“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
Henry David Thoreau
The cheerful, optimism of astrology’s mutable fire sign returns to the skies early on November 22nd, when the Sun enters Sagittarius. The shift from turbulent, tempestuous Scorpio to aspiring, adventuring Sag is always a welcomed moment in the astrological calendar. In 2026, not only will the incoming solar cycle put increasing distance between us and the recent Mercury and Venus retrogrades, it will see sign changes for Mercury, Venus and Mars, directional changes for Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune, the year’s second Uranus Pluto trine and an abundance of cooperative fire and air sign connections. Underscoring that point, and extending the warmth, this Sun cycle will begin under one of two lunar transits of effervescent, irrepressible Aries. From the Mars-ruled sign, the Moon will trine energizing Mars in the fixed fire sign of Leo. The presence of planets in all three fire signs from its outset will infuse this cycle with inspiration and motivation, and that early excitement will flow into the Full Moon, at 2° Gemini 20′, on November 24th. By the time the Moon ventures through Aries a second time, from December 17th through 19th, the Sun’s trine to Sagittarius’s ruler Jupiter, also in Leo, will be exact. These are cloud nine heights.
While in curious, extroverted Gemini from November 24th to 26th, the Moon will sextile Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, conjoin emancipating Uranus and trine Venus and Pluto, activating all three air signs. Mars will exit the fireworks, for now, on the 25th, when he heads into reserved Virgo for a three month stay. His Leo role will resume on February 21, 2027, during his next retrograde. But even an incautious Mars visit to careful, considerate Virgo won’t do much to dull the atmosphere. A dramatic Uranus Pluto trine will be exact on November 29th, as the Moon transits lively, theatrical Leo from the 28th to 30th. As the large outer planet connections are months in the making and their impact long-range, the implications of this one are unlikely to be immediately obvious. Innovating Uranus intends to overthrow the status quo and purifying Pluto is resolved to reform. Their first air sign trine was back on July 17th at 4°30′, and this time they will trine at 3°31′. This series will go on to include three additional collaborations: June 15, 2027 at 6°52′, January 12, 2028 at 6°20′ and May 9, 2028 at 8°49′ (all dates are in MST).
The next noteworthy stop on this year’s Sagittarius sojourn is on December 4th, when Venus re-enters Scorpio and Mars squares Uranus. This jolt won’t stop the sleigh ride, but it is an appreciable patch of ice. At this juncture, Venus will still be cleaning up from the lengthy and emotionally taxing retrograde she began on October 3rd. She will clear its shadow point of 8° Scorpio 29′ on December 15th, and glide into those uplifting Sag skies on January 7th. The Mars Uranus tussle marks one of those occasions when exercising a little restraint can go a long way to avoiding disastrous and irretrievable escalation. It will be followed by a Mars Pluto quincunx on the 5th, bringing additional exasperation to the mix. Action-oriented Mars is apt to feel somewhat constrained in persnickety Virgo, particularly when confronted by formidable planets at difficult angles. Sidestepping arguments until these aspects pass is highly recommended, and shaking it off is entirely in keeping with Sagittarius’s good nature and affable character. Mercury will enter the Zeus zone on the 6th, followed by the Moon on the 7th. Those shifts and the new Moon, at 16° Sagittarius 57 ′, on December 8th are all excellent reset points. A dash of caution is warranted however, as the Sun, Moon and Mercury will find themselves opposite of ungovernable, groundbreaking Uranus during this period. Breaking down or breaking through is the crucial choice being presented. Waiting in the wings, sober, parental Saturn will station direct on the 10th and trine Mercury on the 11th. Under this combo, judicious glee can be a thing. On the 12th, dreamy Neptune will emerge from the retrograde it began on July 7th. At 1° Aries 37′, the poetic planet is also ready to stretch, yawn and begin moving with the revitalizing, creative impulses of the cardinal fire sign. As Saturn and Neptune awaken, Jupiter will head into hibernation. The planet of largess will be retrograde from December 12th to April 12, 2027. In its slumber, what show-stopping feats will magnificent, magnanimous Jove dream up for the final leg of his Leonine tour? Prior to departing Sagittarius, the Sun will trine Jupiter on the 18th, under that second Aries Moon. Together this fiery trio will be igniting imagination, boosting enthusiasm and pointing the way forward.
