A NOTE ON THE WEEK AHEAD
Tented Camp, Watercolour by Frank Collins ca. 1881
This week unfolds against a backdrop of political and cultural upheaval that is anything but abstract. Institutions are strained. Language is weaponized. Long-standing assumptions about authority, truth, and collective responsibility are being destroyed in real time. The pressure is profound, demanding that we remain vigilant. The fatigue we feel is equally powerful, pleading that we somehow disengage to rest our weary hearts.
Saturn sextile Uranus, which is exact on Tuesday, suggests how this moment can be met. Saturn speaks to structures, laws, systems, and the weight of consequence. Uranus presses for reform, disruption, and the refusal to continue as before. In a sextile relationship, they do not cancel each other out. They create a narrow but workable opening. Change is possible here, not through collapse or denial, but through deliberate adjustment. What can be modified without losing coherence becomes the critical question.
This aspect does not support passive hope or symbolic rebellion. It favors informed participation. It asks where responsibility can evolve rather than harden, and where innovation can take form rather than remain reactive. As the week unfolds, this tension runs quietly beneath the surface of both collective events and personal choices. The invitation is to engage with discernment, to work where effort matters, and to recognize that meaningful change, now, depends on staying present inside complexity rather than retreating from it.
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SUN ENTERS AQUARIUS – A SHIFT IN DIRECTION: Monday, January 19, 2026
Today marks a clear change in emphasis as the Sun enters Aquarius at 8:44 pm EST. Since the Winter Solstice on December 21, attention has focused on responsibility, effort, hard work, and discipline. With the Sun’s move into Aquarius, we are asked to question established patterns and consider broader perspectives. Look to the house in your natal chart that holds Aquarius (using whole sign house system). This area of life is being illuminated. It is where you are asked to think differently, step back from expectation, and consider what kind of freedom or authenticity is possible while maintaining order and responsibility.
In the wee hours of the morning, long before the Sun changes sign, Mercury trines Uranus, opening space for insight and fresh thinking. Ideas may arrive suddenly or from unexpected directions. At 4:54 pm EST, while the Sun is still in Capricorn, it sextiles Neptune. This briefly relaxes focus and reveals something you have been drifting toward or quietly avoiding. Once the Sun enters Aquarius, the drift ends, and response becomes unavoidable.
At 11:04 pm EST, Venus conjoins Pluto at 3 degrees Aquarius, beginning a new cycle of empowering love and personal value. This is not light or casual. It speaks to issues of power and a profound engagement with your deepest values. In the weeks ahead, this cycle will ask you to examine how connection and commitment are shaped by truth rather than habit. For now, notice what feels compelling and unavoidable. The early waxing Moon supports new beginnings, although the ultimate shape of them is not clear.
- Where in your life are you ready to seek and find an innovative path forward?
- What idea or possibility feels newly alive today?
- What relationships or connections require deeper engagement?
EFFORT FINDS TRACTION: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Today pushes into forward motion before most of us are awake. Between 12:19 am and 9:34 am EST, a rare concentration of supportive aspects quietly sets things in motion. Saturn sextile Uranus suggests a practical opening for change that does not require dismantling anything that is already working. At the same time, Mars trines Uranus and sextiles Saturn, blending initiative with discipline. This supports an action that is clear in its direction. Effort finds traction. Pushing forward works because there is something solid to push against. You may notice that what felt blocked recently now responds, not through force, but through correct timing and previous preparation.
As the day unfolds, attention turns toward thought and communication. At 9:34 am EST, Mercury sextiles Neptune, softening perception and allowing imagination to inform thinking without undermining clarity. Ideas may connect in subtle ways, especially those that bridge logic and intuition. Shortly after, Mercury enters Aquarius, joining a growing concentration of planetary energy there. With Pluto, Venus, the Sun, and now Mercury all in Aquarius, the emphasis on perspective, honesty, and future-oriented thinking strengthens. Conversations change tone. Decisions begin to reference what lies ahead rather than what has been established and may be ready to be relegated to the rear-view mirror.
This may bring coordination to what looks like chaos. The early waxing Moon supports forward motion, even as details continue to take shape. Watch for where momentum is building. Pay attention to where action feels purposeful as well as sustainable. That combination is incredibly important at this time.
- Where can movement become flow rather than feeling forced?
- What change feels supported rather than disruptive?
- What conversation or idea points clearly toward the future?
A PAUSE FOR CLARITY: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
The Moon enters Pisces in the early morning hours, easing the emotional tone and drawing attention away from both effort and outcome. After the forward push and traction of the previous days, this feels like a natural time to pause. When the moon is in Pisces, our soul needs receptivity and rest. You may notice a reduced appetite for decision-making and a greater sensitivity and awareness of the atmosphere beneath conversation and that which is unspoken. This is a day for allowing rather than initiating.
At 10:48 am EST, the Sun conjoins Mercury in Aquarius in what is known as the superior conjunction. This marks the midpoint of Mercury’s current cycle and offers a clearer view of ideas that have been forming since Mercury’s last retrograde period (November 9 – 29, 2025). Unlike earlier stages of the cycle, this is not about sorting or correcting but about understanding. A broader perspective comes into view. What has felt scattered begins to organize itself. Let insight arrive without feeling that you have to do anything about it other than simple observation for now.
