Astrology of the Week Ahead with Chani Nicholas - The Week of January 5th, 2026: New beginnings with Mars and Venus

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

Episode 264In this podcast, New York Times best-selling author and astrologer Chani Nicholas discusses the astrology of the week and what it might mean for us all.The astrology of the week of January 5th, 2026, is about planting seeds and making moves. Venus cozies up to the Sun, spotlighting where we need to invite more beauty, balance, and connection into our lives and relationships. Then Mars joins the party, pushing us to fight for our long-term goals. It’s time to be relentless about what we want. You ready?This episode covers:The Venus cazimi on Tuesday, January 6thVenus’ conjunction with Mars on Wednesday, January 7thThe Mars cazimi on Friday, January 9thVenus’ opposition to Jupiter on Friday, January 9thThe Sun’s opposition to Jupiter on Saturday, January 10thMars’ opposition to Jupiter on Saturday, January 10thThis episode was recorded on 11/17/2025.For more, check out your free daily horoscope on the homepage of the CHANI app — now on iOS and Android.Want to know what Chani’s reading beyond the astro? Join her book club, The Next Chapter, to explore her favorite titles and build community around books that reckon with and reimagine the world we’re living in.Want to learn what 2026 has in store for you? Open your CHANI app and head to the “This Year” tab to listen to your month-by-month astro breakdowns from Chani Nicholas, read your horoscopes for the year (tailored to the four main areas of your life), and dive into the journal prompts, rituals, altar suggestions, and guided meditations that will help you navigate the astrology of 2026 as it unfolds. Btw, we’re never wrong.The music featured in the podcast was created by Latashá.

Three things about this week. One, it's excellent for relationships. Two, it is phenomenal for getting things done. Three, it's filled with go time potential. Hey, Astrobesty, good news. We have made our year ahead content four times more detailed, richer, more in depth. It's really like four times the readings. You have four astrological horoscopes for the year, 26. Instead of four readings for the year, instead of giving you a quarterly reading for the year, I have recorded 12, count them 12 readings for the year, one for every single month, because I need you to understand the astrology month by month. It is a wild year, and we are going to make the most of it understanding when to go, when to hold them, when to fold them,

you get the idea. There's also a bonus year at a glance reading. I cannot wait for you to dive in. Head to the Chani app now and go to the Your Year tab. I'll see you over there. Hello and welcome. This is the astrology of the week ahead podcast. I'm your host, your Astro Bestie Channy Nicholas. And in this episode, we were talking about the infamous week of January 5th. Why is it infamous? Well, because I've been talking about it. forever. It's just infamous in this little realm of existence. And it has so many opportunities in it. This is the week I've been talking about for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks. Because the astrology of 2026 is very roller coastery. It is very up and down and here and there.

And let me tell you something. We do not want to be trying to begin things in February. or March. And April seems a little bit clustered as well. We really want to begin things now. So if you've been around, you've been hearing me trying to get us all in gear for this week. This is the week we want to plant our seeds or take action on the seeds we planted at the solstice. If you're with me around the solstice, I was like, okay, this is when we set our intentions. this is when we're like, okay, this is what I want to grow in 2026 or in this next season. This is what I want to take shape. This is what I want to be energized in my life.

This week is continuing that theme, but it's also excellent week to take action on all of those things and then some. This week is really energizing. I'm hoping. I'm recording this in November. I don't know what's happening in January. I'm hoping for the best. I'm sending all my energy to all of us. I'm sending all of my hopes and prayers. And I know that this week contains within it just these moments of like, okay, do something now. Okay, do something now. Okay, do something now. Let's talk about those days where we want to do something now. On Tuesday, Venus and the sun come together. This is called the Kazimi. You're going to hear me say it multiple times.

