Sanity in a Mad World

When I wrote about a “Turbulent Beginning” in the 2026 preview, I was referring to the period of time between January 18, when the new moon in Capricorn will arrive with a powerful six-planet stellium, and February 14, when Saturn will enter Aries, a span which will concern most of this article. What I had not imagined was that 2026 would literally start with a bang in Venezuela where US forces abducted Nicolás Maduro on January 3, mere hours before the 6:02 a.m. (local time) full moon in Cancer. Yet, such operation has had important repercussions beyond Venezuela.

In the article about the current lunation, we spoke of two main themes involving Sun that have been unusually prevalent since late October and which will continue to influence us through mid-April. The first refers to Sun making significant direct contact with Uranus at every new moon, allowing for revolutionary energies to be available throughout the lunar month, and with the nodal axis at every full moon, guaranteeing actual events alongside the full-moon revelations, as evidenced on January 3.

In addition, Sun has been found no farther than 1.5° from the midpoint of Venus and Mars or, lately, of the actual planets. I have stressed Venus’s emphasis on needs, sometimes felt as passive wants, and Mars’s on desires, which are much more active. When they work together, either via their midpoint or their actual conjunction (exact on January 8), there is often energy to take what one wants by any possible means. At a personal level, it may be felt as a strong sexual desire for possession of (or by) a lover, but it is more generalized than that; as we will see shortly.

Full Moon in Cancer Revisited

When analyzing the January 3 full moon in the same article, I forgot to say that Moon (Cancer 13°02′) would be exactly conjunct with the Sun of the US chart (Cancer 13°19′). When talking about the Sabian symbols, we mentioned that Cancer 14: “A very old man facing a vast dark space to the northeast”, was a complex symbol that deserved scrutiny. In mundane astrology, Sun often symbolizes the head of state and few jobs are as exacting as being president of the United States. It would be nice if the current administration paid attention to the symbol’s key phrase: permanence in truth.

Ironically, in the chart of Venezuela,¹ Sun is found at Cancer 12°47′ so the full-moon Sun (Capricorn 13°02′) formed tight oppositions with Sun in the charts of Venezuela (at 0°15′ from being exact) and the US (at 0°17′). Such an opposition refers to a time when tensions can arise from a situation that requires a compromise or from a sudden awareness of unfulfilled wishes and goals.² The latter may explain Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland, which is further fueled by the “I want it, so I must have it” energies of Venus and Mars.

Tension in the United States

The aforementioned article about the current lunation has a section titled “A Rebellion in the US?” in which we talked about how, at the full moon in Cancer, Uranus backed into a long stay, until March 10, in the 28th degree of Taurus, thus forming a same-degree square with Moon in the US chart. As we have seen, Moon symbolizes the people of a nation and a square with transiting Uranus often brings discontent with the establishment. Recall that Uranus is always the antidote to Saturn, which symbolizes governmental institutions when paired with a nation’s Moon: structures for the people.

In the US chart, Moon is at Aquarius 27°10′, which has the Sabian symbol “A tree felled and sawed” that refers to doing what needs to be done. Its keyword: Intelligent Foresight is thoroughly applicable to the eminently practical American people. Meanwhile, the symbol for Taurus 28 is: “A woman pursued by mature romance” which speaks about how the present is for seizing opportunities, although the risk is to rush and accept whatever is offered. Rudhyar tells us that whenever this symbol is present we must be open to the possibility of new Rebeginnings, its keyword. However, we are talking about Uranus so “opportunities” and “new beginnings” have often implied rebellion and revolutions.

Rebellious Tendencies Abound

Recently, the oft-mentioned nationalist and even fascist tendencies of Uranus in Taurus were on display with fatal consequences when Renee Good was shot dead in Minneapolis, essentially murdered by a member of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). In what could be a prime example of how Neptune and Saturn in Pisces can fuel disinformation, she was labelled a “domestic terrorist”. It became so ridiculous that six prosecutors resigned when ordered to investigate her widow and not the agent in question.

The event was one of many: a disabled woman was dragged out of her car, a young man was blinded when shot in the face, a bloodied man was accused of attacking an ICE “officer” but no charges were filed, and so on. All of this has triggered a series of protests in cities across the US against the thuggish behavior of ICE individuals. Even Joe Rogan, a very popular right-wing podcaster and strong Trump supporter, recently compared ICE to Hitler’s Gestapo. Sadly, we could be for a prolonged time of rebellion, for the square of Uranus and the US Moon will remain operational well past March 10; in fact, up until Uranus exits Taurus in late April.

