Woohoo! We lived through 2017! And not just lived, but also: held record-setting marches, learned to call congress, stopped the passage of many terrible bills (and lost a few battles), cried and celebrated #MeToo victories, kept a paedophile from getting elected, found out that Teen Vogue is an amazing news source, and, hopefully, learned to silence social media alerts before bedtime. (I put that last one in to see if you were paying attention.)
The universe wants to reward you for all that survival with a lazy New Year’s Day, good for dreaming up resolutions. The secret to a keep-able resolution this year is to set aside fear and go with your intuition. Resolutions made with a desire to prove something to others will only hurt you down the line. Instead, follow the flash of insight to making a resolution that’s uniquely you. Get this done during the day, because a moody ol’ Cancer full moon that evening will turn everyone into a temporary grouchy-pants.
Capricorn season is for moving slow, working hard, and thinking deep. With Venus and the sun travelling arm-in-arm for most of the month, that slowness comes with a nice dose of pleasure — and the risk of lying down for three weeks straight. Given the serious Capricorn vibes, getting super lazy is a big ol’ red flag that you’re actually freaking out about how much there is to do. The work ahead is manageable, and will be easier if you get started early. Seek out a middle ground of some work, some socialising, and some thoughtful solo time. The new moon on the 16th makes it a key day for introspection. Set an intention you can pursue over the next two weeks.
On the 20th, the sun shifts into Aquarius, pulling us out of our hidey-holes and putting politics and collective organising back in focus. How we choose to express these energies becomes especially important with the 31st’s lunar eclipse. Emotions will be high, so avoid putting your foot in it on social media. (Do keep an eye on the news, though. It should be interesting.)
Capricorn
December 22 to January 19
Of course the central Capricorn holiday involves setting resolutions. It would. That’s how you Mer-Goats roll: with intention, commitment, and an eye toward the long game. Some dismiss your focus as self-serving ambition. In fact, it’s a passion so deeply buried that only those closest know it’s as much about love as about self, as much about a hunger for the challenges that make you feel most alive as the outward trappings of success. The side-effect of being so self-contained is that others think of you as a rock and treat you accordingly. Really, you’re more like an artisanal spring with a deep flow you’re dying to share. This month is the perfect time to let that powerful love up to the surface. Venus, the planet of kindness and art, is travelling alongside the sun through your sign this month, cluing others in to your quiet ways of showing affection. Step outside your comfort zone to give hugs, send heart emoji, present thoughtful gifts, and, in every other way, let the important people know how much they matter. Likewise, it’s a good time to beautify your life. This can be as literal as getting a haircut that makes you feel pretty or as metaphorical as filling in blank spots in your days with pleasurable downtime. Treat your earthy self to hot baths, long reads, sexy dates, decadent foods, or a new creative practice that prioritises process over product. The trick to reap the famous benefits of relaxation is to stay in your body while it’s happening, appreciating each individual sense.
Saturn, planet of long-term pursuits and your astrological ruler, entered your sign a few weeks back. You’re at the beginning of a super-serious three years, with your most personal projects nearing completion. This influence could easily send you overboard on work if you’re not careful — or scare you into an I’ll-never-live-up-to-my-goals paralysis. Prioritising decompression now will help keep you grounded and enjoying the intensity to come. After the 20th, put the money-making ideas you dreamed up in the bathtub into creative action. There’s a painful spot around the 31st but don’t worry, babe, you got this.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Aquarius
January 20 to February 18
What a drag, having to wait three whole weeks to get to Aquarius season! Luckily, your social life keeps things interesting from the 1st to the 11th, with friends constantly pinging you with their news and thoughts. You’re in an ideal mind frame for envisioning where you want to head this year and which groups you want to be a part of. The key to being a healthy, fulfilled Aquarius is connecting the personal to the political, the individual to the group, and your intuitive genius to your humanitarian values. Make a writing date with a blank screen and tap out a few specific resolutions that bring these contrasting sides of yourself together.
