Welcome to Indy Maven’s monthly astrology column coming by way of Kelli Jenkins and Hayley Trussell, better known around Indy as the Spellsisters. Check out their website and Instagram feed for even more info from the world of horoscopes and tarot, or to book a private reading.
January 2022 OVERVIEW
We’re beginning this beautiful year with a serious repositioning of priorities, and prioritization of self above all else is the specific area of focus for this month. Deciding that your life is going to change is the only catalyst needed. The planetary forces this month are pushing us to reconsider how and where we spend our energy, encouraging balance and restructuring of relationships to support this.
As always, the sun will spend the majority of January in Saturn-ruled Capricorn, inspiring us to follow through on responsibilities and set realistic goals. The sun in Capricorn brings about a renewed focus on health and wellness—likely the culprit of the loved/hated New Years’ Resolution. Saturn’s influence is a supportive and responsible aide to encourage getting serious about them.
While Venus retrograde typically doesn’t have that much influence overall, at this time, it does. We’ll be feeling the strength of it until January 28. For the past year, we’ve been experiencing this push-and-pull in relationships: reconsidering our responsibilities, rethinking our fantasies (both business and otherwise) and questioning the limits of our dreams. Venus retrograde may have inspired you to let old flames blaze once again or allowed some indulgence in wallowing about the path not taken. Venus is retrograding in Capricorn, though, so the issues that have come up are most likely to have roots in boundaries (or a lack thereof). It may have been challenging to set clear lines, abide by them, and then continually maintain them. If you’ve been struggling with knowing when to say when, take comfort in the fact that this will all come to a head as the sun moves into Aquarius on the 20th and shortly after, Venus goes direct.
With this influence, there’s huge potential for growth, positivity, and major progress on big dreams. Setting boundaries and following through on your goals could be easier than ever, because you may have worked through a lot of the pressure you’ve experienced in 2021 to define yourself. Regardless, setting big goals at the New Moon on the 2nd is magically super-charged. Think bigger than ever! The trick with this new moon is to trust yourself and believe that your inner compass is correct. The double-Capricorn energy can make it feel like you’re being slighted or like your effort is unseen. Your effort is being noticed, but it can be hard to feel others’ appreciation when the need for validation is universal. Practice focusing inward instead and you’ll find it more easily, with the added bonus of much-needed personal clarity to help with all the goal setting.
The Full Moon in Cancer on the 17th brings emotions into sharper focus. While we’ve been embracing the practical, by-the-book, no-nonsense, get-stuff-done Saturnian vibes, it’s possible your inner voice feels neglected. When the monkey mind takes over, the heart can often be left out. With care and patience, this powerful Full Moon could be an opportunity to see things moving forward, making very real personal progress.
BIRTHDAY SPOTLIGHT: Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
Famous Capricorn: Dolly Parton
RELATED: 5 TIPS TO START THE NEW YEAR ON A POSITIVE NOTE
NOW FOR THE REST OF YOU...
Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)
Your revolutionary spirit has been extra-activated for a while now, but this month, right as we transition into your season, your ruling planet, Uranus, goes direct, too. Uranus bucks the norm and hates tradition for tradition’s sake. Creativity and innovation are favored, and the people you keep closest are looking at you to guide them through it. For the first part of the month, don’t be surprised if you feel a little shut out; it’s frustrating to be the only one who sees the way forward. This time, though, it’s not that nobody else sees it. It’s just that they know it’s not realistic to expect change overnight, even though you, dear Aquarius, feel as though you can move mountains right now. Let things be simple and lighthearted while keeping your sights on your goals. Stay focused. Catch up with maintenance responsibilities you’ve been putting off: check in on your budget, see the dentist, clean out your closet. It’ll be a lot easier for you to lead the way if the little nagging details are out of the way.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
You’re starting off the year with a bang and in the limelight, and for once, you’re absolutely loving being the center of attention. It’s not normally super like you to put it out there that you want and need to be seen, but the past few months of languishing have got you thirsty for recognition. This month’s early new moon hits your 11th house of communication, where Venus is also retrograding. While you’re usually pretty relaxed and easygoing when it comes to socializing, in January, you’ll want to be more outspoken. If you’ve been feeling out of place, don’t worry. All of this is course-correcting itself. You want to be heard, too, and not seen as just a token in your friend group. The mid-month full moon and Mercury retrograde will bring you some much-needed introspective time and may illuminate some blind spots. By the end of the month, you’ll be able to recognize your value, uniqueness, and potential more clearly. If the people around you don’t get you, maybe they just aren’t your people anymore.
