January Horoscope with Christopher Renstrom: Mars Retrograde, Venus in Pisces & Aquarius Season

Hello, my name is Christopher Renstrom. I'm the creator of rulingplanets.com and Christopher Renstrom Astrology, and I want to welcome you to my January horoscope forecast for 2025. On January 2nd, Venus enters the zodiac sign of Pisces. Your love life is like a French movie while Venus is traveling through Pisces. That's because Venus is at her most alluring and seductive in this zodiac sign, and you won't be able to resist or stifle your romantic impulses. This is the time to make your feelings known to that person you've been crushing on, because that person is definitely on the same wavelength. However, things are bound to get complicated, so you'll need to be able to read between the lines. Thank heavens that French movies come with subtitles. Venus will be in Pisces from January 2nd to February 4th. Signs most effective are Taurus, Cancer, Libra, and Pisces. On January 3rd, retrograde Mars forms an opposition to Pluto. Now they say that no good deed goes unpunished, and that's something you'll experience for yourself when retrograde Mars forms an opposition to Pluto. The seeds of this standoff have their origin in recent events. It appears as if you might have taken the law into your own hands, so to speak, and gone behind someone's back in order to help a person in need. Maybe it was the child of a friend, a loved one who doesn't get along with your spouse, or a colleague who's being treated unfairly at work. The cause may be just, but that's not the way that your friend, your spouse, or your supervisor is going to see it. It looks like you'll have to take the heat for this, which means that you can only do what any right-minded person can do, and that's to stand tall. Signs most effective are Aries, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. On January 4th, the Sun will form a sextile to Saturn. This is the perfect time to start a new diet or exercise regimen. That's because the Sun in Capricorn allows you to step outside of the negative mindset and to appraise what needs to be done coolly and objectively. No more excuses or giving in to the force of habit. Capricorn industry, combined with Saturn and Pisces discipline, ensures that you will achieve your objective within weeks. This planetary combination is also good for reorganizing the working pattern of your life. You will be able to take a look at the things that are working for you and against you, and to prioritize accordingly. Signs most effective are Leo, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. On January 6th, Mars retrogrades back down into the zodiac sign of Cancer. We live in a society that insists on moving forward. We expect to come up with solutions, power through problems, and escape tight fixes in the 11th hour. These are signs of ingenuity, perseverance, and what comes of keeping your cool under pressure. Normally, this would work if Mars were moving forward in the sky, but it's not. This could signal a return to a relationship that you know isn't good, accepting a job that's eerily similar to the one that you just happily left, or repeating a behavior pattern that you resolved never to repeat again. Contrary to popular opinion, progress is rarely forward-moving. Oftentimes, you have to keep going back to where you came from. Maybe it's because dysfunction is familiar, or maybe it's because we can't escape the burden of something until we're truly tired of carrying it. Whatever the case, this backwards movement isn't a sign of defeat. It's about you summoning the strength and gathering the resources to break with the past, become self-sufficient, and finally make your own way. Signs most affected are Aries, Cancer, Leo, and Scorpio. On January 8th, Mercury enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn. Bureaucracy is your best friend when Mercury is traveling through the realm of Saturn. That's because Saturn is all about following rules and laws and protocol. But you have to follow these rules to the letter in order for the Saturn magic to work. At first, this might strike you as a colossal waste of time, but if you do things by the book, then you will find that your request is answered, and or your complaint will be heard, maybe as early as next week. Make sure to dot all of your I's and across all of your T's, and you will emerge from this administrative maze with your prize in hand. Signs most affected are Gemini, Virgo, Capricorn, and Aquarius. On January 12th, retrograde Mars will form a trine to Neptune. This is a potentially creative time, as you will have Neptune is the planet of dreams and visions in astrology, and when it forms a trine to the planet of gumption and drive, then you will pursue whatever you see in your mind's eye to perfection. If harnessed correctly, you will achieve your life's dream, because you believe in what it is you see, and you will refuse to settle for second best. That's what makes this a productive period, because you will truly apply yourself. If you don't harness the energies correctly, then you could find yourself often pursuit of a fool's errand, tilting at windmills and taking wild swings at jabberwockies. Signs most affected are Aries, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. On January 13th, the Sun will