Welcome to the last moon cycle of the long, hot, summer of 2026!
My Twitter feed is full of posts from high profile meteorologists and climate scientists posting about extreme heat, mega wildfires, sustained droughts and apocalyptic floods taking place in the US and around the world.
All the extreme summer weather events we're experiencing from coast to coast this summer pale into relative insignificance compared to the fact that America's glorious Western forests are being decimated, and they will not be coming back.
Not in a few years, or a few decades.
They are toast.
They are done.
About fifteen years ago, as Jane and I were flying in a small plane above Oregon, on our way home from seeing renowned crystal artist Lawrence Stoller at his studio in Bend, we could see tens of thousands of acres of tall timber on fire, creating a wall of billowing smoke thousands of feet high.
In the Bend area, when we went into the higher elevations, the forest had been scorched black. And yet a caravan of tourists with camping gear atop their SUVs were parading into Bend on their way from Portland, seemingly oblivious to the smoke, the fires, and the blackened forests all around them.
As we flew south toward California over a canopy of tall hardwoods, Jane and I heard chilling guidance loud and clear -- these forests you can see, all along the West Coast, will burn.
At the time, we were stunned, a little fearful and unsure. We found that hard to believe, but we trust our guidance. We thought that the worst of the damage would occur after we were long gone from this world. We were in our early sixties at that time.
After that we decided we would not take any more trips on airplanes unless it was absolutely necessary. That seemed the least we could do to minimize our carbon footprint.
Since then we have hoped that our guidance was wrong, this time.
So we are extremely sad this month because we just read a new article in the highly respected scientific journal Nature entitled Future transition from forests to shrublands and grasslands in the western United States is expected to reduce carbon storage.
Bison in grasslands with mountains in the background, Colin + Meg
For Unsplash+, Licensed under the Unsplash+ License
"By the end of the century, it is projected that 55% of future landscapes in the western United States will have climates incompatible with the vegetation communities that now occur on those landscapes", according to the report in Nature.
The article estimates that 40-60% of forested areas in the Western US will transition to shrubland or grasslands in the decades to come.
This apocalyptic change in composition of our Western forests "will most likely be driven by increased fires exacerbated by historical fuel accumulation, persistent droughts, and warming," Nature reports.
In the Southwest, climate change is permanently altering the landscape, and the ability of pine forests in that region to adapt is doubtful at best.
Ponderosa Pine growing in rock crevices in the Red Mesa area, Sandoval County, New Mexico.
"Across the Southwest, which is drier and subject to more prolonged droughts than other areas like as the Pacific Northwest, ponderosa pine forests are particularly at risk of failing, according to Jonathan Coop, a fire ecologist at Western Colorado University who has been tracking this ecological shift for the past two decades," The New York Times reports.
“Watching those forests erode away and turn into something else has really been the catalyst of a lot of the work that I’ve been doing,” Dr. Coop said. “There’s no sign, almost, that there were ever forests there, let alone that they’re coming back. You know, absent a few charred sort of matchstick-like snags.”
"This month, Dr. Coop and colleagues published a new study in the journal Science Advances that found wildfires are now getting so large and so fast that pine seeds can’t regenerate," according to The New York Times.
Summer is now the deadliest season on Earth, everywhere in the world. We're inflamed, dried out, besieged by wildfire smoke from thousands of miles away, drought struck and bone tired.
But that's not what has upended our world view.
For us, this is the summer we realized that climate change is hitting like a runaway train, faster and harder than we ever thought possible, altering the seasonal cycle of life, transfiguring the landscapes of our world, and threatening the stability of our energy intensive global civilization -- not sometime decades in the future, but right now.
The great American Western forests could be reduced to a mere shadow of their current splendor during our lifetimes. And we are in our seventies.
In a month it will be a new season, and we hope for rain cooled days and nights to restore our equilibrium.
But first, as we navigate the last month of this scalding summer, we also have to deal with some of the most complex, intense, and transformative astrological aspects of 2026, beginning with this week's Full Moon.
