. Take time to sift through all options and after thinking and brainstorming, pinpoint the ones you like the best. This is one of those high contrast months, with never a dull moment in store. When one minute you think everything is going to the dogs, you will find just around the corner, things improve.

With the Sun, new moon, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto all opposed to your Sun at 180 degrees, you won’t have full control. Your best bet will be to cooperate, and not try to take the reins of the situation. By March, the situation will have changed dramatically in your favor, but for now, practice the art of give and take.

If you are a Cancer born July 19, plus or minus five days, or have Cancer rising or the natal moon in Cancer 27 degrees, you will feel this energy the most. Also, if you have a natal planet at 27 degrees Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces, you are due to benefit – allow a plus or minus five degrees.

The month will end with a full moon lunar eclipse in Leo, highlighting your finances. This will be a time of writing checks, although you may see a lightning bolt of good news concerning your career. Considering how you may have become unnerved at the new moon on January 16 about your standing in your company or industry, the news at the eclipse may go far to make you feel good again. Money should flow in because Mars, planet of action, by then in Sagittarius, will be friendly to the full moon eclipse of January 31. Watch what happens at this time – eclipses tend to bring vital news that points to the direction things will go on subsequent eclipses this year.

Think back to what was happening on this day, January 31, 1999 – you had a similar eclipse at that time. Was 1999 a big year for you? Think about the broad strokes of that year. Another eclipse is on the way in two weeks, February 15, also to accent your earning power and your financial reserves, and that eclipse is the same as the one you had in 1999. Although planets keep moving and changing, and no year is a copy of a year that has come before, you might be able to find a theme that appeared then and that is coming up this month and next.

This month, from the moment you enter the New Year, you will notice that others seem to have more control over almost all parts of your life. Don’t be tempted to rail against this situation, as doing so won’t help and could backfire. The full moon will fall on January 1, and you will have felt the approaching fullness on New Year’s Eve, and possibly a day or two before that. A relationship may be coming to culmination, and things could go either way – to grow closer and commit in in love, or to seek help in trying to fix a relationship. Or, of course, you might break up, but planets seem, for the most part, friendly, so that seems less likely.

A crowd of heavenly bodies are currently heading to your committed relationship sector – the highest number of planets in one sector that the world has seen in many years – and this will be either very good news, where you both will feel tender love for each other and grow closer, or all these planets opposed to your Sun may be very bad news, for you will reach the end of your rope and call it quits.

You will start to see all this in action after January 16, which is the new moon in Capricorn, 27 degrees. At that time you will have an unusually large number of planets in your seventh house of marriage and business partners, six out of a possible ten heavenly bodies, including the Sun and new moon, Venus, Pluto, Mercury, and Saturn.

This same house rules not only partners, but also competitors, one of whom might be out in force, vocal and plotting an offensive that might surprise you. Uranus, the planet of unexpected, sudden developments, will be in sharp dispute with the large cluster of planets in Capricorn. This indicates a political faction may surface within your company, led by someone who will want to either gain control of your job or take credit for your good work. Or, it may be a competitor will become more aggressive and strike with unexpected tactics to steal your market share. This competitor won’t be operating in secret – you will clearly see the person or competitive company that is causing you concern. The first step in combating a problem is being able to see it – now you can.

Although the theme of January seems to be about career and money, you might enter into a highly romantic period too. If you feel the energies of the month in a more romantic way, you may get engaged or married, especially at some point during the first seven days of January (which may have started December 30 or 31, too). A golden triangle will appear in the sky at that time, formed by several heavenly bodies, specifically the moon in Cancer (you), Mars and Jupiter (true love and romance), and Neptune (sumptuous long distance travel). Additionally, in the first ten days of January, your crowd of planets will receive shimmering vibrations from Neptune (inspiration), Jupiter (happiness), and Mars (energy).

The month will change tone as you get to the end, for then your focus will switch to money. A total lunar eclipse of the moon is due on January 31 in Leo 12 degrees, your second house of earned income, salary, and fees. This full moon eclipse will bring to conclusion talks with a perspective or present employer. Or, if you are self-employed, you may have a moneymaking idea that is a profitable one, and if so, launch it just after January 31. Mars will be supportive of this eclipse and bring out your innate creativity. Your income might be boosted by how well you generate original ideas to the team and client. Whatever happens on this eclipse could bring your confidence back – you have what it takes to be a high earner, and now you see it, and so does everyone else.