Welcome to The Portal.
January 2026 | The move isn’t to try to go back. And it’s not to rebuild what was. It’s time to repotentialize our consciousness by tuning into what could be.
2025 wasn’t just another year.
And it probably won’t surprise you to hear that 2026 won’t be either.
So after several conversations with colleagues across the public policy, legal, and advocacy communities (i.e. the realm of my day job) asking about the astrology of the year ahead... I decided it was time to write up some of how I’m understanding what time it is on the clock of the world—and, as a bit of an antidote to a lot of the year-ahead forecasts that frame up energy as something that happens to us, how to work with the energy at its highest vibe potential.
A Turning of the Ages
First the big picture.
It’s hard not to feel like we’re living through a turning of the ages. And that’s because we are—in astrological terms, the shift from the so-called Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius, a transition that spans centuries but which is happening as we speak.
The ending of an astrological age (each of which lasts about 2,160 years, as part of the larger precession of the equinoxes, which takes roughly 25,000 years) doesn’t occur without major change. And a big part of what that scale of collective transition necessarily requires is the upheaval of many of the forms and institutions of the prior era to make way for the new.
But while the transition to a new age comes with lots of endings—as does winter every year, which we don’t generally panic about because we know it will be followed by the season of birth that comes in spring; the ending of an age is also the seed time for the new one that’s coming into being.
As Dane Rudhyar (a brilliant philosopher-astrologer who’s been a major influence on how I work with astrology) described the role for humanity in such transitional times:
“We must become still … and try to sense the end of a cycle of experience peacefully moving into the yet imprecise and unfocused beginning of a new cycle… We must dare to summon the potentiality of an essentially new and, for us, unprecedented beginning.”
Poet Sonya Renee Taylor had a similar call to action for us during the height of the COVID pandemic, when she cautioned that the move wasn’t to return to a “normal that never was” except to the extent that it normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, hatred, etc. etc.
So if you were hoping to read a piece that would tell you “don’t worry, things will calm down soon and feel like they did a few years ago”—fair warning that you may want to stop here.
But if you’re looking for an honest, energy-informed take on how we as lightworkers—people here to co-create a better world—can aim to show up as our highest selves in this paradigm shift we’re living through together… my topline is this:
The move isn’t to try to go back. It’s not to wait things out. And it’s not to plan for rebuilding what has been. The move is to “repotentialize” our consciousness (one of my top keywords for this moment) by tuning into what could be.
As Above, So Below
I mentioned my day job is in the public policy realm. So why do I work with astrology? (And why would I think it would be helpful to share with others committed to the work of social change?)
Most folks reading this today are probably familiar with their birth chart, at least in part—thanks to platforms like CoStar and Chani Nicholas’s app that have beautifully democratized astrology.
But there’s a whole other side of the field called mundane astrology, which looks at planetary transits for the collective. I call it "knowing what time it is on the clock of the world."
To quote another philosopher-astrologer who’s been a big influence for me—Richard Tarnas, the author of Cosmos and Psyche, which is what first got me seriously interested in astrology's potential as a tool for conscious social change work (e.g., his research finds correlations between certain planetary alignments and breakthroughs in social liberation moments…):
“The universe is informed and pervaded by a fundamental holistic patterning which extends through every level, so that a constant synchronicity or meaningful correlation exists between astronomical events and human events.”
Or, to put it more succinctly: “as above, so below.”
The ancient Greeks had two concepts of time: chronos—linear time, clock time—and kairos—the right time. The opportune moment. A break in the timeline where possibility pierces through.
The kairos concept of time is what astrologers are attuning to when we pay attention to and work with planetary transits. “Kairos,” as astrologer Brian Clark puts it, “implies that at times of tension and crisis, the ‘right’ time arises—but it is our choice and our determination that help us to seize the opportunity.”
At the micro level, this is why astrology can be a really helpful tool for understanding and participating in our own individual consciousness unfoldment, particularly during times of outer life transition (i.e. the main driver of astrological consultations).
