A Change in the Air

Astro Notes for Gemini Season (May 20-June 21, 2026)

After months of compression and intensity, Gemini season brings movement, circulation, and a welcome shift of mood. 

Gemini is Mutable Air, and, as such, is associated with the free play of ideas. Gemini energy is inherently light and agile, playful and curious, open to possibilities. It’s associated with the stage of human development in which children are continuously asking questions and playing with language. Gemini season, therefore, typically entails movement and a sense that ‘a change is in the air.’

This year that theme is amplified by several factors. 

Since the beginning of 2026, there has been an unusual concentration of planets moving together through one sector of the zodiac. This stellium first formed in Capricorn in January, then moved more or less as one through Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries. Capricorn season was thus quintessentially ‘Capricornian’, Aquarius season was especially Aquarian, and so on. 

With Gemini season, it’s finally dispersing. Rather than being compressed inside a singular archetypal reality, the energy is now free to move through a variety of channels, opening up more pathways and possibilities of expression.  

Additionally, in the days immediately prior to the Sun’s ingress into Gemini, we experienced a number of transits that noticeably shifted the zeitgeist. On May 16 we had a New Moon in Taurus, setting a slower, steadier, and more grounded tone for the monthly cycle ahead. On May 17, Mercury entered its home sign of Gemini — where it is happiest — and then on May 18, Mars moved into Taurus and Venus into Cancer on the same day. Mars in Taurus and Venus in Cancer introduced a calmer, sweeter, and more home-oriented vibe that will be with us for most of Gemini season — especially at the beginning when Mars and Venus form a harmonious sextile with each other. 

And then there’s Uranus in Gemini. 

Uranus entered Gemini last month, where it will stay for the next seven years. During this time, we can expect revolutionary developments (Uranus) in Gemini-related fields: communications technology, education and learning, transportation, and social and news media. 

This is the first Gemini season for 77 years to occur while Uranus is in the sign. With both Mercury and the Sun forming conjunctions with Uranus in Gemini, this may be when the first sparks of inspiration begin to arise in relation to innovative forms of communication, media, or learning. 

If you have an idea for a new podcast series, app, or writing project (for example), this Gemini season could be when the vision starts to crystallize. 

These projects are unlikely, however, to be merely clever or whimsical. 

With Uranus forming a trine to Pluto in Aquarius, many of the downloads now arriving carry the power to transform society. And with Uranus forming a sextile to Neptune in Aries, these visions may also be idealistic, profound, and unitive. 

When the Minor Grand Trine linking Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto reaches full power in July, we may see world-changing developments that unfold for the remainder of this decade. 

Gemini season opens a door that allows us to touch this brilliant light. 

We are not, though, completely out of the woods in terms of intensity and conflict. 

On May 25, Mars in Taurus forms a tense square with Pluto in Aquarius. When the God of War squares off against the God of Death, it’s a highly charged power test. Venus will also form a series of difficult aspects throughout the season, requiring us to grow relationally through encounters with limitations, vulnerability, and shadow. 

Yet, overall, this Gemini season offers a welcome lift of mood, along with opportunities for more enjoyment and pleasure than we’ve experienced for some time. These themes are best encapsulated by a conjunction between Venus and Jupiter – the two traditional benefics of the zodiac – in Cancer on June 9. This is an exceptionally sweet, caring, and heart-expanding transit that brings a blessing in an otherwise intense year of relentless transformation. 

For the first time in many months, the future may begin to feel open again. 

Hurry Up and Calm Down

Astro Notes for Taurus Season (April 19-May 20, 2026)

Let’s begin by revisiting the central themes of the year to provide a larger context for this Taurus season. (You can watch my presentation of these themes HERE.) 

This is one of the most consequential astrological years of our lifetimes, a threshold moment marking the emergence of a new era for humanity, with no turning back. It appears to be a fiery initiation, with multiple signals indicating the potential for escalating tension and discord in the collective throughout the year. 

Yet these same symbols also reveal an exceptional opportunity for individuals to take action at the grassroots level to bring their long-held dreams and visions into form. 

Meanwhile, the three outer planets move this year into an extraordinary configuration of harmony, suggesting that at a deeper level of consciousness and culture, a new pattern of coherence is developing beneath the chaos on the surface. 

Taken together, this year resembles a complex system undergoing a phase change, holding the potential for the collapse of old structures alongside the rapid emergence of new ones. At the heart of the shift is the rise of a more Aquarian world, in which decentralized, peer-to-peer networks of sovereign individuals begin to replace centralized institutions as the primary drivers of cultural creativity and change. 

Aries season involved an eye-catching concentration of planets in the sign of the Ram — the faster moving planets of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars joining longer-term residents Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, and Eris.  That’s a tremendous amount of firepower, fueling both aggressive actions and ambitions at the global level and the beginning of bold new endeavors at the grassroots.

