The World's Magick

OpenAI scraped the entire web. All of which had been a labor of love from humans. Wikipedia is the backbone of a lot of LLMs, and that was volunteer human labor. They stole it and now they're selling it back to us.

But in my darkest hours, I believe that it has everything to do with undercutting the free internet, and killing competition. There is a very strong chance that it has to do with potential future market advantage, should the free sites, the labors of love, on the internet die out.

Even very small "free" websites have maintenance costs. Stuff like paying the ISP (internet service provider), maintaining the domain name (which has annual fees), or, if applicable, a website designer. These fees are relatively small, but the process has costs and is tedious. Of course, for the larger labors of love, like Wikipedia, there are tons more overhead costs, hence the annual donation requests.

How do small websites stay afloat? Some of the website owners eat the cost because they are passionate, principled and refuse to participate in the humongous data trading marketplace. These website owners might ask for donations from viewers, which can only be provided if the user actually views the site, and sees the ask.

But many more website owners can't eat those costs, so they participate in the advertising and data analytics marketplace. For these site owners who are hoping to break even, Views are Directly Tied to Their Ability to Subsist. Every view takes a cent (or a fraction of a cent) off of overhead. Even where the website is free, the views are the source of income to allow them to break even.

So when services like Google's AI Overview are designed remove the necessity of the user actually clicking to and viewing the human source, it is actively depriving these sites and creators from the money that is required for them to subsist. And when websites don't break even, they get shut down.

There are only a few places these sites and their info can be found after they disappear from the internet--the first is not easily searchable: the Internet Archive. You have to know about the original URL and turn back time to get to it.

The other is the AI, which ingested these people's labors of love for free into its model, and then deprived them of mere subsistence.

And as we see with large companies emptying out the market of competitors (e.g. Uber to taxis), access to the service originally offered at a loss will get more and more expensive. In markets stripped of competition, there are very few caps on the amount a service can charge.

So yes, AI is burning the library of Alexandria, but I would more say that it is operating a war of attrition. It is starving the library of Alexandria out, librarian by librarian, book by book. And once the shelves are empty, there will be nowhere else to go to for truth but the monster that consumed the world in its greed, and left the rest of us to starve.

To Gaia, mother of all, shall I sing:

The oldest one, firm foundation of all the world.

All things that move over the face of the earth,

All things that move through the sea, and all that fly:

All these are fed and nourished from your store;

From you all children and all good harvests come forth,

O blessed one, our mother earth.

                      💫 🌍 💫 

O blessed one, mother of all mankind,

The giver of life and the taker of life away,

For mortal men, happy are those you honour:

Your fertile earth yields up riches to satisfy all their needs;

Their cities and their homes are filled with all good things;

Well-ordered lives of men and women you bless:

Good fortune is theirs.

Their children sing for joy and delight,

Exulting in their youth, they dance through the flowers;

And over the grass they dance for joy.

It is you who bless, it is you who nourish,

Sacred spirit, mother earth.

                            💫 🌎 💫 

Be well, be well, mother earth,

Lovely bride of starry heaven, of starry heaven;

And for my song grant me life both full and long.

It is you who bless, it is you who nourish,

Sacred spirit, mother earth, our blessed mother earth.

I shall remember you, and another song too.

You’re feeling upset? No, don’t sit in your discomfort and learn how to regulate, get out your phone.

You’re feeling lonely? No, don’t leave your home and participate in community, go on your phone.

You’re feeling bored? No, don’t get out a craft or read a book or learn a new skill, scroll on your phone.

You want to go somewhere? Okay, well you used to have to ask other people the best route to get there, or you had to pull out a physical map and visualize how you wanted to get there. It was not automatically digitally created for you. You had to build spacial awareness and visualization.

You want to talk to a specific friend? Okay, well you used to have to intentionally put in effort to sustain that friendship by writing letters, or waiting until the evening or weekend to catch up about everything you both experienced. You were not attached at the hip all day by text bubbles.

You want to learn about a specific subject? Okay, well you used to need go to the library to read several books about it or know a person who knew more than you, and discuss it.

February is a “3” Universal Month [1 (2026) + 2 (February) = 3] in a “1” Universal Year.  The energy of the month is dominated by our first Mercury retrograde of 2026, Saturn re-entering Aries, and the beginning of eclipse season.