In general, writing is your friend this month. There’s a ton going on just out of view, and you’ll need a tool to bring it up to the surface. Book yourself some solo time mid-month, with space to dream, listen to music, wander, meditate, write, and create. Volunteering in an institutional setting is especially rewarding right now, too. Anything that gets you away from the noise of the day-to-day can be productive and fun, as long as it’s active. (Caveat: Fully checking out will make you feel like crap.) On the 14th and 15th, express your restless energy by chatting with your freaky-deakiest friends. The temptation to be a jerk is the result of insecurity. Address the root cause before you lash out.
On the 20th, the sun shines bright in your sign, filling you with a sense of possibility. Celebrate your birthday season with adventure-cations with friends and by seeking out new forms of pleasure. Everyone’s going through the wringer on the 31st, but if your birthday is nearby, the effect will be especially intense. It’s a crisis point, not the end of the world. Go with the flow for a few days until you have a better sense of what’s up.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Pisces
February 19 to March 20
What do you want to give the world, Pisces? What quiet whisper in your head are you ready to give voice to? What hurt is calling you to it?
Your gift, Mystic Fish, is turning compassion into action. Everything you do and make must be infused with a love of all beings. If that sense of connection is missing, your energy fades and you get discouraged. Fortunately, this super emo New Year’s Day radiates compassionate awareness. On the 1st, let that love illuminate a beautiful vision for your year. Pisces-friendly resolutions are about creating a vibe, rather than concrete goals. Practising kindness, for example, or showing up, or remembering my boundaries. A resolution is like a signpost, a place you can return to when lost to remind you where you’re going. Make your resolution your wallpaper or draw it as a symbol you can carry with you throughout the next 12 months.
Keep that resolution signpost in sight this month while out at social events. A pile of planets in your house of friendship means there’s a lot of emotions to absorb, especially from the 10th to the 16th. Soak up the lovey-dovey parts with sweet group get-togethers, but have an escape route in case drama shows up. The new moon on the 16th is a time to retreat and check in with your intentions. A tweak or new start may be in order. Embrace the newness and get back out there.
Venus, planet of art, is in your house of dreams during the last half of the month. Balance hangout time with private jam sessions and daily art practices. Moderation is key for getting the most out of this period. If you spend all night online, get up at your normal hour the next day to have face time with real human beings.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Aries
March 21 to April 19
Slap that professional hat on and set it at its jauntiest angle, Ram. You’re coming back from vacation (if you got one) to major demands on your expertise. With five planets in your house of reputation and renown, no one could blame you for strutting around like you own the place. Let’s be honest, you kind of do. Responsible Saturn has reached the peak of your chart for the first time in 29.5 years and will stay there until 2020. It’s asking you to work your butt off and show up with 110% of your fiery enthusiasm for your career commitments. If you can bring together the fruits of the bazillion projects you’ve begun, the payoff will be immense and the afterparty, long and sweaty. This month, especially, expect those projects to be many, simultaneous — and with opportunities for pleasure.
Early in the month, your ruling planet, Mars, gets you riled up about a good cause. Any sketchy power dynamics, especially those ringing #MeToo bells, will be the target of your righteous determination. The 8th is the best day to say it like it is. Your fight is full of compassion, your heart is in the right place and your actions can bring about true change. Weirdly enough, the same planetary configurations support hot, deep, real sex. Shallow hookups won’t make the cut.
Work-related hangouts are de rigueur until the 17th, when Venus brings the love to your house of friendship. True friends are the ones who make the messed-up world feel kinder with their brainy ways. Make time for drinks and just being with your peoples during the last half of the month. On Jan. 31st, a lunar eclipse highlights your love life (and maybe your parenting life, too), asking you to be real and all-in — and to take a deep breath. You don’t have everything you need right now, but if you bravely affix your heart to your sleeve, the right change will come.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Taurus
April 20 to May 20
What you value is such a deep part of you, you barely give it any thought: loyalty, friendship, good food, the savouring of well-earned pleasures. The question, Taurus, is how do your values translate into beliefs? How can your individual choices make the world a better place? You have several years to come to an answer and the gift of patience is on your side. During the first half of the month, you’ll be especially attuned to right and wrong. Your strength of character always attracts others to you. That influence will be especially active until the 17th, so speak out. Others need your wisdom. This is a rewarding moment to share it.
