Your horoscope for the week ahead: Take advantage of increased focus and concentration

The Great Conjunction has come and gone between Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius on the Winter Solstice. A turning point has been reached and you might be able to feel that something substantial is happening. Patience is needed because the changes will take some time. Uranus has begun cracking the egg. Something new is hatching. What will emerge will bring surprises. 

As this week gets underway, a conjunction between Mercury and Pluto — which represent ideas and intensity — will give you focus and deep concentration to help you plan out your 2021. The mood has shifted away from December's merriment and Jupiter's pre-eminence.

The month of January is the season of sombre Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. Resolutions and serious life-changing choices have to be made. 

Focus your attention on a sweet trine between Venus and Mars on Saturday. Although it will be preceded by a caustic Mercury square Mars, causing glitches and disruptions, Venus and Mars will smooth everything out. It is a marriage made in the heavens, as they say, of Aphrodite (Venus) and Ares (Mars), as they were known in ancient Greece. Their influence will help sort out your problems. 

The Last Quarter Moon this week on Wednesday will begin when the Moon appears as a left- side semicircle — a half Moon. This signals that there are seven more days till the New Moon in Capricorn and new beginnings.  

Here is your horoscope for the week of Monday, January 4, 2021.

Aries

You have reached several brave decisions which, at the time they were made, seemed imperative and inarguable. You felt you had no other choice on the matter. Yet now you are starting to wonder whether things were really ever quite so clear-cut. Events this week will vindicate your recent choices. The Venus-Mars alignment will make you realize that you had to do what you did. Things are looking much better than they have in a long time. You are getting ready to usher in an important new phase in your future. You will soon start to see what this entails. It will become evident that you are on course for a huge victory. 

Taurus

You would like very much to forge ahead with a key commitment, but we find you getting in a muddle over unforeseen complications. It's worth taking the time to get everything right. Moving too fast will only jeopardize your chances of success. Be clear about your own expectations and you'll avoid a lot of disappointment. Even if your big move doesn't seem to pay off at first, it will still prove to be highly worthwhile and opportune. Give it time. Don't give way to cynicism and doubt. Venus and Mars will steer you on a path to growth in a new interest you are working on.

Gemini

A heavy load of responsibilities has taken its toll on your emotional and psychological well-being. There are a lot of lessons you can learn from the past and clearly, they are putting you on a good footing. The Venus-Mars alignment is inviting you to look forward and to bravely enter territory, which, while it seems familiar in some ways, has the potential to pleasantly surprise you and make you less world-weary. Peace and happiness are making a grand entrance. Allow yourself time to relax. That will ease the pressure and give you lots of energy to do what you have to do. 

Cancer

You've become accustomed to the reality that some people never act on their promises. They state their beliefs and plans with eloquence, but nothing comes of it. Yet some words really do have meaning. That's why they should be used sparingly. Be careful what you say, how you say it and to whom this week. You could have a bigger impact that you expect. The Venus-Mars alignment is bestowing you with the wisdom to put right all that is wrong. It's within your power to create your own utopia. So, persevere with your vision and the universe will reward you with a long-sought triumph.  

Leo

An auspicious link between Venus and Mars holds the promise of a revelation or two that will bring a new understanding in a matter of great gravitas. Any insights that lift the ambiguity concerning a certain entanglement would be most appreciated. Tricky, though it all may seem, you will soon be feeling much more at ease about it. You are preparing for some big events and positive changes that await you. Don't get bogged down in worries. You will rise above a particular problem and get a high level of perspective which will stand you in excellent stead emotionally and financially. 

Virgo

Be proud of who you are and what you have to offer. Don't be too harsh on yourself. You are steadily advancing toward a long sought-after dream. Even if there are a million things that you might do differently, if you ever got a chance again, there is no need for regrets. Recent events have caused you to take a good hard look at what you feel most proud of, and at what you feel most ashamed of. The Venus-Mars alignment will assure you that at your best, you are truly, exceptionally, magnificent. And at your worst, you are really not that bad. Your intrepid spirit is turning the tide in your favour.  

Libra

Questions are more important than answers. There are plenty of answers available, but it is difficult to find the questions that they are related to. A particular issue is causing you a lot of confusion. What is it that you want to achieve? If you can only stop thinking about it long enough, you will find that you can gain the objectivity to do something constructive about it. You are on course for a huge victory when you get it right. The Venus-Mars connection will help you understand where you want to go with this. The right question will put it all in perspective. An answer has been staring you in the face for a long time.

Scorpio

A little voice in your head still stubbornly persists in creating negative thought streams despite the amazing progress you've made toward the accomplishment of a grand dream. Success in stabilizing a precarious situation hinges on an inner process of controlling your own thoughts. Where there is a will a way will be found. Control your thoughts and you will control your future. Life may be intense but that is what suits your passionate disposition the best. You'll get a glimpse this week about what your future looks like, as the Venus-Mars alignment gains power. This has a lot of growth potential, so water and feed it. Tremendous things will come to pass. 

Sagittarius

Be not afraid of the past or what effect it may have on the future. The outcome of a certain difficult process will be determined by you. Decide what you want and believe in it. All that you want is a clearer understanding of the confusion life is presenting you with. Your vision will turn into reality. Enough with playing second fiddle in your life. It's time to do what's right for you. Your happiness depends on satisfying your needs and making them a priority. That may prove much easier to attain than you expect. Venus and Mars are primed to give you strength and power in an area where it has been difficult. 

Capricorn

Life is presenting you with a thousand impossible questions. You are doing your best to answer them, but no answers seem forthcoming. It could be that you are trying too hard. Your frustrations are quite understandable, but you will not resolve them by seeking sensible solutions to absurd problems. Think less and find ways to relax in order to escape a situation with which you are confronted. The Venus-Mars alignment will direct you to a destination that will, ultimately, prove to be better than any tropical paradise you have ever dreamed of. 

Aquarius

A lack of choice can often be preferable to a surplus. We don't always want to have to think. We can find it easier to adapt than to set out in search of perfection. Plans and strategies must be based on a solid, simple and realistic foundation. Failure to do so risks bringing dreams down like a house of cards. A creative impulse that has already started to make some traction has the potential to grow into something quite spectacular. It is developing organically according to a natural rhythm. The Venus-Mars alignment will ease your impatience and facilitate the growth of a plan that will emerge naturally without haste. 

Pisces

The Venus-Mars alignment suggests that soon, whether you want to or not, you will find out fascinating things about the people around you. Hidden truths will be revealed. Private matters will become public. There is nothing inappropriate involved. It will be more as if you find yourself moving out of the way of an oncoming revelation. There is a paucity of something you desire in your life, but its absence is cultivating your appreciation of it and intensifying your desire to get it. Success will come when your craving has been sufficiently piqued. A dream that once seemed remote and impossible is rapidly becoming feasible.