form a trine to Uranus. This trine reminds me of, oh you know those films where people are trying to crack the safe, they've got their ear pressed to the combination, they're going click, click, click, click, click, and they're listening to hear for that final click that will make the safe open, and oftentimes they don't get it on the first try, or the second, or even the 15th. They go clickety, clickety, click, trying to find that particular combination that will open up the safe. This is what you're going to feel like in the days leading up to January 13th, that you've tried something over and over and over again, and it's just not working. It's just not opening up the safe, and you may even be ready to give up. And then suddenly, suddenly, on January 13th, all of a sudden it clicks into place, and the safe opens. So in other words, whatever that problem was that you were wrestling with, that obstacle that had you intimidated, or that steep challenge that you really didn't think that you were up to, suddenly you break through. Suddenly you master it. Suddenly the trine brings the opening, or the avenue that you were seeking. This is when Uranus proves that it is indeed the planet of enlightenment. Signs most affected are Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Capricorn, and Aquarius. On January 14th, Venus will form a square to Jupiter. It's hard to say no when Venus forms a square to Jupiter in the sky. There are so many wonderful things coming into your life that you don't want to risk missing out on that special invite, offer, or opportunity. But having too much of a good thing can be as bad as having too little, because you don't really appreciate the value of what's in hand. It's kind of like loading up your plate at one of those all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets. You can't help but look a little piggy as you make your way back to your table. Our eyes are often too big for our stomachs when the benefics square one another in the sky. Which is why it's best to ask if you really need all you can carry. You don't have to make a grab for everything in reach. And besides, you can always come back for more if you're still hungry. Signs most affected are Taurus, Gemini, Libra, Sagittarius, and Pisces. On January 15th, the Sun will form in opposition to Mars. This is what I call a duck-and-cover day. That means that you want to avoid anything that smacks of an argument or a confrontation. Even well-meaning debates will soon escalate into knock-down, drag-out fights. So it's best to agree to disagree while these two planets are opposing one another in the sky. And because Mars is retrograding cancer, you'll want to be extra careful around household appliances, snappish pets, and sharp objects. Thankfully, this effect will subside by January 20th. Signs most affected are Aries, Cancer, Leo, Scorpio, and Capricorn. On January 18th, Venus will form a conjunction to Saturn in Pisces. This is the day when you want to steer clear of brooding loved ones. This is not the way that we're taught to deal with these types of If a loved one looks gloomy, or is breathing exasperated sighs, or maybe even looking petulant, we are told to go ahead and open up a conversation to ask, hey, what's going on? This is the last thing you want to do when Venus, planet of affections, is under the rays of gloomy Saturn. Because what you'll get is a huh, or nothing, or what are you asking about? And that's if you're lucky. What may really happen is that your loved one may start telling you exactly what they think of you that day. They might start harping on your vulnerabilities, on your weaknesses. They might say things to sort of pick a fight, or to stir things up. So the question is, why put your loved one through that when Venus is conjunct Saturn in the sky? Unfortunately, the other thing that we're taught to believe in society is that when a loved one says something that's really nasty, or snarky, or negative, that that's what they really think. You know, everything that they've been showing us in terms of affection, and love, and support, that's just been a sham. Because underneath, they really thought that we were ugly, or stupid, or a burden, or a pain in the derriere, or just slow on the uptake. Well, there is such a thing as people having their off days. And there is such a thing that when someone has an off day, someone is not really reacting in the best way that they could be. You're not necessarily going to hear the truth. What you're probably going to hear is the loved one's exasperation, and their anger, and their frustration with the situation. And they may be taking it out on you, because you asked them what was going on, which is why, once again, I will say, the last thing that you want to do is approach a loved one if they are in a dark or glowering mood, which chances are they will be when Venus is conjunct Saturn. This is one of those times when you want to give them their space. And what might be a good idea is maybe giving them about, oh, I'd say about three to five days. And when they emerge from their dark corner that they retreated into, they're probably going to be in a better mood. But at least if they're not in really a better mood, they're going to be in a more communicative one, one in which they can be more reassuring, or they