Friday, December 12, 2025

Pivot Point

In the very best of ways, January 2026 is a far cry from January 2025.  The first three months of last year felt like cosmic sludge, very difficult energy to work through.  Not so now at the beginning of the coming New Year.  A completely different page greets us on January 1, 2026.  This first month is clear, direct and unburdened by planetary twists.  A very good thing too, as New Year’s energy portends how the months ahead unfold.

Crisp and clean, brisk like a winter’s day, January heralds the breath of fresh air and new beginnings we all seek.  The planets do not hold back, leaping right into a Full Moon in nurturing Cancer the Crab on Saturday, January 3rd. Use this nourishing energy for some deep self-loving care after the holiday rush.

The Sun is tightly wedged between Valuable Venus and Motivating Mars in Capricorn at the time of the Full Moon, lending responsible practicality.  You will know beyond the shadow of a doubt if you can afford something, whether a person or project is worth your time and energy, and what the long-term effects of your efforts will bear.

Both Sun and Moon here look out for our best interests albeit with very different approaches.  Where the Cancer the Crab Full Moon is warm and fuzzy, deeply protective, the Sun and its pack of Capricorn planets takes a thorough inventory and ask the hard questions to flesh out what is real and what is not.  The Cancer Moon offers a soft space while Capricorn Sun wards off anyone/thing not good for us. Both protect us.  The New Year cosmic combination has our back and reminds us that there is a larger wisdom at work. Our job is to trust and follow it.

Days before the Full Moon, Messenger Mercury joined the Capricorn combo, clarifying and distilling what is ours to manage versus what belongs to others to do. All four interior planets in this final earth sign of the zodiac draws a granite line in the sand.  Definitive boundaries are established.  This is not cozy or comforting energy.  Capricorn’s key phrase is:  I Use.  Crystal clear, we know what we have in the way of resources and information. Use these for building and constructing your dream. For Capricorn is the master architect and contractor. 

What is your dream? 

With Taskmaster Saturn and Dreamy Neptune at the final degrees of Pisces, ruler of dreams, you may indeed have distinct visions calling you.  The duo aligns to Radical Uranus in Taurus affording us both the imagination and wherewithal to bring our inspirations to life.  I call this combination the Dream maker alliance. It is hard to understate its value and effect as it is highly, highly productive.

Think of an artist or scientist who imagines a creation or solution.  They hold their vision in front of them while applying years of knowledge, training and expertise to develop and realize their desired outcome.  This dual effort is what the planets deliver to us now.  In fact, this energy has been in effect since November; but by January 2026, we are at peak momentum.  Needless to say, take advantage.  Seize the day.

This steady-eddy energy holds firm and fast through the first two weeks of January.  Our groove is climaxing, like a symphonic crescendo, when on Saturday, January 17th, Valuable Venus kicks off an inevitable change, and chain reaction of cosmic shifts.  Venus, the planet ruling love, money and relationships, moves from stalwart, reliable Capricorn into unusual and innovative Aquarius.  Here, she harkens to a completely different drum, anything non-mainstream and unconventional. All natural cycles turn from one season to another.   And boy is life about to shift gears. Big time.

Just hours later, the New Moon occurs in the final degrees of Capricorn on Sunday, January 18th.  Capricorn is not just old, traditional energy.  It is ancient.  Granite.  Think, “older than the hills”. With both Sun and Moon in this final earth sign, the torch has been passed.  The finish line has been crossed, the door now closes behind us.  There is no going back, only moving forward.

Enter Aquarius.  Venus joins Powerful Pluto in early degrees of this avant garde sign, distinctly marking what was from what is yet to be.  As the planet of values, skills, resources and worth, she points to where we will now devote our time, talents and treasure.  Not only that, Venus heralds a domino of planetary movement into Aquarius.

In short order from January 20th to the 23rd, the Sun, Messenger Mercury and Motivating Mars roll into Aquarius, joining Pluto and Venus, creating a powerhouse cluster.  Fully five out of the ten planets begin cycling through this sign of upheaval, innovation and rebellion.  All to say: we are fully engaged in the Age of Aquarius now.  We play by a different rule book here, and on unusual playing fields. Expect the unexpected now as Aquarius and its ruler Uranus govern surprise, shock, anything sudden.  A jazz musician comes to mind.  S/he riffs on their instrument, improvising and daring, leaving the written composition behind, lifting us into other worlds of sound we could only otherwise imagine. 

How you respond to what unfolds is what matters.  Best to roll with the punches. Our on-going call and response with cosmic stimuli, is the better part of our earthly education.  Regardless of what sign might dominate the cosmos at any given moment, it is vital to remember that the end goal remains the same:  cause and effect.  What you plant, you reap. Be sure your intentions are pure and honest.  Generously plant with love and compassion.

This is particularly true as Aquarius is an air sign of ideas, frequencies, and connectivity.  With the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn aligning helpfully to each other, our thoughts and words multiply exponentially.  In terms of manifestation, our ideas and words turn into reality at lightning speed. I cannot emphasize this enough as Neptune enters Aries on Monday, January 26th.

Since 2011, Neptune has been cycling through its own sign of Pisces, very slowly purifying our lives to align us with our soul contracts.  The past year of 2025 was also the Chinese Year of the Snake.  To grow and change, snakes shed their skin.  Similarly, Neptune joined by Taskmaster Saturn in watery Pisces has cleansed and cleared us of anything and anyone not intended for us to carry forward.

While I do not practice Chinese astrology, I do find it not the least coincidental that we are moving from Snake to Fire Horse energy in 2026.  Neptune moving into fiery Aries, the first sign of the zodiac does indeed mirror and exemplify this. The Fire Horse represents speed, momentum, courage and boldness.  Likewise, Aries, represents the initial spark, the Creator.  In short, Aries lights the match and gets the party started. The five planets in Aquarius then spread the flame.

So you see where we are going?

2025 was the final crescendo of shedding, clearing and cleansing so we can move into 2026 and the years to follow with a pure, blank slate to rapidly create, build and enjoy.  Any residual will be too heavy for where we are headed. It will weigh us down.  Thus, the need to wash it away, or shed.

Neptune will be in Aries until 2039.  What will life possibly look like by then?  Compare your life now to the one you lived in 2011.  Neptune IS the soul, spirit and consciousness.  In Aries, Neptune acts, moves, engages and accomplishes, based on intuitive, soulful impulse.   It is not shy, reticent or hesitant.  Especially aligning to Pluto, Uranus and Saturn for the next two years, Neptune follows divine downloads and directives and asks questions later.

Slow progress and power dynamics of old are now behind us.  We are in for one wild and exciting ride! Welcome to 2026! 

Of special note:

Ready for 2026?  It is just about here so tune into my 2026 forecast with fellow astrologer Jill Jardine to learn what to expect for the upcoming year:  Tune in: www.hilaryharley.com OR  www.jilljardineastrology.com/cosmic-scene-podcast/

Is your intuition calling you?  The 3 Wise Women are three veteran metaphysical practitioners offering community, conversation and connection via zoom every first Tuesday of the month @6 pm eastern.  For just $10/session, feel safe among like-minded seekers to ask your wildest woo questions and learn from each other.  Join us!  To enroll: www.hilaryharley.com

Mystical Messages features my monthly astrology forecasts if you prefer listening via podcast.  Also featured are cutting edge healing arts practitioners.  Tune in and listen through Youtube, Apple or Spotify or hear previous episodes: www.hilaryharley.com

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