Eclipses 2026 – new era getting underway

The Solar Eclipse on 17 February 2026 at 28 degrees Aquarius is square Uranus so will bring sudden surprises, perhaps opportunities but certainly a change of direction. Uranus also square Mars for an uncompromising mood and over-reactions. A positive Mercury trine Jupiter. And the exact Saturn Neptune conjunction in Aries sextile Pluto.

 The path of the eclipse is across Antarctica – Argentina, Chile and southern Africa region.

  The Eclipsed New Moon falls on the Midheaven for London which might suggest key events there.

  In Saros Series 10 North which occurred before in 2008, 1990, 1972, 1954, 1935, 1917, it brings an emphasis on communication with frustrating or inhibiting circumstances. The general mood will be tired or drained and difficulties need to be worked through one at a time (Bernadette Brady).

 The Total Lunar Eclipse of 3 March 2026 at 12 degrees Virgo/Pisces is in an upbeat sextile/trine to Jupiter though it again features the edgy, explosive Mars square Uranus. Plus Saturn Neptune in Aries sextile Pluto.

The eclipse will be completely visible over northeast Asia, northwestern North America, and the central Pacific Ocean, seen rising over much of Asia and Australia and setting over North and South America.

The Total Solar Eclipse of 12 August 2026 has the New Moon at 20 degrees Leo in a steady trine to Saturn in Aries. For the first time it has Uranus in Gemini trine Pluto sextile Neptune as the mood music of the new era. Venus in Libra opposes Neptune and squares Mars in Cancer for a go-head and (argumentative) mood.

 In Saros Series 10 South, it brings a time of breaking out of a negative, hopeless situation into positive phase with more options. A worry will disappear as solutions appear that need to be grasped. (Bernadette Brady).

Around before in this Saros Series 2008, 1990, 1972, 1954, 1936, 1918, 1900. 

    The total eclipse will pass over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, northern Spain and northeastern Portugal. The first part of the total eclipse path will pass from east to west from Russia to Greenland. A partial eclipse will cover more than 90% of the Sun in Ireland, Britain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans and North Africa and to a lesser extent in most of Europe, West Africa and northern North America.

  The Lunar Eclipse of 28 August 2026 at 4 degrees Pisces/Virgo will square Uranus so will be highly strung and uncompromising, although also innovative. The Virgo Sun will be on the point of an ambitious, ego-centred yod inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto.  With an accident-prone and aggravated Saturn square Mars, though Saturn trine Jupiter will soften the harder edges of the mood.

  The eclipse will be visible over North and South America, rising over the central Pacific Ocean and setting over Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

See saw charts – two halves trying to be whole

See saw charts are evidently one of the rarer configurations, indicating complex, not always stable temperaments who are constantly dancing between opposing sides of themselves, trying to find a balance and a way of integrating their inner incompatibility. They are constantly pulled between alternatives and two distinct, often competing sides of their personality. Sometimes they seek out a partner to carry the ‘other half’ of themselves, making them overly dependent with their relationship needs intense.

   What it can be good for in certain individuals is an ability to solve conflicts. They can be successful negotiators between opposing parties because they want to make sure that the resolution is fair for both parties; an echo of what they want for themselves at an inner level.

 What brought this to mind was a surprisingly reverential biography of Labour politician and briefly former UK prime minister after Blair, Gordon Brown. He did admittedly prove crucial in finding a way through the financial collapse of 2008 but was a famously flawed man with a curious chart. He had a volcanic temper, a talent for grudges and a willingness to rely on “sometimes thuggish spin doctors”, expert in the blackest arts. On the other hand he is seen as highly moral with a robustly Christian approach, focusing since his retirement on global education and health financing and avoiding the standard post-political money-making mission.  

 Frank Field, a fellow politician once remarked: “It is almost like [Brown] has two brains. ”

   Born 20 February 1951 8.40am Glasgow Scotland with a Church of Scotland minister for a father, he had a precocious and outstanding intellect, gaining ultimately a PhD in the history of the Labour Party.

  He has a 12th house Pisces Sun as well as Jupiter, North Node, Venus, Mars in Pisces all in the 12th; with his Jupiter Mars Veus inconjunct Neptune; and Mars Venus opposition Saturn with Saturn square Uranus. And his Mercury in Aquarius opposes a Leo Moon conjunct Pluto in his performing 5th house. It is not quite a stereotypical see-saw chart but it is near enough. And his personality oddities do fit.

