Rarely do the planets align themselves with such appropriateness as they do on New Year's Day. A new moon — joined with Pluto and Mercury and aspecting Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus — makes this the perfect day for setting down your resolutions, helping to facilitate a mindset of change, transformation, growth, and new beginnings. If there's something you wish to leave behind — be it a habit, way of being, situation, relationship, or place — the energies on the first day of the month are ideal. It will be far easier than normal to make and keep any resolutions and to experience any desired breakthroughs.

To make the most of the powerful energies, take an hour or so on the first day of January to write down exactly what you want to manifest and also what you want to leave behind. For those of you who like ritual and ceremony, you could create an altar of your desires: Choose objects that represent the things you want, or light candles and visualize your desires becoming manifest. Alternatively, you could do a letting-go ceremony in which you burn or destroy a written list of what you wish to be free from. This is a very liberating new moon, so don't underestimate its power to assist you in letting go of anything that isn't helpful.

Since the energies on the opening day of the year are rather intense and potentially volatile, I advise a quiet day in which you're not likely to become involved in fracas. A long walk or a quiet day at home with plenty of time to contemplate is ideal. If this isn't possible, do your best to guard against frustration, impatience, or needless rebellion. It's important to think before you act, as many people will be prone to act erratically or impulsively under this passionate new moon. We need to focus on steady transformation, not sudden violent change — which could happen if people aren't mindful.