The Week of August 17th, 2026: Trusting your intuition between eclipses

Astrology of the Week Ahead with Chani Nicholas - CHANI

In this episode of 'Astrology of the Week Ahead,' Chani Nicholas explores the transformative energy of the week of August 17th, 2026, set between two major

Key takeaways

• Eclipse seasons bring major shifts—this week marks a transition between endings (Leo eclipse) and new beginnings (Pisces eclipse).
• Mars in Cancer creates emotional tension; confusion is not failure but data signaling the need to listen inwardly.

Main topics

• Eclipse season dynamics
• Mars in Cancer: conflict vs. care

Notable quotes

Multiple things can be true at the same time—lost yet lucky, confused yet in agency.

Confusion is its own information. If I'm confused, that means I don't have all the data yet.

Conclusion

As we navigate this week of cosmic flux between eclipses, Chani urges listeners to lean into intuition, honor

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Multiple things can be true at the same time. We can be in a really messy situation. We can feel a little lost. We can feel like things are a little beyond our control and we're not exactly sure what we should do next. And at the very same time, we can be in the midst of incredible luck and fortune and something good taking place. we can be confused in one area of our life, while at the same time, fully in our agency and able to make use of all opportunities flowing our way. Hello and welcome. This is the Astrology of the Week Ahead podcast. I'm your host, your astro bestie, Chani Nicholas. In this episode, we are talking about... the week of August 17th, which holds within it a multitude of realities. For one thing, we're in between eclipses. Last week, we had the first solar eclipse in Leo near the south node in a couple of decades. It was a total solar eclipse. It was sitting with Jupiter and the south node. It was one of those events that was astronomically incredible. because it's a total solar eclipse. And it was also happening on the same day as meteor showers. So visual, spectacular, amazing moment. And it was also the first of its kind. So we know that whatever happened last week, I'm recording this on August 4th. I don't know what's happening August 17th. I don't know what happened the week of August 10th. But we know that whatever is occurring right now. We are in the midst of a sea change. We are in the midst of a change of leadership. We are in the midst of a really big flux shift timeline jump. And it has a lot to do with leaders because that eclipse was happening in Leo. The next eclipse is the last eclipse of its kind. It's the last eclipse that's going to happen in Pisces. near the North Node in a couple of decades. So we just begun something new last week, and we're going to end something we've been working on for a couple of years next week. So again, we know we're in these crossover moments. Things are beginning, things are ending, people are coming in, people are going out. The nature of eclipse seasons is that they bring a really big turnover. And so it can be really destabilizing. And but also this week holds within it a very fleeting but very gorgeous moment of luck and help and opportunity. And I want us to embrace it and use it. And at the same time, as you might have noticed in the intro, it's also got a little bit of a confusing tone to it. Let's talk about it. Monday is full of contradictions. On Monday, Mars. who's just moved in to cancer, a sign that Mars does not do well in. Mars is a planet about action and conflict and charting a path in a certain way. And in cancer, it's a little wibbly wobbly because cancer goes sideways. Cancer is about creating bonds and connection, but Mars is about severing things. So it can feel like there's a little bit of an attack. On the system, it can feel like there's a little bit of like the calls coming from inside the house can feel like there's like a threat in a way to the ecosystem or to the family or to whatever it is that's usually supposed to create safety or a container. Mars there is like, oh, what's happening? Is there like a rogue cell that's like attacking other cells? Is there something? poisonous in the water, what's sneaky and what's around here. On Monday, Mars and Cancer makes a square to Neptune. Neptune is a fog. It's very dreamy. It's very creative, but it's not great if we're trying to get somewhere. And Mars is trying to go somewhere always. And so when Mars, the principle of energy and direction and cutting connects with a fog, or with something that creates a soggy condition, I could say, the sword of Mars gets soggy, or the direction that we're going in all of a sudden feels confusing. It's momentary. And there's a secondary piece of information that I want us to understand, which is that Mars is going to go from the square to Neptune, confusion and a kind of feeling of getting lost or being unsure. to a square with Saturn. And that is a moment of sticky, grindy, obstacle course type of astrology. And that's happening on September 1st. So we have a little ways to go. But the point is that we're going from a tricky and confusing situation into a difficult one. It's like, oh, we've hit fog. And now I don't know where I'm going. And then all of a sudden, oh no, there's a wall. Saturn's the wall. Neptune's the fog. We're going to hit the fog first and then the wall. So we're not going to have a very good sense of direction. And we're also in between eclipses. That's the bad news. The good news is that Venus, the planet of unions and the planet of relationships and the planet of values and how we connect, is making a sextile with Jupiter, the planet of wisdom and being able to build trust and having faith and having optimism. And so there's something really fulfilling and really fortifying here. in terms of our relationships and in terms of being able to be in the right place at the right time. It's also eclipse season, so things are shifting and changing. And you might notice, again, something that seems like a timeline jump. Like, okay, I was going in this direction, and then all of a sudden this opportunity came in, and now I'm over here. And the Venus-Jupiter helps us to take action. It helps us to make the most of... the good things that are coming through. So I want us to be acutely aware of any and all good things that are coming through. I want us to be acutely aware and on the lookout for all the little positive things that are occurring amidst a moment of like, hmm, that seems confusing, or this is a little chaotic, or there's a lot of turbulence around. And also, I might just not feel like going forth. and doing much because that's a Mars square Neptune kind of vibe too. It can feel like a little bit of anxiety because I don't know what to do. But we have to be okay with moments of indecision. We have to be okay with moments of confusion. Confusion is its own information. If I'm confused, that means I don't have all the data yet. If I'm confused, it means I have to stop and listen. What can I attune myself to? Now, Mars is in cancer, so Mars has to go down into the water, right? Mars has to be like, okay, if I go underwater, what can I attune myself to? Like there's some sort of fable, some sort of magical story about only being able to hear something once you're under the water. only being able to understand the direction once we get to know the current. So if you feel confused or if you feel uncertain about something, I want you to like submerge yourself into your instincts, into your gut instincts, into the kind of waters of your knowing, if you will, if that's not too woo-woo. I want you to think like, okay, well, what is my intuition saying? And if that feels too hard to get to, then I'm just going to pay attention to my feelings. How does my body feel? What is the sensation? There's other ways of knowing if I am all of a sudden finding myself in a fog. And if there's something like, you know, going on politically or in the world, that's like, oh, fog of war kind of vibes. And it's like, wait a minute. I don't want to get fooled