A powerful love current passes through the middle of the month. On the 9th and 10th, notice how and where fear brings out your possessive side. You’ll be seeing your behaviour and others’ clearly, putting you in a strong position for influencing change. Step into that calm centre you’ve cultivated. If you’ve been building a connection with a beautiful person, now’s a good moment to let it develop. Your sensual side is supercharged, such that a tender make-out can set off pleasure explosions. Even an amazing meal can inspire you to open your heart and deepen trust.
The relationship theme comes up again at the end of the month. A lunar eclipse sheds its glow on your home, bringing up questions about work-life balance. Habits, when taken to their extreme, become stuck and make life harder than it needs to be. Treat this moment as good information and take your time sorting out what it means.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Gemini
May 21 to June 20
Your word of the month, Twinsies, is focus. A sexy New Year’s Day sparks off the month, encouraging you to shut yourself in the bedroom for a weekend with a lover, your year-ahead horoscopes, and a few interesting surprises. Conversations with your most out-there friends around the 6th introduce a radical new perspective, helping illuminate what you really think. That insight will come in handy by mid-month.
An itch for a new, more intense exercise routine hits hard on the 7th. There’s a lot to be angry about in the world this week and you need an outlet. Sign up for a marathon, book a session with a personal trainer, or set up a punching bag. Anything new is good, so long as it lets you release pent-up energy.
An especially deep-thinking vibe on the 11th sets a lasting tone of sorting the real from the meh. Any friends who think you’re made of fluff and fairy dust will be surprised to find you wanting to talk about shadowy structures, money, and secrets. You know that your inner twins are, among other things, introvert and extrovert. Pass the wheel to your intro-side, and let it take you on the twisty path through your own thinking. It’s a great month for a consuming writing project, an early morning journalling date, or researching the questions that scare you. On the 16th, try out a new approach to an old fear — or pay off a bill that’s been worrying at you.
By the 17th, you’re ready for an adventure or three. Skip your usual jogging route and hit a park you’ve never visited or wander through a neighbourhood you’ve only seen from the window of a bus. Pour out some of those thoughts you’ve been mulling in a real, paper letter to a far-off friend or crush. Even when intensity peaks on the 31st with a lunar eclipse that’ll turn us all temporarily werewolfish, there’s a lot of fun to be had in figuring out how to say what you really mean.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Cancer
June 21 to July 22
The year begins with interpersonal intensity, thanks to the full moon in your sign on New Year’s Day. As usual on a full moon, the situation — good, bad, or both — is out of your hands. Your natural empathy can make other people’s moods contagious, but you know by now that dousing the fire in your own emotional gasoline only makes it flare bigger. Instead, do what you’re best at: allowing your response to clue you in to what’s really going on.
The theme of the month and, to some extent, the next few years, is relationships. How do you give and what do you take? What contracts, real and metaphorical, have you entered into? Are you holding up your end of the bargain? Is the other person? Your friendships and partnerships need scrutiny, pragmatic nurturing, and maybe some apron-strings snipped. In the past, you might not have taken problems seriously or been overwhelmed at the thought of telling a friend they’re sucking you dry. As of the last few weeks, though, you are likely feeling the cost of making due. It doesn’t have to be this way, Cancer. You’re wicked smart when it comes to your needs. The only missing step is taking charge of getting them met.