One other is Edward Kennedy, 22 February 1932 3.58 am Brookline, Massachusetts. At the time of his death there was a division of opinion given his callous behaviour over the death of Mary Jo Kopechne and his reputation as a serial womaniser and philanderer. But there were those who pointed to his superior political abilities in resolving cross party disputes, being able to cross the aisle and negotiate settlements with ‘the other side.’

 He had a more obviously see-saw chart with his Pisces Sun opposition Moon Neptune; his Pluto opposing Saturn and his Jupiter widely opposing Mars Mercury.  

  King George V1, 14 December 1895 3.05am Sandringham, England, was also see saw with an 8th house Pluto Neptune opposition his Sun Mercury. Despite a flawed character and uncontainable temper, he managed against his inclinations to take over the throne and pull the UK together through the war years with the help of his redoubtable wife.

  Whitney Houston, 9 August 1963 8.55pm Newark Heights, NJ, was another, though in her case partnerships proved her downfall. A 6th house Leo Sun Venus opposed a 12th house Saturn; and her Moon opposed Mars.

 Configurations don’t tell the whole story but they do add another layer of insight into the shaping of a temperament and the direction a life will take.

Bad Bunny – catching the mood of the moment

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny smashed the record for the most watched Super Bowl Halftime Show in Santa Clara, California with a historic 135.4 million views. And became the first musician to perform entirely in Spanish at a Super Bowl.

Benito Martínez Ocasio has been Spotify’s top annual streaming artist four times and has helped to turn Spanish-language rap into a global success story. Born 10 March 1994, in Bayamon, the son of a truck driver and a school-teacher, he sang in the church choir as a child and got his first record deal aged 14.

 Unlike last year, Donald Trump did not attend and poured vitriol on BB’s performance -“Absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” he declared on Truth Social presumably a reaction to Bad Bunny using his recent Grammys speech to criticise the government-sanctioned ICE raids in Minnesota.

  BB is a Sun Pisces with a Pisces/Aquarius Moon. He has an intense North Node conjunct Pluto in late Scorpio which squares Mercury giving him strong opinions. His Pluto North Node also square a hard-edged Mars Saturn (Moon) in Pisces which will give him a deep reservoir of anger about unfair treatment. His Pluto opposes Trump’s Midheaven and squares DT’s Mars for a mighty, never-give-in clash. BB’s inventive and highly-strung, generational Uranus Neptune also oppose DT’s Saturn Venus in Cancer for a clash of values. And BB’s short-fused Mars Saturn falls in DT’s 7th house.

 Worst of all possible combinations.

  Their relationship chart has a composite Mars Venus in final degree Taurus opposition Neptune in final degree Scorpio – Mars Neptune is an ego-clash, one wins the other loses. The final degree of signs is pervasive in-the-news charts at the moment. Maybe a hint that this run-in could have potentially wider ramifications as a turning point in the culture of the times.

 Bad Bunny looks very unsettled ahead with tr Uranus square his Pluto in March and then moving in to square his Mars Saturn in June/July and on. Risky?

Rudolf Steiner – a complicated legacy

Rudolf Steiner, founder of an esoteric spiritual movement, a philosopher, social reformer and educationalist, has attracted devoted followers as well as critics for his racist, antisemitic and pseudo-scientific beliefs (according to mainstream academics). His Waldorf inspired schools opened in Stuttgart in 1919 and have spread across Europe and the USA. Recently there have been scandals involving sexual abuse, a “toxic” culture of bullying. Concerns have also been raised about far-right, anti-vaccination, and conspiracy-theorist ideologies.

   He was born according to Astrodatabank on 25 February 1861 at 11.15pm in Croatia, though there are alternatives suggested by devotees. This chart gives a Pisces Sun (conjunct Eris planet of discord) opposition Saturn in Virgo in the 10th square an 8th house Uranus in Gemini. Saturn in Virgo would give him a serious, scholarly cast of mind while a focal point Uranus in the 8th would prompt him to explore what lay beyond rational understanding and make him a divisive figure. His Jupiter in Leo conjunct his Midheaven would bring him success and confidence.  His Pluto Mars in Taurus conjunction was ultra-determined, fairly ruthless in pursuing his ambitions.  

