A New Moon Eclipse of Further Transformational Intensity and Cultural Correction

The Solar Eclipse of Tuesday, February 17th, at 4 am PST, later morning for the east coast and mid-day for Europe, is another lulu as far as outer planet involvement is concerned. Taking place at 28° Aquarius with Mars and Pluto also in Aquarius, and in near perfect square to Trickster Uranus, that sign’s modern ruler, this is a lot of Aquarian energy to contend with. We also have at this timing Saturn and Neptune conjunct at the 0° mark of Aries, semi-sextile to the eclipse degree, with Neptune parallel to spiritual warrior Eris, so that this important planetary combination, perfecting on the 20th of the month, is very much part of the eclipse configuration. This, in and of itself, presages that the ideological division we are plagued with currently, most especially here in the US, will only intensify over the following six months. We are challenged to stay clear-eyed about what is going on and to respond accordingly. The overriding message that we can additionally draw in these difficult times: coming to our own individual truth is vitally important and counts for more than we would think as we move through them. Thus, while we cannot totally alter our circumstances, we can adjust to their urgency and articulate our response; and that, as Minneapolis has demonstrated, can be enough.

The Saturn-Neptune close forming conjunction, tied by semi-sextile to the eclipse degree, is quite dramatic, astrologically speaking, and cannot be understated. As far as the implied meaning for Saturn and Neptune coming together, as now, noted astrologer Rick Tarnas has declared (in 2016) that one effect there would be “red states and blue states,” with neither side capable at all of seeing the other side’s point of view. That terminology was coined during the second George W. Bush administration, when Saturn and Neptune were in opposition. Tarnas also refers to deception and illusion becoming more prevalent, with also the possibility of “deception unmasked.” We are seeing this play out again and again in recent times, until no one can be very sure what to believe. These machinations weave in and out, and about, so that the most effective counter is to examine whenever possible the documented evidence. “Let us see the receipts” is a frequent cry in the politics of our current decade.

Then too, as far as the remaining outer planets are concerned, both Pluto and Uranus are also featured in this significant eclipse New Moon. The eclipse degree at 28° of Aquarius is closely square to Uranus, at 27° Taurus, and this implies that we have another lunation cycle, and potentially the next six months, since this New Moon is also an eclipse, of strange times and unexpected enlightenment. Just when you think you’ve got a handle of what is actually going on, the sudden curve ball out of left field arises and it is all different than what you thought. Sometimes astrologers say, “expect the unexpected,” but this doesn’t entirely cover it. Another cliché that “truth is stranger than fiction” gets at this also. I am in favor of the line from the Grateful Dead’s Robert Hunter, that “Once in a while you can get shown the light/ In the strangest of places if you look at it right.” This is also – through the Uranian influence – a time of brilliant innovation, so that unexpected solutions may yet be found for problems looming, this month and next, and through August.

Pluto is additionally featured in this eclipse New Moon configuration, being almost exactly contra-parallel to Jupiter in Cancer, their declinations separated by six minutes of a degree. Pluto is also longitudinally in square to the new Nature planet Haumea, to the very minute of a degree, increasing his prominence. Pluto has been featured In all these recent New Moon configurations, with notable results. This transformational presence has symbolized power struggles and the recognition of the need for drastic change, applying both individually and to the collective, if we are to get out of the mess that old assumptions have gotten us into. I once heard astrologer Rick Levine discussing the process by which the lowly crawling insect becomes the beautiful fluttering butterfly. “But,” he went on to say, “it’s not much fun for the caterpillar.”

There are also aspects in this eclipse New Moon of personal planets in alignment with slower and more potent planetary archetypes. We find that Venus in Pisces, in same-degree conjunction with the North Lunar Node, for emphasis, is semi-square to a close Chiron and Eris conjunction in the final decant of Aries, at 23 and 24 degrees, with the aspect to their midpoint only a quarter of a degree off. Venus with Chiron reminds us that relationship is a powerful life factor that can also be fraught with internal wounding arising out of the distant past. As part of the eclipse configuration, this represents an opportunity for all of us to become more aware of where we could be hung up from prior trauma, and where, by dint of concentrated effort, we may yet heal.

Mercury in this eclipse configuration is also in close quintile with Uranus and trine Jupiter by less than a degree, giving rise to the possibility that brilliant and unusual ideas will very likely come up over the time span of its influence. These might perhaps contribute novel solutions to the somewhat intractable social problems we see being enacted all around us in these fraught times we are currently living through.

In another fascinating planetary combination within this potent Solar Eclipse, we see that Pluto is square the new 21st century planet Haumea, to the minute of a degree, with Haumea representing connection to Nature and to an internal moral commitment for truth-telling. My research has shown that this characterization for Haumea is very accurate, and that in the past year the square with Pluto, when highlighted, has symbolized cases of the truth coming out, in spite of attempts at prevarication on the part of the politicians. This factor of gas lighting becoming exposed has of course been a frequent theme in our national discourse here in the US especially, and this aspect within the eclipse configuration indicates that the process will only increase in magnitude over the remaining first half of the 2026 year as we head into the summertime.

All in all, as astrologers have long been prophesying, this Solar Eclipse represents a telling moment for everyone personally and for our society at large. This in the timing of this fateful decade of the 20s. We may note that – in spite of everything – we as individuals have the power of our choices, and of our actions, in standing up for what we most sincerely believe. And we can make the consequential difference when we do so. There is no room for despair at this significant juncture, or for apathy either, but rather it is high time for the utmost in awareness and activity. In truth it all comes down to an opportunity for each one of us to stand up and be counted. As they said during the Iraq war of the early 2000s, the other superpower operating in the world is public opinion. When we can make our aligned voices heard, in our millions, we are indeed powerful beyond measure.

A New Moon Eclipse of Further Transformational Intensity and Cultural Correction

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Chart for the New Moon on February 17, 2026

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February 2026