The Set Up

We begin the month with a major planetary pileup as the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto are all in the fixed air sign of Aquarius. Additionally, retrograde Jupiter is in Cancer, Saturn is in Pisces, retrograde Uranus is in Taurus, and Neptune is in Aries. By the end of the month, the Sun, Mercury, and Venus will have moved on into Pisces, and Saturn will have entered Aries. Mercury will also retrograde, and Uranus will station direct.

The Nitty Gritty

February is one of the biggest months of 2026, energy-wise, as it includes three major astrological events: the first Mercury retrograde of the year, the beginning of eclipse season, and Saturn's return to Aries. These events will dominate this month, creating vibes that will feel deep and intensely meaningful, but also at times unfathomable. All eyes are on Pisces and the two signs on either side of it (Aquarius and Aries). We are on the precipice of something, right at the very edge. Some of us are going to want to free jump and get the inevitable over with, while others will pull back in fear. This is going to create a big divide, and it looks like each side cannot understand the other.

Pack your very best patience if you can, and try to find some middle ground. It may not be possible.

Saturn enters Aries

If you've been following along for a while now, you might remember that THE big astrology of last year was many of our planets (the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Neptune) crossing over the border between 29° Pisces - the end of the horoscope - and 00° Aries, the beginning. This represents a major ending and the beginning that necessarily follows. Notably, both Saturn and Neptune crossed over into Aries and then stationed retrograde, reversing their paths right back into Pisces soon after, where they remained through the rest of this year.

This was the setback. Two steps forward, one step back.

Now, on 2/13, Saturn will re-enter Aries and stay there. Happy Saturn Return to all of you Saturn in Aries folks! Anytime Saturn changes signs is a big deal, as it only does so every 2.5 years. Each time is a new start, a new day, complete with new challenges represented by its sign placement. But only once every 28 years, Saturn crosses the threshold of the horoscope and enters 00° Aries once more. This isn't just a beginning, it is THE beginning.

This is the cosmic right time to start a significant project if (and this is a big if) you are personally willing to put in the hard work to get it done. Triflers need not apply. If there is one piece of advice that should reverberate throughout all talk about astrology its that you should not, under any circumstances, fuck around with Saturn. You WILL find out, and it will not be pretty. I don't want to hear any of this "but Saturn is my bro" nonsense, because the planet of consequences is nobody's friend. That isn't to say you can't work with Saturn, or even reap extreme benefits from doing so - consequences can be rewards just as much as they can be punishments - but Saturnian work should never be undertaken lightly.

A caveat to all of this: Aries is the sign of Saturn's fall, which is a fancy way of reminding y'all that Aries is the opposite sign of Libra, Saturn's exaltation. In Aries, Saturn can make people extremely foolish. People can start thinking that they can do it all themselves, and that they don't need other people after all, or at all, really. This goes doubly for Americans in particular, but also for anyone who was raised in a Western culture that overly prizes individualism over collectivism. Through Saturn's exaltation in Libra, we can see the very plain message: we all benefit from working together.

We are seeing this playing out horribly in American politics right now, as the MAGA-dominated ruling elite are valuing might-is-right (definitely a Martian/Aries ideal) and extremism, things associated with immature Saturn in Aries behavior. Immature Saturn in Aries says "only I matter", and everyone will have to grapple with this reality - to a greater or lesser degree - over the coming years.

The biggest issue with this immature Saturn in Aries behavior is that the consequences still come. How quickly those people hit that wall will depend on many factors, many of which are related to levels of privilege. When Daddy has all the money in the world, you can afford to fail at a business venture. When we make people in power immune to prosecution, they can afford to maim and kill. I speak of these realities because they are all a part of the harsh, Saturnian experience. Sometimes Saturn in Aries demands physical violence (that is, again, the martial Aries way) and sometimes it demands the balancing of scales, through the courts, the way of Libra, Aries's cosmic opposite.

Both of these things will likely be strongly in play over the next two and a half years. That should not come as a surprise to anybody whose been paying attention.