 The first Waldorf School opened on 7 September 1919 in Stuttgart, with Sun conjunct Saturn in Virgo and Venus also in Virgo. There was a super-charged conjunction of Jupiter, Mars, Neptune in Leo. And Uranus in a reforming, revolutionary opposition to Mercury square a Scorpio North Node.

  The Uranus in final degree Aquarius is about to catch a tr Uranus square and opposition North Node which hints at a need for radical changes ahead. Indeed the Solar Arc Jupiter, Mars, Neptune moving in conjunction to the North Node and square Uranus over the coming few years does suggest a fork in the road with crises forcing a radical rethink.

US ship of state – on stormy seas

When behind-the-scenes political aides become the focus of media attention it usually spells trouble ahead. They fall on their swords or are pushed; and then spill the beans.  The UK is following a well-trodden path with Morgan McSweeney exiting stage left carrying the can for Starmer.

 In the US, Trump-inspirer Stephen Miller has recently found himself thrust into the national spotlight with the ICE killings and is widely seen as the architect of the mass deportation policy which is meeting increasing criticism.

 Born 23 August 1985 4.53pm Santa Monica, CA, he is facing heavy pressure on the career front with a challenge to his chosen direction as tr Pluto square his Midheaven now till mid March and late June to early August. Plus an unsettling/upsetting tr Uranus square his 8th house Virgo Sun mid to end of May this year. He won’t budge easily with Pluto in Scorpio on his Midheaven. But his problems will mount with tr Neptune undermining his influence as it squares his Mars/Node and opposes his Sun/Pluto and Mercury/Saturn midpoints from now to late April, and again late year into early 2027. His major major calamity comes in 2027 with tr Neptune opposing his Mars/Saturn midpoint. 

  That also shows up in his relationship chart with Trump with 2027 flagging up as an all-round disaster between the two of them. That follows on from one misstep after another from early this August to late December this year.

 Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff, who has already rocked the boat with a Trump critical interview earlier this year, does seem to be moving through turbulent seas with tr Uranus square her Pluto until mid March; plus a panicky-failure Solar Arc Neptune opposition Mars and Solar Arc Mars square Saturn across this year. Followed by an applecart-upending tr Pluto opposition her Uranus early August till the end of the year. Plus several Uranian jolts to other midpoints from mid May to end of the year.

 Either she is throwing in the towel or clinging on to the mainmast in stormy seas as dozy Don slides deeper into demented Don.

  Her relationship with Trump worsens late April this year to late September with late May to mid August being particularly panicky. And a catastrophe or two the first half of this June and across the New Year.

 The other forefront aide, communicator Karoline Leavitt, 24 August 1997 Atkinson, NH, like Miller has her Virgo Sun being seriously jolted by tr Uranus square in the second half of this May, and again early 2027. It will be even more tumultuous in her case since tr Uranus moves to oppose her Pluto this June and again across the New Year. Everything will be going up in the air for her, followed by a trapped scary 2027/28. Her Solar Arc Sun is in final degree Virgo at the moment – so teetering on the edge; as her Saturn heads for its First Return.

 Her relationship chart with Trump is on a downward slide in a major way this March with tr Neptune opposition their composite Mars; with an explosive tr Uranus square the Sun/Mars midpoint in April; followed by a long run of instability from mid May right through into 2027 as tr Uranus elbows their composite Neptune opposition Saturn square Venus T square.

  Too much information but I am struggling to pin point a turning point where calamity turns terminal in career terms.  Jettisoning one aide over the side would hardly be a surprise. But across the board the inner circle do appear to be in considerable disarray.

See previous post: Trump’s trusty wingmen – unravelling by 2028 – 11th January 2026

Norway Royals – caught in the Epstein web

   The long ripple of contamination from Epstein has entangled Norway’s Crown Princess Mette Marit with newly released emails suggesting she was still in contact with him just months before his suicide. She is already on the ropes with the trial starting of her son Marius Borg Hoiby, born before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, who is charged with raping four women and 34 other offences. He denies the most serious charges.

 Questions are being asked about whether she can be queen after this. She is suffering from pulmonary fibrosis and will probably have to have a lung transplant.

  Born 19 August 1973 1pm (unconfirmed) Kristiansand, Norway, she was a party girl before she met Prince Haakon with a string of relationships and their marriage was controversial.

