Oh boy, America just had its 250th birthday. In this episode of WTF USA? The Astrology Behind the Madness, I sit down with OPA-certified astrologer Celeste Brooks to break down the United States' 2026 solar return chart, which took place on July 5th with a 15° Gemini rising. We discuss what it means for the economy, the midterm elections, the ongoing war in Iran, immigration, and the wild, unstable "roller coaster" energy so many of us are feeling right now. We get into Mercury retrograde in the money house, the Mars-Uranus-Neptune-Pluto configuration behind the country's institutional upheaval, the Leo solar eclipse that Celeste calls "the fall of kings". I bring in my own historical parallel – Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) as a ninth-harmonic leader whose New Deal answered a moment eerily similar to this one – and call out exactly what harmonic is running the current administration. And yes, there's an impromptu tarot reading for the soul of the nation.
Biggest Takeaways
- The 2026 solar return's Gemini rising + retrograde Mercury points to a "herky-jerky," communication-and-tech-driven year: AI, data centers and surveillance are spotlight themes
- Mercury retrograde in the nation's money house, paired with Saturn in its fall, signals real financial strain ahead: Celeste doesn't sugarcoat the economy concerns
- The Mars-Uranus-Neptune-Pluto lineup in the chart ties directly into institutional upheaval and secrecy: Celeste calls it "the emperor has no clothes" energy
- The August 12th Leo solar eclipse is "the fall of kings" whiplashing a potential turning point for high-profile leaders
- My own historical parallel: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was a ninth-harmonic leader (Lunar North Node in the ninth harmonic) whose New Deal and Social Security emerged directly out of a Great Depression-era crisis – the same harmonic now activated in this year's solar return
- When Celeste asked what harmonic the current administration is running on, my answer: an 11th harmonic – chaos, entropy, insatiable restlessness
- The chart's ninth-harmonic-dominant energy triggers community, healing and pooling of shared resources, it is the throughline of hope in an otherwise heavy outlook
Connect with Celeste Brooks:
- Website: https://www.astrologybyceleste.com/
Connect with me:
- Website: https://www.clarissadolphinexplainsitall.com/
Want to go deeper into harmonics?
The ninth harmonic we talk about in this episode (the one behind the community-and-healing thread I keep returning to) is the novile and is prominent in all of our lives. Harmonic Astrology 101 teaches you how to read this in your chart and beyond. If this conversation made you want to understand how your harmonics vibe, that deeper layer of how you’re wired, HA101 is self-paced, $155, yours forever — and as a podcast listener you get 15% off with code WTFUSA15. https://wtfusapod.captivate.fm/ha101
Mentioned in this episode:
HA101 – 15% Off Dynamic Ad
You know your sun sign. Maybe your moon, rising and other placements, but something's still missing. You know there is more and if that's where your astrology education stopped, you're working with just a fraction of your chart. Harmonic Astrology 101 explains the sh*t you've been through, the complex interdimensional forces that make you, you, and shape every facet of existence. $155, self-paced, yours forever — 15% off with code WTFUSA15
HA101 E-Course
