January Horoscope for Aries:

There's a calm before the storm feel to January. Mercury is retrograde through mid-month, in Capricorn. This has you inwardly going over weighty matters like career, or even financial survival. It's a time to see through the phony facade to what's really going on, in the "real world." This kind of intelligence helps you make decisions that will stand up in the tough times ahead.

Use this fallow period to dig deep into the foundations, to ferret out what's solid and can be built upon. This might include time-tested wisdom that comes through your ancestry. The focus is on what has lasting value. And what you pick up now guides you later, when there's more pressure to eek out every tangible resource, for use in going forward.

Revving in Reverse

Mars is also retrograde, in the showy sign of Leo. This has you instinctively drawing your creative projects out of the limelight. It's a great time to hone your craft or infuse life into what you're doing. You're revisited by ghosts of creative passions' past, and may see that they're time has come.

You can streamline your look now, and work on your public style. Mars helps you take off the marquis, those personal acts that have lost their appeal. You're going to be center stage in 2010, so take time to infuse your self-image with new dynamism. It's timely for upgrading your promo materials, so it better announces yourself to the world. The emphasis is on substance, so keep it real.

Capricorn New Moon (January 15th)

Just as Mercury is about to station direct, the New Moon in Capricorn folds you into the dark to go soul-mining yet again. You may sense that the solid bottom has not quite been reached, and there's more searching to do. It's hard to feel in limbo, but it's important not to build on shaky ground, too. This New Moon is a journey to the center of those questions -- about career, how you'll make your mark, your place in society, the quest for a substantial life.

This serious vibe moves into the love realm, as well, with Venus in Capricorn pushing for high standards. Old relationships may be tested, as you're overcome with a desire "not to settle" for anything inauthentic. It's a time of re-anchoring in what has depth, or the potential for growing strong roots.

Relating vs. Being the One

A theme this year is finding your authentic center, even as relationships take on greater urgency. This is the push pull that will only increase when Uranus (shocking personal evolution) goes into your sign in May. This begins the opposition to Saturn in Libra, across the Zodiacal wheel from Aries. You may go to extremes, favoring one side over the other as you try to find balance.

You're heading into truly challenging times, Aries. Saturn in Libra holds up a mirror to see yourself more clearly. What you "hate" or have strong reactions to in others, is likely something you've yet to integrate in yourself. And yet, take heart, because you can see these "projections" and integrate them at warp speed this year.

Into the Mystic

The lucky planet Jupiter goes into Pisces on the 17th, and this takes the edge off all the heavy-duty decisions you've been mulling over. This opens doors to direct work with spirit guides, lucid dreaming, and imaginative expansion in all areas. Some of the answers that have been elusive 'til now, may come through in otherworldly ways.

It's a good thing to be a force for the new. You're able to lift people up, just by being enthusiastic and fearless. You'll likely find that many are drawn to your belief in new beginnings. This is heightened when the Sun goes into collaborative Aquarius on the 18th. You shine in January when your natural surge-like persona is in service to the whole. As you dig ever deeper to find your earthy purpose, at some points, it'll line up with the needs/desires/aspirations of everybody. In those moments, you'll know you've hit on a current that can take you where you need to go!