The New Moon In Aquarius – A Solar Eclipse – The Year of the Fire Horse

February 17, 2026, at 7:01 AM EST

Sun & Moon at 28 degrees of Aquarius

Sun & Moon Square Uranus; Venus conjoins NN

Year of The Fire Horse Begins!

The Saturn to Neptune Conjunction

Exact at 0 Aries on 2/20 (Thursday)  

                                                             

If you survived Friday the 13th and made it through Valentine’s, you will need to get ready for these next two weeks of energetic possibilities, dynamic shifts, and changes! Because this week has so many significant changes and movements within it, I have decided to break up my report to you into 3 separate sections:

The New Moon and the Eclipse

The Year of The Fire Horse

I will start off with the reflections of Kathy Biehl, writing in OM Magazine. She writes:

“February is when everything changes, with no going back. It has relatively few astrological aspects, but two of them are among the most impactful influences of the year. … The launch happens mid-month, at the one-two punch of the Aquarius New Moon solar eclipse and the long-awaited, much hyped Saturn/Neptune conjunction.”

New operating systems are coming, in communities, in visions for the future, and in raw (that word again!) creative power. 

But before they arrive, the skies have some prep in store.

The inner planets and the Sun continue to travel together in a cluster. January had the concentration in somber, foundation-building Capricorn. February begins with them energizing the collective, futuristic Aquarius.

Relationship breakthroughs are probable. Some friends will be startled by the realization that they are more. Some will let go of each other. Most of us will see situations in a startling light that we feel our way through once she ducks into Pisces.

Saturn, the ruler of order, planet of adulting, returns to Aries on February 13. We got a taste of this influence from late May to the end of August last year, and now his authority is locking in for a two-year stay. He’s directing attention to personal agency and self-determination (you gonna step up for yourself? You better) and heading for a world-changing meeting with Neptune on February 20.

Before they combine their fires, though, the first big event of the month detonates on February 17: the Aquarius New Moon solar eclipse. This is the first in the incoming eclipse family, on the Leo/Aquarius axis, which has us revisiting and resetting the challenge of expressing ourselves within a collective, and which continues through 2027. Because it’s a solar eclipse, it has the effect of causing a momentary shutdown and installing a new operating system. …”

We welcome this new Aquarian moon with the recognition of its added importance as the first solar eclipse of 2026. It is the start of any important evolutionary cycle that lasts until 2028, as the eclipses during those years will follow along the Aquarian/Leo axis, and will also coincide with the Saturnian travels through Arie,s which have already begun.

As a brief reminder, eclipses happen when the moon’s nodes come within approximately 19 degrees of the conjunction. In this case, it is a North Node eclipse, within 10 degrees, that happens along with the new moon at 28 degrees of Aquarius. Even though it is not visible to us in the Eastern USA, it still can have some importance for you, IF you have any planets (and/or house cusps) at 27-29 degrees of a sign.

Another energizing factor that will have to be seriously regarded is the tight square to Uranus during this eclipse. Most often, it promotes change or the challenge to change. In this case, being such an energetic square between two fixed signs (Aquarius and Taurus) it could be the red flag signal of an impending, larger-scale shift, change, or breakdown… Look to where Aquarius and Taurus are located in your charts for additional clues to how these energies could influence us… Mundane astrology looks for world events, weather conditions, political shifs etc. )

Not that this change or dramatic breaks will be assured, but things often have to break down before we let them go, or people/places/positions might need to be lost to discover that they needed to leave anyway, and that what will replace them will be more aligned with your future changes or evolution. 

The nature of an eclipse is that it is a harbinger… an advance notice of what can develop, and that it asks us to “tune in” or be more aware and discerning when it comes to activities and events that could be triggered by this eclipse, and as I previously stated IF your chart has a particular resonance to it, incentives and actions. 

As a whole, eclipses are best known as the revealer of patterns. Patterns of thinking, feeling, and experiencing that require our attention, that promote insights, that offer intuitive glimpses, and that will then ask us for a resolution. 

As a valuable guide to the further interpretation of what this eclipse and new moon can hold for each of us, I am including this synopsis of possibilities that was drawn up by Robin, who is the author of the daily forecasts and their guidance called Wicked Veracity. She offers us these notes as they relate to your rising sign or Ascendant.

Now, let’s look at the storyline by rising signs.

