This is my first Christmas without Brian in 4 years. I've been trying to figure out how I feel about it, but I don't think I'll actually know until I get home and until I'm back here in California for Christmas and not in Connecticut. I'm so accustomed to curling up on that couch every Christmas, next to the fireplace, reading a book or napping or playing the Wii, hanging out with the family, trying to ignore the bass thumping from the basement, playing with Cooper and being excited about the gifts (and the food!) I'm exchanging with my second family. This is hard. I knew it would be. I feel like a big piece of me is missing, but I hope his and his family's holiday is as great as it has been in past years.

It's almost 2009. I don't really have complete faith in something like astrology, but I read my horoscope at the beginning of this year and it has inspired me to do a lot of things to change this year.

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Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

Your January 2008 Horoscope by Susan Miller

It's a brand New Year, and as you get closer to your birthday you are aching to start something new(at this time, the plan was Australia). If you are to believe the media, the only New Year's resolution on your mind is to lose weight, and while that might be true for you, you seem anxious to achieve something else too, something deeper and more all-encompassing. You want a fresh chapter to start soon, but to make this desire materialize, you will have to do a little preparation first. Start now, and you will have all year to do so. What's coming is most likely to be one of the best years of your life - one to take seriously!

In December, Jupiter moved quietly into your 12th house, putting you on a direct trajectory for your best and most successful year of your life - in 2009. Capricorn holds that title now, having been crowned celestial favorite last month for the coming year. This year you will prepare for your year, to arrive in early January 2009. The more you prepare, the better it will turn out to be. The first thing you need to do is find some obligations to offload or relationships to free yourself of, for if your life is too crowded in 2009, you will have no space to fit in all that's new. (I think I took care of this pretty well... *sigh*)

You will need to articulate as clearly as possible what you'd like to accomplish by the finish of 2009. That is not always an easy question to answer. Sometimes it's easier to start with what you don't like and certainly don't want more of in your life. That's usually easier to see, and easier to distance yourself from if you need to do so. We outgrow goals, sometimes before we even accomplish them, so before you put one on the list, make sure you still are passionate about getting your desire.

Sometimes we have several things that we'd like to change on our list, but changing them all would be completely overwhelming. Avoid the bleed effect - where everything seems wrong. It's usually due to one area of life that's so painful that it's causing a domino effect into other areas.

Jupiter is now in your 12th house, so if you think about things, your instinct will lead you to the one area that you would like to add, fix, improve, or jettison completely to feel instantly better.

Jupiter's new presence in your secret 12th house suggests that there are one or two individuals around you who will want to help you in a quiet, confidential way. In fact, you may not even know yet that you have the attention and interest of a powerful benefactor who has singled you out as a winner and who would be glad to speak on your behalf. (These two or three people have totally saved me from continuing to be the crappy person I had become - a huge thanks to them!)

If you would like to talk things over with a professional such as a life coach or psychotherapist, the best time to schedule a first session would be on or shortly after the new moon in your subconscious sector, January 8. You can also use this wonderful new moon to get the right help to finally end a self-destructive habit. Uranus will be in gorgeous angle to this new moon, bringing innovative ideas to the surface. Rapport with your professional should be unusually smooth at this time too, and that includes bringing your subconscious thoughts to the surface easily and naturally so that you can more effectively see success on your goal.

On a completely different topic, Uranus' involvement with the new moon on January 8 also suggests that you may hear good news about money either immediately or within a few days (two weeks at most). This would be money you earn as salary, not money you win, so no need to buy lotto tickets!

Speaking of salary, something very special appears to be bubbling up in your career these days, and this could turn out to be one of the most exciting areas of your chart this year. (woot! That totally happened.)

Think back to career conversations or actions you took last month near December 9 or 11. Those may lead to some mighty big gains for you in time - keep your eye on the area you were focusing on then. The time of the full moon, May 19, 2008, will be a key point for your career too, a time when you will see the blooming of many talks you are having now.

Jupiter and Pluto, two big players in the equation that adds up to career success for you, are past their conjunction point - that happened last month, on December 11 - but both are still orbiting in close proximity in January, giving you a superb ability to make your mark. Continue to be optimistic about new opportunities, especially ones where you can put your stamp of individuality on it. Also included in this trend will be an ability to make a difference in a charity, humanitarian, or political way.

Creatively, you've been coming up with a stunning array of gems lately, but with Mars retrograde since mid-November, you probably found it hard to get new projects off the ground. It's apparent that one of your ideas has solid profit potential but that you need the support of VIPs to get it going. Lately those very higher-ups have come off as aloof or vague or have been missing in action. Most (if not all) of those frustrations will melt away once Mars goes direct orbit on January 30. Watch the days that surround January 30 for clues that things are about to get on track again.

If you need funding for a creative project, you have a sterling day to schedule a confidential meeting, January 21. This will be one of 2008's most sensational days, a four-star day when Jupiter (good fortune and expansion) will send a key communication to Saturn (long-range planning). The plans you set in place at that time could take you far into the future. (That meeting is finally helping things to pan out these days.)