As we enter Taurus season, we are surfacing from one of the more sensitive periods of the year. The New Moon in Aries on Friday, April 17 formed a conjunction with Chiron (the archetype of the wound). Then over the weekend, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn moved into a rare triple conjunction in Aries. This may have coincided with the surfacing of a core wound that resists immediate resolution. 

At least, that’s how it unfolded for me. I was fortunate to be on a spiritual retreat last week, so I had a conscious container to support my process at this time. The material we worked with indeed opened a deeply painful layer, and over the weekend all I could do was stay present as best I could while different parts of my psyche pulled me into a pretzel. (And yet, there is something profoundly liberating to allow such deep material to surface and be witnessed, despite how hard it is to go through at the time.)

Mars conjunct Saturn has been likened to having one foot on the accelerator while the other is on the brake — intense effort meeting complete resistance. It is striking, then, that over the weekend Iran effectively re-closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most critical choke points in the global energy system. 

Another recent occasion when Mars made a conjunction with Saturn was March 2020, coinciding with the onset of global lockdowns and the stalling of the global economy as Covid began to spread. 

It’s not unreasonable, then, to consider the possibility of a significant contraction in the global economy as the downstream effects of a severe disruption to the flow of roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply begin to unfold. 

This brings us to Taurus season proper. When the Sun moves through Taurus, it’s our annual invitation to slow down, take a breath, and honor the simple needs and rhythms of the body. Taurus sustains and consolidates what was initiated during Aries season, allowing the new energies to take shape in a stable form. Coinciding with the peak of Spring in the northern hemisphere, Taurus season is also a time to allow ourselves to be nourished by the serene beauty of Nature.

Yet this year, it’s a little different. The Taurean call for embodiment and grounding takes place against a backdrop of acceleration, intensity, and continued Aries activations. Our bodies may want to rest while our nervous systems remain alert. This makes it all the more important to take advantage of whatever opportunities for relaxation and enjoyment may present themselves. 

The most significant astrological event during Taurus season is the ingress of Uranus into Gemini on April 25. Uranus has been moving through Taurus since 2018. We had a preview of this new pattern when Uranus first entered Gemini from July to November last year, before moving back into Taurus for one final pass. When Uranus re-enters Gemini on April 25, it will remain there until 2033. 

This marks the completion of a rare sequence of major planetary sign changes. Pluto entered Aquarius “for good” in November 2024, and will remain there until 2044. Neptune moved into Aries in January this year, and will stay there until 2039. With Uranus entering Gemini, the basic contours of a new pattern of reality are now established for the next seven years. 

The new era is here. 

Uranus in Taurus is an awkward combination of energies. Uranus brings unforeseen, abrupt, disruptive change, but Taurus — fixed Earth —  is perhaps the sign most resistant to change, preferring to stay in its comfort zone. I think we can all agree that the last seven years have not been comfortable! During this time, many of us have been pushed to develop new ways of relating to our material security and sources of income, our bodies and physical health, and our overall foundations. Uranus in Taurus has been breaking up a lot of dense, crusty, resistant structures — in ourselves and our world — to prepare us for the acceleration ahead.

With Uranus now entering Gemini, we move into a slipstream of rapid change. Uranus is sudden illumination — like a flash of lightning — while Gemini moves at the speed of thought. We may see a surge of technological and scientific breakthroughs, especially in the realms of communication and learning, as inventive Gemini takes Uranian insights and runs with them, in multiple directions at once. What has been slowly destabilized over the past seven years may now begin to move much more quickly. 

Yet whether this acceleration unfolds creatively or destructively will depend, in large part, on the quality of consciousness we bring to it.

This acceleration during Taurus season is accompanied by significant intensity. 

The Full Moon in Scorpio on May 1 forms a t-square to Pluto in Aquarius, suggesting the potential for a deep emotional revelation, involving the surfacing of shadow material that may not be easy to immediately resolve. A few days later, on May 6, Pluto stations retrograde, deepening the process, drawing our attention once again beneath the surface, particularly to issues of power, compulsion, and control.  A series of challenging Mars transits from early to mid-May then carries this energy forward, raising the question of right action: how do we respond to what has been revealed? 

There’s a shift in tone around the New Moon in Taurus on May 16, inviting us into our bodies and into a new cycle of living at a slower, more grounded pace. Yet we’re still not fully in the clear, as Mars conjoins Chiron on the same day, re-activating the core wounds stirred up by last month’s New Moon, calling on us to meet our vulnerability with courage. 

In the final days of Taurus season, Mercury moves into its home sign of Gemini, Venus into sweet and sensitive Cancer, and Mars into peace-loving Taurus — a cascade of energy shifts that may come as welcome relief after the intensity of the preceding weeks. 

Yet just a few days later, on May 25th, Mars in Taurus forms a tense square with Pluto in Aquarius, bringing another spike of intensity and challenge.

One of the defining features of this year is the relative absence of long, uninterrupted periods of ease and flow. Instead, we are moving through successive waves of intense activation, each followed by relatively short windows of integration.

