Why the current astrology feels so messy

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Some years rearrange the future. This is one of them. If you feel like the ground has been shifting under your feet — politically, culturally, technologically, spiritually — that means you’re paying attention.

We’re in a rare historical period when all the farthest planets from the Sun — Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — are changing signs. Because these planets orbit so slowly, their movements shape generations. Though Pluto settled into Aquarius at the end of 2024, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have been dipping in and out of their new signs over the past year, and they settle in for the long haul in 2026. So that makes for a pretty loud, destabilizing, and deeply revealing time. And, of course, there are some other transits in the mix to amplify the drama. This astrology is not subtle. It’s the kind that divides an era into “before” and “after.”

Let’s break it down.

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What’s actually happening

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• Pluto is now in Aquarius (March 23rd, 2023 – January 19th, 2044)
• Jupiter is now in Cancer (June 9th, 2025 – June 29th, 2026)
• Neptune is now in Aries (March 30th, 2025 – March 23rd, 2039)
• Saturn is now in Aries (May 24th, 2025 – April 12th, 2028)
• We’re in the middle of eclipse season: The solar eclipse in Aquarius occurred near the North Node on February 17th, 2026, and the lunar eclipse in Virgo occurs near the South Node on March 3rd
• Saturn conjoined Neptune in Aries on February 20th, 2026‍
• Uranus is preparing to enter Gemini on April 25th (and it will stay there until May 22nd, 2033)

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What it all means

Power, but make it collective: Pluto in Aquarius

Since November 2024, Pluto has been in Aquarius, intensifying the power of the people and rousing us to imagine a fairer, kinder world than the oppressive structures collapsing around us in real time. This transit is not-so-subtly transforming how we think about labor, technology, and collective action. And it isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Pluto is currently building some serious momentum, getting extra support from the other outer planets in air and fire signs, and accelerating the societal shifts that are already underway. Buckle up.

The Pluto in Capricorn era (2008 – 2023/2024) exposed how rigged the system was — and still is. Now, Pluto in Aquarius is nudging us to see what happens when we refuse to play along. We’re witnessing a revolution unfold through mass organizing, grassroots movements, and digital resistance. We’re also experiencing the darker side of this transit: increased surveillance, AI tech weaponized for war and genocide, and violent attempts to suppress peaceful uprisings.

Pluto will be lodged in the forward-thinking sign of Aquarius until 2043/2044, so we’re still in the early stretch of this marathon transit. But one theme is already clear: Power is shifting from top-down institutions to networks of like-minded civilians. Local communities are mobilizing to help their neighbors fight back against bigotry, corporate greed, and political corruption. As we choose to cooperate rather than stay isolated from one another, we remember that the 99 percent is much stronger than a few broligarchs crashing out — and trying to drag democracy down with them.

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Everything feels personal: Jupiter in Cancer

While Pluto in Aquarius is boosting our people power, Jupiter in Cancer is making sure we know what’s at stake in this moment. Jupiter first entered this sensitive water sign on June 9th, 2025, and we’re still very much feeling it. Here, the planet of faith and abundance is amplifying our emotions about home, safety, security, and belonging.

Jupiter is known to expand whatever it touches. And in Cancer, it magnifies our collective compassion, protectiveness, and nostalgia (2016 throwbacks, anyone?). This transit has been intensifying debates about borders, migration, reproductive rights, and citizenship. And policies that divide families and endanger the vulnerable are not going unnoticed. Instead, they’re provoking outpourings of righteous rage and grief.

Jupiter will be in this deeply nurturing sign until June 29th, reminding us to take care of the people, pets, and places that bring us joy and comfort in challenging times. After that, Jupiter in Leo will bring a totally different flavor. But that’s information for another time.

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Dreams worth fighting for: Neptune in Aries

Our feelings may be swelling, but so is our drive to act on our dreams. Neptune’s shift into Aries on January 26th ushered us all into a new era — one that will last well into the late 2030s. Neptune is the planet of fantasies and delusions, which means it distorts and dissolves. Meanwhile, Aries takes initiative, asserts what it wants, and insists on going its own way. Together, this combo spurs us to fight for what we believe in. And right now, this looks like daring to imagine a different kind of world, one that isn’t dominated by bullies, predators, and tyrants. That may be a tall order, but Neptune in Aries has idealism to spare.