Once you get to the full moon in Leo, however, you must be ready to tie up all loose ends in all areas of your life, for Mercury is about to go retrograde.

This also is a full moon in your relationship sector, so either be ready to form a warm commitment or goal with your romantic partner, or conversely, clear the air about an issue that has troubled you.

This full moon seems much sweeter than any you've seen in recent years, so I feel the outcome would more likely be positive than negative. Old Saturn is now finally out of Leo for the first time in two years, so the problems that used to plague you simply won't be a factor any more. In fact, these issues won't even come up. If you were getting along with your partner, you may have been concerned about your partner's welfare or health.

Alternatively, you may seal an important alliance with a business associate on or very near January 22, and if so, it would be a very propitious time to do so.

If you were born on January 22, or close to this date, you will feel the effects of this full moon more potently than other members of your sign.

As mentioned, the day before the full moon, January 21, will be simply magical thanks to the cooperative efforts of Saturn and Jupiter, so if you plan on making a commitment, do so on January 21, if possible. Whether you make a personal or professional promise at this time, either way, it is likely to be in place a very long time - joyfully so.

I might add - without giving the plot away - that the February 6 (keep in mind, this was probably the worst day of my entire life)eclipse will be fabulously positive for you, a true gift from the universe! It will almost certainly shift your plans and priorities. I will go into that eclipse in more detail next month, but suffice to say that you should not fear what's coming - you will want to embrace it!!

Summary

January - and through much of 2008 - will find you in a pensive mood (no kidding). You seem to need more time off by yourself to reflect on your future without the distraction of friends and family (and right they were). You appear to be looking forward to this time. It looks as though the holidays were active for you and you also need a little rest.

A vacation taken now would be ideal. Rather than make it one that requires lots of sightseeing or sports, choose a soothing spot in a sumptuously beautiful locale, like Hawaii, the Greek Islands, or Bali, to fully decompress. Can't go that far? A lovely weekend in a snowy cottage in the woods, one with a fireplace and wood burning stove, would suit you just fine too, especially if you could go along with someone you find easy going.

Quiet pursuits such as writing poetry or essays, photography, film, design, sewing, reading, composing, or playing music would allow you to find your center. Your friends know you are the ultimate social butterfly, but this year with Jupiter, the Sun, and later in the month Venus and Pluto, touring your house of privacy and creativity, you seem to know you need this time to sit, think, and envision a better future.

The year after this one - 2009 - will be your biggest and most important in over a decade. That's when Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, will enter Aquarius for the first time since 1997. To get the full benefit of this rare and special trend, ancient astrologers wrote about the value in taking stock. Decide what needs to stay in your life, and what should go. What do you want more of, and what would you be glad to see less of? What exactly would you like to happen in your wonder year, as well as in the next ten years to come?

These questions aren't hypothetical ones. This year you will have the power to change things so you need to leave open some space for the universe to fill. These answers are important and shouldn't be rushed. You have all of 2008 to fully develop your list.

In the coming year, others may assume that it is "life as usual" for you, for they won't see many radical shifts or dramatic announcements just yet. You will know better. The most important changes in our lives often are first conceived in our minds and hearts, as wishes, dreams, or desires that we choose to act upon. If we can "see" in our mind's eye our new reality, we can make it happen. This is the process you will be working on in 2008.

All meetings and actions that take place behind closed doors now will benefit you. That includes all types of activities, from meeting with perspective clients and employers, to health professionals and coaches, and to creative work you do on projects dear to you. Alternatively, at work you may be ready to launch a new service or product that will demand the utmost secrecy. These types of endeavors do well for you now, so if this resonates with you, know you are on the right trail.

This whole year to come will also be ideal for giving up a bad habit. It matters not what it might be - spending too much money on things that don't matter to you, nibbling on cookies at night and leaving crumbs on the bed sheets, or failing to return library books - you name it, we all have one thing we would all like to delete and replace with something better. Jupiter, now in your 12th house, can see to it that you find a way to turn over a new leaf. You may work with a coach, read a self-help book that changes your perspective, or simply find the inner strength to say "enough!" and change. Make steps to end your habit on January 8 or in the days that closely follow that date.

Mercury will retrograde from January 28 to February 17. Since Mercury will retrograde in Aquarius, you'll feel the effects a bit more strongly than most. Prepare for delays and changes, and take it all in stride. Mercury retrograde will give you time to go back to previous projects that you are passionate about but put aside months ago, with happy results. Don't start anything new, but if you have something you want to go back to, it's the right time to do so.

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So... like I said, I'm not a big believer, but looking back over this year, this may have been the most accurate reading I have ever seen in my entire life. I am fascinated. I am excited for things to start rallying and moving along with the work I have been doing (personal and professional). We'll see what happens, but when someone tells you 2009 is going to be your best year ever but only if you take 2008 to clean out things and people that don't belong in your life, I feel like I have to pay attention.

How can I make this year my year, and not just rely on the prediction? I have lists. Don't worry.

Labels: 2009, amazing, business, change, communication, entrepreneur, family, friends, relationships, start-ups