 She has a showy, attention-seeking Leo Sun conjunct her Midheaven from the 9th trine an excitable and indulgent Moon Mars in Taurus in her 6th house of health. She has an ambitious mini-Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Pluto sextile Neptune. With two yods onto evasive Neptune and needs-maturity Saturn respectively. With her Saturn square a Venus Pluto conjunction = emotionally manipulative and bleak. A complicated personality. Both of her yods are under pressure from tr Neptune, Pluto and Uranus hard aspects in the coming year.

  For afficianados of asteroids – Psyche (tribulations on the road to true love) is conjunct her Ascendant in the 1st. Chariklo (endless suffering) and Eris (discord) in her 5th house of children. Chiron, the wounded healer, in her 6th.

 Prince Haakon, 20 July 1973 2.12pm Oslo, Norway, a Sun Cancer trine a Pisces Moon, so Watery which is the opposite of her Fire Earth chart. Her Sun falls on his Midheaven conjunct his Venus = good for his career and affectionate.  But her Mars Moon on his Descendant hint at a troublesome, argumentative match.

 Her Sun/Moon midpoint, the marriage significator, is conjunct his Saturn with duty looming large from his side; and his Sun/Moon midpoint is square her Sun for differing agendas.

 Not only is her chart riddled with yods so are her relationships with Prince Haakon (apex Saturn), Epstein (apex Mars) and even her wedding in 2001 has a Neptunian apex yod.

 The Epstein link may not recede in a hurry and there may be more coming before Uranus exits Taurus in April – beyond that it could drag on.

 She has two children with Prince Haakon and their bond would not split easily with Saturn Pluto aspects running throughout. But he does seem to be backing off with tr Uranus moving through his 7th in recent years and ahead.

  Norway, 7 June 1905 11am Oslo, is facing a troubled year or so ahead which may be little to do with this – with tr Uranus square Saturn and tr Neptune Saturn square the 4th house Uranus. What is notable are the Solar Arc Saturn, Uranus and North Node all at 29 degrees, hinting at a cuspal year, clearing out the past to make way for the new. A rethink of the Royals may be part of that process.

See previous post: Norwegian Royals – another family calamity

19th August 2025

Uranus in Taurus – echoes of the past ++ more innovations + Uranus against the biology – trans and gender debate

Trailblazing, sky-ruler Uranus has been moving through earthy, rooted Taurus since 2018 and will exit in April. Past experience of this hybrid mix which recurs every 84 years has been a focus on trade and money, climate and natural disasters and inventions.

 During this recent phase there has been an escalation in high-impact climate disasters from drought, severe storms, and floods. Key events included massive floods in Pakistan and China, record heatwaves in Europe and Asia, and intense wildfires in California.

 Trade has been highlighted recently with Trump’s cavalier tactics over tariffs and also covers the UK exiting from the EU.

Inventions: Two Taurus areas of food and money feature with weight loss jabs widespread, allowing people to change their physical size; giving them freedom from overindulgence. Developments in reproductive research, growing a human embryo without an egg or sperm, and human skin fertilised to make an embryo.

The global disruption of the Covid pandemic leading to upsets of Taurean stability, finances, relationships and the use of technology for personal connections, wfh, and business meetings. Both Zoom and Teams are Aquarian/Uranian.

mRNA was discovered in the 60s and vaccine experiments have been around since the 90s. Not new conceptually – but technical improvements plus an impending crisis… So pre-Uranus in Taurus we have an idea that exists. Then during Uranus in Taurus we get tool maturity + crisis accelerating scale.

The volatility of bitcoins and crypto currencies in an increasingly cashless economy is part of the story of Uranus in Taurus.

Retail apocalypse, shut down of bricks and mortar stores and collapse of retail stores and big historical brands. The rise of ecommerce.

Renewable energy technology.

Taurus and music: Spotify had public listing in April 2018 -caused financial disruptions for musicians and the music business during Uranus in Taurus.

The other Taurean area of interest is sex and the body. Uranus, the castrated sky god, deemed as the astrological ruler of what goes against the biology, brought the trans issue to the fore.  

Free availability of pornography in the tech age.

 The rise in populism/fascism in recent years also has echoes of the Uranus in Taurus of the 1930s.

Past Uranus in Taurus:

New discoveries. In the later 1930s there were major advances in technology in aviation, radio, and film. On a previous occasion, in the late 17th Century, street lighting was introduced in London. There was also widespread exploration across the globe and major advances in astronomy, including the first sighting of Uranus. Sewage systems and toilets came to the fore.

