Welcome to 2026
2026 is transformational—some of these changes are returning, integrating, and taking their place as the new norm, while others are just emerging and will embody their fullness in time.
Overview:
One of the primary themes of the year is the shift in tone from the nocturnal elements into the diurnal ones, as a number of slower-moving planets and points move out of water and earth signs, and into fire and air signs this year.
In January, Pluto is the only outer planet in a diurnal sign, having moved into Aquarius a couple of years ago now, but by the end of the year, all three of the outer planets as well as Saturn, the outer-most traditional planet will all join in its ranks as they make notable, supportive, and at times rather rare, aspects to each other. Whether it's the conjunction between Saturn and Neptune in February, or the trines and sextiles between Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto that persist throughout the year, these conversations between our slowest-moving planets reflect back to us information about our changing relationships with our shared realities. Between technological advancements, changing beliefs systems, and unexpected transformations, this year may feel like time travel at points, but it's important to remember that our changing reality is our reality nonetheless.
Adding to this emphasis on the diurnal elements is Jupiter’s move from Cancer into Leo, and the nodal axis shifting from Pisces and Virgo to Aquarius and Leo—both coming along mid-year. With the north node leaving Pisces’ empathic and spiritual waters for the rational and at times cold Aquarian winds, the summer may really highlight just how stark this tonal shift toward the external, the objective, the active, really is. Meanwhile, Leo will be playing host to the aggrandizing and expansive energy of Jupiter and the great purging energy of the south node at the same time, putting some pressure on the fixed fire sign. Ultimately, this combination can help us to refine our relationship with authenticity, performance, and authority, but it may require intentionality from us in the process.
Not everything in the sky is following suit, while the outer planets make their way into fire and air signs, Chiron begins its long-awaited shift in the other direction, out of Aries and into Taurus. This year we’re only getting a taste of what Chiron has to show us in Taurus, but were beginning to wrap up the healing work we’ve been doing around our identity, self determination, and our agency, over the last 7 years as Chiron has traversed the cardinal fire sign.
Also pushing against the dominance of diurnal energy this year, all three of Mercury’s retrogrades will take place entirely in water signs. This means that in addition to having specific periods of review, reconnection, and reconsideration tied to Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces themes, Mercury will spend more than half of the year in the water signs. Understanding our intuition, communicating our feelings, and moving with emotional intelligence will be a key area of study this year, and it will lend a watery flavor to 2026 even as it sets itself on fire and fans the flames.
Venus and Mars will lend this same kind of influence to signs near the end of the year due to their own retrogrades. Venus will spend extra time emphasizing Libra and Scorpio themes in our relationships, creativity, and values—eventually reviewing, reworking, and refining these concepts in the fall. As for Mars, it doesn’t actually experience a retrograde in 2026, but because it will retrograde early in 2027, it will be slowing down, adding time, passion, and maybe some aggression to its journey through Leo and Virgo at the end of the year.
