Aries New Moon and the Mercury-Mars-Saturn Conjunction
Dear Friend and Reader:
Tonight’s Starcast gives my overview of the astrology of the next few days, and the horoscope below breaks it down by sign and rising sign in extended form.
The two principal events are the Aries New Moon on Friday, which activates the Chiron-Eris conjunction. The second is the triple conjunction of Mercury, Mars and Saturn, which I describe in Starcast and discuss at length in a special edition Starcast from yesterday.
This is going to be an unusual and pivotal few days. I cover what I see happening in the article associated with this horoscope, published throughout the Planet Waves network. Check your email or check our home page.
I’ll be covering events as they unfold on this website, mostly by audio, and also on the Planet Waves YouTube channel.
Meantime, reach out if you want to contact me. This is the time of year when I can do personal consulting.You can reply to this email, or write to me or my colleagues at cs@planetwaves.net. I have excellent, helpful services at the Astrology Boutique, prime among them my Inner Light – Inner Peace readings.
Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ —
The former Astrology Studio / Birthday Reading series has been replaced by the “In Motion” series of sign readings, published throughout the year. These readings include your solar return but go much beyond that idea, looking at transits that develop in your chart over the next 12 to 14 months. A solar return is the positions of the planets on one day; I am looking at movement throughout the whole year. In Motion readings are offered separately and also included with the Astrology Pass and the Galaxy Pass.
Are you wondering what the all of the current astrology you keep reading about means for you?
My Inner Light – Inner Peace readings are in the top-two annual editions, giving detailed, sensitive and human-centered readings that cover events lasting years into the future. That’s because so many important transits begin in 2026. In this reading, you will learn about the effects of Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Chiron, as well as many of the smaller planets that are important factors in the mix.
Planet Waves for April 16, 2026 — By Eric Francis
Aries (March 20-April 19) — If you think you’re being pushy, you may be imagining things. But you may also be approaching a prickly wicket. So you might want to go easy on yourself and on the various relationship situations in your life. With Mercury, Mars and Saturn about to merge in your sign, you’re in a potential crucible. The good thing is that it’s not really about other people and you don’t need to bring them into the discussion. And if someone close to you is going through their own adventure or misadventure, you don’t need to think it’s about you because it probably is not. However, you are working out deep inner stuff — it looks like some persistent resistance, that has its roots in denial — and it will be best to keep this personal and not in any way blame it on a partnership. There will be ways to establish mutual support if you remember the Gestalt Therapy mantra about you being you and them being them. Or you can safely compare notes in a few weeks. In any event, easy does it.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Looking for guidance, reassurance or company? Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — The world is paranoid enough. You don’t need to bring any extra, though it may not seem easy to escape anxiety or panic attacks over the next few days. Remember your spiritual practice, whatever it might be — yoga, Pilates, meditation, nature, critters or whatever. The events unfolding have their origin in your 12th solar house, so you may want to dial in your favorite ancestors and see if they have information to offer you. It might be grandma or grandpa, or it might be the elder of your spiritual tradition, or a master of the Great White Lodge (Yogananda is always a handy go-to, and he sits by the phone). Start with your family. The aspect pattern is not exactly comfortable but there is crucial information about some ancestral baggage you’ve been dragging around that has only recently come to your attention. It does not matter whether this is ‘real’ or not; the metaphor is what counts. If you have a moment of awakening, don’t forget to stay awake.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Both ordinary social life and social media may have the feeling of a duck-and-cover drill, but it may not be a drill. So you will want to keep your ears on as they say down in Oz, and while we’re borrowing from ever-salty Australian English, avoid the fair crack of the whip. In other words, you might say something that is witty and a bit cutting, and then cause a fuss that you don’t want. It would be better to stand back and watch people go through their antics, which will tend to involve their confrontation with how impossibly uptight they are. Then once the dust settles, you get to show up and conduct the forensics, or help the participants sort out their nonsense. Then again, you might want to sidestep the whole matter, because it will not involve you unless you make it so. Avoid the rescuer role, that’s the thing. I often use what I call the helper test from A Course in Miracles — if you are asked, help if it won’t harm either of you. But the thing is, you may not be able to tell, and this is likely to be a fabricated, avoidable incident. Key times to pay attention are from now through to when the Sun enters Taurus on the 20th.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Astrology that’s better than therapy. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Pay attention for events, situations and an environment of progress for yourself professionally. The triple alignment of Mercury, Mars and Saturn in your 10th place packs some punch, and you could break through a ceiling (glass or otherwise) that is holding you down. However, I would offer some extreme caution on the matter of authority. First, don’t mix it up with powerful people. Even stating an opinion could be taken the wrong way, so be economical in your speech (which, I promise you, will not be easy). But you can do it. Second, be judicious in your use of your power. You can safely stay out of the matters of those who report to you, or even co-equal colleagues if something is not squarely in your court (and be careful not to make it so). We’re about to experience some high-friction, tense and potentially angry astrology. If you use just a little leverage and bring a lot of awareness, it could work out well for you.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Society is in a spiritual crisis, which is to say a profound state of mental chaos, identity chaos, power struggle and mostly unconscious aggression. These factors could be described as political. They could be described as social. What I mean by spiritual is that to see and understand what’s happening, you will need to get above the game, and get some distance of another form. Also, there is the matter of what is within you and what is without you. For now, it’s safe to assume that you contain the most significant dimension of any issue or struggle. If you can approach this without blame or self-reproach, you can work through some deep material that has at other times seemed intractable. What you might call the therapy skill here is being persistent while at the same time being gentle with yourself. Also the pattern has this look to it of being angry at God. Translate that how you will; the idea is ‘whatever is the cause of your existence’. If you’re in a dialog, ask about your original instructions or original commitments.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Eric Francis reads your solar chart. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You don’t need to detonate anything, nor do you need to evade, avoid or escape. What you are noticing is not new. You are familiar with all of the relevant plot elements. What makes this moment different is that you’re putting the pieces together, or better said, you’re aligning the different factors in such a way that you can see they are all related and part of the same thing. Much that gets blamed on relationships only manifests there; it originates in other times and places. You will soon be in possession of information that you don’t usually have access to. It will help if you put some kind of partition between yourself and that information, even if you’re viewing it under a microscope. Hear me now: despite how it may seem, you are witness to something that happened in the distant past that still may be impacting your life. This is why detachment is essential. If you don’t get dragged in, you can see matters for what they are, and be able to make the adjustments you need. Small moves mean a lot.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Spiritually grounded astrology readings from Eric Francis. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — The world is quite the shebang right now, with threats and fears of nuclear war flying around and all the usual social conflict consuming more bits and bytes than the entire Dark Web. I suggest keeping matters as close to home as possible. Mind your personal relationships; stay in calm, clear, realtime communication with the people closest to you. Slow motion would be best; your role will be to provide the slowness and the contemplative factor (which is the opposite of competitive). Those are your choices, and you may find yourself being lured with a challenge of some kind. If that turns out to be true, you can skip the drama and go right to the reward while everyone else slugs it out. They cannot really touch you if you don’t touch them. There is likely to be a potential partner or investor of some kind who takes a similar above-the-fray kind of approach. That’s the one you want, which means sticking to or getting back to work on what matters the most.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You may discover you’ve reached the end of the line where a particular work-related matter is concerned. If that is true, step one is: take care of your health. Food, rest and getting outdoors are more important than making any fast decisions. This is not the time to go quickly or make irreversible decisions. Though you may be inclined to act, it would be better to let others do the pushing or the resisting while you move through using only the energy of momentum. That means attenuate; dial back; and measure your words (Mercury is in the picture, and words can be incendiary). The scenario you now find yourself in is all about discovering who you are. It’s not about success in any immediate sense, but rather coming to an understanding with yourself. Once you really have that, you will know what to do and more or less when to do it. The thing you don’t want to do is leave any situation in a state of conflict and then take that energy with you into the next scenario. Observation is your superpower.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
All Scorpios Love Astrology. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The focus is on your 5th solar house, Aries. And it’s hot hot hot. Let’s quickly go through the subject matter of the 5th, which begins with childlike fun, matters involving children, risky behavior, art and creativity generally, and the kinds of sex that teenagers like to have (or rather, that they liked to have a generation ago; you’re unlikely to be interested in what they seem to do today). In other words, the 5th is about pleasure, and not about power. However, there is energy moving, in the form of a triple conjunction of Mercury, Mars and Saturn that peaks Thursday and into the weekend. But this is power that more closely resembles a welding torch rather than a political event; more like sculpting and less like human social BS. Still, you could find yourself in a competitive mood, though you might want to sidestep this in some creative way. It’s one thing to rise to the occasion and do a better job than you did last time, though even that is iffy in matters that involve originality. The idea of doing better than someone else is useless temptation.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Jim Morrison said Sagittarius is the most philosophical sign. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Various metaphors of fires, frying pans, rocks and hard places might describe your emotional reality. But imagine that you control the density and the temperature of the material you’re made of. Imagine that your inner experience consists of variables, one of which is how you respond to your own needs. You may respond to this astrology with bouts of insecurity and you may respond with a feeling of motivation. One of the best uses will be the art of diverting mental and emotional energy into some form of action, like emptying a room, organizing a space that has resisted your intentions, or making repairs. Start small, with one detailed task. And be extra careful with ladders and tools of all kinds. If you have to go up to a high place, make sure someone is around to spot you, otherwise avoid the task for a few days. There is enough potency of the current aspects to give you the power, strength and motivation to make serious improvements to your living space, and the best part is, you will feel better if you do.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Mature when you’re a child, grows younger as the years go on. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — It’s important that you not fight with yourself. The idea angle of your chart is bursting, and that would also describe the activity level of your mind. And you’re not necessarily working out quantum computing equations or inventing the next amazing barbecue. The astrology could just as easily be describing inner conflict and the attempt to solve personal problems that seem impossible. Therefore, go through your sorting out process slowly and carefully, and be methodical in a low-pressure way (i.e., use a method). Then there is the matter of words, which can be helpful, but which are currently being reduced to things where a thousand are generated in thirty seconds. Stick to your own thoughts, your own language, and the exercise of thoughtful composition. Please, do not delegate — even research or the outline or the rough draft. Work it out for yourself. Contribute to your strength and clarity and not personal atrophy or that of the collective mind. One idea, one sentence, one paragraph, could be enough to move through the static.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
Learn the secrets of Pluto in your sign. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Now is the time to come up with a financial plan. From the look of your chart, you have a real problem that deserves a real solution, and it’s right within reach. The answer is mostly about point of view. Imagine three towers built in a wide field. Depending on how you look at them, and what point of view you look from, they can appear as separate, with no relationship to one another, or aligned and working together. You will get a whole other view if you go above the field and look down at them; find a way to do that with your situation. Be aware of the Neptune factor in your financial angle; everything must be subjected to a direct test of concept in a real-world scenario. An idea is only as good as its expression; only as useful as its use; only as intelligent as the thought process that created it. Be willing to do the work and make no assumptions. Neptune also says make room for an inspired vision or musical approach: that’s to say, tune in.
Get your full 2026 reading at this link.
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