#353-"Real People Finding Courage to Offer Love and Care”--Week of February 23, 2026

We remain inside the Saturn–Neptune conjunction at 0° Aries.

Saturn defines structure. Neptune dissolves it.
At the first degree of the zodiac, a new 36-year cycle begins at the seed point of identity and initiation.

The last Saturn–Neptune conjunction was in 1989 in Capricorn, reshaping institutions. This one begins at origin fire.

We are redefining what is real — and what deserves our devotion.

Feb 25 – March 20: Mercury Retrograde in Pisces

Mercury stations retrograde at 22° Pisces and turns direct March 20 (Spring Equinox) at 8° Pisces. Two days after stationing, Mercury Rx is conjunct Venus in Pisces.

This is less about logistics and more about perception.

Pisces governs endings, projection, myth, and collective emotion. You're invited to review:

• Where you’ve been enchanted
• Where compassion became self-erasure
• What grief remains unprocessed
• What you believed because you needed it to be true

As collective myths dissolve, personal ones surface.

Feb 27: Mars Square Uranus

Mars in Aquarius squares Uranus in Taurus — disruptive, electric energy.

Mars pushes for liberation. Uranus destabilizes material systems.

This can bring shocks, volatility, or nervous system spikes.

The tension: freedom vs. security.

The invitation: don’t force clarity through reaction. Steadiness matters more than speed.

March 3 – Lunar Eclipse at 13° Virgo

Next week’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Virgo closes this eclipse cycle.

Virgo brings discernment, craft, and practical service. While Pisces dissolves, Virgo sorts.

This upcoming Lunar Eclipse asks:

• What is workable?
• What restores integrity?
• What supports daily health?
• What is projection — and what is real?

With Saturn–Neptune newly seeded at 0° Aries, this eclipse becomes a purification point.

We cannot carry fantasy into the new era.

The Larger Frame

We are living through dissolution — and dissolution is compost.

We are still metabolizing the past.
It is too soon to declare the shape of the future.

Slow your conclusions.
Strengthen grounding practices.
Let clarity emerge over time.

Reflective Questions for the Week

1. Where have I mistaken idealism for truth — and what would gentle discernment reveal?
2. When disruption arises, do I escalate, collapse, or stabilize?
3. What daily practice restores clarity when the collective field feels foggy?

Move carefully — not fearfully.

Reality is being renegotiated.
Your steadiness matters.

Podcast poem: Cast of Millions by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Transcript

