Timeline Astrology

The Moon is full at 9° Pisces at 17:49 BST on September 26, in Uttara Bhādrapada. Uttara Bhādrapada is associated with the “serpent of the deep”: an image of slow change beneath the surface. This may describe shifts within the psyche, but it also brings to mind changes in the oceans, including concerns about the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

Saturn returns to this lunar mansion in October, while Neptune continues its transit there. To me, the Saturn–Neptune conjunction here earlier this year marked a tipping point in the ocean temperatures. This Full Moon may help you recognise what is changing in your own life and what must give way. Pisces speaks of endings that make room for something else.

Look at Pisces from both your rising sign and Moon sign. As the tides shift, something long buried may come into view. With Jupiter, ruler of Pisces, exalted and aspecting the Moon, there is an opportunity to see what is real more clearly, beyond fear (Saturn) or fantasy (Neptune).

In the latest episode of Maps of Consciousness, Kishori and I explore Maghā, Pūrva Phalgunī and Uttara Phalgunī, the three nakṣatras of sidereal Leo. We consider the journey from ancestral power and inherited authority to pleasure, creativity, and the commitment that sustains our relationships.

In this episode, I'm joined by Darinka Maja as we explore the volatile conjunctions of Mars, Jupiter and Ketu as they gather in Leo and eventually backtrack into Cancer. We consider what this unusual alignment could mean for each sidereal sign, as well as for conflict, politics, the economy and global security.

The practice of backburning—deliberately burning the land ahead of an advancing fire—offers an important metaphor. Can a controlled crisis prevent something worse, or might an attempt to contain the flames cause them to spread? These transits suggest that actions intended to protect, correct or regain control could produce unforeseen consequences.

The Moon reaches the Sun’s degree on September 11 at 04:27 BST/ 23:27 EDT. This New Moon occurs in Pūrva Phalgunī, the lunar mansion ruled by Bhaga, the god of enjoyment and creativity. It is one of the zodiac’s most pleasurable and creative spaces. Those with the Moon here often delight in artistic expression, romance and pleasures of the bed. Procreation is itself a form of creativity, although this energy can find expression through many creative pursuits.

Whatever Leo represents for you is where you’re likely to find greater enjoyment. Although the Sun and Moon have passed the South Node, some uncertainty may remain. Yet the Sun is now far enough beyond it to bring greater clarity and confidence. With Mercury and Venus strong in their own signs, and exalted Jupiter supporting this New Moon, this may be one of the most auspicious lunar months of 2026.

However, this is the calm before the storm, both literally and figuratively. Make the most of it by planting seeds for a creative endeavour. This New Moon is more likely to inspire new ideas, especially with both Mercury and Jupiter exalted. Venus in Libra adds to the month’s potential rewards. Whatever you begin, however, keep Venus’ retrograde in October in mind. You may need to revisit your plans and reconsider where you compromised too much to get started.

In the coming lunar month, creativity may mean tearing up the original plan and beginning again.

In this podcast, I examine the recent eclipses and planetary transits surrounding the devastating floods in Nepal. Using these events as a case study, I explore an important distinction in Indian astrology: the difference between general aspects and dṛṣṭi, the particular “sight” or influence cast by a planet. Although the terms are often treated as interchangeable, understanding their differences can add greater precision and depth to chart analysis.

The Full Moon in Aquarius is a partial lunar eclipse, reaching its maximum at 05.12 am BST/ 00.12 EDT on August 28. This is (almost) the last eclipse in this sign until 2035. There will be another lunar eclipse on the cusp of the sign in August 2027. Rāhu continues to transform this area of your life.

Collectively, Aquarius represents AI technology and its impact on society. Personally, whatever Aquarius represents in your chart is undergoing a similar upgrade. This can bring growth, but may prove too much, too soon, unless approached consciously. There can be an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach. You may obsess about it and then dissociate.

We tend to rush forward wherever Rāhu transits, and a lunar eclipse can accelerate this. Change is necessary, but greed inevitably creates losses later.

Both lunar nodes are transiting lunar mansions associated with them in Indian astrology: Rāhu in Śatabhiṣāj and Ketu in Maghā. Rāhu is stronger in Aquarius, encouraging experimentation and innovation. Meanwhile, Ketu in Leo can diminish confidence or prompt us to reject what Leo represents as we pursue something in Aquarius. We can see this play out in mob mentality.

The eclipse occurs in Śatabhiṣāj, meaning “one hundred healers”, symbolised by an empty circle. Healing is possible, but unexpected developments must also be considered. It may feel like taking medicine that cures one condition while creating another. Whatever Aquarius represents for you, this is where you are evolving, consciously or otherwise.

In this episode of Maps of Consciousness, Kishori and I explore the three nakṣatras spanning sidereal Gemini and Cancer: Punarvasu, Puṣya and Āśleṣā. We trace the movement from renewal, through nourishment and belonging, to the deeper entanglements and transformative wisdom.

Does astrology make life easier? Perhaps not immediately. Greater awareness means we can no longer distract ourselves from what life is asking us to face. Yet, over time, astrology can help us embrace experience more fully, savouring every flavour, or rasa, of life. Even grief and sadness, when deeply felt and understood, hold the potential to be transmuted into bliss.

The New Moon on August 12 is a total solar eclipse. In areas of totality, including parts of Iceland and Spain, the Sun will be eclipsed as it sets, creating a striking spectacle. Traditionally, we are advised not to watch eclipses but to turn inward. I believe we can do both. Observing the outer world while remaining aware of the one who is observing can be deeply illuminating. This is an essential lesson of the lunar nodes: witness what is happening without becoming consumed by it.

Insights are more likely when the Sun, Moon, Earth and lunar nodes align. Ketu and the eclipsed Sun occupy different divisions of the sidereal zodiac, bringing both Cancer and Leo into focus. Eclipses reveal and conceal, so bear in mind that the full picture may not be immediately apparent.

We would usually look to Jupiter for guidance, but Jupiter is also involved in this eclipse, as it is hidden by an eclipsed Sun. Although it emerges from combustion by the end of the month, whatever insights arise, keep them close to your chest until matters become clearer. At the same time, this eclipse is asking you to let go of something you may have a hard time letting go of.

The eclipse occurs in Āśleṣā, a complex lunar mansion at the end of Cancer. Symbolised by a coiled serpent and ruled by the serpent deities, the Sarpas, it represents attachment, instinct, and entanglement. It may also reflect kuṇḍalinī śakti—the coiled energy at the base of the spine—and the spiral of DNA, connecting it with healing.

This eclipse represents a shedding of skin, a deep process of emotionally letting go. With Ketu’s help, we are asked to loosen our attachments and transform basic survival instincts into something more conscious and evolved.

Over the past two thousand years, astrologers have accumulated, repeated and refined an extensive body of sign delineations. Yet during that same period, precession has gradually displaced the tropical signs from the sidereal constellations and stars with which they once broadly coincided. Could astrologers still be sensing the accumulated meanings of those original signs, while attributing them to zodiacal positions that have since moved away from them?

Like a phantom limb, a tropical sign may continue to be felt as a real and meaningful presence—not necessarily because it remains where it was, but because its image has been preserved within the inherited body of astrological practice.

Tropical delineations may therefore persist through accumulated observation, cultural memory, symbolic association and continued reinforcement.