Key transits &
dates to look out for:
January 26th: Neptune enters Aries
February 13th: Saturn enters Aries
February 17th: Annular solar eclipse in Aquarius
February 20th: Saturn conjoins Neptune in Aries
February 25th-March 20th: Mercury retrograde in Pisces (shadow period: February 11th- April 9th)
March 3rd: Total lunar eclipse in Virgo
April 25th: Uranus enters Gemini
June 19th: Chiron enters Taurus
June 29th-July 23rd: Mercury retrograde in Cancer (shadow period: June 12th-August 6th)
June 29th: Jupiter enters Leo
July 15th: Uranus in Gemini sextiles Neptune in Aries
July 17th: Uranus in Gemini trines Pluto in Aquarius
July 24th: Neptune in Aries Sextiles Pluto in Aquarius
July 26th: The north node enters Aquarius & the south node enters Leo (rx)
August 12th: Total solar eclipse in Leo
August 27th: Partial lunar eclipse in Pisces
September 15th: Neptune in Aries sextiles Pluto in Aquarius
September 17th: Chiron enters Aries (rx)
October 3rd-November 13th: Venus retrograde in Scorpio & Libra (shadow period: August 31st-December 15th)
October 24th- November 13th: Mercury retrograde in Scorpio (shadow period: October 4th-November 29th)
November 5th: Mars enters its pre-retrograde shadow in Leo (Mars will be direct for all of 2026, but it will retrograde in January of 2027)
November 29th: Uranus in Gemini trines Pluto at 3° of Aquarius
How the year begins & how it ends:
January 1, 2026 at 12:00 am PT
December 31, 2026 at 11:59 pm PT
Month by month overview:
-
Jan 1st at 1:11 pm: Mercury enters Capricorn
Jan 3rd at 2:03 am: Full moon at 13° of Cancer
Jan 17th at 4:43 am: Venus enters Aquarius
Jan 18th at 11:5 am: New moon at 28° of Capricorn
Jan 19th at 5:45 pm: The sun enters Aquarius
Jan 20th at 8:41 am: Mercury enters Aquarius
Jan 23rd at 1:17 am: Mars enters Aquarius
Jan 26th at 9:37 am: Neptune enters Aries
-
Feb 1st at 2:09 pm: Full moon at 13° of Leo
Feb 3rd at 6:33 pm: Uranus stations direct at 27° of Taurus
Feb 6th at 2:48 pm: Mercury enters Pisces
Feb 10th at 2:19 am: Venus enters Pisces
Feb 11th at 2:13 pm: Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 8° of Pisces
Feb 13th at 4:11 pm: Saturn enters Aries
Feb 17th at 4:01 am: New moon (solar eclipse) at 28° of Aquarius
Feb 18th at 7:52 am: The sun enters Pisces
Feb 25th at 10:48 pm: Mercury stations retrograde at 22° of Pisces
-
March 2nd at 6:16 am: Mars enters Pisces
March 3rd at 3:38 am: Full moon (lunar eclipse) at 12° of Virgo
March 6th at 2:46 am: Venus enters Aries
March 10th at 8:29 pm: Jupiter stations direct at 15° of Cancer
March 18th at 6:23 am: New moon at 28° of Pisces
March 20th at 7:46 am: The sun enters Aries
March 20th at 12:32 pm: Mercury stations direct at 8° of Pisces
March 30th at 9:01 am: Venus enters Taurus
-
April 1st at 7:12 pm: Full moon at 12° of Libra
April 9th at 4:36 am: Mercury leaves its post-retrograde shadow at 22° of Pisces
April 9th at 12:36 pm: Mars enters Aries
April 14th at 8:21 pm: Mercury enters Aries
April 17th at 4:52 am: New moon at 27° of Aries
April 19th at 6:39 pm: The sun enters Taurus
April 23rd at 9:03 pm: Venus enters Gemini
April 25th at 5:50 pm: Uranus enters Gemini
-
May 1st at 10:23 am: Full moon at 11° of Scorpio
May 2nd at 7:57 pm: Mercury enters Taurus
May 6th at 8:34 am: Pluto stations retrograde at 5° of Aquarius
May 16th at 1:01 pm: New moon at 25° of Taurus
May 17th at 3:26 am: Mercury enters Gemini
