As we close the chapter of 2019, we welcome the new year with open arms. Over the holiday season, the sun moved out of Sagittarius into Capricorn, helping us ready ourselves for 2020 and the upcoming year ahead.
2020 starts with a bang thanks to an eclipse in January, quickly followed by the Saturn Pluto conjunction just a few days later.
Read more about the astrological dates and energetic shifts coming up in January. Have a happy new year!
Key Dates in January:
- 10th of January 2020: Full Moon Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Cancer
- 12th of January 2020: Saturn Pluto Conjunction
- 20th of January 2020: Sun enters Aquarius
- 24th of January 2020: New Moon in Aquarius
Astro-Energy Forecast for January 2020
January is an incredibly powerful month in terms of cosmic energy. The year kicks off with a Full Moon eclipse followed by the Saturn and Pluto conjunction.
These potent energies will set the stage of 2020, possibly for the entire decade too. 2020 both starts and ends with planetary conjunctions, seeing the Saturn Pluto conjunction in January pave the path for a Saturn Jupiter conjunction at the end of the year in December.
Current lunar cycle: Capricorn
The month kicks off in goal-driven and determined Capricorn – a great energy to use as we all return to work after the holiday season – and then transitions mid-month into the social, humanitarian sign of Aquarius.
Key dates for January
The 10th of January 2020 Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Cancer
As we start readying ourselves to return to work and get back in the swing of things, we’re met with a deep and potent Full Moon eclipse in the sign of Cancer.
Eclipses always ricochet back and forth between each other. This Full Moon eclipse in January 2020 signals back to the eclipse roughly six months earlier in July of 2019. Similar themes that were being processed and worked through then may arise again now, possibly bringing closure, new insights or new perspectives.
Eclipses are notable cosmic events. They signify abrupt endings and beginnings, so, if something happens during this time that feels very intense, even drastic, go with the flow as much as possible and trust that everything is working for you and not against you.
Some people believe that eclipses are like portals or gateways, but, in order to enter or cross these portals, you’ll need to let something go. If you’ve carried over old, stale energy from 2019, now would be a good idea to process it all in order to release it. This is also true for Full Moons as their energy is best used for releasing and letting go.
As the Full Moon lunar eclipse is in the sign of Cancer. As Cancer is ruled by the Moon, the energies really align rather effortlessly here. Areas in our lives where Cancer rules will become highlighted, such as notions of home, family, maternal figures and domestic life, roots and family of origin.
Cancer is associated with the Mother archetype, so concepts of nurturing, caring, loving others or loving the self arise. Also, emotional safety and security is here. You may find that this full moon eclipse shows you either where you don’t feel emotionally secure, or what triggers your feelings of emotional instability.
The 12th of January 2020: Saturn Pluto Conjunction
As soon as the Full Moon eclipse energy peaks, we’re hit with the Saturn Pluto conjunction in full force.
The conjunction of Saturn and Pluto is extremely rare and only occurs every 34 years. This configuration in the sign of Capricorn will only take place in a few hundred years time, so this conjunction will never happen in our lifetimes again. Pretty special!
Saturn and Pluto are both outlying planets. Their associations are intense, respectively. When they work together, the energies can be incredibly deep and transformative.
Saturn is linked to rules, responsibilities, boundaries, life’s long and hard lessons, and order. The planet sort of feels like a strict father figure or school teacher that disciplines you relentlessly to make sure you reach your potential.
Saturn has been in Capricorn since 2017 and will stay this sign for the majority of 2020. Saturn is really comfortable in Capricorn as it is its ruling sign. Here, the energies work to the maximum, giving us ample opportunity to use Saturn’s energy to reach our live’s potentials.
Pluto is associated with extreme transformation, the shadow, the subconscious and power. Pluto’s transformative energy is next level intense. Its energy brings about sometimes sudden but always extreme endings so that new beginnings can come to light. These endings can be so intense that they’re linked to deaths, and later, rebirths. This rebirth is guaranteed to be healing, so despite the negative connotations of the planet and its power, it moves for you not against you.
Pluto is the outermost planet. It is also the slowest moving planet in orbit, so it takes years, decades even, to move between signs — Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008.
Together, these powerful planets will come together in the sign of Capricorn. The effects of previous Saturn Pluto conjunctions (and general Saturn and outer planet conjunctions) rippled throughout the globe and were seen in collapses of economies, breakthroughs in politics, the end of unjust social structures and so on.
The energy of this alignment can be felt a few days before the actual date, so pay attention to your energy leading up to the 12th of January. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out on a global scale, particularly in world politics and economics.
The 20th of January 2020: Sun enters Aquarius
After so much activation in Capricorn, the sun moving to Aquarius will feel like a breath of fresh air – literally, as Aquarius is an air sign.
Aquarius is associated with humanitarianism, social progress, social connections, innovation, and visionary and innovative thinking. With this burst of energy, concepts of society and progressive thinking may be highlighted.
The 24th of January 2020: New Moon in Aquarius
The New Moon in Aquarius rounds off a jam-packed month on the 24th of January. Aquarius is represented by the water bearer and governs areas of our lives related to friendships, connections, society and humanitarianism. Aquarius is linked with the planet Uranus which brings in the energy of change and evolution.
If you’re clued up on working with lunar energy, you’ll know that New Moons are great for setting intentions and building the foundations for things you’d like to manifest in your life. As the New Moon is in the sign of Aquarius, it’s a good idea to set intentions around Aquarian-type things or for areas where Aquarius energy governs life, such as friendships, community, society and the shared greater good of humanity.
If January’s eclipse and conjunctions brought about new perspectives or insights, perhaps use the New Moon in Aquarius to set intentions around these. Other themes that you could use for this new moon energy could be your place in society, your connection with people in your community, new thought patterns or similar.
With the New Moon in Aquarius energy, you could set your intentions around:
- How you can be a better component in society
- Creating more authentic connections with others
- Ways to reshape your social circle to create better, stronger friendships in your life
- How you can bring in more love, kindness and fun into your life through your relationships with others
- Brainstorming new and innovative ideas for your personal or professional life
If you’re new to lunar phases and working with the energy of the moon, read this post.
We hope that this post has helped figure out some of the crazy energy coming up in January! If you have any questions or insights into this Lunar Cycle and the energies of January, share them in the comment section below!