Currently, Uranus is moving retrograde very slowly, a time which often fuels rebellion on normally calm people. As an example, take what we are witnessing in Iran, where what began as isolated protests by merchants against currency devaluation escalated to a widespread desire for regime change. Unlike the 2022 and earlier protests which were confined to cities or a particular segment of the population, this time they have spread all over the country to people of all classes. Sadly, unconfirmed reports due to Internet blackouts mention literally thousands of deaths. Once Uranus changes direction in early February, things may worsen everywhere as it gathers speed to enter Gemini while exercising its “goodbye power” with potent exit events, as we discussed in the 2026 preview.

Personal Rebeginnings?

At a personal level, we have seen how Uranus in Taurus carries a desire for financial stability by making us feel uneasy in that area, sometimes subconsciously. Once again, if Saturn in Taurus ushers us to erect stable and solid structures, Uranus will show us the inherent instability of such structures, or at least make us consider it. This could have spilled over to our relationships by the “I want it, so I must have it” energy of Sun, Venus and Mars discussed earlier, especially last week when the latter two were conjunct, and over the weekend when the waning half moon put all three of them in an opposition to Jupiter in Cancer.

Without trying to beat a dead horse, last weekend was a prime example of the crisis of consciousness symbolized by the Last Quarter phase. Recall that the waning phases represent a fortnight to understand what was shown to us at the full moon when, in this case, the premier event was the abduction of Nicolás Maduro already mentioned. At any case, over the weekend, we had the situation in Minneapolis, Trump’s declaration that he was the “acting President” of Venezuela, the assertion that he would annex Greenland “one way or another” (from Denmark, a NATO ally, no less), that the leaders of Colombia, Cuba and Mexico were “next in line”, that the US military was “locked and loaded” on Iran, and that Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, should be jailed!

That said, each of us may have had important happenings around the start of the year, perhaps in the areas of finances or relationships, which may have spiral nearly out of control over the weekend. The Last Quarter phase is when, upon trying to make sense of what happened at the full moon, we must confront a crisis of consciousness because things simply do not make sense.

With Jupiter in opposition to Sun, we often feel that there is nothing we cannot achieve, leading to overcompensation and bravado. But, Sun was next to Venus and Mars after they had been conjunct two days earlier, so Jupiter also injected the same bravado to the energy of “I want it, so I must have it” already mentioned. Those oppositions were perpendicular to the one formed by Moon in Libra and Chiron in Aries, thus forming a Grand Cross (or Grand Square) configuration. The typical sense of urgency of such a configuration in the cardinal signs was even stronger this time due to the planets moving at a higher-than-normal speeds, as we discussed in the article already mentioned.

New Moon in Capricorn

In the same article, we talked about how the orbital speed of the moon around Earth has been consistently twelve times faster than that of Earth around the sun, resulting in six consecutive new moons occurring in the 29th degree of each sign between Libra and Pisces. This, in turn, means that the conjunction of Sun and Moon has formed, and will continue to form, a tight aspect with the transpersonal planets; in particular, with Uranus. The new moon in Capricorn will occur on January 18 at 11:52 a.m. in California, at 1:52 p.m. in Mexico City, or at 8:52 p.m. in Central Europe, with Sun and Moon forming a conjunction at Capricorn 28°44′.

Of course, the most striking feature of the new-moon chart is the stellium of six planets located within a 7° span near the top. Besides Sun and Moon, there is a same-degree conjunction in Capricorn between Mars (26°27′) and Mercury (26°54′), two planets whose processes are very strong in that sign. Meanwhile, in Aquarius, Venus (1°38′) and Pluto (3°17′) are in a close conjunction of their own. Crucially, the entire stellium becomes a member of the Minor Grand Trine, forming tight sextiles with Saturn (Pisces 27°26′) and Neptune (Pisces 29°49′), and trines with Uranus which, at Taurus 27°34′, is only 0°06′ from where it will change direction and thus moving very slowly.

I can only imagine the powerful individual that might be born at this new moon. He or she would either be a consummate artist, a deep thinker, a tireless lover probably interested in unusual and exotic pastimes, a true avatar or a total misfit; in all likelihood, all of the above to some extent.

