The world is currently a scary place. Seasoned historians informed political commentators and other custodians of the zeitgeist are for once united in their assessment of the times in which we live. The General Secretary of NATO, the newly installed head of MI5 and the head of the EU are just three powerful voices warning of the emergent new world order, in which Russia is waging hybrid war on Europe while the U.S. looks on disinterestedly.
Just a month ago a cadre of scientists expressed alarm about dangers facing the UK from the unfolding climate crisis. The only voices of denial, preaching that climate change is a hoax, usually belong to those helping along eco-disaster, often trillionaires, often those stoking the rise of fascism – choose your own baddy, there is no shortage.
Astrologers don’t like being left out of the ‘doom scrolling’ going on. Fresh from their success warning that 2020 was going to be one awful ride (though few said it would be a pandemic causing the trouble) are now considering the implications of a planetary picture involving the three ‘outer’ planets (Uranus/Neptune/Pluto) changing sign in the space of a couple of years, these being the celestial bodies that most vividly describe wars, economic collapse and natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and their ilk).
Currently, the imminent conjunction of Neptune and Saturn heads the list of cosmic events anticipating doomsday. The two giant planets describe opposing energies – Neptune is nebulous, vague, idealistic or deluded, Saturn hard-nosed, cold, pragmatic. The pair almost perfected their conjunction last year but make it a done deal on February 20 2026. Essentially, we have already witnessed what this pair describe – the chaotic rule of Donald Trump Mk 2, the escalation of war in Ukraine by his ally Vladimir Putin, and sulphurous conflicts in the middle east and Sudan.
As pointed out in last year’s forecast, the 36 year Saturn-Neptune cycle has a powerful resonance with Russia. At the duo’s 1917 conjunction came the Bolshevik Revolution and the fall of the Czars, at 1952’s opposition the death of Stalin, and at 1991’s conjunction the collapse of the USSR. Triumph in Ukraine or economic collapse at home currently vie for likelihood in 2026.
Please allow your astrologer to rerun a quote from the late French ‘king of the cycles’, Andre Barbault, for whom Saturn-Neptune represents “‘power and prosperity above, and misfortune and poverty below’. Frustrated populations, which have lost all hope therefore spark popular insurrections. Yet Barbault also pointed out that if humanity could ally its idealism with practical methods, a new golden age could prevail.
The other major astrological event in 2026 is the shift of Prometheus (aka Uranus) moving into Gemini. The planet of revolution lived up to its reputation during its seven years in Taurus, the sign of economics and banks, ushering in an era of crypto currencies and challenger banks. In Gemini we can expect the exponential growth of technology and communications. Artificial Intelligence has already joined the contested list of imminent disasters.
By comparison, Jupiter’s annual change of star sign – from Cancer to Leo – is a lightweight development, yet Jupiter amplifies whatever it finds and it will be in making multiple aspects to Saturn and the outer planets, all of which are in fire or air signs. Jupiter is not malevolent – au contraire it is ‘the great benefic’, perhaps on this occasion riding to humanity’s assistance.
Best wishes and a prosperous new year to all my readers. One Love.
Celestial timetable: the major planets in 2026
- Neptune moves from Pisces to Aries on January 27.
- Saturn moves from Pisces to Aries on February 14.
- The pair finally embrace on February 20.
- Neptune turns retrograde on July 8 but remains in Aries.
- Saturn turns retrograde on July 26 but remains in Aries.
- Venus turns retrograde on October 3 in Scorpio, slides back into Libra and resumes normal service on November 14.
- Jupiter moves from Cancer to Leo on June 30, and turns retrograde on 13 December.
- Prometheus moves from Taurus to Gemini on April 28 and turns retrograde on September 11.
- Pluto remains in Aquarius. Because Pluto remains in the early degrees of the Water Bearer (an air sign, confusingly) it will continue making aspects to Neptune and Prometheus.
- Retrogrades of Mercury
- February 25 to March 20 in Pisces.
- June 29 – July 23 in Cancer.
- October 24 – November 13 in Scorpio.
- Eclipses
- February 17 – Solar eclipse (annular) in Aquarius.
- March 3 – Total Lunar eclipse in Virgo.
- August 12 – Total solar eclipse in Leo.
- August 28 -Partial lunar eclipse in Pisces.
Capricorn and Capricorn rising
Now
Revel in your achievements, not just over the past twelve months but over the course of your life. You currently have four planets in your skies to back you up, including a super-powered Mars (in exultation) as your attack dog and Venus as your charm offensive, all nicely aligned to planets that are about to move on. May as well grab some glory while it’s available. Among them is the full Moon of January 3 alongside Jupiter , a moment worth sharing with your main squeezer, should you have one. The Capricorn new Moon of the 18th is potent and promising, not least where that favourite Capricorn subject, money, is concerned. Yes, people call you names – bread head and such – but to whom do they turn when they need a loan?
