I am a Water Ox. By nature, I am the one who plows the field. I am steady, structured, and value the deep work of the “storage cellar.” For years, my strength was my resilience—but as we enter the Identity Era, that resilience is being recalibrated. I felt a shift that no “productivity hack” could explain—a friction in my very bones that signaled the end of the old way of doing and the beginning of a new way of being.
As a practitioner of the Trinity Mystic Method (TMM), I recognized this as a “contraction.” But as I began to dive into the lens of Chinese Astrology, I realized my personal friction was actually a symphony with the cosmos. I wasn’t just tired; I was being recalibrated for a new age.
Leaving the Plow: Navigating the Identity Era
This recalibration actually began in 2022. During a deep shamanic practice, I encountered two distinct guides: the Serpent and the Horse. They offered a specific medicine of healing and direction that I couldn’t yet name. Shortly after, while walking through San Francisco’s Chinatown, I felt a visceral pull toward a shop window. I walked out with a Wood Snake and a Red Horse in motion to place upon my altar.
It wasn’t until we entered the Year of the Wood Snake (2025) that I realized these weren’t just symbols; they were precursors. My Wood Snake was a true totem, guiding me through the Integrate phase of my own identity—shedding the layers that no longer served.
Now, as we prepare for the transition into the Fire Horse (2026), the “coincidence” of my red horse—captured mid-stride—has become a clear signal of the momentum to come. The plow is being left behind; the portal is opening.
The Cosmic Mirror: Pluto in Aquarius and the Identity Era
For those who practice Western Astrology, the electricity of the Wood Snake is mirrored by a once-in-a-lifetime planetary shift. We have officially entered the era of Pluto in Aquarius (a 20-year cycle that began in earnest on November 19, 2024). This transit is the ultimate wrecking ball for outdated, centralized power structures, both in the world and within our own identities.
As we move through February 2026, the sky is offering a literal “recalibration” map:
- The Final Pivot: On February 3, Uranus—the planet of sudden insight and the ruler of Aquarius—stations direct. This ends months of internal questioning and flips the switch to forward momentum.
- The Identity Reset: On February 17, we experience a Solar Eclipse in Aquarius. This is a massive “cosmic reset” that specifically targets our sense of belonging and our future vision. It asks: Are you building a life that reflects your soul, or just your conditioning?
- The New Blueprint: Just days later, on February 20, Saturn and Neptune meet at 0° Aries. This rare conjunction at the very first degree of the zodiac is the “Big Bang” moment for new beginnings. It is the marriage of the mystical (Neptune) and the practical (Saturn).
The message across every system is the same: The “Saturnian” era of heavy lifting and forced effort is over. We are now operating under “Uranian” laws of rapid insight and Aligned Action. The old structures of friction are being replaced by the new architecture of flow.
Navigating the Identity Era: A Roadmap for Aligned Embodiment
I am inviting you into an exploration of these energies. Over the next four weeks, I’ll be sharing how to bridge the gap between who we were and who the new era is calling us to be.
In this series, you can expect:
- The Death of Efficiency: Why your old “grind” habits are causing friction in a Period 9 world.
- The Medicine of the Snake: How to finish shedding the “skin” of 2025 without losing your core structure.
- Digital Authenticity: Why Identity Alignment is your only defense against a world of AI and deepfakes.
- Harnessing the Fire Horse: Strategies to handle high-velocity momentum without burning out (essential for my fellow Earth signs and Oxen!).
- The TMM Framework: Practical ways to Ignite, Illuminate, and Align your business and life for the upcoming cycle.
- The Period 9 Audit: A diagnostic tool to recognize when you are in a “contraction” and the exact steps to return to a state of Conscious Design.
The Path Forward: Turning Friction into Fuel
The “Fire Horse” doesn’t wait for those who are still tethered to the plow. We are moving fast, and I want us to move together.
Subscribe to my Substack to get these insights delivered to your inbox. Let’s turn your friction into the fuel for your most aligned year yet.
