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The Cosmic Weather

Astrology helps us to plan ahead, as we know exactly when key events in the sky are happening, and can use the insight to know when is a good time to push ahead, and when to proceed more cautiously. 

It’s like checking the weather report before we make a long journey and a major storm is forecast. We would expect some travel disruption and may even postpone our plans until another day.  

But! It should also be noted that our individual birth chart and current transits tell our unique, specific story and experiences – our personal story that unfolds within the larger story of the human community and unfolding global events. 

So, just like the weather forecast, the cosmic weather shows when a storm is brewing, and while the storm causes disruption, it might have no personal impact on us. 

A deep dive into the cosmic landscape of 2026 is here – The Astrology of 2026  

A brief guide to some key transits:  

Venus-Jupiter alignments ~ Venus in Domicile & Exaltation ~ Cazimis ~ Retrogrades ~ Eclipses 

Dates to be cautious: If you are planning a social event, wedding, a new venture or travelling it is best to try and navigate around Venus Retrograde and the 4 Eclipses. This year Mercury Retrograde also overlaps with Venus Retrograde.

Venus Retrograde is not considered to be a good time for weddings, signing financial contracts/making luxury purchases or cosmetic procedures/surgery due to a likelihood of re-evaluating feelings later. Eclipses are fated/volatile energy and are best avoided. Mercury Retrograde is generally considered a time of potential for miscommunications and travel hitches – double check everything! The overlap of Mercury Rx with Venus Rx means potential for extra stress being placed on relationships.

Favourable Dates: The most favourable times are when Venus is making harmonious, sweet aspects to Jupiter, or in signs where she is strong. One of the best dates this year is 9th June when Venus and Jupiter are conjunct in Cancer.

For new ventures/launches/business announcements – Jupiter enters Leo on 30th June. On 29th July the Sun and Jupiter are conjunct – Jupiter Cazimi – bringing visibility and auspicious energy.

Venus-Jupiter alignments ~ Full of Promise

Venus-Jupiter alignments are advantageous for love, pleasure, social events, and opportune times for any negotiations/discussions we wish to go our way. As Venus (magnetism) and Jupiter (opportunities/expansion) help us to attract what we want with ease.

Venus in Domicile & Exaltation ~ Peace & Ease

Venus is the planet of love, beauty and values and is in domicile in Taurus (material abundance/security) & Libra (relationships/social harmony), and exalted in Pisces (spirituality). So Venus is strongly placed in all these signs to enhance love, pleasure, relationships, creativity and an overall harmonious vibe.       

Cazimi

A planet in very close conjunction with the Sun – between zero and 17 minutes – is termed Cazimi which means “In the Heart of the Sun”. This moment in time is advantageous, and full of promise as the planet is rejuvenated and greatly strengthened by the Sun in all his glory. Cazimi’s offer us a moment of insight about the planet’s energy, and opportunity to seed something new – to set new intentions – due to this understanding.  

Mercury Retrograde

February 26th – March 20th (Pisces) ~ June 29th – July 23rd (Cancer) ~ October 24th – November 13th (Scorpio)

Remember to note the Shadow Periods! – the pre, and post- shadow periods – when Mercury is slowing down to retrograde and speeding up again afterwards, approximately 2 weeks before and after, are also significant times and extend the overall influence of Mercury Rx.

When Mercury (mind/communication) is retrograde we get to review our understanding of, and approach to something – a particular part or chapter of life.

We know it is a time to slow down, to review, and refine our plans. It’s a time when communication, technology or travel issues can arise. The past can also resurface, old friends or ex partners can be re-connected with, and opportunities or old projects could be re-kindled. 

In 2026 Mercury will retrograde solely in water signs, and these will be times of exploring and reflecting on our emotions, feelings, sensitivities and intuition. Bringing into focus our inner world and emotional work relating to the specific sign’s themes: 

In Pisces, Mercury is empathic and intuitive. Messages/communications could be vague, confusing or misunderstood.  

Themes – emotional/spiritual self-reflection, insights through dreams/intuition, healing, creative musings/expression, what has ended personally/collectively, compassionate closure, illusions/deceit coming to light, karma. 

In Cancer, Mercury is sensitive and feelings dominate. Increased sensitivity to the emotional environment/moods of others. Memories and past experiences could be emotionally powerful/overwhelming.  

Themes – home, family, childhood memories/nostalgic reflection, old emotional wounds, heartfelt conversations/healing emotional wounds, understanding our own/others feelings & security issues, how we feel safe and nurtured, how we give/provide security & nourishment to others. 