Venus and the Sun coming together is the beginning of a new Venus cycle. So this is the beginning of like a year and a half long cycle. You're going to also hear me talk about this is the beginning of this long cycle. Very important when a planet has a new beginning because we want to know what is the planet's MO. Like what is the planet here to do, here to help us do? What does the planet want to teach us and what are the conditions of this new beginning. So Venus and the sun come together. Venus is a planet of relationships. Venus is a planet of beauty, of art, of pleasure, of sweetness in our life. This is the beginning of a new cycle of sweetness, beauty, art, connectivity, and relationship in our life. What do you want to seed in relationship to the creative projects in your

life. What pleasure, what joy, what sweetness are you going to dedicate yourself to bringing into your life? Are you going to dedicate to bringing into your life? You're going to commit to. All of the astrology I'm going to talk about this week is happening in Capricorn. And I think one of the main words we want to work with in Capricorn is commitment. It's adulting. It's commitment. It is about understanding the rules of something. So if, I want to manifest something in my life, I have to commit to it. Or I'm going to be a lot more successful if I do. Like maybe by the end of my life, I'll manifest something if I don't commit to it. But what's the point, right? Like this is about committing to what we love,

committing to what we value, Venus, what we love, what we value, what is beautiful, what is harmonious, what is just, what acts of justice are you committed to? what things are you valuing, what are you centering that you value that is about justice and how can you take action towards that all of the time, not just when there's an acute crisis. Because we know if there's an acute crisis in society, it's already gotten way too out of hand and way too far and way too down the line. When there is an acute moment of crisis in a society, it is indicative of years, if not decades, if not centuries of abuse, of mishandling, of misconduct, of all of it. So we want to be always engaging in the process of creating a democratic society,

creating spaces for justice and healing to occur. That has to be like an all-the-time thing. So this is a really potent moment on the 6th of January. I know bad, bad anniversary. but also good anniversary, right? Like if things happened on the 6th of January in the past that we really disagree with, how are we recommitting to interrupting fascism every single moment of the day because this isn't new? Things didn't start on January 6th or October 7th. They started all the way back hundreds, if a hundred, if not hundreds of years ago.

So we want to claim the responsibility for taking ownership of what we can do to seed acts of justice and fairness and equality now here all the time every day. Acute crisis or not? Hopefully we're moving into the not, but I'm in November of 2025. So feels pretty, you know, acute at this point. I don't know what our future selves have done. So here we are. Here I am talking about the future. So on Tuesday, I want you to plant seeds. that will create more beauty, more connection, more connectivity, more justice, more sweetness, more balance in your life. And because Venus is connected to what we value, to how we connect, if we don't value the same things, it's pretty hard to have a relationship, you know,

if we don't understand the balance of things, it's pretty hard to create beauty. We need to know, like, this color, does this with this color, this shape, does this with this shape. this sound does this with this sound. Venus is the planet of art, dance, singing, all of it. And it's in Capricorn so it wants to know the structure of things. I think of Venus and Capricorn as an amazing architect. It's like what is the beauty of the shape of this thing? And so this is about seeding and remembering that you are the architect of beauty in your life. Maybe we're not in the greatest conditions because the conditions we're in does not do not center beauty and art, but we can. So how do we center? How do we be the architects of beauty? How do we be the architects

of relationships of connection in our life and in our world? And how do we be the architects of justice in our world? So that's Tuesday. So the part of your chart that contains Capricoran is getting this potent, powerful new beginning with Venus. And then, On a Wednesday, Venus and Mars meet up. And this is a potential, like, red flag, like hazard warning situation. On one hand, Mars is really well situated right now because it's in Capricorn. On the other hand, it's Mars. Mars is a tough cookie. Mars is always going to be a little bit about the edge, about suffering, about causing havoc, about harm. So Mars and Venus coming together can look like a really tough spot in relationships.

