What to know
- Canadian astrologer and New York Times bestselling author Chani Nicholas has launched the CHANI app, offering human-written astrology readings, meditations and tools.
- Nicholas, who first encountered astrology at age 12 in Brampton, now reaches millions through her books, social platforms and digital tools.
- She says 2026 will continue the “new reality” that began in 2025, marked by major structural and societal shifts starting as early as February.
- The astrologer predicts a summer of advancements, with August potentially bringing a significant leadership shake-up.
As the countdown for the new year begins, a renowned Canadian astrologer says 2026 is bringing major personal and social shifts that can shake up the world, including Toronto.
Renowned Canadian astrologer and bestselling author Chani Nicholas inspires millions of people with her insights about astrology and advice rooted in chart readings.
The expert’s first contact with astrology in Brampton, when she was only 12 years old, and her family received their first astrology reading, which felt revealing for her.
“The astrologer started talking, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. I’ve never heard of this, but it makes so much sense to me.’ I felt very seen. I felt very contextualized,” she told Now Toronto.
Decades later, Nicholas made astrology her career, guiding people to “live their life’s purpose” as a counselling astrologer. With over 20 years of experience, she also inspires over 655,000 followers by sharing astrological knowledge and helpful advice, and over one million monthly readers with her New York Times best-selling book You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance.
Recently, Nicholas has also launched astrology tech company CHANI, which helps people understand more about themselves and prepare for challenges, complexities and desires, in order to unlock their potential.
Besides a web platform, CHANI also offers an app with several helpful tools, including birth chart readings, weekly readings, meditations, affirmations, journal prompts, and more.
“My favourite thing about my job now is that I have a tech company that has zero AI. We will never have AI. We employ astrologers. They are human beings. I am a human being. I give readings. The astrologers and writers write everything in the app,” she said.
WHAT IS ASTROLOGY?
In astrology, Nicholas says what happens in the sky mirrors what happens on Earth. According to Nicholas, by analyzing patterns of planetary action and life on Earth throughout thousands of years, astrologers are able to find patterns over time: “when this thing happens in the sky, this thing seems to happen on Earth.”
Everything that comes into existence has its own chart — including people, countries, cities, businesses, and more — which allows astrologers to analyze their moment of birth and determine several things about them.
“We are like an amulet of the moment of time that we were born in. As an astrologer, I look at the chart, I look at the entire sky the moment something comes into existence, and to me, it’s literally like reading a report,” she said.
“It tells us your life purpose. It tells us your gifts. It tells us your challenges. It also tells us time periods, like when things are going to be difficult, when they’re going to be easy, when you should go, when you should pause.”
The expert says most people look for astrology especially in moments of crisis, which helps them understand the broader context of the moment they are going through, how long it will last, and how they can best navigate it.
“If an astrology reading is good, it should help to locate you inside of the chaos. It should help to locate your life’s path inside of this moment and be like, ‘Yeah, of course, you feel like that, and it’s not going to last…forever, but it’s also important, because it’s trying to help you do this thing.’”
WHAT CAN TORONTONIANS EXPECT FOR 2026?
As we approach the last few days of the year, Torontonians should prepare for another eventful year, full of meaningful changes.
According to Nicholas, the planet has recently gone through some tricky moments ahead of the holiday season, which made communication, shopping, and travels more challenging before Dec. 14.
Following the tricky period, Torontonians can expect a smooth transition into the new year, as the expert says a month full of positive things is ahead, from now until Jan. 14. However, that doesn’t mean that a boring year is ahead.
“Before we knew anything, we said that 2025 was going to be a game-changing year, that we were leaving a known reality and we were stepping into a new one…2026 is a continuation of that new reality,” she said.
The new year is coming with some big changes, starting with a groundbreaking moment that happens once in every three to four decades taking over as early as February, Nicholas says.
“What’s happening in February happens once every 36 years. The last time it happened, we did have the fall of the Berlin Wall…The planet of form and structure is meeting the planet of dissolving and disillusionment, and so something is going to crumble, some sort of boundary or wall comes down,” Nicholas explained.
@nowtoronto As the countdown for the new year begins, a renowned Canadian astrologer says #2026 is bringing major personal and social shifts that can shake up the world, including #Toronto. #astrology @chaninicholas ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
The expert adds that although change can be tricky, the new moment doesn’t mean something negative, and encourages people to make some positive changes for themselves and their communities.
“I think we have to do everything we can to move in solidarity with what is best for all involved. And I think that that requires each one of us to make a very specific decision within our being, that we will risk everything we can to make sure that happens,” she said.
“That is what I think is the most important resolution to go into 2026 with and wherever you are in the world, whatever communities you fall in: what is it that you want to dissolve?”
Following the big change, Nicholas says the summer months should bring “a lot of advancements,” with August promising major changes in leadership.
With the municipal elections in the horizon for Toronto next year, the astrologer says the month could also mean a major shift in the electoral run.
“I think you might see it’s going [one] way, and then by the time you get to August, it’ll go a different way. I think, let’s see. I could be wrong. Very close to the election time, don’t give up hope. You have to go all out towards the direction that you want until the very end,” she advised.
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For more information on the year ahead, check out the CHANI website.
