2026 Astrological Outlook
The Lunar Nodes Change Signs in 2026
From Virgo–Pisces to Aquarius–Leo
Happy New Year 2026 Everyone!
This is Marilyn. Many of you have known me for a long time, and for others, it’s nice to meet you and I am thrilled to be working with Yvonne at New Earth in 2026!
I do healing work and also astrology and I thought it might be fun to talk a little about the astrology of 2026. This can keep us busy all year long, but for now, we will talk about the lunar nodes that will change this year. This indicates a whole new direction that we can embrace. It’s gradual though.
Having studied Evolutionary Astrology, I tend to look at the transits in terms of growth, so I would like to mention the last new moon briefly then move into what the lunar nodes are so that you can all understand this interesting part of our sky.
The last new moon of 2025 was in the sign of Sagittarius in both the tropical and sidereal sky. It was a heavily aspected new moon, which means it had some strong energies in and around it and it’s squared the North Node in Pisces.
When looking at a chart, we can ask this.........
“What is the evolutionary intention? What are these heavenly bodies trying to tell us? Teach us? Move us toward?
The last new moon of 2025 asked these questions..........
What do you now believe? How have your thoughts changed this year? How have you matured or stepped out of a previous illusion? What’s the bigger picture emerging? How can you embrace your truth with more maturity, going forward?
We will have plenty of time to discuss various nuances within the year, but for now, I would like you all to know that the eclipses will be gradually changing from Virgo/Pisces to Leo/Aquarius. That’s because the lunar nodes will be shifting signs.
The Lunar Nodes Change Signs in 2026
In 2026, the Lunar Nodes shift from the Virgo–Pisces axis into Aquarius–Leo.
The North Node moves into Aquarius, while the South Node moves into Leo.
The Lunar Nodes are not planets. They are mathematical points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the Sun’s path. Often called the Nodes of Destiny, they describe the karmic storyline of the soul: where we’ve been and where we’re being asked to grow. We’ve been in Virgo/Pisces energy all 2025, and this year the nodes change.
What is a nodal axis?
Each of us carries a nodal axis in our birth chart, and this axis changes signs about every 18½ months, setting a collective theme for growth and release. It contains the polarity of two signs that are opposite each other on the chart wheel. For instance, if your north node is in Taurus then your south node is in Scorpio. It’s always two opposing signs that mirror each other (like two sides of the same coin). And what ever polarity points in focus is where humanity is being asked to integrate. The north node is usually what we reach for, or the obsession. The South Node is what gets integrated, it’s what we’ve already learned.
The Core Theme: Comfort vs. Growth (or better yet, the integration of both)
Think of the Nodes as a cosmic compass.
The South Node shows what is familiar, instinctive, and easy.
The North Node points toward what stretches us, develops us, and ultimately fulfills us.
Hence 2026 has us moving towards North Node Aquarian themes of equality for the common man, group and collective coherence, shared technology and away from Leo opulence or extravagance. Both always co-exist, as the vibe moves to a higher level of integration.
The South Node: Your Comfort Zone
The South Node represents ingrained patterns—skills, behaviors, and tendencies that come naturally. In evolutionary astrology, it’s often linked to past-life memory or inherited family conditioning. On a collective level we’re talking about society. In Leo, perhaps it is over consumption, or overindulgence for one and not the rest.
The challenge: Staying in the South Node too long can lead to stagnation or emptiness, even if life looks successful.
The gift: These qualities are not meant to be rejected. They are your foundation—tools you bring with you as you grow.
The North Node: Your Direction of Growth (in 2026, Aquarius)
The North Node is the soul’s compass point—the place you grow into over time. The North Node affects us in our personal charts and also as a society. Or a planet .
The challenge: the north node often feels unfamiliar, awkward, or even intimidating.
The reward: When you move toward it, life tends to feel aligned and purposeful. This is where fulfillment emerges.
Integration Is the Goal
The Nodes are always opposite each other. You are meant to use the strengths of the South Node to support the growth of the North Node, not abandon one for the other. Eclipses activate this axis. That’s why eclipse seasons often coincide with turning points, endings, and beginnings that feel fated.
Who Feels This Most?
If your natal nodes are on the Leo–Aquarius axis, you may experience a nodal return or nodal reversal—both powerful course corrections.
If your nodal axis is elsewhere (for example, North Node in Aries/South Node in Libra), you’ll feel this shift through the areas of your chart ruled by Leo and Aquarius and through aspects to your own nodes.
The 2026 Eclipse Cycle
There are four eclipses in 2026, two of which begin the new Leo–Aquarius eclipse storyline.
February 17, 2026
Annular Solar Eclipse in Aquarius (28°)
This is a transitional eclipse—our first official Aquarius eclipse of this cycle.
It occurs just days before the Saturn–Neptune conjunction in Aries
It is tightly squared by Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius
Though partial, it is highly effective due to the tight square to Uranus.
This eclipse offers a preview—a first taste of themes that will fully unfold starting in August.
August 12, 2026
Total Solar Eclipse in Leo-A powerful reset tied to identity, leadership, creativity, and heart-centered expression.
Lunar Eclipses
March 3, 2026 — Total Lunar Eclipse in Virgo
August 28, 2026 — Partial Lunar Eclipse in Pisces
These Virgo–Pisces eclipses complete the previous nodal cycle, helping us release what no longer serves on that axis.
Personal Impact
If you have planets or angles (Sun, Moon, Ascendant, etc.) within 5° of the eclipse degrees, you are more likely to experience noticeable shifts, endings, or new directions.
The Nodes in Vedic Astrology (Jyotisha)
In Vedic astrology, the Nodes are known as Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node)—the head and tail of the dragon.
Rahu: The Pull Toward Experience
Rahu represents hunger, ambition, and magnetic desire.
Rapid growth and expansion
Encounters with power, technology, the foreign, or the taboo
Thresholds crossed before feeling fully ready
Rahu doesn’t ask if you’re prepared. It asks whether you will engage consciously or unconsciously.
When honored:
Desire matures into mastery
Karma works efficiently
Experience becomes wisdom
When resisted or indulged blindly:
Burnout, illusion, obsession, or collapse
Ketu: The Path of Release
Ketu carries the residue of lifetimes already lived. The residue of where society has been. When activated, it brings completion.
You may experience:
Loss of interest in former identities
Sudden detachment
Solitude or spiritual turning inward
Ketu doesn’t punish—it dissolves what no longer supports growth.
When honored:
Liberation and clarity
Graceful endings
When resisted:
Numbness, confusion, or clinging to the past Ketu’s work is completion.
Together, Rahu and Ketu form one axis:
One pulls the soul into experience
The other pulls the soul out of attachment
One desires.
One remembers.
Together, they turn the wheel.
A Shared Truth
Evolutionary Astrology emphasizes choice and awareness
Jyotisha emphasizes karma and timing
Both agree: The soul moves from memory → experience → realization
If you’d like a personal reading on how these eclipses and nodal shifts affect your personal chart, you’re welcome to email me at marilynelabidin@gmail.com or call New Earth. I provide both tropical and sidereal charts.
Wishing you a meaningful and illuminating New Year, 2026,
Marilyn