And it can also signal in the world at large in our collective experience a moment that is pointing to how gender-based violence works in our societies and our structures in this patriarchal white supremacist kind of situation. So Wednesday might kind of be an acute moment of that. And also it might just be a little rough on our relationships. and but also. Mars is superpowered and Mars is the exalted ruler of Capricorn. That's where Mars is. So Mars and Venus are both in Capricorn. So in a way, this might be about moving definitively towards something Venusian. So having some courage and initiating a relationship or having some courage and initiating something that is about liberation, that is about fairness, that is, about fairness,

that is about something to do with a Venus kind of situation, justice. So it could be a little challenging between partners, between people Wednesday. But and and and also, also, also Mars is sitting with the Venus, the Venus and the Sun, is sitting with Venus and the Sun and is having its own Kazimi on Friday the night, which is amazing because Mars is in a... its exaltation and a Mars Kazimi is the beginning of a Mars cycle is the beginning of a two-year journey. And this beginning is really efficient.

This beginning is really focused. This beginning is really determined on long-term success. This beginning is like, I am going to make a list and I will not relent until every single thing on the list is checked. So the things that we begin in our life this week, please begin things. this week, please take action. Mars is the planet of taking action of being like, okay, this is the boundary, this is the thing that you say I can't do. I'm going to do it. I am going to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Watch me. That's Mars and Capricorn. If you have Mars and Capricorn

in your chart in the area of your chart that it's in, you can do anything in that area of your life with a lot of effort, but Mars and Capricorn is like effort, schmufford. I got this. No problem. Of course it's going to take effort. You think this is all for free? this takes work, but I am going to do it and I will make it. It is relentless. We need that encouragement, especially for February, March and April, I think, I think, I think, I think, I could be wrong, but I think we're going to need it. So again, anything we begin this week has this kind of attitude or energy or is imbued with this sign of relentlessness, of a relentless kind of work ethic and strategy and ability to stay the course. We will not be thwarted.

That's what this signature looks like. Like a Mars Kazimi and Capricorn is pretty much as good as you can get in a lot of ways to begin a new cycle of relentlessness, of determination, of courage, of fortitude, of doing something long term for the long term. hall, not giving up just because we don't get applause right away. Being in it to win it. Maybe not even in our lifetime. Being in it to win it 100 years from now. People beyond us winning it. What are we in it to win it around? Long term, beyond our own life cycle. That's collectively what we want to use this astrology for. Now, all of this is sitting in opposition to Jupiter. And Jupiter is also exalted in cancer. So a Mars Jupiter situation,

you know, because it's Mars, it's like, oh, God, is it good? Is it harmful? What is it? Is it going to be good for some things and like a little edgier for other things? Yes, totally. For sure, it's Mars. And Jupiter sitting opposite to it can kind of blow it up. You know, Jupiter makes everything bigger. Whatever it touches, it makes it bigger. So Jupiter is sitting across. cross from Venus. And on the Mars-Kazimi date on Friday, Venus and Jupiter make an opposition, which means we might go a little bigger than we should. We might want a little more than we can take. We might want a lot of a good thing because it's good. And Mars is like, you know, having this super-powered moment. But it's also really good astrology. Like the ninth is excellent

because it's a Mars Kazimi. Kazimis are special. They don't happen all the time. It takes two years-ish for Mars to have one. And it doesn't always happen in a sign that's good for Mars. So this is good Mars energy, which means it's really good for our ability to, again, be courageous, get things done, move into action. But also to protect what needs protecting, to fight for what needs fighting for. And then it has this Venus Jupiter opposition, which yes, can be a little like too much of a good

thing, but it's also hyping us up. It's giving us a lot of good things to work with. So I love the 9th of January. I just think like for what it's worth, for what it is, it's really, really good. And I want us to work with it. And then on Saturday, the sun and Mars make the opposition. Same thing. Make the composition with Jupiter. So it's all happening in the same area. It's all the same signatures. It's just like again and again and again and again. Meaning, these are new beginnings with a lot of hype. These are new beginnings with a lot of energy. These are new beginnings that we want to make with a lot of strategy for the long-term plan in mind. It's not all going to get done this week. We are planting seeds or with the seeds we already planted in the solstice for the solstice, now we're taking action.

Now we're like, go, go, go. This is the time. Move it forward. Do not relent. Be fearless. Everything and everyone that wants to have power control over you is relying on your fear to stay stuck. It's also relying or they are relying or everything is relying on your illusion of separation. When we move in solidarity, we are eons, massive amounts more powerful than any one person in power.