But Neptune in Aries can also glamorize aggression and self-sufficiency, in ways that may seem heroic but often aren’t. The myth of “the lone wolf” can get sold to us as truth. Forcefulness can be treated as a virtue. Violence can be framed as “necessary.” Power plays can masquerade as divine mandates. The last time Neptune entered this fire sign (which is ruled by Mars, the planet of war) was in 1861, just a day after the start of the American Civil War. Now that the planet of confusion is back in Aries, we’re witnessing global conflicts over citizenship, national borders, human rights, military technology, and international law. The parallels are startling — and concerning.

In terms of culture (and yes, Neptune often sets the tone of a particular age), we'll likely continue to see a surge in movements that combine physical strength, pseudo-spirituality, and hyper-individualism over the next 13 years. In a transit like this one, discernment will be our survival skill. Not everything that is billed as a miracle cure is necessarily helpful, and not every call to “trust yourself” is liberating. The trick is learning how to tell the difference — and questioning anything that leaves you feeling disconnected from your community or personally responsible for systemic problems.

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Emergency brake engaged: Saturn in Aries

Saturn’s return to Aries on February 13th gives structure to Neptune’s fever dreams — but it also raises the stakes. Saturn is the planet of boundaries, responsibility, and time itself. And Aries wants to race to the finish line and come out on top. So this is a jarring combo. (The so-called greater malefic is in its fall in this sign, after all.) On a personal level, this transit feels like driving a car with the emergency brake on — frustrating, yes, but maybe a blessing in disguise, reminding us that rushing can have serious consequences. Whenever Saturn is in Aries, immature and reckless behavior also becomes impossible to ignore. So yeah, expect a steady increase of temper tantrums and public meltdowns for the next two years.

The good news? This is an era that will expose “strongmen” for who they are. Leaders who rely on swagger, bluster, and boasting will crack under the weight of reality. And the systems that once propped up these figures will crumble. This transit has a way of humiliating false kings. And we’re here for it.

Saturn in Aries doesn’t reward brute force — it demands discipline, self-awareness, and accountability. At its best, it’s the coolheaded adult who stays calm and steady in a crisis. And it shows us that courage and passion aren’t enough; we also need an action plan. During this transit, real strength will require consistency, reliability, and follow-through.

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Refresh button at the ready: Solar eclipse in Aquarius

If you thought you were getting a handle on these huge planetary shifts… now we’re in the middle of eclipse season. On February 17th, we had a North Node solar eclipse in Aquarius — the first eclipse of its kind in 19 years, and a major flashpoint in 2026. You’ve likely felt this intense energy building up for a minute thanks to the pileup of planets in this fixed air sign. Aquarius is a sign concerned with groups and collectives, so you can think of this recent eclipse as a thesis statement in an ongoing story about reorganizing our social structures and systems.

Eclipses have a tendency to accelerate timelines. They make life feel more frantic and urgent, and they reveal what’s been hidden beneath the surface. Because this month’s eclipse also occurred near the North Node, a point associated with hunger and increase, it called us to dive into the unknown, ready or not. And with Pluto in the same sign, it also required us to dig extra deep into unfamiliar terrain.

This moment sharpened our dissatisfaction with the status quo, making it even harder to ignore the craving for a more collaborative, more forward-thinking world. If you’re feeling restless, wired, and mentally overloaded in the aftermath, just remember: Eclipse season is not the moment for immediate action, so be gentle and patient with yourself. For now, focus on playing the long game. This was a preview of the Aquarius/Leo eclipse cycle that will unfold over the next two years, and this revolution will be built one deliberate move at a time.

