2019 Will Waste No Time in Making Things Interesting, Astrologically (Oh Hi, Eclipse)

We've taken a whole lap around the sun, and it's time to take a look back. Astrologer Jennifer Racioppi is here to help you do that—as well as take a peek at the first highlights of the new year. Be warned: 2019 is kicking off with a seriously potent eclipse coming late this week. Here's Racioppi's day-by-day advice for making the most of these (intense) cosmic conditions, no matter what your sun sign is.

Monday, December 31

While 2018 was a year wrought with retrogrades, hairpin turns, and deep emotional growth, it was also a year that taught so much. Today, honor your transformation. Consciously choose how you want to spend your day, and with whom you want to spend it. Don’t let FOMO push you to do something you don’t want to. Instead, tune in and assess what will serve you best! Tonight at 9:19 p.m. Eastern, Mars (the planet of action) moves out of Pisces, where it has traveled since November 15, and into Aries, the sign it rules.

Mars will tour Aries until Valentine’s Day, igniting the new year with red-hot drive, determination, and focus.

Mars will tour Aries until Valentine’s Day, igniting the new year with red-hot drive, determination, and focus. However, the new year kicks off with Saturn, the planet of discipline, conjoining the Sun, too. So, despite Mars returning to the first sign of the zodiac, you might need extra rest and time to chill. If so, honor it. Acknowledge how you’ve changed and who you’ve become and then send 2018 out however feels best for you. If you plan to indulge in cocktails or bubbly tonight, don’t forget to take your vitamins. Drink plenty of water, and be sure to eat a blood sugar balancing meal with alcohol!

Tuesday, January 1

Happy New Year! Kick 2019 off in the most favorable manner for you—whether that means sleeping late or starting the year off with a workout followed by a luxurious brunch. Then find time to write. Like a good yoga class that alternates between stress-relieving forward bending and heart-opening back bending, you need to neutralize the spine between the two. Writing today counteracts the intensity of year-end madness mixed with the desire to crush your New Year goals. Journal on the following questions: If everything goes as well as it could, what would I accomplish? What might hold me back from achieving these goals? What can I do to overcome these obstacles? Spending 20 minutes on each of these questions, and writing for an hour total, helps to reduce anxiety and amplify your ability to become more successful with your endeavors. But more importantly, taking time to get your thoughts on paper supports you to find a metaphorical neutralizing position. (For an extra boost: Repeat this for the next three days.) Start the year off with integrated presence.

Wednesday, January 2

Saturn, the taskmaster of the sky, conjoins the sun today. On the first day back to work after the holiday, reality calls. Don’t let Saturn’s heavy overtones get the best of you. Instead, sit quietly and listen to the voice of truth emerging within. On a more practical note, be sure to wash your hands, drink warm fluids, eat nutrient-dense blood-sugar-balancing meals, and get plenty of rest. Saturn’s influence might contribute to a sense of feeling run-down, which could lead to getting sick. So, take it easy and prioritize your health.

Saturn’s influence might contribute to a sense of feeling run-down, which could lead to getting sick. So, take it easy and prioritize your health.

Coming off of a streak of holiday indulgences, you might even want to go deeper. Beyond the basics of proper immune system support, you may feel called to support hormonal health with a complete overhaul of your diet, too. Yes, those extra glasses of wine and cookies last month might create a hormone hangover this month. Taking sensible herbs and supplements, reducing sugar intake, eating healthy fats to support your adrenals, getting extra rest, and working out in a way that doesn’t contribute to burning out will facilitate your ability to bounce back from the holidays with greater resilience right now.

Thursday, January 3

The moon wanes balsamic (aka it's in the tail end of the lunar cycle) while traveling through the sign of Sagittarius. This pre-eclipse, dark moon amplifies the impact of the Saturn-sun combination that defines the start of the new year. Given that we started the new year amidst eclipse season, the cosmos delivers a punch. Fear not. Eclipses expedite growth, helping you to integrate years’ worth of lessons. Like a potent tonic, they can feel a bit distasteful at the moment but ultimately serve as to-the-point detoxification. If hard truths reveal themselves, embrace them. Embrace your truth and surrender what you no longer need or desire—especially the lies and limiting beliefs that keep you playing small!

Embrace your truth and surrender what you no longer need or desire—especially the lies and limiting beliefs that keep you playing small.

When it comes to exercise, choose mindful self-care. You do not need to take your workout to a 10 (unless of course, your body craves it). Conscious, slow movement (like a long walk) takes you far. Don’t hesitate to take the path of least resistance. On the positive side of things, Mercury, the planet of communication, makes a favorable trine to Uranus, the planet of breakthrough, igniting new ways of thinking. Yes!

Friday, January 4

Yesterday’s pre-eclipse vibes carry over today. However, with Mercury leaving Sagittarius, and perfecting its manifesting angle to Uranus before and entering into Capricorn, your mindset expedites healing. Stay positive and focus on what you want—not what you fear. Simultaneously, the sun makes a helpful and healing angle to Neptune too, amplifying your intuition. The universe urges you forward, and your body never lies. Listen to what it's saying. Pay attention to the subtlety of your intuitive guidance system.

Saturday, January 5

Today the universe delivers a significant solar, new moon eclipse at 15 degrees of Capricorn: a goal-oriented sign that profoundly connects to ambition, drive, and determination.
This eclipse happens at 8:28 p.m. Eastern, right between Saturn and Pluto, which also travel in Capricorn. Taskmaster Saturn, and Pluto, the planet of transformation, invite you to conjure and create a life that reflects the most real sense of who you are. With Venus in Scorpio making a helpful trine to Chiron, an asteroid who supports your healing, this eclipse officially kicks off the new year with potency.

With Venus in Scorpio making a helpful trine to Chiron, an asteroid who supports your healing, this eclipse officially kicks off the new year with potency.

Want to amplify your new year’s intentions even more? Take time to tonight (in the hours that follow the eclipse) to write out your goals, dreams, and intentions. However, please keep in mind that eclipses can feel draining. If you feel low-vibe and tired, allow yourself the space you need for rest. It’s the weekend, after all, and with the holidays—and maybe even the holiday hangover—barely in your rearview mirror, give yourself space to decompress.

Sunday, January 6

In the wake of yesterday’s eclipse, Uranus, the planet of evolution and revolution, stations direct today. With Uranus ending his retrograde cycle, 2019 enters into a retrograde free zone. Holler. With all of the planets now direct, the cosmos participate in helping you to expedite the fruition of your goals. Nonetheless, eclipse season can feel turbulent, and Uranus stationing might feel a bit disorienting too. Prioritize downtime, and continue to nourish yourself with nutrient dense, sugar balancing, seasonally appropriate meals. Taking excellent care of your body supports you to feel stable and ready for what’s to come. So, put down the wine, skip the sugar-laden dessert and opt for some deep breaths instead. Getting outside for a brisk long walk (should the weather allow for it), oxygenates your blood and invigorates your body helping you to find equilibrium within. Need extra support? Try combining two drops of essential oils like Frankincense and Sandalwood them a quarter size dollop of castor oil, and massage your feet. This low-cost DIY treatment brings grounding to your day. Enjoy it.

Jennifer Racioppi is the creator of Lunar Logic—a philosophy that integrates the deep wisdom of both science and spirituality, and blends her expertise in astrology, positive psychology, and women's health—to coach high-achieving female entrepreneurs to reach their next level of success. 

Want to catch up on Racioppi's advice? Here are her insights from last week.