In Scorpio, Mercury is intense and investigative. A deep dive into the inner world/subconscious. Hidden, darker, obsessive/possessive/overly suspicious emotions may surface to be healed. 

Themes – truth, trust/loyalty, desire, intimacy, joint resources, power struggles, secrets, discovering what is hidden, what needs to be eliminated or can be transformed. 

Note that – Mercury’s retrograde in Scorpio overlaps with Venus retrograde in Scorpio and Libra.  

Eclipse Season 

During eclipse season we know to be prepared for curveballs, as eclipses can bring fated change that is out of our hands. A time when the veil between the material and spiritual realms thins, allowing the divine to reorganise our lives. A spiritual re-alignment that shakes up our material bonds/circumstances to align us with our soul’s path.

It’s best to observe and flow with the energy, as well as being prepared to be flexible if necessary. And to postpone any major decisions until afterwards, as eclipses are times when things are hidden in the shadow, and we can’t see the full picture.   

Venus Retrograde ~ 3rd October – 14th November

Venus enters pre-shadow retrograde period – 31st August ~ Venus leaves post-shadow retrograde period – 15th December

Venus is what we love, value, find beautiful and pleasurable -what we want and desire! Of course with Venus being the goddess of love, this encompasses our relationships – what we wish to receive from them and how we behave within them – along with what we find aesthetically and materially satisfying.   

Venus retrograde is a time to reflect on our values, pleasures, finances, love life, other close relationships, business partnerships.  

Venus retrograde begins in Scorpio, where Venus is in detriment and ends in her home sign of Libra. 

The intense, passionate, emotional depths of Scorpio exposes what is in the shadows, and demands the raw, unfiltered, sometimes painful truth. 

In Libra, the sign of relationship, partnership, harmony, fairness, and justice, Venus’s energy flows powerfully, and explains why Venus may find her time in Scorpio a little messy as she journeys through the underworld, as ideally she prefers elegance and graciousness.

In Scorpio Venus will help us to get to the bottom of something important, to reveal a necessary truth. Inevitably then creating pressure to eliminate or transform something. In Libra we re- evaluate who/what  we love and value (and why we do), what is un-balanced or unfair in our relationships, or unbalanced in ourselves. Then re-balance and re-structure with fairness, integrity and diplomacy.

Themes – relationships, trust, intimacy, secrets, betrayals, shared debts, subconscious emotional patterns, inheritances, legacies, how our values align/are unaligned with others, how others experience us, what is fair/justified/harmonious   

Double retrograde energy! ~ Mercury & Venus

What legacies do we wish to create?

Mercury and Venus being retrograde simultaneously intensifies the experience of re-view and re-evaluation especially in regards to our relationships. When Venus stations direct in Libra, Mercury – mind – is still in Scorpio     

The merging of both energies contributes to a capability for deeper, inner contemplation – a soul level appraisal of values and beliefs – orientated towards self-improvement.

In Scorpio we get to the roots, enter the underworld, and are in touch with our ancestors – and inheritances, legacies. We are also ancestors – the version of us that will be remembered by the people and places we touch during our lives. All that outlives the material and leaves a footprint. And perhaps a significant moment to consider – what legacies do we wish to create?    

Even if we don’t think we’re influential, our energy and vibe shapes the atmosphere around us. Our energy and presence matters. Our actions can change and evolve others, in our close and family relationships. Small acts of kindness towards a stranger can ripple out and alter their path in ways we cannot see.   

Our current choices are the history of the future, and shape the ways and traditions of the future, in our personal/family lives and collectively. How do we wish to love, live, and make a meaningful difference, in the as yet unwritten chapters of our story ahead?

Key dates:

