André Lucien Barbault was a French astrologer who began his rigorous training in Paris at the Centre International d' Astrologie in 1936. He was only fifteen at this time, but already deeply invested in this mysterious craft that seemed like the perfect balance of human nature and mathematics. Why should we care about this one astrologer? All I have to say about that is he accurately predicted the exact timing of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, our current astrological transits are positive in nature and suggest a major turning point for this strange energy that 2026 has brought us so far. It may even be a major turning point for the 21st century. Here is a mini history lesson on one of the world’s most accurate astrologers.
Barbault was a very detail-oriented, numbers-focused astrologer. This is perhaps one of the reasons we, as astrologers, are very excited about this upcoming event. Barbault’s Basket is the breakthrough of his lifelong research. The phenomenon is a specific geometric arrangement of slow-moving outer planets (Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) that form a pattern resembling a basket or cradle.
He came to conclusions about the “basket” through refinement of the Cyclic Index, a metric first devised by French astrologer Henri-Joseph Gouchon during the 1930s and '40s. Its calculation isn't complicated: you measure the ten smallest angular separations across all possible pairings of the five outer planets, then sum them into a single figure. Essentially, the small total means they are bunched together on one side of the zodiac wheel, while a high total indicates they're distributed more evenly around it. According to Barbault, periods with low index values lined up with times of widespread upheaval, whereas high values matched periods of calm and rebuilding.
There's genuine physics underlying part of this idea. When the solar system's largest planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—align on the same side of the Sun, the balance point of the entire system shifts accordingly, and this asymmetry can be measured. This balance is what NASA terms the solar system barycenter. Barbault contended that this measurable imbalance lines up with events in human affairs, though he stopped short of proposing any causal mechanism—only asserting that the pattern held consistently across long stretches of history.
Barbault—who died in 2019—believed that the planets of this moment—July 2026—marked the beginning of the 21st century’s most hopeful chapter. He called it “a splendid relaunch of civilization…a promotion of the lower strata of the world population, a significant rise in the standard of living of the poor, a victory over misery won in unprecedented solidarity.”
Specifically, there is much hope for institutional shifts: as Pluto moves through Aquarius and opposes Jupiter, this major transition challenges established power structures.
So, not to get all our hopes up too much, but I would say we are in for a majorly pleasant and prosperous time in the next few weeks. Finally, on July 23, Mercury retrograde will be over, and when we get to August 8th (the Lion’s Gate), we might feel like entirely lighter beings. Make sure to manifest and enjoy this shift in whatever way your body and mind entice you to.