May 18th at 3:25 pm: Mars enters Taurus
May 18th at 6:05 pm: Venus enters Cancer
May 20th at 5:37 pm: The sun enters Gemini
May 31st at 1:45 am: Full moon at 9° of Sagittarius
-
June 1st at 4:56 am: Mercury enters Cancer
June 12th at 5:54 pm: Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 16° of Cancer
June 13th at 3:47 pm: Venus enters Leo
June 14th at 7:54 pm: New moon at 24° of Gemini
June 21st at 1:24 am: The sun enters Cancer
June 28th at 12:29 pm: Mars enters Gemini
June 29th at 10:35 am: Mercury stations retrograde at 26° of Cancer
June 29th at 4:57 pm: Full moon at 8° of Capricorn
June 29th at 10:52 pm: Jupiter enters Leo
-
July 7th: Neptune stations retrograde at 4° of Aries
July 9th at 10:22 am: Venus enters Virgo
July 14th at 2:44 am: New moon at 21° of Cancer
July 22nd at 12:13 pm: The sun enters Leo
July 23rd at 3:57 pm: Mercury stations direct at 16° of Cancer
July 26th at 12:56 pm: Saturn stations retrograde at 14° of Aries
July 29th at 7:36 am: Full moon at 6° of Aquarius
-
Aug 6th at 12:13 pm: Venus enters Libra
Aug 6th at 8:31 pm: Mercury leaves its post-retrograde shadow at 26° of Cancer
Aug 9th at 9:28 am: Mercury enters Leo
Aug 11th at 1:30 am: Mars enters Cancer
Aug 12th at 10:37 am: New moon (solar eclipse) at 20° of Leo
Aug 22nd at 7:19 pm: The sun enters Virgo
Aug 25th at 4:04 am: Mercury enters Virgo
Aug 27th at 9:18 pm: Full moon (lunar eclipse) at 4° of Pisces
Aug 31st at 7:21 am: Venus enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 22° of Libra
-
Sept 10th at 1:07 am: Venus enters Scorpio
Sept 10th at 9:21 am: Mercury enters Libra
Sept 10th at 11:27 am: Uranus stations retrograde at 5° of Gemini
Sept 10th at 8:27 pm: New moon at 18° of Virgo
Sept 22nd at 5:05 pm: The sun enters Libra
Sept 26th at 9:49 am: Full moon at 3° of Aries
Sept 27th at 7:49 pm: Mars enters Leo
Sept 30th at 4:44 am: Mercury enters Virgo
-
Oct 3rd at 12:15 am: Venus stations retrograde at 8° of Scorpio
Oct 4th at 2:12 am: Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 5° of Scorpio
Oct 10th at 8:50 am: New moon at 17° of Libra
Oct 15th at 7:40 pm: Pluto stations direct at 3° of Aquarius
Oct 23rd at 2:38 am: The sun enters Scorpio
Oct 24th at 12:12 am: Mercury stations retrograde at 20° of Scorpio
Oct 25th at 2:10 am: Venus (rx) enters Libra
Oct 25th at 9:12 pm: Full moon at 2° of Taurus
-
Nov 5th 2026 at 7:33 am: Mars enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 20° of Leo
Nov 8th at 11:02 pm: New moon at 16° of Scorpio
Nov 13th at 7:53 am: Mercury stations direct at 5° of Scorpio
Nov 13th at 4:27 pm: Venus stations direct at 22° of Libra
Nov 21st at 11:23 pm: The sun enters Sagittarius
Nov 24th at 6:53 am: Full moon at 2° of Gemini
Nov 25th at 3:37 pm: Mars enters Virgo
Nov 29th at 10:14 pm: Mercury leaves its post-retrograde shadow at 20° of Scorpio
-
Dec 4th at 12:13 am: Venus enters Scorpio
Dec 6th at 12:33 am: Mercury enters Sagittarius
Dec 8th at 4:52 pm: New moon at 16° of Sagittarius
Dec 10th at 3:31 pm: Saturn stations direct at 7° of Aries
Dec 12th at 2:17 pm: Neptune stations direct at 1° of Aries
Dec 12th at 4:56 pm: Jupiter stations retrograde at 27° of Leo
Dec 15th at 10:30 am: Venus leaves its post-retrograde shadow at 8° of Scorpio
Dec 21st at 12:50 pm: The sun enters Capricorn
Dec 23rd at 5:28 pm: Full moon at 2° of Cancer
Dec 25th at 10:22 am: Mercury enters Capricorn