But/and at the macro level, for people seeking to contribute to collective change: when we get to know the energy of the times we’re living in, we have the chance to consciously align with the highest potential of the moment—and to work with the energy to co-create the world we know (or maybe just hope) is possible.
So let’s get into the major themes of 2026 and how we can work with the energy at its highest frequency.
Neptune-Saturn in Aries: The Birth of a New Dream
Neptune is the planet of vision, dreams, ideals, spirituality, consciousness, and the sea (it’s powerfully watery). By contrast, Saturn specializes in structure, institutions, laws, things taking physical form and becoming manifest (it makes things real/earth). They come together only every ~36 years—and the last time they aligned in Aries was ~150 years ago—so this is an incredibly rare energy combo.
When two planets come together, we see the fusion of their energies. As Neptune and Saturn have been hanging out together in Pisces for the past year and change, we’ve seen the dissolution (Neptune/Pisces) of a great many institutions (Saturn)—and with Pisces being the last sign of the zodiac, the ending of the old dream (Neptune).
Now as the two planets prepare to meet in Aries—the first sign of the zodiac, associated with birth and new beginnings and spring—we’re invited to birth a new dream.
At its highest frequency, I read the combination of Neptune and Saturn’s energies as the descent of spirit into form. Vision meets structure. Compassion meets law. Divine love meets governance. The opportunity to get closer to making the vision real.
With Neptune in Aries, we have a battle (Aries) of imaginations (Neptune); an inflection point with competing visions for the future of the American dream (and whom it’s for). (For example, looking at historical context: the last time Neptune transited Aries, we saw the American civil war—-energy that’s palpable once again, albeit taking new outer forms).
But at its highest vibe potential, the combination of these energies offers the opportunity to:
Seed new policies, laws, structures, and institutions rooted in empathy, unity consciousness, and soul.
Vision and seed a new social contract.
Seed new legal, social, and systemic realities that are expressions of our interconnectedness.
And integrate spirituality and law.
To that end, one of my favorite keywords for the combination of Neptune and Saturn’s energies comes from astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo who’s called it grounded spirituality—a perfect mantra for lightworkers here not just to dream big dreams but to channel tangible change in the world.
(This is a transit that goes exact in February 2026, but with energy we’ll feel throughout the year.)
Uranus in Gemini: Words of Awakening and Liberation
Another major energy shift comes as Uranus, the planet of disruption, innovation, liberation, freedom, and awakening, enters Gemini—the sign of communication, thought, ideas, and the concrete mind—in April 2026, where it will stay until 2033.
With this combination of energies comes the potential for:
Re-evaluation, review, and redefinition of America’s founding ideas and documents.
For radical and liberatory words, ideas, and narratives to break through.
For a revolution of thought that redefines freedom.
And for revolutionary messages to go viral.
Sound familiar? Uranus in Gemini also brings the Uranus return of the United States—since Uranus was in Gemini in the country’s birth chart (July 4, 1776).
And while my explicit aim here is to focus on the high vibe potentials that come with the year’s major energy shifts, it’s worth noting for historical context that Uranus in Gemini transits (which happen once every ~84 years) are generally synchronous with major conflict and turning points for the U.S.—with a few notable examples being the American revolutionary war, the U.S. civil war, and World War II. History doesn’t repeat, as the saying goes, but astrology can help us attune to the archetypes who’ll be part of the rhyme.
Charging up the time Uranus spends moving through Gemini over the next 7 years, we’ll also see Mars come together with Uranus four times between now and 2033—with the first in the series happening on July 4, 2026.
Each of these Mars-Uranus meetups creates a hot spot that’s a liberatory ignition point. This is potentially explosive, breakthrough energy. Think: norm-breaking. System-shifting. Precedent-shattering.
Used unconsciously, it’s a powder keg waiting for a match. But used intentionally by those seeking to bring about social justice—this is the astrology of the freedom fighter. The paradigm shifter. The mass awakener. Powerful disruption energy ready to bring about breakthroughs for liberation of all types.