The new moon on the 16th invites you to pledge to take better care of yourself. Seeds planted on the new moon tend to thrive; the best way to ensure their success is by setting a small goal that’s within comfortable reach. Try out a fresh plan that you can accomplish by the 31st. Set (and be assertive about) a boundary with a friend, resolve to show up for your boo even when your feelings are hurt, or get clear with your people about your expectations. When it’s done, treat yourself to some luxurious bonding time with the one you love most.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Leo
June 21 to July 22
When they said all work makes Jack a dull boy, they must have assumed Jack was, I dunno, a Virgo? You, Lion-heart, know that anything can be play if you decide to make it so, and if everyone plays by the rules. After an emo-romantic New Year’s Day, you’re ready to get back to the office (or restaurant or call centre or school) and share drunken mistake war stories with your work friends. If anything, the serious vibe at work motivates you more to find ways to make the days a pleasure. Buddies are the secret to constant entertainment; with the volume on your natural charm dialled way up for the first half of the month, comrades of fun are just waiting to be recruited to your cause.
Things get temporarily messy from the 9th to the 16th, with potential for righteous head-butting, flaring egos, and a sudden urge to go your own way. It sucks to try hard and not get the response you want — and it sucks even worse to get caught slacking off — but others’ applause is really, truly not a measure of your worth. The best use of this energy is leading the way toward positive change for the whole workplace. Alternately, making a major routine change here can shore up your confidence and have the added bonus of being easier than usual to stick with.
By the 20th, the spotlight shifts to your key relationships. You’re always at your best bestowing compliments and making your near-and-dearests smile. It’s amazing how much good a little loving attention can do, and how good another’s happiness can feel. Let go and enjoy the one-on-one time, but watch out for the urge to ignore real differences — or to make it all about you. On the 31st, a fiery lunar eclipse near your sun makes trouble in any relationship where you’ve been less than authentic or tried to control the other person’s independence. Bravely face what’s missing and get ready to create it.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Virgo
August 23 to September 22
The year begins with a lot of pesky little problems and chatter on the home front. These are interesting problems; there’s satisfaction to be had, for example, extracting fistfuls of gunk from clogged drains or talking your mum through her latest boyfriend disaster. By the 7th, expect a surprise solution that unravels a whole ball of issues with a single, quick tug, freeing your attention for more serious matters.
Since mid-December, serious Saturn has been in your house of romance, kids and creativity. Saturn’s a slow mover, meaning these areas will be especially important, and less fun than usual, for the next several years. Saturn shows up where work needs to be done and tough decisions made. Luckily, you’re not afraid to work, so long as you understand how to get results. Saturn’s pragmatic, patient voice is speaking loud and clear from the 11th to the 14th. Ask yourself how and if you’re making time for fun. Do you enjoy the activities you used to? If not, why are you still doing them? Fun is serious business for Virgos and you tend to do best enjoying yourself in a structured way that includes clear goals. This month, step up for a demanding creative project or complete ones already started. At each stage, notice how your participation is working out. Do your collaborators appreciate your skills? Are you challenged enough to stay interested?
Any kids in your life (including attempts to conceive) are likely to produce slow-downs and obstacles (that’s kind of kids’ M.O.). Note to your Virgo self: Not all problems need fixing. There is joy to be had during the first half of the month simply from being present with your small people and witnessing them grow.
Toward the end of the month, your pet subjects — work and health — come into focus. These really are a joy for you. Put your personal stamp on your daily tasks and give yourself permission to make each one pleasurable. Prioritising enjoyment might even make you more productive; it’ll definitely make you a delight to be around.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Libra
September 23 to October 22
This year starts off perfectly with the right mix of inspiration, magic, and energy to pull off a long night of dancing. A moody New Year’s Day is the perfect excuse to lie in bed with a stack of books, your tarot cards, and, ideally, a devoted human bringing you delicate pastries and tiny cups of espresso. For the whole first half of the month, home is where your heart is.
Not to say you’ll be content being lazy. Thanks to Saturn’s entrée into Capricorn a few weeks ago, serious vibes are thick in the Libran air until 2020. During the first half of the month, you’re especially aware of the future. ( Your future, that is.) That serious energy can be your best friend, lending you more decisiveness than usual. Use the extra focus to size up your plans. Where are you heading and what do you want, Scales O’Justice? What lights you up? What makes you feel oh, so pretty, witty, and gay?