Pisces Full Blood Moon Eclipse, Virgo Solar Festival Cosmic Weather Forecast
Sanu N, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
On Friday, August 28th, at 12:19 AM Eastern Daylight Time, we celebrate the Pisces Full Blood Moon Eclipse and the Virgo Solar Festival.
This lunar eclipse will see about 96% of the full moon’s surface plunging into Earth’s shadow, scattering blue light in the atmosphere and imparting a deep orange or reddish color, to the moon.
The astrological aspects visible at a normal Full Moon persist for approximately two weeks, but the influence of a Full Moon eclipse continues for up to six months, so this week's Cosmic Weather patterns could impact the collective consciousness for the rest of the year!
The Sun at 4º54' Virgo is conjunct Mercury.
The Sabian Symbol for the Sun's placement is "A man becoming aware of nature spirits and other normally unseen spiritual beings."
Glowing Fairy in Flight, Resource Database For Unsplash+
Licensed under the Unsplash+ License
The Sun and Mercury are the twin focal points for a powerful Yod aspect, with both luminaries sitting at a 150º angle to Neptune in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius.
When the Yod, also known as the Finger of God, appears in a chart, it indicates a powerful need to adjust the way we express the energies of the planet that is the focal point of the figure.
The other two planets in the Yod formation provide clues to the nature of the dysfunction, and can provide the appropriate energies necessary to help us create a potent, positive expression of the afflicted planet or planets at the focal point of the Yod.
From an alchemical standpoint, with Neptune in Mars ruled Aries, Neptune's oceanic energies clash with the Cardinal Fire of Aries, creating super-heated conditions in the collective consciousness.
This explains why Neptune in Aries represents collective fever dreams. Intense Neptunian idealism leads to glorification of Aries style Martial virtues within various group minds. Religions, ideologies, classes, and races seek to forcefully expand their domains of influence under this aspect.
This type of aggressive Mars ruled collective consciousness can lead to the bloodiest of wars in which all sides are convinced of their inherent virtue and certain of the demonic nature of their enemies.
Scene depicting the death of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon (1818-1861) at the Battle of Wilson's Creek
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The last time Neptune was in Aries, as our readers know, was at the time of the American Civil War, from 1861 to 1874, when Uranus was in Gemini, just as it is now.
Neptune's negative influence while in Aries could cripple the discriminating intelligence represented by Sun and Mercury in Virgo in this week's Full Moon chart.
Neptune in Aries could submerge that Virgo intelligence in the highly charged oceanic consciousness of a religious, political, racial, or class grouping bent on expanding its influence and territory by martial means.
The positive expression of Neptune in Aries energy supports a spiritual practice of intense asceticism in pursuit of Ascension and liberation from the material world.
The positive expression of Neptune in Aries manifests as the eruption of the numinous and the luminous into everyday life, the sudden direct perception of subtle energy, nature spirits, and Higher Worlds.
Pentecost, Juan Bautista Maíno, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons
This planetary aspect favors all spiritual practices designed to achieve personal contact with the Holy Spirit over lighting humanity's collective consciousness.
Contact with Sacred Subtle Fire brings gifts of sudden illumination, karmic liberation, universal compassion and the ability to channel Universal Life Force Energy for healing purposes.
The positive manifestation of Neptune in Aries energies supports the efforts of Sun and Mercury at this Full Moon.
Channeling the positive energy of the Sun and Mercury at 4º54' Virgo with Neptune in Aries we can become "aware of nature spirits and other normally unseen spiritual beings," as the Sabian Symbol for this week's Sun suggests.
To take full advantage of these energies, resist any pull to join in with belligerent groups bent upon working their will in the world and exercise discernment, because these groups will be saturating social media, legacy media, and the collective consciousness with their divisive messages, in an attempt to control your mind.
Rape of Proserpina, by Peter Paul Rubens, Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Plutocrats who control social media, legacy media and government in the United States, and who desire more than anything to control your mind, are a prominent expression of the energy of Pluto in Aquarius, which is the other planetary aspect featured in this Full Moon's Yod formation.
Obviously, the negative expression of Pluto in Aquarius involves dragging the discerning intellect down into the collective subconscious and exercising control over the individual's mind, just as Pluto dragged Persephone down into Hades.
