Monday, February 16, 2026
Dark Moon
Jupiter Retrograde
Hello, friends! There is a lot going on astrologically this week, and this reading shows both disruption and something good coming out of it.
Today is the dark moon.
Tomorrow is a new moon, Chinese Lunar New Year starting the Year of the Fire Horse, a solar eclipse, and Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday. Saturn just left Pisces to go into Aries.
It will be easy to get swept away in it all, and it is important to stay grounded. As with any fresh start, you don’t have to do all of it on the first day. We’ve been clearing away, and now it’s time to set the track, so that we can start in a way that sustains us, instead of burns us out. Trying to do everything this week will hurt us. Measure your steps and your energy.
Remember, Jupiter, the planet of expansion, is still in retrograde. If we try to expand too fast, we will hit obstacles. And Mercury goes retrograde on February 26, which will slow us down, too. Instead of trying to do All The Things, do a single thing and make plans for what you want to do after Jupiter and Mercury both turn direct.
Pace yourself.
This month, we’re using The Enchanted Tarot by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber. I’ve had this deck since the mid-1990’s, but haven’t used it in a long time, so I look forward to reacquainting myself with it and growing with it this month. Each card is created as a multi-layered, symbolic tapestry. The book for this deck is also engaging. It contains a dream, an awakening, and an enchantment. The dream is the card’s story, the awakening is the card’s lesson, and the enchantment is an action to take to integrate it. I will be using my own interpretations, but I encourage you, if the deck speaks to you, to get your own copy and work with the deck and the book. You can learn about them and buy their books and decks here.
This is one of my spreads, that I call The Elemental Spread. It is very similar to many of the Medicine Wheel spreads I’ve seen, but I made a few tweaks to the way I use it over the years.
We start in the center, with Spirit/Self. This is the overall energy of the week, and how we relate to it.
We move to the position above, with is North/Tangibles, connected to the element of Earth, advice on how to deal with the week on a tangible, materialistic level.
We move clockwise to the third position, East/Thought, connected to the element of Air, advice on how to intellectually deal with the week.
Then we move down to the bottom of the spread, the 4th position, South/Passion, connected to the element of Fire, advice on how to deal with the week from a place of passion and identity.
Then we move up to the left side of the spread, the 5th position, West/Emotion, connected to the element of Water, advice on how to deal with the week from a place of creativity and emotion.
We wind up where we started, at the spirit center, integrating all the information for the week.
These interpretations are mine, based on my experience, intuition and responses to the artwork.
You may have a different experience. This is an overview of the week as it stands now; every decision we make from the moment of the reading can change the outcome. If there’s something in the reading that worries you, you have the information ahead of time so that you can plan, make better choices, or handle it differently than predicted for a better outcome. Tarot sets out possibilities, which you change through your choices and actions.
Center – Spirit/Self: The Tower
Yes, I flinched when I saw this come up as the central energy of the week. The Tower is one of my least favorite cards in the deck. It comes up when I’ve procrastinated, and now the movement is out of my hands, because I did not take action. So everything blows up. In my life, there is a single creative project on which I’ve been dragging my feet on which I had a breakthrough this weekend (rather than a breakdown), so I’m hoping that will get me back on track. I’ve been pretty good about staying on top of personal responsibilities. I’m wondering if this card has to do with something on a national level, in light of what’s been going on lately, and we all get swept up in it. Seeing this card makes me want to hide in my blanket fort, but that is not an option. No matter what, there will be pain and disruption involved.
North – Earth/Tangibles: Eight of Wands
The 8 of Wands is about things moving very fast. In this card, the wands are all moving in the same direction (in some cards they are not). It’s in the north, the position of tangibles, so the disruption of the Tower will send things moving very quickly. You cannot step back or put it off once the Tower has fallen. You must take action now, whether you feel ready or not. Direct the energy and the action so that it does not direct you.
East – Air/Thought/Intellect: Four of Wands
The 4 of Wands is a beautiful, wonderful card of building something that will stand the test of time. In spite of the disruption and fast movement, you are building something that will endure. Since it is in the position of thought, remember that “thoughts are things” and use your intellect in the building of this new direction. How you frame it to yourself and others will influence the stability.
South – Fire/Passion/Identity: Three of Pentacles
There is work to be done, and the 3 of Pentacles reminds us we don’t have to do it alone. Work within the community, ask for help, give help. Note that the position of tangibles holds a wand card of identity this week, and this position of identity holds a pentacle card of tangibles. The 8 Wands and the 3 Pentacles are talking to each other, through the Tower. Swift movement is easier with help. But you have to show up and do the work.
West – Water/Creativity/Emotion: Ten of Pentacles
This card states clearly to use your creative energy to create security. The 10 Pentacles is a wonderful card, and in this position of emotion and creativity, it tells us to use creative powers for something secure. Build your castle on a secure foundation. The insecure one blew up in the Tower at the center, but now you have a firm foundation. The 4 Wands in the opposite position again connects to the 10 Pentacles. They work together and support each other.
There are no hearts/cups in the reading, nor are there swords. There is the single Major Arcana in the center, indicating major disruption, and everything else is either a wand or a pentacle. It’s about creating the stable foundation for your true self, which works with Saturn moving into Aries.
Did anything resonate with you? Or did you get something different? I’d love to hear from you.