These battles stretch far beyond the individual for most of us; Saturn isn't a personal planet, after all. But we still have to live in this world. The best way to manage Saturn in its fall is to get back to the nitty-gritty, the day-to-day activities that get you through this shitstorm, but also the ones that bring you joy or solace. Saturn in Aries can be overly individualistic in its worst form, but it does give us a deep, unending energy to fight. To resist. To be resilient in the face of adversity.

It's easy to fall into the trap of seeing planets in their detriment as all red flags and danger signs. Certainly, some astrologers will paint this in that light. But each sign placement of Saturn is necessary; it is a part of the endless circle of life. Pisces in Saturn made many people overly complacent, revealing the bad actors. Now we know who they are. You can't move forward until you've culled the ties that are holding you back. That is what this transit is made for. It's not pretty, but it IS necessary.

Our Lights: the Sun and the Moon

As the Sun moves through Aquarius, it squares off with Uranus in Taurus on 2/16 (incidentally, for the last time before Uranus enters Gemini later in the year). It is otherwise unaspected until it enters Pisces on 2/18 and conjuncts the North Node on 2/27 during the middle of eclipse season. What's going on doesn't feel overly personal, at least not until Mercury retrogrades at the end of the month.

The month begins with a full moon at 13° Leo on 2/1. When the full moon falls on the 1st, we can interpret that as a sign of intensity in the month ahead. The energy, rather than waning, as is typical in the cycle from full to new, will either gain in intensity or stay at a sustained high. This makes a great deal of sense considering that our new moon on 2/17 is a solar eclipse. This is our event horizon, sucking us down and into the unknown of the eclipse cycle.

Still, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Our full moon on 1/2 sits at 13° Leo, widely conjunct to Mercury (19°), Venus (18°), and Mars (06°) - this day, of any day in the entire month, might feel especially personal. The Sun is in its exile, opposed to the Moon in the sign of the Sun. Emotions can get quite volatile under the light of a Leo full moon, especially for people who are caught up in their own egos. This is the height of midwinter, when some people forget that they will ever see the Sun again.

I'm not a big one for Imbolc, which is usually celebrated on the 1st or 2nd of February, but I think a lot of the ideas that go along with this holiday will be useful here. Be your own light. Make your own light. Do what you need to do to remember that things will get better, spring will come again, and nothing lasts forever in our ever-turning world. Leo is a fire sign, so candle magic or fire magic are highly augmented during this lunation, as is all work with the Sun, weak as it is in the Northern hemisphere during this time.

Whether you view the Sun as the child, eternally born in the spring and set to die at the winter Solstice, as a friend and/or foe who gives and takes life at will, as a living god in their myriad of forms, or anything in between - this is one of our two Sun-days of the year. And this one falls on a Sunday. This is highly auspicious.

Eclipse Season and our Solar Eclipse at 28° Aquarius

Our eclipse season begins on 1/17 with a solar eclipse at 28° Aquarius. This is what all of this fuss all month is about (well, this AND Saturn). This is an off-element eclipse, meaning that the lunar nodes are still on the Pisces-Virgo axis (water/earth), but this eclipse is in Aquarius, an air sign. This makes this eclipse a bit precognitive; later this year, our lunar nodes will switch to the Aquarius/Leo axis, and we are getting a bit of a sneak peek into what is yet to be.

Circle 2/17 on your calendar because this is going to be a huge deal. As well as being a solar eclipse, the Aquarius new moon is (almost) always the day of the lunar new year (this upcoming year is the year of the Fire Horse), and this year it also coincides with Fat Tuesday, the end of Mardi Gras/Carnival, and the last day before Lent. I know some of y'all are already rolling your eyes because you don't believe in the lunar new year, or you are not a Catholic. That's not really the point. We've got a major confluence of cultures: witches (new moon), most of the Eastern nations (lunar new year), and Catholics all over the world, all in synch with one another, focused on one single day. A day that is also eclipsed.

That's a significant part of the earth's population all focused on one day. That doesn't happen very often - on 1/1, during significant religious holidays, and during the eclipses and equinoxes. Note that each of these are also strong, power days.

