Leo, January 2016

In our monthly horoscopes, we provide a more in depth look at what's happening in the sky. You can read the rest of our monthly horoscopes here.

The world loves to poke fun of Leos and their love of fame—but did you know it's actually your destiny, astrologically speaking, to be the center of attention? I mean, no pressure or anything, but it's your fate to be noticed. If one of your New Year's resolutions is self-improvement (I hope that's on everyone's list, but you never know about those Scorpios), I suggest you focus on some things that will help you achieve this destiny. Examine your creative blocks, work on issues around self-esteem, and practice your leadership skills (I know you never meant to be a role model, but unfortunately that's what's in store for you). Devoting time to practicing your skills and establishing healthy habits is also an important part of creating success, and January 2016 will be huge around this. But first, there will be some conversations in your relationships to tackle.

Mercury, the planet of communication, enters Aquarius on January 1, lighting up the part of your chart that rules relationships, both romantic and nonromantic. Mercury will only be in Aquarius for a week before dipping back into Capricorn during its retrograde (yes, there's a retrograde this month). From January 1 until January 8, you get a great chance to level with your partners and discuss what's important to both of you in a clear and conscious Aquarian way— Aquarius is an Air sign, logical and detached. It's exactly the kind of vibe we want when sorting out feelings, thoughts, and goals with other people.

If a conversation occurs after the retrograde begins on January 5, you'll notice that the discussion will focus a lot on finding clarity around the past: This won't be the best time to make agreements or commitments for the future, but no worries! Plant seeds for the future now, and, when Mercury reenters Aquarius on February 14, you'll be able to pick up those conversations again.

Mars enters Scorpio on January 3, inspiring you to address issues around your home and family. Mars is the planet of war; while it was in sweet and diplomatic Air sign Libra, you engaged in lots of thinking and talking (and gossiping), but there wasn't much action. In passionate and penetrating Water sign Scorpio, Mars is mega powerful. If you want to move, renovate, or redecorate, this is a fantastic time to start working on it. You'll also find yourself addressing issues around your family during this transit. If you have a roomie you need to boot, the cosmos has your back now. Mars in Scorpio is also great for you creating new, firm boundaries anywhere in your life that you want more space, privacy, or protection. You might be the sign of fame, Leo, but that only means your private time is even more precious!

January 5 is one of the busier, rougher days of the month. People will be super argumentative, with communicator Mercury square Mars (which is basically the planet of fights). Those home and family issues that we just discussed earlier could be the focus of these fights, but you can do damage control by taking things super slow (Mars will want to rush, so count to ten) and keeping your mouth shut (Mercury loves to talk a little too much at times).

The big news on January 5 is that Mercury begin its retrograde, as we discussed earlier, which will end on January 25. The retrograde starts in Aquarius, bringing up those partnership issues, but then Mercury dips back into practical, reliable Earth sign Capricorn on January 8. It's said that Mercury retrograde is a terrible time to sign contracts or plan travel. During Mercury retrograde, the stereotype goes, people are late and cell phones break— all this can be true, but mostly, the retrograde is an opportunity to review and reflect on the themes being highlighted by Mercury and the signs it's visiting. In driven Earth sign Capricorn—an energy that's all about the material and the physical—it's time for you to get your health and habits in order so you can find climb to the top.

Mercury retrograde in Capricorn will ask you to revisit issues concerning your day-to-day well being: your work-life balance and your health, habits, and day job. After all, if you can't wake up in time for work or brush your teeth consistently every day, you're going to have a rough time being in an equal, healthy partnership. I know: Who wouldn't want to be with a Leo, even if that Leo is sloppy and irresponsible? But the truth is, being healthy is very important to you, and while being a little disorganized is totally fine, having major wonkiness in your schedule doesn't do you any good—especially not in your relationships—and it certainly doesn't help your climb to success.

If your schedule doesn't work for you, you won't have time to devote to practicing the skills you really care about or to do things like go on auditions or write your book. Creating a healthy work-life balance is major during this retrograde. Any commitments you made in the past that are not serving you or helping you lead a more balanced life will likely fall apart at this time. Health concerns you've been avoiding will also come up for you to work on. This retrograde is all about kicking your bad habits and developing new ones—if you don't do this, your relationships will struggle and your road to success will be very rocky. Worried about kicking some bad habits? The New Moon in Capricorn on January 9 will help you turn a new leaf!

People will feel super sensitive on January 5 due to lovely Venus square hazy, foggy Neptune. Confusion will abound, and you'll need to adjust some of your expectations. On the plus side, the Sun, your ruling planet, will meet with the planet of power, Pluto, so you should feel in control today, despite the feelings of insecurity, bitchiness, and retrograde madness, which will dominate much of January 5. Pluto is the lord of the underworld, and being with aligned with this energy is very empowering— January is tough, but if you can manage some awkward vibes and take ownership of your habits, you'll do well.

Leos are all about travel and adventure, but on January 7, some plans you've had about expanding your horizons, either intellectually or via travel, could face some unexpected challenges due to the Sun squaring erratic Uranus. Jupiter, the planet of abundance, also goes retrograde on January 7, in materially minded Earth sign Virgo, so you will notice a shift in your relationship with cash. None of this needs to be bad news— if you can go with the flow and take it slow with spending your money, rethinking your direction could lead you down a much smoother path.

Saturn isn't the sexiest planet in the zodiac: It's cold and grumpy, but it does rule commitment, and that's something that turns most of us on. Even if you're not looking for a romantic commitment, feeling a sense of stability and security in your creative or social life is usually good news. Lovely, harmony-loving Venus meets with Saturn in fellow Fire sign Sagittarius on January 8, bringing some interesting developments around themes concerning structure, romance, creativity, and/or joy in general. Some unexpected loveliness will also come your way when Venus trines wild Uranus on January 12. The next day, January 13, is also very lucky for you, but more so around cash, work, and wellness. Expect news around these themes when the Sun meets chatty Mercury and Mercury trines lucky Jupiter on January 14.

The Sun enters Aquarius on January 20, bringing tons of focus to your relationships. Even bigger news comes on January 23, when Venus enters Capricorn and shows you who in your life is down for all the changes you're making around your habits. There's also a Full Moon in your sign on that day, Leo. Full Moons bring clarity—if you're feeling fuzzy around what you need in your partnerships, the Full Moon will illuminate it for you.

Every Leo is destined to be a star, but anyone who has achieved (and maintained) fame and success will tell you that practice is what it's all about. You need to make time in your life to practice what you're passionate about, Leo, and keeping yourself healthy though good habits will help get you there. 2016 begins with some hard work on your end, but you can do it!