January

Chiron Retrograde ends – 22° 35 Aries ~ 2nd January

Venus Cazimi – 16° 22 Capricorn ~ 6th January

Mars Cazimi –  19° 09 Capricorn ~ 9th January

Venus conjunct Pluto – 3° 19 Aquarius ~ 20th January

Mercury Cazimi – 1° 37 Aquarius ~ 21st January

Pluto Cazimi – 3° 25 Aquarius ~ 23rd January

Neptune enters Aries ~ 26th January

*Mars conjunct Pluto – 3° 34 Aquarius ~ 27th January

*Mercury conjunct Venus – 14° 56 Aquarius ~ 29th January

February

Uranus Retrograde ends – 27° 27 Taurus ~ 4th February

*Venus enters Pisces ~ 10th February

Mercury conjunct the North Node – 9° 05 Pisces ~ 12th February 

Saturn enters Aries ~ 14th February

*Solar Eclipse – 28° 56 Aquarius ~ 17th February

*Venus conjunct the North Node – 9° 37 Pisces – 17th February

Saturn-Neptune Conjunction – 0° 44 Aries ~ 20th February

*Venus (15° 31 Pisces) trine Jupiter Rx (15° 31 Cancer)  ~ 22nd February

*Mercury Retrograde begins – 22° 33 Pisces ~ 26th February

Sun conjunct the North Node – 9° 06 Pisces ~ 27th February

*Mars (27° 42 Aquarius) square Uranus (27° 42 Taurus) ~ 27th February

Mercury Rx conjunct Venus – 22° 15 Pisces ~ 28th February   

March

*Lunar Eclipse – 12° 51 Virgo ~ 3rd March

Mercury Cazimi – 16° 52 Pisces ~ 7th March

Venus conjunct Neptune – 1° 16 Aries ~ 7th March

Venus conjunct Saturn – 2° 38 Aries ~ 8th March

Jupiter Retrograde ends – 15° 05 Cancer ~ 11th March

Mars conjunct the North Node – 8° 54 Pisces ~ 13th March

Mercury Rx conjunct Mars – 10° 02 Pisces ~ 15th March*Venus (15° 10 Pisces)  square Jupiter (15° 10 Cancer)  ~ 18thMarch  

*Mercury Retrograde ends – 8° 29 Pisces ~ 20th March

Mars (15° 16 Pisces) trine Jupiter (15° 16 Cancer) ~ 22nd March

Neptune Cazimi – 1° 50 Aries ~ 22nd March

Saturn Cazimi – 4° 43 Aries ~ 25th March

Venus conjunct Chiron – 25° 24 Aries ~ 26th March

*Venus enters Taurus ~ 30th March

April

*Venus (5° 15 Taurus) square Pluto (5° 15 Aquarius) ~ 3rd April

Mars conjunct Neptune – 2° 39 Aries ~ 13th April

*Venus (16° 47 Taurus) sextile Jupiter (16° 47 Cancer) ~ 13th April

Chiron Cazimi – 26° 38 Aries ~ 16th April

Mercury conjunct Neptune – 2° 47 Aries ~ 17th April 

*Mars conjunct Saturn – 7° 51 Aries ~ 19th April

Mercury conjunct Saturn – 7° 55 Aries ~ 20th April

Venus conjunct Uranus – 29° 53 Taurus ~ 24th April

Uranus enters Gemini ~ 26th April

Venus (7° 55 Gemini) square the Nodes (7° 09 Pisces/Virgo) ~ 30th April

May

Pluto retrograde begins – 5° 30 Aquarius ~ 6th MayMercury Cazimi – 23° 48 Taurus ~ 14th May

