Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire – Part One
Much has been made of the never-been-repeated planetary alignment that perfected on July 19, 2026 and has come to be known as “Barbault’s Basket,” named for the French astrologer Andre Barbault, who discovered the cycle.
Barbault discovered his first planetary cycle in 1936 when he was 15 years old–prior to all the computing power we now take for granted. To learn more about Barbault, his cycles, and the meaning of them in context of 20th and 21st century history, I refer you to this wonderful talk featuring astrologer Lynn Bell.
The “basket” configuration, a trine/sextile extravaganza in Fire and Air, ushers in a great shift for humanity. We are collectively moving out of the patriarchal density – earth and water-bound – into free-flowing air, which fuels fire. Hence the title of this short essay. The Shift is reflecting the new norms: the supply chain moves on the blockchain, a nearly cashless society moves money through apps and the Cloud, and a more productive white and pink collar workforce work from home.
The elemental shift is dangerous, exciting and open to surprises. Uranus, the planet of spontaneity and unpredictability is at the forefront of this freedom movement, completing its ingress into data-driven Gemini on April 25th 2026, until it makes its final exit in May 2033.
Fire is intuitive, air is knowledge and movement. Discoveries and new information come at lightning (Uranus) speed, and that which was obsessively hoarded and hidden must come to light for the good of the collective (Pluto in Aquarius). Is it any wonder that the AI age has come on like gangbusters?
Although life in 2026 may seem rather dark and unsettling to many of us, Barbault saw these times as an era of upswing-being lifted into a lighter level of being, and by necessity–my thinking here–a higher level of consciousness, that allows for the equality-minded Aquarian energy and the Leo generosity of heart (Jupiter) to ground our uniquely-driven dreams and imagination into functional fulfillment here on earth (Saturn and Neptune in Aries).
That’s not to say it will be easy, or conversely that we can sit around and do nothing because of the grand air trine. The sextiles tell us we have to put in some sweat equity. However, everything points to starting anew, and with wind in our sails. Fire burns and cleans. The new is built upon the ashes of the old infrastructure.
Rudhyar said the sextile is when a difficulty gets pushed into the light and can be worked with. So let’s work on ourselves, and our communities and see how we can be the change we want to see.
As my friend and teacher Rick Levine always says, “Think Global, Act Local.”