And that is what they are banking on that we do not wake up to. This is a call for us to wake up to our collective connection and to move it forward relentlessly with a tremendous amount of courage. Why? Because it's a Venus-Kazimi. So it's about relationships and it's about justice. And then it's a Mars-Kazimi, which is about being fearless. It's about taking a risk and it is about moving into action. And then it's all being opposed by Jupiter. Jupiter is in cancer. Jupiter and cancer is about uprisings of people. Jupiter and cancer is about big flows and big waves of care. So this is what we've got to work with. This is where we are. And for your personal life, this is definitely about you refusing to stay small, refusing to stay afraid,

moving through the fear. Be afraid. Do it anyways. You know the deal. You know the sayings. Now it's time to put it into action. Action changes everything. Action moves fear into energy. It's okay to be afraid, but you can't stay stuck there. Or if you stay stuck there, you can't complain about it. When you know what you are afraid of, it is then your duty and responsibility. to counter that fear with one small action. That's all I want you to do this week. I just want you to take one small action. One small action towards relationships,

towards connectivity, towards beauty, and towards joy in your life, and one small action towards instilling in your own mind, in your own psyche, how courageous you are. That's it. That's it, that's it, that's it. And then you do it again, and you do it again. And you do it again and you do it again. And you refuse to stay silent. You refuse to stay small.

You refuse to stay isolated. And you break through into a whole new realm of being and of power. Personal and collective power. That's how we do it. One small step at a time. Again and again and again and again and again. And then we connect as we do that. and we build something magnificent. This is our year. This is our week to start. Here is our question from the audience this week. Hey, Chani.

I have a question about using astrology for a business. So I recently put my business's launch date into the Chani app, and it's been so cool and so interesting to read the birth chart and the transits. But what I was wondering is how do you think about information that has to do with the body when you're reading it for a business. Like, is it the bodies of the people who work there? My business is my wife and I, and I'm in charge of most of the day-to-day. So I'm wondering if I should read it as my body.

And if so, how do I kind of interpret that alongside the information about my body in my own birth chart? Okay, thank you. Amazing question. I love this. You know that you can go in the Chani app and just edit. the birth info and pull up anybody's chart. You can pull up your business's chart if you know the exact time and location, obviously, of where your business was brought into being. We chose

the best astrology that we could to launch the Chani app. So we choose the best astrology that we can for most things that we do. Highly recommend it. Now, if you are going to put your businesses chart into the app, and I think what this person is asking is possibly about the first house, and or about the moon. Both things are really important. So if you read about the body in the Chani app and you're looking at your business, then it's really the body of the business. It's not your body. It's not your partner's body. It's the body of the thing that has been created in this moment. So the body of the business, if it's the first house or if it's about the ruler of the first house, is about the actual energy of the business. And by that I mean vitality and life force.

of the business. So you want to have a really good life force for your business if you want it to be successful, obviously. So the ruler of the ascendant is so important. If you put your business's chart into the Chani app and you find what the ruler is, where it is, what it's doing, its efficacy, like if it's in a helpful sign, if it's being helped by any other planets, all of that is massively important for your understanding of the kind of gifts that your business has. And then any challenges that the ruler of the ascendant has or that the first house has, those are both about body in a sense, will be something that you can do to like make up for it. So you can be like, okay, we're not, we might have like an energetic, you know,

schism or something we have to work with in this way so we can support the business in this way. Like our business has a really, really fortuitous mark, but it's also a mark of something that will take a long time and be enduring over time. It's not a speedy kind of mark because we were in this to win this and in this for the long term. So we chose something that represented that. But the thing we also chose that was good was just that in and of itself. Our business mark is Saturn Jupiter and the Saturn Jupiter conjunction and Aquarius in the first house. So when we look at our business chart, that is the mark of its body or its vitality in a lot of ways. And so that's saying like, oh, wow, it's this really rare moment.