Pluto Return of the United States: Soul Reckoning
For the past couple of years, we have been slowly moving through the Pluto return of the United States—a rare transit that, for countries that make it to their ~250th birthday (when Pluto returns to where it was in the nation’s birth chart) is experienced as something like a soul reckoning for the nation.
Shadow and impurities come to the surface to be cleared out.
Things that have gotten pushed under the rug come up to be seen.
Founding ideals and structures get tested.
Imbalances of power and corrupt power structures come up for review.
Forms that are no longer in alignment with their essence get cleared away so that the energy may be freed up to take new forms.
Meanwhile, with Pluto now in Aquarius (2025–2044), some of the highest vibe potentials include: a powering up (Pluto) of collective action (Aquarius). The failures of democracy on display—with the opportunity to redream and remedy them for the chapter ahead. Revolution and a radical shift of power (Pluto) in service of “we the people” (Aquarius).
Which brings us to the heaviest-hitting combination of energies building in 2026…
Pluto-Neptune-Uranus Talent Triangle: The Quantum Leap
(Active 2025–2030; peaks in 2027)
This incredibly rare alignment of all three outer planets (Pluto, Neptune, Uranus) last occurred in the mid-1500s. (I’ll spare you the astro-nerdery around what a “talent triangle” is, but basically it’s a big triangle being formed in the zodiac by the three outer planets).
What happened last time? The Copernican Revolution, which brought about an historic shift in consciousness and the way humans understand the world. (For anyone not super up on their middle school history trivia: that was the turning point when humans stopped believing the Earth was the center of the universe and realized Earth actually orbits the Sun.)
The way I read the highest vibe potential of this alignment today? Another revolution in human consciousness, this time from ego (“I”)-centered to soul-centered consciousness.
This is a big part of what the Age of Aquarius portends—spiritually speaking, a period when humans come to live with awareness that we are souls in form, and with an integrated consciousness sometimes described as “differentiated unity”: i.e., the realization that we are both individuals and cells in the larger organism that is humanity. In 3D terms, this is a shift from me/my/mine to thinking as a We.
Think how differently the outer world would be set up if humans identified with the interests of the group (and the Earth!) instead of what’s good for them individually?
Other potential (and obviously related) high vibe expressions of this powerful combination of transformative outer planet energies:
Rapid spiritual and technological awakening
Sudden breakthroughs in mass liberation movements
Collapse of corrupt power structures (and revolutionary energy that brings this about)
A power surge for visionaries, leaders, and architects of the new world
To be clear, this isn’t gentle change energy. It’s catalytic.
But/and if you’re a change agent, activist, idealist, or working to shift consciousness and/or the distribution of power—this alignment is a major powering up.
Accepting the Assignment
I won’t pretend to know precisely what this year will hold—I’m not the kind of astrologer who believes in making specific predictions (with much love to those doing so as they make the rounds on podcasts this time of year).
What I am is a believer in focusing on the highest vibe potential of the energy we’re in at any given time—and since times of major change can be destabilizing, being aware of the energy so we can stay maximally grounded and intentional as we walk the path.
That said, while my explicit aim is to focus on the highest potentials of the energy, I don’t want to gloss over the fact that living through a turning of the ages isn’t easy.
With the types of energy combinations we’re experiencing this year—and beyond, as this kind of collective paradigm shift spans far more than one or even a few calendar years—a lot of what will manifest (as we’ve already been seeing in the earliest days of 2026) isn’t likely to be kittens and rainbows.
But as one of my spiritual teachers put it, in words that ring in my ears nearly every day since:
“Living at this time in human history is either an affliction or an assignment.”
If you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you’re here for the assignment.
For those of us focused on bringing about collective change, and building a better world: this is our time—if we can find the courage to stay present, to keep showing up, and serve as the seed men and women of the Age of Aquarius that we came here to be.
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