can talk about having been in a foul mood. Or maybe, just maybe, they might thank you for having had the presence of mind and the presence of heart to leave them alone until they reassembled themselves once again. Signs most affected are Taurus, Libra, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. On January 19th, Mercury forms a sextile to Saturn. Answers that don't come easily are good, because they teach us to reach outside our standard repertoire of quick-fix solutions. Now, it appears as if you've been grappling with a certain problem, or maybe it's a project, for weeks, and it has thwarted your best efforts. Well-meaning friends have encouraged you to move on, but that's no way to talk to someone who's as determined as yourself. This only increases your drive to get to the bottom of things or to master your situation. Thank heavens that today's propitious Mercury-Saturn sextile shows you discovering the missing piece that promises to unlock the entire puzzle there before you. Signs most affected are Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. On January 19th, we will have a second Mercury sextile. This second Mercury sextile involves the planet Venus. It's hard to believe that you're fraternizing with the enemy, but Mercury-Venus sextiles have a funny way of making that happen. The two of you really enjoy each other's company. It could be common interests, a shared sense of humor, or a commitment to doing the right thing. It's aggravating that you and this other person will never be on the same page, ideologically, but maybe that's not the deal-breaker that it's supposed to be. Like Rick and Captain Louis Renault at the end of the movie Casablanca, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Signs most affected are Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, and Pisces. And finally, on January 19th, busy day in January 19th, finally on January 19th, the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Aquarius. Like the Sun coming out from behind the clouds, you will emerge from four weeks of turbulent emotion and stress to find yourself energized, clear-eyed, and ready to make the changes you said that you wanted to make, but were unable to do before. This is a wonderful time for you, when you can see the road ahead. Just remember that you are not traveling this path alone. You have other people's concerns to consider, which means that you must factor in their wants and needs and timetables, coordinate your efforts, and everyone will benefit from the Sun being in the zodiac sign of friendship and fraternity. Signs most affected are Gemini, Leo, Libra, and Aquarius. On January 21st, the Sun will conjoin Pluto. Life always becomes rough-going when you come under the influence of Pluto, the planet of ordeals and the transformations that arise from them. It's important to remember that it's the ordeal that triggers the transformation with Pluto, and that you can't have the latter without the former. It's never pleasant being dragged kicking and screaming into the next stage of your own personal evolution, but you need to trust that Pluto's purpose is to get you to live a more completely realized life. Rebirth, like birth, is never easy, but the experience, the experience will be both cathartic and rewarding, so hang in there! Signs most affected are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. On January 23rd, retrograde Mars will form a sextile to Uranus. Remember when I said that Uranus can be an enlightening energy or revelatory energy when it's forming a trine to a planet? That same thing can happen when Uranus is forming a sextile to a planet, and in this case, it has to do with retrograde Mars. Now, with Mars retrograde, like with any planet that's traveling backwards in the sky, you get an opportunity to revisit a situation that you visited before, and what we're talking about here is something that might have taken place on October 26th. October 26th was the first time that Mars formed a sextile to Uranus, but on October 26th, it was moving forward. So perhaps, maybe, on October 26th, you were under a lot of pressure, so you came up with a solution, an answer. You came up with what you thought would be a final fix to a situation, and because whenever we come upon an answer and we're like, oh goodness, here's the answer, this is great, it's going to work, we go ahead and we apply that answer and we move on to the next idea. But sometimes those solutions that we apply, those answers we come up with are temporary fixes and not permanent fixes. So what's going to happen on January 23rd is that you're going to realize that something you thought was the solution was really in reality just a temporary fix. Now, as I said before, the wonderful thing about a retrograde is that you have an opportunity to go back over the same ground that you just traveled. In this case, with this repeat of the sextile between Mars and Uranus, the resources that weren't available for are available now. Or finally, perhaps the person you were waiting on finally shows up and finally provides the support or the help or the information that you needed. Signs most affected are Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Another aspect taking place on January 23rd is Mercury forming an opposition to Mars in the sky. You may want to