Mars conjunct Chiron – 28° 24 Aries ~ 16th May

Mercury  (4° 52 Gemini)  square the Nodes (4° 52 Pisces/Virgo) ~ 19th May

Uranus Cazimi – 1° 30 Gemini ~ 22nd May

Venus (3° 51 Cancer) Square Neptune (3° 51 Aries) ~ 22nd May

Sun (4° 30 Gemini) square the Nodes  (4° 30 Pisces/Virgo) ~ 25th May

*Mars (5° 25 Taurus) square Pluto Rx (5° 25 Aquarius) ~ 26th May

*Venus (11° 59 Cancer) square Saturn (11° 59 Aries) ~ 29th May

June

Mercury (4° 06  Cancer) square Neptune (4° 06 Aries) ~ 4th June 

*Venus conjunct Jupiter – 25° 46 Cancer ~ 9th June

Mercury (12° 58  Cancer) square Saturn (12° 58 Aries) ~ 10th June

Uranus (2° 42 Gemini) square the Nodes (2° 42 Pisces/Virgo) ~ 12th June

Venus square Chiron – ~ 13th June

*Venus trine Neptune ~ 17th June

*Venus opposite Pluto ~ 17th June

Chiron enters Taurus ~ 19th June

*Mercury Retrograde begins – 26° 15 Cancer ~ 29th June

Mars (0° 58 Gemini) square the Nodes (0° 58 Pisces/Virgo) – 30th June   

Jupiter enters Leo ~ 30th June

July

Jupiter (0° 23 Leo) square Chiron (0° 23 Taurus) – ~ 2nd July

*Mars conjunct Uranus – 3° 52 Gemini  ~ 4th July

Neptune Retrograde begins – 4° 25 Aries ~ 7th July

Mercury Cazimi – 20° 42  Cancer  ~ 13th July

Jupiter (4° 26 Leo) opposite Pluto  (4° 26 Aquarius) ~ 20th July

Jupiter (4° 22 Leo) trine Neptune Rx (4° 22 Aries) ~ 20th July 

*Mercury Retrograde ends – 16° 18 Cancer ~ 23rd July

Saturn Retrograde begins – 14° 45 Aries  ~ 26th July

The North Node enters Aquarius ~ 26th July

*Venus (21° 14 Virgo) square Mars (21° 14 Gemini)  ~ 29th July

Jupiter Cazimi – 6° 24 Leo ~ 29th July

August

Chiron Retrograde begins – 00° 52 Taurus ~ 3rd August

*Venus enters Libra ~ 6th August 

*Solar Eclipse – 20° 08 Leo ~ 12th August

Mercury conjunct Jupiter – 10° 09 Leo  ~ 15th August

Sun conjunct the South Node – 29° 49 Leo ~ 22nd August

*Venus (14° 11 Libra) opposite Saturn (14° 11 Aries) ~ 21st August

Mercury conjunct the South Node – 29° 50 Leo ~ 25th August 

Mercury Cazimi – 4° 26 Virgo ~ 27th August

*Lunar Eclipse 4° 51 Pisces ~ 28th August

Jupiter (13° 41 Leo) trine Saturn Rx (13° 41 Aries) ~ 31st August

September

*Mars (13° 39 Cancer) square Saturn Rx (13° 39 Aries)  ~ 1st September

Venus (0° 14 Scorpio)  opposite Chiron Rx (0° 14 Taurus) ~ 10th September

Uranus Retrograde begins – 5° 41 Gemini ~ 10th September

*Venus (3° 16 Scorpio) square Pluto Rx (3° 16 Aquarius)  ~ 15th September

Mars (29° 38 Cancer) square Chiron Rx (29° 38 Aries) ~ 27th September

October

Mercury (2° 29 Scorpio) square Mars (2° 29 Leo) – 2nd October

*Venus Retrograde begins – 8° 29 Scorpio ~ 3rd October

*Mars (3° 06 Leo) opposite Pluto (3° 06 Aquarius) ~ 3rd October

Venus Rx conjunct Mercury – 8° 29 Scorpio ~ 7th October

*Venus Rx (7° 21 Scorpio) square Mars (7° 21 Leo) ~ 10th October

Pluto Retrograde ends – 3° 04 Aquarius ~ 16th October

*Venus Rx (3° 04 Scorpio) square Pluto (3° 04 Aquarius) ~ 20th October

Venus Cazimi – 0° 45 Scorpio ~ 24th October

*Mercury Retrograde begins – 20° 58 Scorpio ~ 24th October

Venus Rx (28° 14 Libra) opposite Chiron Rx (28° 14 Aries) ~ 28th October

Mercury Rx (17° 58 Scorpio) square Mars (17° 58 Leo) ~ 30th October 

November

Mercury Cazimi – 5° 02 Scorpio ~ 4th November

*Venus Rx (24° 43 Libra) sextile Jupiter (24° 43 Leo) ~ 4th November

Jupiter conjunct South Node – 25° 32 Leo  ~ 12th November

*Mercury Retrograde ends – 5° 02 Scorpio ~ 13th November

*Venus Retrograde ends – 22° 51 Libra ~ 14th November

*Mars conjunct South Node – 25° 12 Leo  ~ 14th November

Mars conjunct Jupiter – 25° 43 Leo ~ 16th November*Venus (26° 40 Libra) sextile Jupiter (26° 40 Leo) ~ 28th Novembe

*Venus (26° 40 Libra) sextile Jupiter (26° 40 Leo) ~ 28th November

Venus (25° 56 Libra) opposite Chiron Rx (25° 56 Aries) ~ 29th November 

December

Mercury (23° 50 Scorpio) square the Nodes (23° 50 Aquarius/Leo)  ~ 1st December

Jupiter (26° 50 Leo) trine Chiron Rx (26° 50 Leo) ~ 2nd December

Mercury (26° 53 Scorpio) square Jupiter (26° 53 Leo) ~ 4th December

*Mars (3° 18 Virgo) square Uranus Rx (3° 18 Gemini) ~ 4th December

*Venus (3° 45 Scorpio) square Pluto (3° 45 Aquarius)  ~ 9th December

Mercury (4° 53 Sagittarius) square Mars (4° 53 Virgo) ~ 9th December

December

Mercury (4° 53 Sagittarius) square Mars (4° 53 Virgo) ~ 9th December

Saturn Retrograde ends – 7° 55 Aries ~ 10th December

Neptune Retrograde ends – 1° 36 Aries ~ 12th December

Jupiter Retrograde begins – 27° 01 Leo ~ 13th December

Venus (21° 28 Scorpio) square the Nodes (21° 28 Aquarius/Leo)  ~ 29th December