It's also worth noting that the Sun and Moon will be tightly square (within 1°) to Uranus in Taurus. Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius, and the great unmaker, which seems relevant here. Sun square Uranus, technically exact the day beforehand, is one of our Red Flag days of the year. It's likely this energy will carry into the eclipse, so the day should be approached somewhat cautiously. Avoid explosives, physically and metaphorically.

All of this makes it appear this will be an overcharged, energetic day. Those who enjoy significant amounts of energy will love this; those who get overwhelmed, not so much. Where do you fall on this scale? Do you tend to get really turned on by eclipse energy, or do you feel overwhelmed? Do you have planets within 05° (23° in the air/fire signs to 03° in the earth/water signs) in conjunction, square, opposition, or trine to this solar eclipse?

If you want to fuck around with eclipse magic, this is the day to do so. This energy can be used to shift fate and light a fire in your own life. Expect any energy cast within 12 hours of this lunation (exact at 7:01 AM EST/UTC-5:00) to take off running, and account for that in your magic. This is not for the faint of heart; if you are not prepared to find out, DNI. Many planetary magicians warn against working with eclipse energy, and with good reason. I don't necessarily agree with them, but the advice remains sound.

Despite the new moon, this is not the day to call in solar energy; remember that the Sun is being eclipsed by the moon, which is physically moving in front of the Sun and blocking its light. This eclipse will not be visible to most of us, but that does not negate its effects.

If working on the eclipse proper isn't your thing, you have two weeks post-eclipse (until 3/3) to do magic that is empowered by eclipse season without the wild magic edge of working with the eclipses more directly. This is the eclipse window, sometimes called the eclipse "portal" (which I kind of hate because of its association with the new age crowd, but it's not the wrong word either).

Standard eclipse season advice applies: eclipses act, at least partially, like time out of time. Metaphorically, we could call it Vegas: what happens in eclipse season stays in eclipse season. That gives you some idea of how magic in relation to eclipses needs to work; it is supercharged by the eclipsed energy and our connection to the lunar nodes, but it also needs to break containment, somehow. The lunar nodes are often called the Nodes of Fate; historically, they were known as the Dragon of Fate. The North Node/Head of the Dragon points toward the future, and the South Node/Tail of the Dragon points towards the past. This isn't really the "what comes around goes around" woo modern idea of fate, and it doesn't negate free choice. (Nothing in astrology negates free choice for fuck's sake)

But it is an opportunity to access the predestined fate you were given at the moment you took your first breath. Whether you do so, as always, is up to you.

There is a famous saying among astrologers: trust what arrives or leaves during eclipse season - those doors are opening or closing for a reason.

The two biggest dates during eclipse season are, of course, our solar eclipse on 1/17, and our lunar eclipse on 3/3 - but second to that, we should include the day that the Sun enters Pisces on 1/18 and the day the Sun conjuncts the North Node at 09° Pisces on 2/17. Those are days to do solar magic with eclipse energy, if you so desire.

I will write about this upcoming eclipse season in the weeks ahead - stay tuned!

Mercury Retrogrades 22° Pisces

On 2/11, Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 08° Pisces, unofficially beginning our first Mercury retrograde of 2026. I say "unofficially" because the average layperson only considers their retrogrades proper, the days that Mercury moves in backward motion, to be of note. But Mercury's retrogrades (and all retrogrades) happen in three parts: the pre-retrograde shadow, the retrograde proper, and then the post-retrograde shadow. Without acknowledging all three parts, we are missing the whole lesson of retrograde cycles.

As Mercury retrograde, it will pass over 08°-22° Pisces three times in total: first moving forward in its pre-retrograde shadow, a second time in retrograde moving backwards, and a third time as it moves forward once more. This puts a significant emphasis on 08°-22° Pisces and any planets (in the skies and in our charts) that make a strong aspect (conjunct, square, or opposition firstly, and trine secondly) to it. This lesson is told in three parts.

I will use the tried-and-true hole-in-the-ground metaphor.

1. (pre-retrograde shadow) Oh, I fell into a hole in the ground. I didn't even see it here. It definitely isn't my fault because I didn't know there was a hole. 2. (retrograde) FUCK! That same hole! Why is it still here? I guess I need to climb out again, and maybe I should look out for it next time. 3. (post-retrograde shadow) Hey! There's that fucking hole! It felt like shit to fall in, and I had to climb back out, and it took all day. I will walk around it this time.