So be the antidote to the toxic Pluto in Aquarius energies swirling all around us.
Be gentle with yourself. Be gentle with others. Respect opinions that conflict with your own. Above all avoid power struggles that threaten your peace of mind.
The positive expression of Pluto in Aquarius in Spiritual Astrology involves surrender. The intellect, the monkey mind, must accept a trip to the Underworld, in other words an initiation into the mysteries of death and rebirth.
Pluto is the agent of the forces of Death, and presides over the death of desire, which leads to the death of the egoistic personality and its dissolution in the Universal collective consciousness.
Tarot Trump XIII, Death, from the Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris
This is the death that leads to liberation, to the resurrection of the power of the Soul, which then takes command of the Earthly vehicle that was in the thrall of the egoistic consciousness.
Any experiences that break down the sense of the separate self, and that diminish our habitual selfishness, are potentially Plutonic in nature.
With Pluto in Aquarius in the Yod formation this Full Moon, impacting the Sun/Mercury in Virgo conjunction, we are urged to examine where in our lives we are acting out of a sense of selfish desire or lust for power over others, and to take part in therapies or spiritual practices designed to dissolve the egoistic intellect and empower the small still voice of the Higher Mind.
By doing this hard and painful work, we exercise our Spiritual Will and move forward rapidly on the Ascension path.
It is worth repeating that the energy of this powerful Full Moon Yod will remain active in our collective consciousness for up to six months to come, giving us plenty of time to take advantage of its transformative power.
This week's Full Blood Moon sits at 4º54' Pisces, opposing Sun and Mercury in Virgo. The Sabian Symbol for this Full Pisces Moon is "A church bazaar".
This symbolism reminds us that our relationships are sacred exchanges of energy, and that our interdependence with the social groups of which we are a part can reach its full flowering only when all parties involved adhere to the eternal wisdom teachings found in Mystery Schools of the East and West.
Even our most "mundane" activities, buying and selling, working at our jobs, and engaging with those around us at work, can become sacred energy exchanges if we perceive them in that light.
The Full Pisces Blood Moon transits the midpoint of the Neptune/Pluto sextile, supporting the Barbault's Basket formation of planets that features long term harmonious aspects between Neptune, Pluto and Uranus. Read more about Barbault's Basket in our Strawberry Full Moon in Capricorn, Cancer Solar Festival 2026 Cosmic Weather Forecast.
Sound like a complex astrological pattern? Wait, there's more!
The Full Pisces Blood Moon sits near the North Node in the last degree of Aquarius, conjunct the Moon in Pisces and the South Node sits in the last degree of Leo, conjunct Sun and Mercury in Virgo.
Constellation of Aquarius, Book of Hours by John Glines, 1470-1480, courtesy of Morgan Library
This is the first time the North Node inhabits the sign of Aquarius in two decades, and the North Node will remain in that sign for the next 29 months.
Previous North Node in Aquarius cycles featured epochal changes in the world order, and we can expect the current transit to echo these historical examples of global transformation.
The last transit of North Node in Aquarius featured the Great Recession of 2008-2010. In the 1970-1972 transit, America took the dollar off the gold standard. In the 1933-35 transit we experienced the Great Depression.
No wonder financial astrologers are wary of the current North Node in Aquarius transit. It's also worth recalling that Republican Presidents over the last 130 years have presided over new all time highs in the stock market, and then seen a 30% decline or more from those stratospheric heights of speculative frenzy, reports financial astrologer Raymond Merriman.
Financial astrologers point to the AI bubble, to unprecedented levels of corporate and government debt, to constantly rising inflation, and to fossil fuel supply disruptions as potential triggers for a stock market meltdown.
This Pisces Full Blood Moon Eclipse also features yet another highly energized, overly stimulating aspect that commands our attention.
Uranus with rings, 3-D rendering by Alex Shuper for UnSplash+, Licensed under the Unsplash+ License
This Full Moon Eclipse week, Uranus is the focal point for a crazy-making Mutable T-Square.
Uranus in Gemini squares the Sun/Mercury conjunction in Virgo and the Moon in Pisces.