One way to understand this pattern is that it doesn’t give the familiar self much time to fully reassemble. Instead, we are asked to stretch — and then stretch again. While this may feel demanding, it may also create the precise conditions necessary for deep, enduring transformation.

Ignition - and Alignment

Astro Notes for Aries Season (March 20-April 20, 2026)

Happy Vernal Equinox! Happy Astrological New Year! 

On Thursday evening, my wife and I were walking our dogs near the Pacific ocean. As we watched the sun disappear over the horizon, I realized that this was the last time it would set in Pisces — and was thus the final sunset of the entire astrological year. This means that Thursday night was the real ‘New Year’s Eve’! Maybe next year we’ll start a trend and organize a party. 

The Vernal Equinox, as the marker of the beginning of Spring in the northern hemisphere, is always associated with fresh starts and new beginnings. This year, the theme of birth carries even more significance than usual. 

On February 20, 2026, Saturn and Neptune met at 0° Aries — an alignment that had not occurred for over 6,000 years — symbolizing a profound reset moment for human civilization. With the Sun’s ingress into Aries, it is re-activating that same Zero Point, illuminating the new energies coming in not just for the next annual cycle but for an entirely new era. 

In my notes for Pisces season, I drew attention to the large stellium of planets migrating through Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces in the first months of 2026. Now this stellium is moving into Aries, bringing us an exceptionally concentrated burst of Aries ‘get up and go’ vitality — high octane rocket fuel for our lift-off. 

The ingress chart — which sets the tone not only for Aries season but for the whole astrological year — shows six planets in Aries, suggesting that the year ahead is likely to be characterized by bold new beginnings and trailblazing endeavors, as well as a headstrong spirit and a fair dose of volatility. The Chinese ‘Year of the Fire Horse’ seems aptly named. 

Aries Ingress Chart (shown without houses, as this reflects the global field rather than a specific location)

The sense of personal and collective ignition is amplified later in Aries season, when first Mars (April 10) and then Mercury (April 15) join the party, bringing assertive speech and actions to power our re-emergence. 

With the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars, and Mercury all moving through Aries this season, they make a record number of conjunctions with the slower-moving planetary bodies — Saturn, Neptune, and Chiron — already there. These aspects include: 

• Sun conjunct Neptune (March 21)

• Sun conjunct Saturn (March 24)

• Venus conjunct Chiron (March 26)

• Mars conjunct Neptune (April 12)

• Mercury conjunct Neptune (April 16)

• Sun conjunct Chiron (April 16)

• Mars conjunct Saturn (April 19)

Conjunctions symbolize the end of one cycle of time and the beginning of another. They therefore have an ‘Aries’ kind of energy, bursting with new life. With so many conjunctions taking place in such a short space of time, it may feel like a cascade of initiations that propel us into a new reality. 

Furthermore, as of 12.33pm PT on March 20 (when Mercury stations direct), all planets will be moving direct until May 6. When all planets are moving forward, life tends to speed up, notable events happen, and we typically make more overt progress toward our goals. 

The Vernal Equinox, seven planets in Aries, seven conjunctions, all planets moving forward — all this would seem to scream “forward charge!” 

Yet there is an important nuance to this year’s Aries season. 

Just before the Equinox, there was a New Moon in Pisces (March 18), sending a subtle Piscean wave to wash over the monthly cycle. In the Aries ingress chart (see above), the ruler of all those planets in Aries is Mars, which is in Pisces. Also in the ingress chart, the Sun is conjunct Neptune, the ruler of Pisces. 

So there is a strong Piscean undercurrent shaping the expression of the Aries initiating fire. 

Pisces and Aries have a profound connection in that they are the signs closest to the mystery of Origin, or Source. One is surrendering into the Mystery, the other is rising out of it. They share a certain purity or innocence, akin to the relationship between a sage and an infant.

Mars in Pisces does not like to swim against the current. It follows the path of wu-wei: effortless action. It serves as a channel for the will of the Universe. This suggests that while the impulse to move forward will be strong, our actions are not meant to be purely will-driven. It won’t work to simply muscle our way through — over-exertion will likely deplete and exhaust us. Mars in Pisces reminds us that not all movement is aligned movement, and that real progress requires a sensitivity to right timing and a willingness to listen as much as to act. 

At the same time, a harmonious sextile between Saturn in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius is quietly at work in the background of this season. This is a powerful signature for building new, sustainable structures that embody the Aquarian forms of the future. As Aries ignites the spark of new beginnings, Saturn aligned with Pluto offers the capacity to anchor those beginnings in real foundations — allowing our visions to land. 

The invitation, then, is not simply to move forward, but to move forward in right relationship with the deeper intelligence that is guiding this new cycle into being. If we can align bold action with subtle attunement — courage with humility, initiative with listening — this Aries season has the potential to mark not just a surge of momentum, but the beginning of something truly enduring.