January Overview

Phases and Signs for January

Here’s January’s information about the phases of the moon and signs of the zodiac. For those of you in the Deep South who are reading this, you may be doing some planting. For those of us pretty much north of the southern Tennessee border we can’t do any planting unless it is in a greenhouse.

If you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to be in touch. And if I don’t respond quickly enough then please ask again or remind me!

Making changes: If you have changes to make like starting a diet or exercise program (lots of people do that each Jan. 1 you know!), stopping smoking, scheduling elective surgery, weaning small animals or children, we have 3.5 days that are perfect coming Jan. 6 until 8:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Read why below.

First, phases and signs.

The moon

January begins and ends with the moon in the dark phase. The full moon rules until 8:31 p.m. Jan. 9 when the new moon – or no moon visible in the sky – comes to rule.

The light moon is then in force until the full moon returns at 8:46 p.m. Jan. 23. The dark moon will then be in force until the new moon returns at 9:39 a.m. Feb. 8.

“General Tips” for dark- and light-moon activities are below and if you are planting veggies, it’s above-ground producers in the light moon and below-ground producers when the dark phase is in.

The signs

Remember: Again, check to see if the moon is in the light or dark phase (information above) before proceeding with planting, or other activities, indoors or out.

January begins with one of the flowering signs in force, so that’s where we will start, too.

Flowering days: These are “bloom days” and well suited for planting flowers — maybe like pansies outside since they are all that can tolerate freezes, snow and cold. If, of course, you have a greenhouse the weather is no problem. Libra (the reins), is in force Jan. 1-2, 28-29 with Virgo (the bowels), the other flowering sign, ruling Jan. 25-27. There are seven flowering days this month.

Fertile signs: The most fertile signs in the zodiac rule these days: Scorpio (the secrets), Jan. 3-5, 30-31; Pisces (the feet), Jan. 12-13; Taurus (the neck), Jan. 17-18; and Cancer (the breast), Jan. 21-22.                                                                                       There are nine days this month ruled by the fertile signs — Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus and Cancer – and they are scattered during the dark and light phases of the moon. I wish we could have this many so nicely spaced in one of the warm summer months!

So-so days: These aren’t particularly fertile nor destructive, just so-so: Sagittarius (the thighs), Jan. 6-7; Capricorn (the knees), Jan. 8-9; and Aquarius (the legs), Jan. 10-11. There are six days this month – the minimum - ruled by the three so-so signs, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius.

Killing signs: No planting, transplanting, or dealing with things you want to thrive should occur on these days. Reserve them for cultivating, cleaning out fencerows — anything but planting: Aries (the head), Jan. 14-16; and Leo (the heart), Jan. 23-24. There are five killing days this month ruled by either Leo or Aries.

Gemini days: Gemini rules Jan. 19-20. Gemini is the “bean sign” but there’s no bean planting going on in the north but perhaps in the far south. If so, plant your beans on these days since the light moon will rule for above-ground producers.

And, as January moves along toward February you can begin planting peas according to some diehards since they love cold ground.        

General tips

Here are a few general tips for activities other than planting:

>If you have gravel to pour on a drive or roadway, do that when the light moon rules, Jan 10 through most of Jan. 23. The same applies for stones on a garden path: Place them when the moon is in the light phase so they don’t sink.

>If you’re setting fence posts, do that in the light of the moon so the posts don’t sink.

>If you’re putting on a new shingle roof, do that when the moon’s in the dark phase so that the shingles stick down and don’t curl up on the ends.

>As mentioned above there are 3.5 perfect days this month for making changes when the moon is in the dark phase and the signs are going out of the body past anything that functions

Those days are Jan. 6 until 8:30 p.m. Jan. 9 when the moon moves to the light phase.

So, if you have changes to make like weaning babies or small animals, scheduling elective surgery – not emergency surgery since that usually can’t be “scheduled,” stopping smoking, starting a diet or exercise program then you have two perfect days in January to get started.

Can’t get it done then? You have, in my opinion, the second best choice Jan. 10-13 when the moon will have moved to the light phase but the signs are still moving out of the body past anything that functions, Aquarius/legs through Pisces/feet.