Later
The shift of your Saturn ruler to the root of your ‘scope in late February opens a two-year chapter when material progress usually comes with a battle. Your beloved chateau (or chateaux plural) may also need more upkeep than you have bargained for. The same may be true of your professional status come the Autumn equinox, when a wayward Venus alternately frowns and smiles on your reputation. Confusing…
Aquarius and Aquarius rising
Now
January may be not as peachy as you would like but be patient. There are discussions going on behind the scenes (in your twelfth house) with a slew of planets that fill your sails come your birthday month, beginning promptly on January 20. when the Sun meets Pluto in your skies. to be followed by Mars and Venus. Decisions will be needed quickly thereafter, not least at the full Moon of February 1st, which highlights partnerships, one of the themes of 2026. The new Moon of February 17, with a partial solar eclipse, offers a fresh approach to problems, be it dramatic – has one association outlived its purpose? Is it time to leave a closet? As the old saying goes, better out than in.
Later
Talking of eclipses, the total solar black-out of August 12 is in your opposing/complementary sign of Leo, which again raises issues about partnerships, especially for birthdays circa February 9. Your love life may look rather different by then in any case. Prometheus, a planet often linked to your sign as its putative ruler, arrives in your fifth house of romance and creative adventure on April 28 with the following four months seeing sudden departures and arrivals.
Pisces and Pisces rising
Now
January is packed with social action if as much interests you, including business deals. Saturn is going through the last degrees of your sign so you may as well get hard-nosed about your dealings with others. The days of Pisceans being considered a soft touch are long gone. You have a few weeks before Saturn finally exits The Fishes, along with Neptune, and however the last couple of years have gone, it is time to wrap up the past and reconcile yourself to its judgments. A total lunar eclipse opposite you on March 3 carries the same message of completion and change, though any coup de grace will likely be someone else’s decision.
Later
The combination of Saturn and Neptune in your house of money calls for you to maintain financial vigilance. Saturn is a natural skinflint, while Neptune can be epitome of a scammer and con artist. Far better to look on the bright side, and play along with your ruling planet, Jupiter, which remains exalted in Cancer until the close of June, ‘play’ being the keywords here, whether you emerge a sporting champion or the creator of. an artistic masterpiece (or close relation). Late May and early June look romantically enchanted.
Aries and Aries rising
Now
Make the most of the opening few weeks of the year, before Saturn and Neptune return to your skies and while life is reasonably straightforward. With ruler Mars powerfully placed atop your ‘scope, meet professional challenges head on (your favourite strategy). Negotiations (and romances) may have to be more circumspect in February, when an eclipse in your friendship zone clouds issues and smudges the line between platonic and romantic.
Later
Some Rams had a taste of Saturn in midsummer 2025, but in the first half of 2026 the ringed planet will be makings its presence known to vastly more of you (birthdays in the second half of April may escape – for now). Saturn’s rules are simple enough; accept that sometimes the wind blows against you and that the world is full of rule-makers and miseries. Be strong. When faced with a big decision, the difficult option is likely the right one. Play for the long term – at least two years. And you can learn a lot about yourself under a Saturn transit.
The remainder of your horoscope supplies reasons to be cheerful.
Mars is in your sign from April 10 for its customary ten week stay. and – importantly – Jupiter moves into fellow fire sign Leo for twelve months from the start of July, a transit that promises camaraderie, romance, sporting glory and more. Saturn or not, you may be able to manage a delirious round of parties in the second half of the year.
Taurus and Taurus rising
Now
You can’t go too far wrong when fellow earth sign Capricorn is chock-a-block with planets, including your ruler Venus, as they are until the new Moon on January18. If you can wangle a trip to some happy shore meanwhile, all the better. As planets move into Aquarius they encounter a powerfully placed Pluto at the peak of your ‘scope, a moment that can trigger career developments, Pluto will be transiting your career zone for umpteen years but its significance arrives in episodes, when its transformations can swing into play, as they can during February, a lively month when your beautiful home may need a shakedown.
Later
You get a similar jolt, and hopefully a promotion, when the Sun reaches the Bull’s and squares Pluto on April 24, a notable birthday and followed by the annual full Moon opposite you on May 1st – a potentially giddy weekend for the diary. Taureans are not a sign happy to be upping sticks – traditions and gardens must be maintained – but the ongoing emphasis on the sign of Leo, at the root of your ‘scope, may inspire you to think again about your domestic arrangements.