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
You’re not yourself right now. You’re experiencing a time shift where you need beaucoup time for R & R instead of your usual scheming and cycling. January has you focusing on your internal clock and where you need to be in the real world. You may be retooling old habits and renovating your career this month, but your energy is low so don’t stress yourself out by trying to become a new person before you’re ready. The New Moon on January 2nd has you disappearing from your usual life and centering down into the land of Brass Tacks™ where the bottom line matters and time-wasting activities no longer serve the same appeal. It’s time to get down to business and conserve your energy. The Full Moon in Cancer on January 17th forms a tense angle with your sign, stoking the fires of a family power dynamic beyond what you can comfortably handle. This is a passing but explosive influence for you, so say what you mean but don’t be too hasty this month.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
You’re in exactly the right place and time this month, even if that seems wildly unlikely based on how December went. January offers a brief reprieve from your categorical workaholism and in response to a choice between fun and freedom, you ask: “Why not both?” Your brain is administratively closed and may require more than your usual share of Netflix binges, garbage TV, podcasts, and trash food. You’d think with the holidays behind us that you’d feel motivated to reset yourself, but the holidays were actually not a super fun time for you this year and you may need to coddle yourself into 2022 to restore the balance. At the New Moon in Capricorn, you may set a budget or some affirmations, but expect a lot of the real work to come next month. January is for plans only—not action. The Full Moon in Cancer on the 17th encourages you to reach out for opportunities, but let the pace of events dictate your action. Take your time and what sticks will stick for life, with your Taurean endurance.
Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
What glitters is not always gold for you in January, Gemini. You’re not used to being able to trust your intuition more than the litany of facts constantly at your disposal in your mental Rolodex, but this month has you focusing on the Vibe™ and your psychic feels before all else. You need to relax your attention and allow the blurred lines of reality in January to help you understand more of what’s going on under the surface because there is likely more to be revealed. At the New Moon in Capricorn on the 2nd, you’re forced to confront your anxiety demons and discover the very real responsibilities and emotional needs they’re papering over. Are you procrastinating on the super important things with other important things? It might be time to center in on what is underneath what you think you need to be doing. At the Full Moon in Cancer on the 17th, your spidey senses are tingling—your security needs and self-worth issues are being reflected in the projections you place on other people, so pay attention to the advice you give at that time, it might be really meant for you.
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Back in the saddle, and you’re ready for anything. You’re reinventing who you are in the eyes of others this month, Cancer, but more importantly, you’re reinventing who you think you are. You may experience a mini identity crisis in January that redirects your path and makes you hyperaware of the traits you’ve outgrown. Even so, you might feel ready to repurpose those qualities you’ve left behind on your path to success and enlightenment and reinvent yourself into who you (oddly) used to be. You might need to circle back (a very appropriate business term for this work-centric New Moon on the 2nd) and remember who you were before you abandoned yourself to fit the status quo. At the new Full Moon in your sign on January 17th, you’re gearing up for a personal renaissance, but this involves your whole being: body and soul. Don’t neglect your heart this month. There’s something compassionate that you need to do for someone else: it could mean listening, or tenderly offering advice, or just not canceling plans for someone who needs you. Get ready for a spiritual awakening this year.