take a vow of silence while Mercury is opposite Mars today because anything you say will be misconstrued and used against you and in the most aggressive way. What makes matters worse is that the more you try to explain yourself, the more heated the other party becomes. It's as if every word out of your mouth just pours more gasoline on the fire. Thankfully, you'll eventually discover that it's the other party and not you who is out of line, but that won't help you now. It's best to smile and nod in all the appropriate places until Mercury moves out of range of this incendiary energy and that will be on January 28th. Signs most affected are Aries, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, and Capricorn. And finally, on January 23rd, we have a lovely Mercury-Uranus trine. All's well that ends well when resourceful Mercury forms a trine to enlightened Uranus in the sky. Things might not have turned out the way that you had hoped, but they're certainly better than what you started out with. It's important to celebrate the victories where they show up and to resist dwelling on the shortfalls. 2024 was not an easy year and the fact that you got through it in one piece is a testament to your ability to think on your feet. A lot of people went down for the count last year, but you, you always found a way to get back up and that perseverance and spontaneity will come in handy in 2025. Signs most affected are Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, and Aquarius. On January 25th, Venus in Pisces forms a trine to retrograde Mars in the zodiac sign of Cancer. Now Venus-Mars trines are famous. There isn't a book or podcast or forecast that doesn't talk about love filling the stars during the period of time that these two planets are forming a trine in the sky. And it makes a lot of sense for January 25th because Venus is exalted in the zodiac sign of Pisces. Pisces is a water sign, Cancer is a water sign, and these two planets couldn't be any more simpatico. But what's interesting is that what's happening here is that the trine is taking place when Mars is retrograde, when Mars is moving backward in the sky. Retrogrades can mean a lot of things. They can refer to a period of time when the planet is acting in a way that's contrary or opposite to the way that it does when it's moving forward in the sky. A retrograde can refer to a backwards motion, like a regression or a return to something that we had left and now we're going back to it. A retrograde can also refer to the return of someone from our past and that might be what's in store when Venus forms a trine to Mars retrograde in the zodiac sign of Cancer. This might mean the reappearance of someone that you've known before. Maybe it's an ex, maybe it's someone that you were thinking about having a relationship with and then never came to be. Maybe it was someone that you were crushing on. Maybe it's a near and dear friend that you haven't spoken to in ages. In any case, this trine may mark the reappearance of this person in your life, and this person may be here to help you out in some way. Now, it could be something as simple as, oh, you know, my best friend from 12 years ago would have known exactly how to handle this, and then suddenly somehow you get a text and there's that person who's texting you and you're like, hey, it's great to talk to you again, but can I also ask you a favor? You know, so that might be something. But it might also be an ex coming back from the past to maybe perhaps resolve something that hadn't been resolved before. Maybe they say the things that you would always long to hear. Maybe they talk about the reasons that things didn't work for them. Maybe they're full of apologies or regret in some way, and that always makes someone feel good. And the third possibility is that someone might be coming back from the past who's going to help you out in some way. Maybe you've always been friends with someone that you had been married to or lived with, and they're coming back and they're helping you out with a big situation. But sometimes what can happen when we have Venus-Mars trines like this is that they can have a little bit of negative impact on the people around us. Like for instance, let's say it's an ex who's returning and the person that you're seeing right now is like, what's your ex doing here? Let's say it's someone who's able to provide you with help in a timely manner and this outshines someone else who wasn't able to do that in a timely manner or whose help wasn't really as necessary or important. So you always sort of want to keep in mind not hurting the feelings of the people around you when there is this kind of a Venus trine taking place with a Mars retrograde. Anyway, all you have to say is a couple of nice things and you will smooth over ruffled feathers because this is what Venus-Mars trines do. Signs most affected are Taurus, Cancer, Libra, and Pisces. On January 26th, Mercury will form a sextile to Neptune. This would be a good time to have a sit-down talk about the future of your relationship. A cooperative sextile between communicative Mercury and receptive Neptune shows that your lover or partner or spouse is in the right frame of mind to discuss all the pluses and minuses of your relationship. There will be no finger pointing, there will be no guilt