At least, that's best case scenario. Some people never see, and some people never learn.

In this way, retrogrades are a time of retrospection. They tend to slow time down and give us space to turn inwards. They are better used to rethink, reconsider, and reconstruct (sometimes even deconstruct) than to start new things or move forward. Each planetary retrograde's effect falls within its domain; in Mercury's case, that is communication, technology, and travel. We can expect the effects of this retrograde to fall somewhere within these domains.

As a personal planet, Mercury's retrograde affects everyone to a greater or lesser degree. They are most likely to impact those with planets in Gemini and Virgo (Mercury's natural rulership), those born when Mercury is retrograde, those in the fields of Mercury's domain, and those whose natal birth charts are strongly impacted by the current retrograde.

We should also note that Pisces is the sign of Mercury's exile and Mercury's fall, the "worst" placement for Mercury in the horoscope. This retrograde will be especially deep and emotional, something that doesn't bode well for the planet of communication. Expect miscommunications, tech snafus, and travel delays, just at baseline.

I'll write more about this particular retrograde as we get closer to 2/26, the day Mercury retrogrades at 22° Pisces; stay tuned!

Our Personal Planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars)

I've already talked about Mercury extensively, so I won't focus on them other than to mention that they enter Pisces, the sign of their exile and their fall on 2/6, where they will remain for most of the next three months. This is the long game; people are going to be uncommunicative and dysregulated for a hot minute, so we might as well dig in and pack every bit of patience and understanding that we can manage. Communication gets rough every time Mercury enters Pisces, and we are experiencing a retrograde on top of it.

The upside is that Venus also enters Pisces on 2/10, and Pisces is the sign of her exaltation - the BEST placement for Venus. This helps to even the score a little bit, vibes-wise, because Venus is universally loving and forgiving in Pisces. Mind you, although everybody deserves to be loved (I won't budge on this point, sorry, not sorry), not everybody deserves to be forgiven. We do need to watch out for people pleasing and being taken advantage of while Venus is in mutable water.

Venus and retrograde Mercury meet up in conjunction on 2/28, solidifying this point. Sometimes love flows best with distance and boundaries. Don't say I didn't warn you.

As for Mars, he is finally falling behind the faster-moving planets and remains in Aquarius all month long. This isn't the best Mars placement; we may be too slow (Saturn) and too fast (Uranus) at the same time. This will likely be background noise compared to the other, more pressing planetary aspects.

Looking Ahead

March looks somewhat easier than February, but it does include our second eclipse on 3/1 and most of Mercury's retrograde proper, so it won't be "easy". Emotions will be heightened but mostly unconscious; it'll be a good time to pack your proverbial umbrella to help avoid other people's storms. Things will start to settle out more as we enter Aries season on the Spring Equinox, on the same day that Mercury stations direct.

The Details

2/1 - Full Moon 13° Leo 2/3 - Uranus stations direct 27° Taurus 2/6 - Mercury enters Pisces 2/10 - Venus enters Pisces 2/11 - Mercury enters pre-retrograde shadow 08° Pisces 2/12 - Mercury conjunct North Node 09° Pisces (1) 2/13 - Saturn enters Aries 2/16 - Mercury in Pisces trine retrograde Jupiter in Cancer (1), Sun in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus, Venus conjunct North Node 09° Pisces 2/17 - Solar Eclipse 28° Aquarius 2/18 - Sun enters Pisces 2/20 - Saturn conjunct Neptune 00° Aries 2/22 - Venus in Pisces trine retrograde Jupiter in Cancer  2/26 - Mercury retrogrades 22° Pisces 2/27 - Sun conjunct North Node in Pisces 09° Pisces 2/28 - retrograde Mercury conjunct Venus 22° Pisces

Uranus stations direct 27° Taurus (Tuesday)

Outer planetary movements don't have the same impact as our personal planets or even Jupiter and Saturn, but they are still changes in movement. As Uranus stations direct, it will begin to move towards the border of Gemini, which it will re-enter later this year. (Uranus was in Gemini briefly in 2025)

That's our moment. But we take the first step in getting there this week.

Very few people (if any) will notice this change. The personal planets are beyond human comprehension. But it is a change, and so we note it.