Gemini and Gemini rising
Now
It may take a few weeks before your year takes off, given the somewhat mundane mood implied by a swathe of planets in weighty Capricorn. Make sure you invoice and collect your dues promptly. The spell cast by the month of airy Aquarius from Jan 20 is very different. Pluto ‘energises’ Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars as they line up nicely for Gemini birthdays, plugging you into fresh lines of thought, and likely fresh people as well. The partial solar eclipse at the full Moon of February 17 impacts birthdays June 19 primarily. Note any new encounters.
Later
Give a none too small cheer that Saturn is finally leaving Pisces in February, From the roof of your horoscope, the taskmaster planet has put Gemini careers under scrutiny for over two years, and in Aries, the professional realm looks less daunting, , a more co-operative place.
Another planet likely to influence your career is Prometheus. which arrived in the Twins for the first time since 1941 last year, albeit for a few months only. Its re-arrival in late April opens a seven-year trawl through the Twins’ skies. Prometheus is a planet of inspiration, comfortable with both science and art, and highly creative. It is a planet of sudden arrivals and departures. If you find yourself yearning for a new career as a rainforest ecologist, don’t be too surprised.
Cancer and Cancer rising
Now
Here’s an unusual way to begin your new year; with a full Moon in your skies (i.e. your ruler in its own sign) conjunct an exalted Jupiter, the pair opposite Sun, Mars and Venus. That’s a transit you haven’t enjoyed in at least a dozen years, when Jupiter was last in the Crab. What does it signify? Firstly, that full Moon rules apply double; there is twice the feeling that an ending has been reached (Jupiter is also retrograde) and that you are thirsting for a new chapter, a new adventure, a new relationship, all of which become possible once you get to the new Moon of January 19, though do make your resolutions now!
Later
With six months more of ‘lucky’ Jupiter in your skies it would be perverse not to stretch for your personal goals, be it big professional gongs or something more personal. You best progress once Jupiter resumes forward motion from March 12. Jupiter is a protective force as well as an expansive one but cannot shield you from every adversity. Saturn’s square from the peak of your ‘scope from late February is a case in point, demanding your best and most consistent commitment to your career. And you will still have to endure a retrograde Mercury in your sign dates come.
On the other hand, the encounter between Jupiter and Venus on June 9 has the kind of magic you rarely enjoy. Jupiter leaves you a few days after your birthday month opens, to be replaced by Mars, ensuring there’s never a dull moment as you head into autumn. A long spell of Venus in Scorpio in the romance sector of your ‘scope, promises a gothic touch to take into 2027.
Leo and Leo rising
Now
Your trajectory in 2026 is simple; the longer the year goes on, the more Leo it becomes. Indeed, once you reach midsummer you enter a rare spell when the Lion’s skies are positively buffeted by heavenly bodies. Since one of these is Jupiter, king of the e planets, which arrives in June 30 for its first visit in twelve years , this has to be a good thing.
But the change in Leo’s fortunes starts early in 2026, thanks to the eclipse axis slipping backwards to encompass Leo-Aquarius (your opposite sign). A partial solar eclipse in the Water Bearer on February 17 is a shake-up in your partnership prospects that will be echoed six months later when a total solar eclipse arrives in your own skies on August 12. You are in the thick of things by then, with the earlier part of the year notable mainly for Saturn and Neptune finally settling in fellow fire sign Aries, a transit that should help refine g your religious and philosophical beliefs.
Later
Jupiter’s arrival (June 30 is big news, the giant planet favouring an upbeat, outlook and winning hand. Bright ideas and helpful people show up. So does money. That’s the theory anyway. Jupiter is followed by the Sun on July 21 and two months of Mars during October and November. What’s more there will be a long retrograde Mars in 2027.
Mars is traditionally not a fortunate planet, but modern astrology has turned the old bruiser into a gummy bunny, a jock. With Jupiter onside, your best bet is to consider you have endless energy to accomplish projects dear to your heart. No sleep until 2028.
Virgo and Virgo rising
Now
Start as you mean to go on, as an enchanted lover and celebrated wit. If that sems a tall order, don’t doubt yourself. You have a rare and altogether charming planetary set-up during the first three weeks of January, with Venus, Mars and ruler Mercury all lined up in Capricorn, a fellow earth sign, and your fifth house of parties and creative glory. It’s a transit that doesn’t, it’s true, endure beyond January, but a resolution cast iron the new Moon of the 18th goes a long way.