tripping, nor will emotional strings be pulled. Uncomfortable topics will be discussed candidly and in a way that puts you both at ease. Now don't expect any final answers because your relationship, like any relationship, is a work in progress. Nevertheless, you'll be encouraged by the dismantling of walls and the rebuilding of bridges. Signs most affected are Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, and Pisces. Another planetary aspect taking place on January 26th is Venus forming a sextile to Uranus. It looks like an obligation or duty that dominated your life is finally coming to an end. It's been so long that you shouldered this responsibility that it's going to be hard to imagine life without it. Loved ones and friends will encourage you to look ahead to the future. But part of you, part of you can't help missing what you're in the process of leaving behind. There's nothing wrong with mourning the loss of something, even if it did rule your every waking hour. Indeed, this kind of mourning is exactly what's needed to make peace with what's come before as you move forward into uncharted territory. Signs most affected are Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, and Pisces. On January 27th, Mercury enters the zodiac sign of Aquarius. Mercury in Aquarius turns you into a great communicator. You can take an abstract concept or densely worded policy and break it down into easy to follow sentences. It's important to you when you have Mercury in Aquarius that everyone in the room understands what's being discussed because you don't want anything going over anyone's head. During this time you'll also have a bit of a zero tolerance for people who skirt the issue or pass the buck. If anyone claims to have no memory of what was said, you'll play back the conversation with this person with the word-for-word accuracy of a court stenographer. There's always a bit of a computer brain syndrome when Mercury is traveling through the zodiac sign of Aquarius, so try not to be overbearing with the facts, stats, and behavioral epitomology. Mercury will be in Aquarius through February 14th. Signs most affected are Gemini, Virgo, Libra, and Aquarius. On January 29th, Mercury forms a conjunction to Pluto. Here's your moment of truth. This is when you will see if your efforts will pay off or if they have all been in vain. Now I'm warning you, there are certain exacting standards that you have to fulfill when Mercury forms a conjunction to Pluto and it can be very black and white, very right or wrong. If you answered all of the requests, if you answered all the demands that have been made on you, then you will certainly win that reward, prize, or endorsement that you have been working for. If, however, you ignored people's advice, you bristled at their criticisms, or you continued doing what you were doing regardless of what they had to say, then you will lose. The reason for this is because, as I just said, Mercury, when it's conjoined Pluto, has exacting standards. You have to follow things absolutely by the book. Pluto, also during this time, will bring out your blind spots. The things that you don't know are problems and that you will discover actually are. So again, if you did everything by the book, you will be rewarded. And if you didn't, well, you probably won't. But that always gives you a chance to go back, study what you did wrong, and try again. Signs most affected are Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. On January 30th, Uranus comes out of retrograde. Good news! Your life will start to make a lot more sense now that Uranus is back on track. The past five months probably left you scratching your head in bewilderment as you saw hints of radical change appear and then disappear just as quickly. These on-again, off-again developments are pretty typical. Thankfully, Uranus' switch in direction acts like a cosmic reboot, and you will soon see that there's been an intelligent design at work in your life all along. This will give you the confidence to act on those big life decisions that you've been wanting to make. Signs most affected are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. The other planetary aspect that will be taking place on January 30th is that the Sun will be forming a trine to Jupiter. It isn't always easy to believe that there's justice in the universe. But today? Today you will see that there is. If you've been involved in a long legal battle, then you will get the resolution that you've been seeking. If you were burned by someone who felt like they were above the law, then you will learn that they will soon be getting their comeuppance. But today's trine is not only retributive, it's redemptive as well. This will be brought home when a loved one or friend finally gets that break that they've worked so hard for. It's enough to rekindle your faith in those invisible agencies that work behind the scenes to ensure that good things really do happen to good people after all. Signs most affected are Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. If you enjoyed what you saw, please press the like button. That helps more than you know. If you could subscribe, that would be wonderful. I've had such a wonderful time visiting with you this week, and I can't wait to get together next time on Christopher Renstrom Astrology.