Sabian Symbols

As always, it all starts with Sun and Moon agreeing on the main energy that will be distributed through the entire zodiac during the lunation. Capricorn 29 has the symbol: “A woman reading tea leaves”, further explained as the ability to see the Signature of hidden meaning in every occurrence drawing one’s attention. In his book “Occult Philosophy”, Marc Edmund Jones defined the Sabian concept of signature which can be understood as being something similar to Carl Jung’s synchronicity: “a coincidence in time of two or more causally unrelated events which have the same or similar meaning.” Rudhyar writes about the symbol: “What is implied is the ability not only to perceive the facts of everyday existence, but to see through these facts and discover how they are related to the realm of basic meanings or archetypal processes”, which is why its keyword is: Clairvoyance.

The other exact conjunction, of Mercury and Mars, refers to powerful energies to apply our rational mind. Being in Capricorn, Mercury is fond of cold reason and pragmatic ideas, rarely moved by emotions, whereas Mars is said to be “exalted” in that sign, showing its finest qualities, in this case the drive to accomplish anything desired. That said, both are in the 27th degree of Capricorn, whose symbol is: “A mountain pilgrimage”, which Rudhyar modified to: “Pilgrims climbing the steep steps leading to a mountain shrine”, and further expanded as the ascent of the individualized consciousness to the highest realizations reached by the spiritual leaders of its culture. The symbol talks about a spiritual journey, or a quest for understanding and enlightenment, and it dramatizes the drive to comprehend the meaning of life. Its keyword is: Upreaching.

The Personals and Transpersonals Commingle

It is hard to overstate the significance of having every personal planet (Mercury, Venus and Mars) plus both luminaries (Sun and Moon) in a conjunction with Pluto, the planet of power and transformation, at a moment when Pluto forms a powerful Minor Grand Trine with the other two transpersonal planets, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto will bring out the shadow aspects of ourselves in all areas of our personal life: our mental processes, our needs and our desires. Acting subconsciously, it will encourage us to practice detachment and let go of the status quo. Uranus is bound to bring discomfort with what, up to now, seemed to bring us security while Neptune could make us reject the emptiness of material pursuits and reach for higher spiritual ideals of love and compassion.

And, as mentioned earlier, the nightly news tries to put us in touch with a world that has simply gone mad; where might, wealth and materialism are being honored as virtues when all we can see and feel is suffering at a massive scale. However, the upcoming lunation has enough energy for us to keep looking ahead, paying attention to what is really important and disregarding what the pundits yell at us from the mainstream media. The astrology is clear, we are at a (re)birth canal and we will come out soon, just as Neptune and Saturn will be reborn in Aries during this solilunar cycle.

Saturn and Neptune Direct in Pisces

As we have said numerous times, the Saturn and Neptune processes are basically polar opposites of each other: Saturn erects structures and Neptune dissolves them. This dynamic is evident in Capricorn and Pisces, the signs they respectively rule. In Capricorn, Sun integrates a society by erecting institutions that structure the Sagittarian visions while Pisces represents the end of every cycle, when everything must be left behind to start anew in Aries.

Therefore, it seldomly makes sense to structure something in Pisces when the next cycle will soon arrive with new perspectives. Rather than a phase for building something new, Pisces symbolizes a time to strip away the fluff and uncover the essence of what was achieved (or not) in the cycle that is about to end, thus obtaining useful wisdom for the new cycle. Stripping away what is not essential is archetypally done by Neptune’s process of dissolution.

In early 2023, Saturn entered Pisces to end the cycle it had begun in 1996 when, among other things, structured the world-wide web. Neptune had been in its sign since 2011, acting like ocean waves powerfully crashing on a rocky shore, and many structures felt an immediate onslaught. Pluto had entered Capricorn two years earlier, giving rise to the global financial crisis. At a personal level, some people experienced problems with their bones and teeth, and many societal institutions were weakened worldwide.

Since then, things got progressively worse as Saturn got closer to Neptune in Pisces, although they were still over 5° apart last March 30, when Neptune exited Pisces for the first time. While in Aries, they were as near as 0°13′ before both returned to Pisces and have remained no more than 4° apart. Still in Pisces, Saturn changed direction on November 28 and Neptune did the same on December 10 but the dynamic had changed. Saturn’s cliffs are no longer abraded by the constant pounding of Neptunian waves. Instead Saturn is now ready to work with Neptune’s fantasies and even absurdities.

Structuring Uranus in Taurus?

Prior to entering Aries, however, both planets are forming tight sextiles with Uranus. In particular, the sextile of Saturn and Uranus has been operational since the new moon in Scorpio but got stronger when Saturn changed direction in late November and, coupled with the nebulous reality of Neptune, began structuring the fascist energies, as we discussed earlier and in the article “The End Begins“. Such sextile will be exact on January 20 at 05:18 (GMT), just 36 hours after the new moon in Capricorn.