This mutable T-square triggers powerful energetic cross-currents in our lives.
We may feel at times as though we are on a merry-go-round or tilt-a-whirl that accelerates without warning and then suddenly decelerates, or reverses direction without warning, leaving us feeling fatigued and spent.
These cross-currents make it difficult for us to stay centered and grounded.
We may find that our ability to focus on our spiritual and material goals is diminished as we struggle to maintain forward movement while submerged in these energetic rip tides.
High resolution infrared image of Jupiter, Webb telescope, NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team
Fortunately, planetary Guru Jupiter in fiery Leo is trine Saturn in Aries, providing us with some much needed stability this Full Moon Eclipse week.
This strong Jupiter/Saturn trine feeds our ambition, our idealism, and our desire to achieve success in both worldly and spiritual realms of life.
We can find ways to manifest our dreams and visions for a better future under the influence of this benefic aspect.
Although this could be a nerve wracking overly busy Full Blood Moon Eclipse week for many of us, the quality of this time is very supportive of spiritual practices designed to connect us with Higher Mind, Higher Purpose, Guides and Teachers.
Let us all take advantage of this opportunity to reflect upon the urgency of the current global PolyCrisis, especially on the accelerating pace of climate change.
The Dolphin Psalm, Magic Lantern Drawing by Jane Sherry 1987
This Full Moon Eclipse is the right time to connect with the Devas, Elementals and Nature Spirits in our vicinity.
We humans can begin to heal our tattered ecosystems by reimagining our relationship to the land, the waters, the air, the plants and the animals around us.
Let us enter into a state of conscious reciprocity with the Nature Spirits, the sentient beings inhabiting all the elements.
You can explore the area where you live, or a park nearby, and your intuition will lead you to a tree that functions as the over-lighting Deva of the forested area you are exploring.
Jane and I recommend that you offer a small crystal bowl of milk and a precious crystal to the over-lighting Deva to invigorate the Nature Spirits so crucial to the growth and flowering of plant life in the area.
The Sacred Treasure of the Mountain, painting by Nicholas Roerich, Public Domain
You can also make such an offering beside a prominent water source, and connect to the Spirits of Water.
Enacting rituals of reverence for Nature and for the Nature Spirits helps to heal the rift with spiritual worlds created by humanity's long history of exploitation of natural systems, which now threatens to destabilize the environment all living beings depend upon for their continued survival.
Let us invoke the Sacred Subtle Fire of the Holy Spirit during this Pisces Full Eclipse Blood Moon with Neptune in Aries in a prominent position.
In prayer and meditation, enter the oceanic bliss of communion with the Piscean collective superconsciousness, for in that ocean you will find the most direct path to Divine Light.
Islands of NEOM – NEOM, Saudi Arabia, Free to use under the Unsplash License
Call upon Holy Spirit Fire by performing pranayama, qi gong, tai chi, and other practices designed to increase the flow of Universal Life Force energy through the human body and biofield.
Using your favorite crystals, prayers or rituals, project Sacred Subtle Fire into the collective consciousness, into the area around your home, and into any wounded ecosystems you may be aware of nearby you.
In this way we follow in the footsteps of the Ascended Master Yeheshua, whose sacrifice on the cross infused his own etheric body into the etheric body of Planet Earth.
This was Holy Spirit blessing and elevating the energy of the material world.
Now Lightworkers and spiritual aspirants around the world use crystals, Reiki techniques, and other methods to infuse the Sacred Subtle Fire of the Holy Spirit into human consciousness and into the material world, for the benefit of all sentient beings on planet Earth.
Curtis and Jane Selfie, Tin Coffee Pot, Old Salem
Jane and I send you all love and light from Satya Center, and we affirm that each one of us receives the grace and guidance we require to reach our most exalted spiritual and material goals.
Meditation Moment: Poem of the One World, by Mary Oliver
This morning
the beautiful white heron
was floating along above the water
and then into the sky of this
the one world
we all belong to
where everything
sooner or later
is a part of everything else
which thought made me feel
for a little while
quite, beautiful, myself.