Taken together, the Pisces Moon and the Sun–Mercury conjunction support rest and comprehension. This is a day for listening and allowing clarity to settle without demanding immediate response. The waxing Moon continues to build, but today favors integration rather than direct action.
- What do you see and understand more clearly?
- Where can you allow yourself to rest from effort today?
- What idea is beginning to take shape?
WHEN THINKING CUTS TO THE CORE: Thursday, January 22, 2026
Mercury conjunct Pluto shapes today in Aquarius, a transit that brings depth, precision, and power to mind. This is not a time for casual thinking nor for speculative conversation. The mind, how we think and process information, demands truth, clarity of motive, and consequence. What is said today matters profoundly. What is heard may be impossible to unhear. You may notice a stronger focus on power dynamics, control, and the underlying structures shaping a situation, whether personal or collective. This is a day when insight arrives through confrontation with reality.
In Aquarius, this conjunction sharpens understanding and awareness around shared narratives and collective thinking. It exposes where language has been used to obscure rather than clarify, and where assumptions do not hold up under scrutiny. Conversations are likely to be intense, uncompromising, and revealing of an underlying truth. This is about seeing clearly how influence operates, how decisions are justified, and where responsibility truly lies. Use words carefully today.
The Moon remains in Pisces, softening the emotional field but not diluting the impact of what is understood to be true. Sensitivity is heightened, which makes discernment essential. Take in what you notice without rushing to respond. What becomes clear today carries weight and deserves time before action.
- What truth becomes unavoidable today?
- Where does language reveal more than it conceals?
- What understanding needs time to settle before responding?
TURN TOWARD ACTION: Friday, January 23, 2026
Today begins gathering momentum early. In the pre-dawn hours, Mars sextiles Neptune, aligning action with intuition. Keep your eyes open for an opportunity for serious action to move forward that does not need force. Motivation and action arise from an inner signal rather than outer pressure. Shortly after this connection, still in pre-dawn, Mars steps out of Capricorn and into Aquarius. In Aquarius, Mars is less inclined to dig in its heels with stuborn persistence and more interested in acting in the service of humanitarian principles. Something necessary moves forward, even if the path moves unconventionally against the grain.
At 5:28 am EST, the Sun conjoins Pluto in Aquarius, intensifying the shift that is underway. This is a time of ongoing confrontation with the deepest levels of power and reality. Something essential is being clarified. Power dynamics and long-standing patterns come into sharp focus. This is no longer the time for negotiation. It is time to recognize what is no longer viable and what must change to move forward honestly toward a deeper understanding of integrity.
Later in the morning, at 8:26 am EST, the Moon enters Aries, bringing immediacy to the day. Emotional energy becomes more direct. Patience may wear thin, as clarity increases. There is an impulse to assert yourself and to act independently. With so much Aquarian emphasis already in place, Aries helps translate insight into action. The challenge is not starting something, but choosing where to direct your energy so that action reflects what you now understand rather than reacting from momentum alone.
- What action feels necessary rather than impulsive today?
- Where are you being asked to step forward with clarity?
- What change requires your direct participation?
ACTION COMES FIRST: Saturday, January 24, 2026
The Moon remains in Aries all day, suggesting the emotional tone is active and direct. When the moon is in Aries, we are called to action. We do not wait for certainty. We act as a prerequisite to developing courage. You may feel restless or impatient, especially if something has been clarified but not yet put into practice. This is useful tension. It highlights where intention must be expressed.
Use today to test and question what you think you know. Small actions may be enough. You do not need to commit fully or declare a direction. What matters is noticing how your energy responds once you begin. Aries teaches through experience. Pay attention to what strengthens your confidence and what drains it. That feedback is valuable as the lunar cycle continues to build.
Today asks one simple question: Does courage precede action, or does action create courage?
STAYING WITH THE EFFORT: Sunday, January 25, 2026
The Moon enters Taurus in the early morning hours, slowing the emotional pace and bringing attention back to stability and calm follow-through. After the push of Aries, now is the time to consider what can last. Taurus favors patience, simplicity, consistency, and tangible results. You will be less interested in action and more focused on grounding where you stand now.
At 11:48 pm EST, the Moon reaches its First Quarter phase. This marks a point of effort and adjustment in the lunar cycle. Something initiated near the New Moon now requires engagement. Obstacles or resistance may appear, not as setbacks, but as information. This is where commitment is tested. The Taurus Moon reminds you that progress comes through steady determination and attention rather than force.
- What needs consistent effort rather than urgency?
- Where does resistance show you what needs your attention?
- What am I prepared to commit to?
This is a powerful week in the early days of 2026. Reach out for support while navigating these shifts by scheduling a consultation or ordering a recorded reading. These sessions bring clarity to your chart and help you understand the personal cycles you are navigating with confidence.
You can also deepen your understanding by reading my book, How to Read and Interpret a Birth Chart, which gives you reliable tools for exploring your own natal chart or the charts of the people you care about.
Take good care of yourself as we move forward. Pace yourself, and take care of eachother.
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