Once again, it is important to remain aware that the energy of Uranus is working by countering any feeling of stability in areas like wealth (assets) or relationships. The combination of Saturn and Neptune can be convincing but not necessarily accurate, so I suggest not to rush into wild newness in the areas mentioned. I would suggest instead to meditate and look inside ourselves. Yes, there are important and perhaps radical changes we ought to make, and the new-moon seed has all the needed potentialities, but let us pay attention to our intuition. Remember that the lunation will spring with a potent dose of clairvoyance.

Neptune Enters Aries

The First Quarter phase is when we confront external tests to what we want to accomplish. It will be exact on January 26 at 04:47 (GMT) at 6°14′ of Aquarius (Sun) and Taurus (Moon). However, let me instead give you the chart of Neptune’s entrance in Aries a few hours later. By then, Moon will have advanced 7.5° but all other planets will be at nearly the same positions except Neptune, which, of course, was still at Pisces 29°59′.

We don’t need a calculator to see that Sun (Aquarius 6°47′) is located very near the midpoint of two conjunctions. The first is between Mars (Aquarius 2°37′) and Pluto (Aquarius 3°32′), which will be exact on January 27 at 17:01 (GMT), a day later; and the other is between Mercury (Aquarius 10°16′) and Venus (Aquarius 11°34′), which will be exact on January 29. The latter may play an important role in helping us confront whatever crisis of action we may face, particularly should we must let go of what we had considered secure in the areas of relationships and finances already mentioned, for Mercury and Venus in Aquarius act cerebrally.

The same cannot be said about Mars and Pluto, its higher octave, given that passions run high when they get together. If left unchecked, their conjunction will give rise to ruthlessly attempt to impose our will onto others, igniting the rebellious and revolutionary aspects of Aquarius. The conjunction will occur at Aquarius 3°34′ and, by then, Moon will have reached Gemini 1°16′ and thus will form a powerful trine with it. Astrology teaches us that Moon and Mars are the two planets which most often serve to trigger external events. In this case, such a trine, occurring just a few hours after Moon was exactly conjunct with Uranus, may signal a strong enter event for Neptune.

Warring Times

Of course, as soon as Neptune enters Aries, its dispositor will be Mars, for it rules that sign. Mars will be in a conjunction with Pluto and both will form powerful sextiles with Neptune from Aquarius. I don’t want to exaggerate but that is a powder keg with a rather short fuse.

We have mentioned a few times that global conflicts seem to arise when Neptune begins a new zodiacal cycle. The planet is often associated with large masses of water (Neptune was the Roman god of the seas) but it is known to also symbolize masses of people, which may be mobilized for war while in Aries. The last time it entered Aries was in February 1862, although it made an initial five-month incursion into the sign on April 13, 1861, a day after the US Civil War began. Similarly, it entered Aries last year for a few months on March 30, just three days before the so-called “liberation day” which unleashed a global economic war after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on most countries.

Other conflicts that occurred during the previous transit of Neptune in Aries (1861–1875) include the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and the subsequent Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) which consolidated the German Empire and saw the fall of the Second French Empire. The latter had previously intervened and established a brief empire in Mexico (1863–67). In South America, the devastating Paraguayan War (1864–1870) resulted in a massive population loss for Paraguay in the hands of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, while one of the bloodiest civil wars in history, the Taiping Rebellion, ended in 1864 after leaving an estimated 20 million casualties.

Since Neptune was discovered in 1846, prior transits through Aries were felt by humanity in what Jung called the collective unconscious. However, it is worth noting that the pan-European War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14) began during the penultimate transit (1697–1712) while, in the one prior (1533–48), King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church to establish the Church of England.

Full Moon in Leo

Back to current times. Another important milestone, Uranus’s change of direction, will happen about 48 hours after the full moon in Leo, which will occur on February 1 at 2:09 p.m. in California, at 4:09 p.m. in Mexico City, or at 11:09 p.m. in Central Europe. Sun will be at Aquarius 13°04′ while Moon will be at Leo 13°04′, as shown in the following chart:

If there is an event associated with this full moon and, after all, Moon will form a quincunx with the North Node (Pisces 9°04′), it will probably be related to Saturn (Pisces 28°44′) giving structure to the revolutionary and nationalistic energies of Uranus (Taurus 27°28′) which will be inching retrograde at only 5% of its normal speed, as shown by the letters “SR” (Stationary Retrograde) next to it. Even though the actual reversal won’t occur until February 4 at 02:31 (GMT), Uranus is already at the exact location (degree and minute) where it will stop and change direction. By then, Moon will have advanced exactly one sign, to Virgo 13°04′, forming a quincunx with Sun (Aquarius 15°16′) and mere hours after being in exact opposition with the North Node, which might have triggered yet another event.