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
January is a time for loosening the ties that bind, Leo. You’re usually a little uptight about who you let into your life, but this month shows you focusing on the future and all the immeasurable paths that you might encounter on your way. You don’t need direction, you need opportunity and options. Don’t decide before you’re ready and before you’ve sniffed every flower on your journey. The New Moon in Capricorn indicates that you’ll be taking time to address some surprises that attempt to throw you off course. Don’t let them: invite the chaos in for tea. You need to realize the ways in which you’ve allowed yourself to get off track by slacking on growth and denying yourself options in favor of consistency (aka mediocrity). You are amazing at doing what you love forever. You hate to stop to fix a cycle of your life that doesn’t seem broken. At the Full Moon in Cancer on January 17th, you answer a question that’s been sitting inside yourself for a while. What makes me happy? What inspires me? The answer will surprise you. Be prepared for the entire year to reflect the answer promised in January 2022.
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
Life cycles around you like a whirlpool, like quicksand, but you are never present enough in the moment to see the ways that stillness could grant you freedom. In January, you are confronted with the outcome of all your work and it is sadly…more work. You are so valuable that others vie for your involvement in their lives: they network with you into oblivion, ask for your advice, solicit you for jobs or cry on your shoulder. This is a monumental year of letting go of being the mom-friend to other people. At the New Moon on January 2nd, you are confronted with a sense that the kids are alright—you are not *needed* in the way you thought you were anymore. This may be slightly unsettling, but it’s ultimately also very illuminating. You have the ability in 2022 to make decisions entirely for yourself without having to consider how your friends, children, pets, or partner may feel about things. At the Full Moon in Cancer on January 17th, you may notice the tendency to collect new projects (ahem…people) even though you are enjoying your ability to live your life. You need to take a deep breath and consider every long-term commitment this year. Set boundaries and only bite off all that you can chew.
Libra (September 23 – October 22)
Comfort food, soft blankets, hot chocolate, and a good book. That’s all you need as January’s new moon lights up your fourth house of home, coziness, and domesticity. Sometimes nothing is more delightful than baking an Instagram-worthy cake, and we encourage you to satisfy the urge to create. You’re in your feelings this month, so expressing yourself creatively can be an excellent outlet. As you’re enjoying small pleasures, pay attention if you have a sneaking suspicion that something is missing. Ever the pacifist, you were born holding your tongue, but it may be time for you to speak up about something important. You were not made to be restricted; the piece of the puzzle that’s critically out of place may just need to be turned a different way. Something that you usually let slide might suddenly feel suffocating, and a simple, “no,” along with a change to your perspective, could be all it takes to put it back together. If not, be direct and clear about what you want and you’ll get it. You just have to play the leading role right now rather than the peacekeeper. You are not a supporting actress.
Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
Your quick wit and sharp tongue can come back to haunt you if you don’t choose your words wisely this month. You don’t always notice when your communication style is cutting, but others see it. Even when you think you’re playing nice, it might not come off that way, and this month, it’s especially important to pay attention to where your frustrations are triggering a reaction. Your motto this month is, “Is it worth it?” Ask yourself if it’s worth it to pick a fight over something stupid or if you really care—does it really matter that your coworker forgot to make another pot of coffee, or is it possible that you’re being dramatic? Scorpio, this month, your dramatic flair is on fire, and you’ve got to pick your battles. Because, remember, Mercury is retrograde four times this year, and the hill you’re standing on now is likely not one you care to die on.
Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
While you may be a high roller, you’re not always the biggest risk taker. That’s all different for you this month, Sag, as you tighten your belt and bet on yourself. You’re known for being ambitious, but you’re especially charmed right now. Your actions this January have got you attracting your biggest desires much easier. You’re bringing your dreams way closer to reality than you usually let yourself dream possible, and your optimism is paying off big time. As goals come to fruition, it’s important to remember not to make hasty decisions; when dreams are coming true, it’s hard to keep the details in focus, but remember that Mercury is also retrograde, and even though everything is going right for you right now, you can still make mistakes. Read the fine print and beware of slips of the tongue.
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