• Aries Rising: Saturn-Neptune is working on you directly, your identity, your body, how you show up in the world. That process is powering a new chapter in your friendships, networks, and long-term goals. Who you’re becoming through this is what changes your future direction.
• Taurus Rising: Your private life is where the dissolution and rebuilding is concentrated, the patterns nobody sees, the things you’ve been avoiding. That process is powering a new chapter in your career and public role. What you confront behind closed doors is what shifts how the world sees you.
• Gemini Rising: Your friendships, community, and sense of where you’re headed are dissolving and being rebuilt. That process is powering a new chapter in your beliefs, education, or sense of direction. Your people and your vision for the future reforming is what open up a new path.
• Cancer Rising: The dissolution and rebuilding is happening in your career and public role. That process is powering a new chapter around fear, inheritance, or other people’s resources. The professional upheaval is what enables you to confront something you’ve been too afraid or too busy to face.
• Leo Rising: Your faith, your philosophy, and the experiences that broaden your world are losing their shape and being reconstructed.  That process is powering a new chapter in your closest relationships, partnerships, or contracts. How you make sense of the bigger picture dissolving and reforming is what’s fueling the shift in who you’re partnered with or how those partnerships work.
• Virgo Rising: Fear, death, inheritance, other people’s resources, this is where the dissolution and rebuilding is concentrated. That process is powering a new chapter in your daily work, health, and routines. Confronting something scary or dealing with what others left behind is what shifts how you work and take care of yourself.
• Libra Rising: Your closest relationships, partnerships, or contracts are dissolving and being rebuilt. That process is powering a new chapter in your creativity, romance, children, or what you take joy in creating. The way your partnerships are reforming is opening up room for something you didn’t have space to enjoy before.
• Scorpio Rising: How you work, your health, and your daily routines are where the dissolution and rebuilding are concentrated. That process is powering a new chapter around home, family, or your foundations. How you work and take care of yourself, changing what shifts your living situation or family structure.
• Sagittarius Rising: The dissolution and rebuilding is happening around your creativity, romance, children, or what you take joy in creating. That process is powering a new chapter in your relationships with siblings, neighbors, and the daily interactions that make up your immediate world. The joy that’s being reconstructed is what changes who and what surrounds you day to day.
• Capricorn Rising: Home, family, and your foundations are being dissolved and rebuilt. That process is powering a new chapter in your money, income, or livelihood. What’s shifting in your family or living situation is what’s fueling the financial change.
• Aquarius Rising: How you communicate, your daily connections, and your relationship with siblings are dissolving and reforming. That process is powering a new chapter in you directly, your body, your identity, how you show up. The way you communicate and connect dissolving and reforming is what enables you to become someone different.
• Pisces Rising: The dissolution and rebuilding is happening around your money, income, or livelihood. That process is powering a new chapter in your hidden life, private patterns, or what you’ve been avoiding. The financial upheaval is what drives you to finally face what you’ve been keeping out of sight.

Another valuable guideline is one that Ii have repeated, but will occasionally return to in my writing because it is among the more common questions I get from clients and readers: How will this eclipse influence me, and what are the signs of how an eclipse could be felt or understood? Here, astrologer, artist, and author Dana Gerhardt lists the ways that we can understand eclipses more positively in our lives. She writes:

Signs this eclipse is touching you:

The following are a few signs that you’re inside this New Moon’s Eclipse Zone.

1. An event far away, beyond your control, brings an unexpected change in direction.
2. Something doesn’t go as you thought it would. Important plans are delayed.
3. Time is accelerated. There’s too much to do.  Big changes seem to happen overnight.
4. A startling truth—like someone’s true character—is revealed.
5. You’re forced to handle an unexpected difficulty.
6. Physically, you’re agitated, ungrounded. Nerves are raw. You may have insomnia (especially with lunar eclipses).
7. Ultimatums backfire. Situations that are tense or frayed could snap.
8. You hear news—big or small—that alerts you to future changes. Respect these messages!  They could help you make smarter decisions.
9. People unexpectedly leave your life—maybe it’s an argument or a break-up. Or they move/get a new job/go through a significant life transition.
10. Where there are endings, there are also beginnings. You may meet somebody who will be significant in your future.

Part 2:

 Insights From The Chinese New Year

The Year of the Fire Horse                                                                                                    

The Chinese New Year, as it is most commonly or popularly known, begins on the 18th and willbe celebrated for the next 2 weeks. It is important to remember that this New Year is not exclusively Chinese; It is also celebrated in Tibet, Vietnam, and generally all through Southeast Asia! 

This powerful Solar Eclipse begins the Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse galloping into our sensibilities, bringing intense & unstoppable energy and boldness. Fire amplifies the horse’s natural strong will, independence, desire for freedom and speed, resulting in high-octane, dynamic, and sometimes unpredictable activity. Attributes include a drive for progress, willingness to take risks, and initiative. The Fire Horse is a rebellious, passionate, and self-reliant spirit with charisma and natural leadership, but prone to emotional intensity. Auspicious for achievements, the year can also bring volatility. It requires strategic planning to avoid recklessness. The fire horse repeats every 60 years.

The Year of the Fire Horse launches us into a time of action, passion, and new beginnings. Take some time to revisit and refine your intentions, making sure they are coming from an authentic place connected to your own intuition and desires. Watch for potential explosive reactions both in yourself and others. If there are challenges in your life that have recently shown up, take it as a sign to pay attention to what needs change or improve. Don’t be overly impulsive, but do take risks if it feels right.

From Simone Butler, writing in the Mooncircle Newsletter:

“The Fire Horse awakens desire, vitality, and the urge to overthrow whatever no longer works. In addition to its strength and endurance, the Fire Horse is also a sensitive, intuitive creature that can pivot on a dime – so it’s a good year to test out various things, have patience, and see what works best.

On February 17 at 4:01 a.m. PT, we also have a dramatic, annular ring-of-fire solar eclipse at 28 Aquarius.  This lunation is tightly square Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, bringing extra volatility. Expect change – and embrace it. Fueled by Fire Horse energy, like Man O’ War charging out of the gate, this tells us that it’s time to embark on a new course of action. Just do it mindfully, as eclipses are known for being unstable. Aquarius rules technology and collectives. When the Sun (masculine) is eclipsed by the Moon (feminine), the Aquarian water bearer can help forge a more equitable experience between men and women. Equality is also favored by the North Node’s shift into Aquarius, initiating a new eclipse series that will last for the next two years. Whatever happens now is likely a preview of what’s to come.”

Celestial Blessings, Peter                                       Astrologer/Theologian/Life Coach OneSpiritCoaching.com                                                     843-810-2808