0:07

Hello, welcome to Astrology Alchemy. I'm Sheila Bellagio, your host for this podcast. Alchemy is defined as a seemingly magical process of transformation. Spiritual alchemy is the process of pursuing the gold of your true nature. By transmuting the unrefined limiting parts of yourself. In this podcast, I'll offer you inspiring insights from current astrology cycles that support your path of turning your personal lead into gold. More resources are available at the website on the edges of change.com. Hello, welcome to episode number 353 of the Astrology Alchemy Podcast. This is for the week of February 23rd, 2026. I'm your host and guide, Sheila er. She, here's a phrase from this week's podcast poem, real people finding courage to offer love and care. So we are very much still inside the field of the Saturn Neptune conjunction at zero degrees of Aries that just happened last Friday. This is not background weather. This is the renegotiation of reality. Saturn names structure, Neptune. Dissolved structure and at zero degrees of Aries, the very beginning of the Zodiac, we are witnessing the collapse of old definitions and the fragile emergence of new ones. Last time Saturn and Neptune met was in 1989 in Capricorn, reshaping institutions and authority structures. This time. They've met at zero degrees of Aries, the very, very beginning of the Zodiac, but this exact threshold degree zero. Aries has not held their conjunction in over 6,000 years. That matters. We are not adjusting policies. We are redefining what is real, what is authoritative, and what deserves our devotion. And this week Mercury, the Communicator, bridge Maker turns retrograde in Pisces for three weeks on Wednesday, February 25th, mercury Stations retrogrades. At 22 degrees of Pisces, do not worry about understanding the degree measurement. Just recognize from our perspective on the earth, the planet seems to stop and then move backwards. Two days later, MER retrograde Mercury is exactly conjunct. Or with Venus, the relational one in Pisces, mercury will appear to travel backwards in the heavens. Until March 20th, the spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere when it will look like its stations direct or turns forward at eight degrees of Pisces. Some of my listeners track the degree measurements and put them in their chart. If that's you, you know what to do, and if you don't, don't worry about it. Just be with the story and the mythic invitations. I. Mercury going forward at spring Equinox is a very precise timing. We are all revising perception before the Equinox, before the astrological new year. Before Ari season fully ignites. Pisces is the last sign of the Zodiac. It governs endings. Dissolution Dreams Projection Collective emotion myth. This is not primarily about logistics or technology. Mercury retrograde here in Pisces asked us to review. Where we have been enchanted, where we've confused compassion was self erasure, where our grief has not been metabolized, where we believe something because we needed it to be true. As Saturn, Neptune dissolves collective myths. The Mercury retrograde in Pisces cycle invites examination of personal ones before the airy season ignites forward motion, we revisit what is unfinished. When Mercury retrograde meets Venus in Pisces, we revisit what and whom do I love? What do I idealize? What have I romanticized that is not sustainable? Where have I betrayed my own perception in order to maintain harmony? This is very tender territory and it is very necessary. The mind. The mind must soften before a new reality can be responsibly built. I. And then we have on Friday, February's 27th, Mars in Aquarius, forms a square to Uranus and Taurus Mars. The action taker, sacred Yang archetype, Uranus, the maverick, the liberator, the great disruptor. This is volatile Mars in Aquarius. Fights for future vision. Uranus in Taurus disrupts material stability. Together they can signal sudden disruptions, systemic shocks, technological or economic tremors, personal nervous system spikes. Aquarius wants liberation. Taurus wants security. The square, the 90 degree measurement between the two planets asks what happens when the old structures no longer feel safe, and the new ones are not yet solid on a collective level. This can look like deep unrest. On a personal level, it can look like. Irritability, impulsivity. A desire to blow something up. A strong urge to escape, pause. This is not a weak for reaction. It is a week for nervous system stewardship. Remember Saturn, Neptune. Our dissolving illusions of certainty, Mars, Uranus tempt us to force clarity through disruption, but true clarity emerges slowly. You do not need to explode your life to participate in evolution. And we are approaching the second eclipse of this season. Next week, on Tuesday, we arrive at the final eclipse in the current Eclipse series, A full moon lunar eclipse at 13 degrees of Virgo. The Zodiac sign of Virgo is discernment. Virgo is craft. Virgo is humble service. At the full moon, the sun is in Pisces, and the full moon is across the heavens in Virgo. Well, Pisces dissolves. Virgo organizes this lunar eclipse asks what is actually workable. What supports health? What restores integrity? What small daily practices stabilize you Inside global instability, eclipses accelerate timelines. This one closes a chapter of the Pisces Virgo axis that began in early 2025. This chapter has been emphasizing faith versus discernment, dream versus implementation, compassion versus boundary. With Saturn and Neptune freshly conjoined at zero degrees of Aries, the Virgo lunar eclipse becomes a purification point. We cannot carry fantasy into the new era. We cannot carry self-deception into Aries fire. Virgo helps us sort. This is real. This is projection, this nourishes, this drains. Let's lens back and look at a larger frame here. We are living inside a dissolving era, but dissolution is not failure. It is compost. Saturn, Neptune at zero degrees, Aries is the seed point of their next 36 year cycle and seeds do not look impressive. They look small, buried, uncertain. The cycles of this week invite you to slow down your conclusions, revisit your assumptions, tend your nervous system. Strengthen daily practices that anchor you in integrity. Do not rush to define the future. We are still deeply grieving the past. Here are three reflective questions for the week to support you. Where have I mistaken idealism for truth? And what would gentle discernment reveal when disruption arises? Do I escalate, collapse, or stabilize? What daily practice restores my clarity when the collective field feels foggy and confused. I wanna invite you to move carefully this week, not fearfully, carefully. Reality is being renegotiated and your steadiness matters more than your speed. I'll be back next week as we cross into the Virgo lunar eclipse. Stay grounded, stay discerning, and remember, even in dissolution, something essential is being born. The poem for this week honors the Power of Dreaming. It's called Cast of Millions by Rosemary Waer. There on the Dream Marquee in Big Black, all caps were three words. Dear people, dare. I stood on the dream sidewalk staring up into the vast dream about tenderness, real people, finding courage to offer love and care to those who are wounded, which is all of us. That's when I woke. Determined to addition for that show every day for the rest of my life. Dear people, dare as we enter the three weeks of Mercury being retrograde in Pisces, let yourself slow down, tune with your dreams and your intuition. Cultivate deep compassion for yourself, for others, for the world. Dissolve certainty. Feed the dreams that sustain your life and the world's life. Tap into the dreams of our descendants. Sending love and aspirations for the choices we make now to support their future. Dear people, dare thank you for your ongoing support. Deeply appreciate the precious gift of your life energy when you bring your heart and ears to the podcast or read it with your eyes. Thank you also for the ongoing support. Those of you who make a donation in support of the podcast, those of you who forward the email, who tell friends, Hey, go listen to the podcast. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my great extended web of village. And I wanna remind you, I'm giving you a rare opportunity to work directly with me to support your current astrological cycles. I'm opening up a few sessions to support this rare Saturn Neptune conjunction, and to help my people navigate these extraordinary times of change. If you're interested in booking a session with me, go to my website. On the edges of change.com/astrology, you'll find a way to link there. Bless your journey.