One thing quickly apparent is that Saturn and Neptune, formerly in opposition, have moved on, which means that communications with significant others is no longer prone to misunderstanding. With Saturn out the way you are perceived by others as a lighter character. The ringed planet has been in your way for two and a half years, while Neptune has been passing and out for fourteen years.
Later
In general, the heavyweight planets that can give one bother, are absent from your solar scope. They are in fire signs and air signs, meaning an earth sign like yourself gets off lightly. One exception that Jupiter in Cancer for the first six months of the year, is hotting up your social life, or at least the part that overlaps with work. Consider yourself king or queen of the water cooler and gossip feed. Two dates for your diary: on March 3 you have a total lunar eclipse in your skies, and on August 28 a partial lunar eclipse in Pisces , both potential game changers where partnerships are concerned.
Libra And Libra Rising
Now
Staying in balance, would you like the good news or the not-so-much? Let’s go for the latter. In February Saturn and Neptune complete their move from Pisces into Aries, your opposite sign. Saturn in opposition is rarely a light touch, demanding you work harder and get appreciated less. Rats! But in 2026 only birthdays before October 7 are in the firing line. Neptune in opposition? Keep a clean nose nd don’t talk in riddles seems to be the way to handle it.
Later
The good news? Pluto in Aquarius remains an enigma, but planets passing through the Water Bearer in February, including ruler Venus, bring creative inspiration and romantic intimacy. Simultaneously, Jupiter moving across the roof of your ‘scope keeps your professional profile high through to midsummer, after which the giant planet makes you a darling of social media and your in-person gang. Venus in your skies in August singles you out for the usual reasons (grace, charm, blunt speaking) but the green planet’s elaborate retrograde may plunge you back into an old in November.
Scorpio and Scorpio rising
Now
A sweet line up of planets in earthy Capricorn should serve you well as a starter for the year, although the lunation in Pisces in February and March carries more passion, with ruler Mars heavily involved. That Saturn has finally moved on from the Fishes to Aries should work fine by you, involving more work but less emotional disappointment.
Later
Jupiter in fellow water sign Cancer has been expanding your horizons for the last six months but in late June moves atop your ‘scope to push your professional credentials harder. With other planets piling into wo, you look a formidable force in the second half of 2026 and not only workwise. An elaborate retrograde of Venus sweeps you up in September and deposits you three months later. Looks like quite an adventure.
Sagittarius and Sagittarius rising
Now
As the zodiac’s third fire sign, Sagittarius has a lighter, more diffuse energy (‘mutable) than ‘Just do it’ Aries (‘cardinal’) or imperious Leo (‘fixed’), which in 2026 and 2027 will be fed by major planet. In particular Saturn in Aries, active from February 2026, and be provoking serious thought about your identity and where you fit into the world. Self-knowledge may not be ‘fun’ but it can be exciting.
Later
Even more challenging and rewarding is the arrival of your ruling planet, Jupiter, in Leo at midsummer which will broaden your horizons and feed your hunger for freedom. With these two planets fuelling your soul searching, your destination remains unknown. Doubling up the unpredictability comes planet Prometheus, moving into opposition at the end pf June (it spent a brief couple of months here last year but this time there’s no turning back, especially with relationships.
Astrology Consultations from Pam Carruthers
Readers often ask if I give personal readings. I don’t. My primary jobs remain journalist and writer. By contrast, Pam Carruthers, webmaster, fellow astrologer and long time friend, is a professional astrologer who uses both western and vedic astrology for individual clients.
Pam, who is now based in Eastbourne in the UK, has an international clientele. She is a gifted astrologer and teacher and offers Astrology Life Coaching based on your birth chart.
Pam is a web designer and her website has been revamped by her and is www.healingstars.com
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2026 Special Offer Planning your Year Ahead?
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PLUS Pam is hosting a MasterClass on the Venus Star Point, the Divine Feminine.
On January 6th 2026 Venus joins the Sun in Capricorn
Venus disappeared as a Morning Star on November 14th 2025. On February 16th 2026 she reappears from the Underworld as an Evening Star. In the ancient Sumerian myth the Queen of Heaven Innana is brought back to life and each month she regains her power as each chakra is activated at the Moon Venus conjunctions as she returns as Queen of Heaven. She is reborn and empowered.
These chakras are activated in turn from February 18th until October 12th 2026 when The Moon and Venus meet each month. The shamanic journey travels from the Root chakra to Crown chakra.
Join Pam on this MasterClass ‘Shamanic Overtone of Venus Exploring the 5 Archetypes of Feminine Power’ to find out more and discover:-
- The 5 Shamanic Overtone Goddess Archetypes- Which Tribe do you belong to? Examples with famous women.
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- The Ancient Myth of Inanna, Queen of Heaven
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