This is, of course, the ultimate energy for setting New Year’s resolutions. To help make sure you stick with early January’s commitments, get a buddy on board. It’s infinitely easier to work out, make a business plan, write a break-up letter, text a crush, go to a rally, or take a painting class if the activity includes good conversation (and the dread of letting your co-pilot down).
People say Libras take forever getting ready to go out. This month, you really live up to that reputation. By the 17th, your social side has picked out its outfit, managed its hair, and is ready to go feel sparkly in public (or at least at a friend’s apartment). If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to date more, these weeks are dreamy for getting your flirt on. Likewise, if you’ve been wanting to make or see more art, you should find the inspiration flowing. Anything that brings out your inner kid will be a source of pleasure through the end of the month. A lunar eclipse on the 31st will shake up your creative and romantic life, causing you to notice what’s missing in these areas. It’s an important wake-up call, but it’s not the whole picture. Breathe, be patient, and evaluate what you’ve learned.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Scorpio
October 23 to November 21
Risk-takers have a loaded reputation. They get called impulsive, selfish, and reckless. On the other hand, we admire risks that cure disease and are awed by hang-gliders, hot air balloonists, and fire jumpers. It’s as if we only know what our mortal lives add up to when we witness someone ride the line between fool and genius, jerk and heroine.
Since Jupiter, the planet of expansion, entered your sign in October, you’ve had an itch to take a big, meaningful risk — to hop on your metaphorical hang-glider. Risk-taking can be selfish, but only if it hurts others. The first week of the month, your natural wariness is transformed by nervy boldness that’s inspiring you to take a risk for all of humanity. On the 4th and 5th, usher in 2018 by accepting a (good) dare. What have you been too afraid or too confined to do? So long as it’s a new and challenging experience that benefits others, too (inspiring awe counts), it’ll set a good fire underneath your whole year.
You’ll need that fire from the 10th to the 17th. The already busy month gets intense as hell. Multitasking is unavoidable, but don’t even try to keep up with the news. There’s a conflict or emotional explosion brewing that needs your attention. Get curious about any defensiveness that arises. You naturally ask what’s going on beneath the surface. Depths are important but the surface is, too. Notice how the words you use and the ones you withhold affect interactions. A change is needed, but it’s less drastic than you think. During the last half of the month, reward yourself for surviving the dramas with creature comforts and small luxuries at home. Host friends, redecorate and make one-on-one dates with housemates and family members. Reconnecting with your homebase will instil your whole year with a lasting sense of love.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Sagittarius
November 22 to December 21
Your New Year’s resolution better be exciting, Archer. As 2018 kicks off, you’re itching for big, splashy, Sag-style action — but you’re also wanting to sneak off by yourself as much as possible. Your partying superman side has put its spectacles on and turned into a particularly think-y Clark Kent. It’s not enough to bury yourself in a huge stack of philosophy books; you need to do something with that alone time inspiration. Really, your Clark Kent and Superman sides want to come together. A flying leap off a building is called for, but the building is a metaphor, and the leap is one of faith. The 4th and 5th are white-hot days for snapping on your red cape and soaring through the unknown. No idea what I’m talking about? Try this: guerrilla mural-ise a blank wall, meditate, write a spiritual manifesto, record some sweet licks, or sweep in to help a hurting stranger. That highly energised inspiration lasts through the 10th, so make use of it while you can.
Saturn, planet of tightened belts, moved into your money house a few weeks back. It’s no wonder that your mind is on your cash flow (or lack thereof). Your natural tendency to exaggerate can make it hard to be realistic about your bottom line. Generally, you’re a splurger, but around mid-month you might find yourself awash in an equally oversized financial freakout. To be clear, it’s a really good idea to be saving right now — until 2020, in fact. Instead of motivating yourself with fear, sprinkle nice rewards up ahead. The 15th and 16th are powerful days for setting achievable two-week financial goals and full-year money resolutions. Reward yourself in the busy second half of the month with mini-adventure detours from your daily commute and quality time with a sibling (or sib-substitute). Good news is on your way and, as the ladies in Pride and Prejudice say, that’s a happy thought indeed.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?