It's this really beautiful, auspicious moment. And it's a Saturn ruled chart. So it's about what endures over time. It's about building the business slowly. We're not VC funded. We didn't get here quickly. We built everything on our own. We belong to ourselves.

we're totally autonomous, all of that good stuff. We're a tech company. It's an Aquarius rising, yada, yada, yada. So for you, when you read about the body, I want you to think about the business's body, like what it needs. If you're like, if you read something that's like, oh, the body might, you might get overheated or you might get a little calcified, then you have to know, like, oh, the business, you don't want the business to get that way. So if the business is the body, then what does the body need in support? The moon is also referenced as the body in traditional astrology. So the moon you also want in an excellent condition because the moon is the body in terms of making things a material reality.

And if you have a business, you need to have it be successful in a material sense for, you know, the most part, hopefully. And if the moon is in a good situation, then it will be able to have. help the physical manifestation of the business be more fortuitous, be more fortunate. Like the moon is part of how we receive fortune on a material level, not a spiritual level, on a material level. So as so much as it's related to the body of the business or the shape of the business or what the business's vitality needs, you want to look at the first house, any planets there, and the ruler of the ascendant ruler of the president. first house. And in terms of the financial viability of the business, one place you want to look

is the moon. You want to see, like, is the moon in a good place? The moon's also like the people in a way when you pick a chart. And so you want the people that relate to your business to be in a good functioning situation. You want the people that work in your company to be in a good situation. I mean, I hope you do. And then there's also other ways to look at finances. And again, this is like not totally related to your question, but you want to look at the second house, money, money, money, that's where you get the money, money. Sixth house, that's where you get your employees or also your tools and your resources for the business. And 10th houses, your reputation out in the world and how the world kind of relates to you. So you want those to be in good condition.

But you really want to focus on, is there anything in the first house? What are the planets? Are they helpful? If they're not, then what can I do to kind of help the situation? Where is the ruler of the ascendant, is there a vital life force and where is it moving towards or what direction does this business want to go in? And of course, the sun and the moon, you want those to be in good situations because those are vital life energies because they are the luminaries and light equals life and vitality and being seen and being witnessed and being understood by the public. The moon has a lot to do with being received by the public as well. You want Venus in a good situation. You want Jupiter to be supporting you. You want those planets to be somehow infusing the

body, the life of the business. But you want to think of the first house, the sun and the moon as all components of the life of the business. And you want the life force of the business to be strong and to be doing the thing that you want it to do, to be in the areas of the chart that represent the areas of your business and how you want the business to be useful, successful in the world. world, right? All right, y'all. So for us, it was like Saturn's in the first house in its own sign with Jupiter. So all of that was good because Jupiter's supporting Saturn. Saturn's already in its own sign. And again, it's an Aquarius, which, you know, can have a lot to do with innovations and breakthroughs. And in some ways, not in like the modern astrological ways,

but in a lot of ways traditionally, it can have to do with like experiments in technology. So we thought that that was all a good combination. And it was like a once in a lifetime piece of astrology. So we went with it. But look up yours and see what you see and take note of like what you find to be like the strength of the body of the business or the strength of the life force of the business. And then how can you support anything that isn't like super, super, super strong? It's okay.

There's always a mix of things in the sky. And you can always relaunch your business too. You can always, you know, choose a new chart. I know that's not super easy to do, but there's ways around, you know, being like, oh, maybe this wasn't the best chart. You can always find a better chart and do something else with it to help support that. Or again, maybe to relaunch. Up to you.

All right, y'all, thank you so much for joining. Come back next week and we'll talk about the new moon in Capricorn. So, again, we're having like a lot of restarts in the area of our chart that contains Capricorn. Please, please, please. go and listen to your reading this week because it contains such important information. Go listen to your weekly reading in the Chani app. Go listen to your monthly reading.

Go listen to your reading for January in the Chani app. You'll note that they say some of the same things. But and also, it's so important to know where this astrology is happening in your life, in your chart. So you can really make the most of it. And also witness the ways in which it's landing of its own accord, which can be so awe and inspiring and so, so, so encouraging. All right, so do you lots of love? Bye for now.