 Trade: In 1600 England starts trade with Asia; two Uranus in Taurus later it moves into Bengal with catastrophic results for the population; 2 million die in a famine and the East India Company raises their taxes and ships the revenues out of the country. The Same Brit company then takes over the North American tea trade, which leads, due to their punitive taxation, into the American Revolution.

 Climate/disasters: The Bengal famine narrative repeated in a different location during the mid 19th Century Uranus in Taurus in Ireland. The potato crop failed, which starved a million to death and a million emigrated, with the British overlords, who were partly the cause of the population’s reliance on one crop, continuing to send foodstuffs to the UK.

Inventions: 1767 Uranus in Taurus James Watts’ steam-engine inventions drove the Industrial Revolution into being; and the first mechanical spinning frame for fabric weaving also appeared.

Politics: The previous 1935 to 1941 Uranus in Taurus came on the back of the Great Depression of the decade following 1929, with widespread poverty and unemployment leading to authoritarian regimes emerging in several countries, most notably German with Hitler rising to power from 1933; and Stalin’s Great Purge of 1936-38 with 600,000 being executed in Russia by the state.

Territorial greed is one of its manifestations; as well as inhumane methods in the pursuit of power.

  In the UK: Queen Elizabeth 1 and Elizabeth 11 both die under Uranus in Taurus.

 From Hugh in previous post for extended version see 2018 post in search: Key to the UK. Uranus in Taurus between 1515 and 1523 was the start of the Reformation and had huge global significance not just for the UK but also for the entire planet. The Stuart dynasty united the thrones of England and Scotland. Roll the clock forward to the late 1680s and Uranus was in Taurus when the Glorious Revolution occurred. It was there again in the early 1770s in the run up to the American War of Independence and the loss of the American colonies.

Lindsey Vonn – super human self-confidence

American downhill skier Lindsey Vonn was airlifted to hospital in Switzerland on Friday after crashing in the final World Cup race before the Games. Despite her ligament injury she is still “very hopeful” she can compete at the Winter Olympics in on Sunday. Her belief in herself is unshakable. In her early career she won four World Cup overall championships – one of only two female skiers to do so and became the most successful American ski racer in history. She made a stunning comeback in 2024 after six years in retirement following a partial replacement of her right knee

  Born 18 October 1984 3.26 am St Paul Minnesota, she has a Libra Sun conjunct Mercury Pluto in Scorpio square a Leo Moon giving her added determination. She also has a stubborn Saturn and Venus in Scorpio. That plus a high-vitality, adventurous, risk-taking Mars Jupiter conjunction in ambitious Capricorn will also give her extra confidence.

  Ebertin describes Mars Jupiter as will power – as well as rebelliousness against rules and regulations. Her supreme self-confidence added to a tendency to ignore limitations that would hold normal people back allow her to aim high. Her Neptune in final degree Sagittarius conjunct her Jupiter may also give her a streak of super-optimism.

 Tr Saturn will square her Neptune over the next few days which in normal people produces uncertainty but athletes tend to process difficult influences in a way that utilizes their power – using stress as a motivator. So who knows? Her Solar Arc Venus is also conjunct her Mars exactly now to within two minutes of a degree which will redouble her bounce. What would concern me is tr Uranus in a calamitous square to her Mars/Pluto midpoint which was in place over her recent accident and continues in effect till mid March.

  Does anyone have a birth date for Austin Applebee, the 13 year old Australian boy who swam 4 kms to raise the alarm when his mother and siblings were at risk out at sea? An amazing feat.

August Solar Eclipse – prospect of relief

A ray of sunshine breaking through the dark clouds will come with this coming August’s Total Solar Eclipse at 20 degrees Leo. [Sorry not tomorrow.]

   The 10 South Saros series  points to a time of breaking out of a negative situation which has seemed hopeless into a more positive space with more options available. Worries will clear. Solutions will appear and need to be grasped.

 The new-era planets will be aligned with an Air Grand Trine of Pluto in Aquarius trine Uranus in Gemini trine Venus in Libra with Venus opposition Neptune (Saturn) in Aries. And Neptune Saturn will be trine Mercury Jupiter in Leo. There is admittedly an errant Mars in Cancer square Neptune and inconjunct Pluto – but by and large it should be an Air Fire feste – inspiration and bright ideas.