These days, I often find myself pausing between breaths, sensing a world shifting beneath my feet. The planetary energies are all changing and shifting — of this, there is no doubt. Just observe the rise of typhoons, earthquakes and solar flares. 

In our local geological monitoring site, we check for earthquakes happening across the Philippines, and every day there are tremors in the magnitude 3 to 4 range. Small, yes, but constant. 

Interestingly, these spikes often echo the solar flares and geomagnetic storms we track in another app. It feels as if Gaia is shaking at her very core, tectonic plates adjusting to a new rhythm. Think of the most recent earthquake in Ethiopia, which erupted after lying dormant for 12,000 years. 

These are not random occurrences. They are signals.

The Good Book calls our times the End Times — words that often evoke fear, yet for those who read the symbols in the heavens, they speak of a cycle ending so another may begin. Astrology marks this epoch as our transition into the Age of Aquarius, a time of awakening, innovation, and radical shifts in consciousness. Indian philosophy frames it as the movement from Kali Yuga into the next great age. Indigenous prophecies across the world echo similar messages: a Great Shift is upon us. An ending. A beginning. A bridge between worlds where spirituality and science will meet. But let us be honest — the bridge is chaotic. Volatility will be the norm for the next few years.

These macro energetic changes are not only affecting the Earth’s magnetic field; they are striking our micro-fields as well — our central nervous systems. We forget that we are not merely flesh and bone but are, at our essence, energy. Chi, prana, life force, spirit — whatever you want to call it, but the core truth remains. Quantum physics tells us the same: everything is vibration. As the planet moves into higher spheres of cosmic energy, we too are becoming more multi-dimensional. These shifts bombard our nervous systems, asking — sometimes demanding — that we recalibrate.

No wonder so many of us feel an undercurrent of existential anxiety. How can we not, when we recognize how little control we actually have over Mother Nature? And it is not only the Earth that is shaking. The geopolitical sphere looks equally chaotic. Governments and financial institutions wobble, outdated systems collapse, and societies erupt with tension. The tempo of the times seems to be acceleration — toward what, we are not yet certain. But we can sense that the old ways, the unsustainable ones, cannot hold.

So what do we do? What can we do? As 2025 draws to a close, I cannot help but reflect on the Chinese symbol for this year: the Snake, shedding its skin. Could there be a better metaphor? Our lives are being drastically altered, urging us to release old mindsets, limiting cultural perspectives, tired emotional patterns, and stagnant lifestyles. Even our relationship with health and mental well-being must evolve. The shedding is not gentle. It stretches us, exposes us, dissolves attachments we thought we needed.

And as we look to 2026, we are greeted by the year of the Fire Horse — an energy that will not canter but gallop with fiery speed. If we think this year has been chaotic, the next will be even faster, hotter, more demanding of our clarity and inner alignment.

All these changes — both planetary and personal — are pushing us to a new level of being. To step into this, we must release our shadows, our emotional baggage, the burdens carried for decades (or lifetimes, for those who believe in reincarnation). Addictive patterns, anxious loops, habits that keep us small — all must be loosened so that the new energies can enter. We must lighten up, literally and figuratively, because the planet itself is being infused with higher frequencies of light. And yes, chaos appears to be the carrier wave.

So, how do we prepare for 2026? First, we must tend to the true engine of our well-being: our central nervous system. In these intense times, learning to drop into our parasympathetic state — the realm of rest, digestion, recovery — is not optional; it is essential. Make time to rest. Breathe deeply. Engage in gentle exercise. Step away, regularly, from the noise and the stressors that hijack your peace.

Quiet the mind. Move away from excessive social media consumption. Create pockets of silence and reflection. Heal the emotions with joy, with play, with community. Open the body’s energetic circuit with regular movement — walking, stretching, anything that allows energy to flow freely again.

Re-examine your consumption patterns: the food you choose, the drinks you rely on, even the clothes you purchase. What you take in becomes part of your energetic field. Choose lightly. Choose consciously. And as the Christmas rush descends — with its demands, obligations, parties, and overstimulation — we must be even more discerning. Decide which gatherings truly nourish you. Decide what food brings vitality. Decide which traditions uplift rather than drain your spirit. December can be a powerful closing ritual — a time to seal the past year, to honor what was, and to consciously let go of what must not enter 2026. Because believe me: things will only get wilder.

Yet beneath the wildness lies the invitation of this Great Shift: to become more whole, more awake, more aligned with our true nature. To cross the chaotic bridge not in fear, but in awareness. Not in resistance, but in readiness. And perhaps, if we can steady our nervous systems, quiet our minds, open our hearts and lighten our energetic load, we will meet this new era with grace — not as victims of the times, but as co-creators of what is to come. The bridge is here. The crossing is now. Let us walk it with intention.