Mercury in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus (Thursday)

As Mercury, Venus, and eventually the Sun make their way out of Aquarius this month, they have to meet up with an intense fixed square to Uranus in Taurus. This is the last time this aspect will occur on the fixed axis; by the time it next occurs, Uranus will be in Gemini.

Fixed squares tend to hold steady; they are fixed, after all. The thing is, if they break, they break HARD.

Mercury square Uranus isn't generally that bad; it could indicate conflict over a fixed mindset. The breaking could indicate a mind crumbling, but also could provide great insight. Uranus is consider the higher octave of Mercurial energy; where Mercury is conscious though, Uranus is the wild inspiration that comes from the beyond.

Normally, I encourage Mercury work to be done on the day Mercury enters a new sign, but Mercury is about to enter Pisces, the sign of both its fall and its exile. If you want to work with Mercury through this transition, do so on Thursday, when you can gain some (fleeting) access to Uranus rather than when they enter Pisces.

Mercury enters Pisces (Friday)

Mercury, our fastest moving planet, is planning on a eleven week stay in Pisces, the sign of both its exile AND its fall. Grab a life preserver or at least a pair of floaties, communication (and technology and travel) is about to get watery and untenable.

The reason for Mercury's excruciatingly long stay is due to their retrograde, which will run from the end of February most of the way through March, stretching from 22°-08° Pisces. Mercury retrogrades seldom make sense, and this one is stuck in the collective unconscious of the 12th house, ruler by mutable, watery Pisces.

This could be a little bit of fun if you want to play around with 12th house or Piscean themes (especially if you're a bit of an intellectual masochist), but for everyday activities, it is going to be the absolute pits.

There's no way around it. This is the astrological weather, we just need to swim in it.

I have a very old oracle deck from the 90s that offers wisdom that seems to apply here: when you step into the water of life, you have a few choices. You can sink, you can swim, or you can float along.

Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac: it is at once everything (the culmination of all of knowledge accrued by the other signs) and nothing (the primordial ooze from which future life must arise). The Piscean school of fish point in both directions, towards the past and the future.

We are all currently moving AWAY from Piscean energy. Neptune left Pisces in January, Saturn will do so this month, and the North Node will do so later this year. Mercury's long sojourn in this sign is an indication that we need to think about, consciously or unconsciously, what has kept us in this Piscean state for so long.

Venus in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus (Sunday)

This is a repeat of Mercury's square earlier in the week, but this time we are focused on our emotions and relationships rather than our thoughts. This could cause mild relationship stress, especially when the partners' needs are very mismatched.

TL;DR

ID 2: Tumblr tag that says: what is he reading that put them to sleep. End IDs.]

Please, please, PLEASE.....

✧ Magic systems with actual consequences that aren't just "ooh I'm tired now." Like your wizard gets hiccups that turn into burps of flame for three days. Your necromancer's hair falls out in clumps. Your healer has to absorb a percentage of the pain they cure and spends evenings crying in the bath.

✧ Fantasy creatures that are just... kinda mid at their designated thing. Dragons who are afraid of heights. Vampires with a garlic intolerance that's more "lactose intolerant at a pizza party" than "instant death." Werewolves who transform but just become a really anxious medium-sized dog.

✧ Prophecies that are vague because the ancient oracle genuinely had terrible handwriting. Nobody can agree if it says "the chosen one" or "the chicken coop" and honestly both are equally possible at this point.

✧ Magic schools where students are failing because the curriculum is actually hard, not because they're the chosen one having drama. Let someone flunk Potions because they can't math the ratios. Academic probation exists in fantasy too.

✧ Dark Lords with the most mundane administrative problems. Yes, he's conquering the realm, but also the castle's plumbing is a nightmare and his generals keep submitting their expense reports late.

✧ Worldbuilding that remembers disabled people exist in fantasy settings too. No, not just "magically healed." I mean fantasy wheelchairs, accessibility spells, sign language variations, service dragons, the whole deal.

✧ Taverns that aren't just quest-dispensing machines. Sometimes the innkeeper is closed for a family emergency. Sometimes there's karaoke night and it's bad. Sometimes they're out of the stew because Greg ordered all of it.