Mars leaves Leo and retrogrades back to Cancer on Jan. 6, a transit that celebrity astrologer Kyle Thomas tells PEOPLE can be "difficult" for many at this time

Today, Mars in retrograde enters the sign of Cancer, a powerful shift in the daily horoscope that calls for self-reflection and alignment with your true desires. This is a perfect time to check in with yourself and evaluate your motivations.

Horoscope: Get insightful Vedic astrology forecasts for the year 2025 covering career, education, health, love, and family for a successful and balanced year.

January will test your resilience, push you to confront your inner demons and face the darker aspects of your life you've been avoiding. Here's what your biggest challenge will be in the first month of 2025,

2025 is a year of transformation—and it all starts with some big planetary shifts in January, which will prove once and for all which thoughts, situations, or relationships are supporting your goals and which are detracting from them, says Donna Page, an Atlanta-based astrologer with a graduate degree in counseling psychology.

Mars will reenter Cancer as part of its retrograde phase, beginning a period for each zodiac sign to pause and learn a significant life lesson they may have glossed over in the past. This energy will be anything but easy,