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Reality, interrupted: The Saturn-Neptune conjunction

This is where the plot really thickens. The Saturn–Neptune conjunction in Aries on February 20th was one of the defining moments of the decade, if not the century. These two planets have been inching closer to each other for the past year, so we’ve been feeling the impact of this transit for a while. For context: This was the first conjunction between Saturn and Neptune since 1989, and because it happened in Aries (a sign that initiates new beginnings), it challenged us to start something unprecedented — and burst a few bubbles while we’re at it.

While Saturn wants reality to make sense, Neptune has a way of making everything seem a little unreal. And when these planets meet, the result is often profound disillusionment. Structures disintegrate. Narratives fall apart. Institutions begin to look hollow or corrupt. This is the kind of transit that exposes flaws in the foundational myths of a whole society.

So if you’re feeling confused about where we’re heading and what it all means, it’s not just you. Saturn–Neptune transits often intensify gaslighting, especially from the powers that be. And the ripple effects tend to last for many months and years to come. But they can also point us toward moral clarity. When illusions fall away, people are forced to ask harder questions. What matters to you? Where do you need to take more accountability? This is no time to escape the present, which can be tempting in this dispiriting news cycle. Instead, Saturn and Neptune are inviting you to reorient yourself toward what makes your life meaningful. Feeling discouraged may be part of this process, but so is resisting despair.

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No such thing as TMI: Uranus in Gemini

Uranus has been moving through Taurus since 2018, casually shaking up our relationship to money, labor, food, land, and stability. If you feel like the past eight years have challenged every assumption you had about security — financial, material, or emotional — that’s not your imagination. And, you guessed it, this chaos is continuing, though it will change channels.

On April 25th, Uranus will re-enter Gemini, where it will remain until 2032/2033. Gemini rules communication and technology, while Uranus disrupts and innovates. So if you thought we’d reached peak information overload, think again.

We got a preview of this transit from July to November 2025, so it might be worth reflecting on the areas of your life that started to speed up during those months. Maybe you needed to process new intel more quickly, or maybe you noticed an influx of frenetic energy. In April 2026, this full-system upgrade continues. Don’t be surprised if social media platforms shapeshift overnight, or if AI turns our lives upside-down in unforeseen ways. But this could also be a period when we rebel against the tech advances that have invaded our privacy and crushed our attention spans, or witness a revival of IRL organizing and analog media.

During this transit, it’s more important than ever to figure out what inspires your most revolutionary ideas and what’s just fraying your nerves, so be mindful of the stories and data you absorb. You don’t need to keep up with every passing trend in this bewildering, unsettling moment in history. You just need to choose what you want to focus on — and to practice logging off and tuning out unnecessary noise.

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Before you unplug and touch grass, we have a few tools to help you through this generation-defining astrology:

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The good news (yes, there is some): Moments like this can shatter unhelpful illusions and patterns in our lives, even if it isn’t necessarily comfortable. And we have some tips, tricks, and resources to support you through this transformation.

1. Ground yourself in the turbulence by listening to your personalized monthly reading for March (and your readings for the following months) in the “This Year” section of the CHANI app. These in-depth audio readings break down exactly where all of the above astrology is landing in your life, how to navigate it, and how to work with each transit’s potential.
2. Keep track of how these transits are unfolding, interacting with the other planets in the sky, and influencing the collective in real time by tuning in to the Astrology of the Week Ahead podcast and Your Weekly Reading in the “This Week” section of the app.
3. Work through and reflect on the lessons that these transits are teaching you with the tailored journal prompts, rituals, and guided meditations in the “This Week” section of the app.
4. Reset and settle your nervous system as often as you need to. For extra support, head to the Listen tab of the app. We have a full library of guided meditations, affirmations, and sleep stories that will help you decompress from the stress of the moment and reconnect with your purpose.
5. Learn how these transits are impacting your natal placements by checking the Transits tab in the CHANI app. You can also read your free planetary horoscopes in the “Today” section of the app to find out how Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the lunar nodes are affecting you based on your rising sign.

The combination of all these transits is pretty hardcore, but together we can cross this cosmic threshold with grace, courage, and resolve.