Sabian Symbols

Aquarius 14 (Sun) has the image: “A train entering a tunnel”, expanded as the ability to short-cut the process of natural evolution by the exercise of will, mental skill and physical self-discipline. For a train to go through a tunnel, many people and resources had to work together with the goal of shortening and easing the trip. In the context of the new moon, which encouraged us to look beyond the obvious so as to perceive meaning, the symbol may refer to a tunnel to our inner self. Indeed, its keyword is: Penetration.

Meanwhile, the image for Leo 14 (Moon) is: “The human soul awaiting opportunity for expression”, which Rudhyar modified to: “A human soul seeking opportunities for outward manifestation” and further explained as the yearning for self-actualization. At one level, the symbol tells us to act when the conditions are right, following our intuition without any expectations. However, at a deeper level, it reminds us that behind all the rhythms of a human being, beyond the child, the adult or the old man, the soul is ever present, awaiting the few moments of soul-expression, when we act as our true selves. Once again, the new-moon symbol fits perfectly well since our soul is the true clairvoyant capable of seeing through the facts to discover meaning.

Half Moon in Scorpio

Once again, as we get farther into the lunation, it gets harder to see what the world around us will be like. When I wrote about the solilunar cycle that is currently ending, I had no idea of what would transpire during the January 3 full moon, or at the Last Quarter phase the following weekend. With that caveat, let’s peek at the chart for the half moon in Scorpio:

Although Uranus will have changed direction five days earlier, it won’t yet have moved a minute of arc, still “hovering” at Taurus 27°28′ and still in a powerful square with the US Moon. Of course, it will be moving but at just 14% of its average speed in the degree of seizing the opportunities which, to Uranus, often means through rebellion and even revolution. Although the Last Quarter is a moment of internal crisis, when our efforts to make sense of what was revealed at the full moon raise doubts in our minds, there could be external events to help our pondering. As a case in point, we have the madness of last weekend already mentioned. Moon will form a square with the North Node 24 hours after the half moon, on February 10, which may be a suitable trigger.

The other key aspect I see is the square between Venus (Pisces 28°52′) and Uranus, which may help us understand insights we may have had at the full moon around issues of newness or uncertainty in our relationships or wealth. Once again, I refer you to the new-moon symbol and its emphasis on looking beyond the obvious and discern meaning. As we saw, the planetary stellium around Pluto at the new moon might have pushed us to let go of what was comfortable in many personal areas.

Some Reflections

In the preview for 2026, the first “zone of turbulence” included Saturn entering Aries on St Valentine’s Day. Given that such ingress will happen just three days before the first eclipse, which was always scheduled for the second article, and since I had already written over 4,500 words, we will talk about that event in the next write-up.

I got two private comments stating a preference for monthly lunation articles over the old biweekly ones. Whereas the astrology for 2026 is such that it warrants articles around the first two solilunar cycles, my original idea for the year didn’t include a monthly article. That said, I would like to hear from the rest of you, so let me know if you would like this format to continue. As you know, I have a big project in the works on which I want to make at least substantial progress in 2026. However, I would always try to accommodate you but probably not with articles as lengthy as this one.

Wrapping Up…

After a tumultuous start, the first lunation of 2026 promises to be quite significant. External events will continue to make the news for the next few months so we must remain focused on our personal growth.

It is likely that darkness will be around us, particularly after February 4, when Uranus changes direction. Remember that things have to get bad and we must collectively touch bottom before we rise from the ashes, metaphorically speaking.

The stellium of all the personal planets, plus the luminaries, around Pluto, will make this month particularly difficult for sensitive people. There will be much to evaluate and let go this month as we are forced to look inside and confront our shadow aspects.

Try to fall back on your intuition and, above all, seek meaning in what you observe and feel.

Always Love. 🌹🙏💖

Notes

1. July 5, 1811 at 3:00 p.m. in Caracas, Venezuela. ↩︎
2. On a similar date, January 3, 1990, the United States abducted Manuel Noriega from Panama. Sun was at Capricorn 13°08′, also in opposition to the US Sun, and the last conjunction of Saturn and Neptune had occurred about 90 days earlier, on November 13, 1989. These are uncanny parallels. ↩︎