Dynamic, Powerful Energy is All Around

by Rose Claire

The Year of the Fire Horse

I’m just going to say it, “The cosmic energy is off the charts.”

On February 17, we welcomed Chinese New Year and the Year of the Fire Horse, a year with all the energy of regular horse years (independence, impatience, forward movement), plus the added element of fire. Now, it’s no secret that anytime fire enters the game, bold energy appears. While this can be powerful and innovative, that energy can also veer to the destabilizing and be wonky, or outright explosive.

Interestingly, both Chinese astrology and Western astrology seemed to be in alignment, right now as it’s not only the Year of the Fire Horse, but also a year where the sign of Aries is a major player. Of course, Aries is a fire sign with radiant, strong and fiery energy that sometimes becomes uneven. In the last month, two planets, Neptune and Saturn, have stationed in Aries and are about to form a conjunction (a close connection) that will nudge us to deal with reality whether we want to or not and may just reshape the world…again. (More on that later in this blog.)  

Planetary Games Now, let’s talk about how friendly Aries is with Neptune and Saturn. On the celestial playground, Aries and Neptune often play nicely with each other. Neptune brings all of our dreams and desires, and Aries loves to help us start the ignition and make them happen. Imbued with Aries natural leadership ability, we can take charge and tap into Aries’ knack for creativity, which adds even more wonderful layers to Neptune’s offerings. This means our work and home projects can flourish as well as advancements in technology, medicine and other areas where novel ideas are rewarded. Neptune also offers a deep spiritual connection that, when paired with Aries' warrior spirit, can unleash our spiritual warrior nature in the best kind of way.

"While both Aries and Saturn favor boundaries, Saturn’s influence demands adherence to them, which of course, sparks a “Hell to the No” from Aries who wants to be the controller not the controlled."

The one caveat with Neptune and Aries is to watch boundaries. Although Aries tends to like boundaries, it can cause us to push over or ignore others’ boundaries. With Neptune, our line in the sand often blurs and washes away, creating problems with communication and respect. This energy can lead to unfinished projects and trigger emotions of anger and depression. So, it’s key to maintain as much clarity around boundaries as possible and to state them clearly as well.

Now, while Aries and Neptune tend to play nice, not so much for Aries and Saturn. These two energies may tend toward friction because of their opposing natures. While both Aries and Saturn favor boundaries, Saturn’s influence demands adherence to them, which of course, sparks a “Hell to the No” from Aries who wants to be the controller not the controlled. This can create problems when there needs to be community or collaboration in work or relationships, resultng in goals and objectives coming to a standstill.

On the positive side, however, when Aries and Saturn behave, magic can happen. Aries energy can our lead the goals and visions with a clear plan guided by Saturn and truly reap the rewards that Saturn offers for completion. This means engaging in maturity in terms of emotions and respect, so that those who are involved don’t feel put upon or personally negated. It also requires Aries to use Saturn’s guidelines to communicate its passion and eagerness, without going overboard. Together, this planet and sign can lead us to accomplish much if we come from a more evolved place.

Solar Eclipse, Anyone?

Now, let’s shift a minute and talk about the “ring of fire” solar eclipse on February 17, 2026. This eclipse is leading us toward big shifts, and if we think back to February of 2018, we may get answers, as that was the last time there was a solar eclipse in Aquarius. Considering the themes that Aquarius brings to us such as personal identity,  community (we can’t go it alone), technology and innovation, think back to what was occurring in your life then and where you are now. Doing so will give you some of the areas that this new eclipse alignment will play out for you.

Ring of Fire solar eclipse

Remember, eclipses form on axes and tend to stay in those signs on the axis for around eighteen months to two years, so these themes will be making themselves known for a while. Also, it’s probably good to think about eclipses in six-month increments, because changes over the six-month period before the next eclipse (August 12, 2026) will help you track growth and development.

Just a Hint of Mercury Retrograde

Last, but certainly not least, Mercury retrograde is around the corner. In fact, we’re in the shadow period now with the full-on retrograde kicking off February 25/26 until March 20, 2026 (yes, that’s the spring equinox). We’ll deal with the usual “don’t-put-your-foot-in-your-mouth” communication issues, along with late winter travel challenges, confusion around business and tech snafus. I’ll dig more deeply into this soon, so keep an eye out for posts or blogs on this topic.

There’s a lot to unpack astrologically now with the potential of exciting and innovative ideas coming to life as well as plenty of frustration and confusion. For now, it’s important to prioritize self-care—lots of grounding, breathing and meditation. That will help you feel better and be ready for what’s next no matter how the cosmos plays out.

Rose Claire is your Personal Spiritual Consultant offering a special astrology package--The Cosmos Collection--with an astrology natal chart reading, an astrocartography reading and an integration session. She also offers individual astrology readings and is about to launch a new, fun Tarot class on March 10. Get more info here.