Eclipses occur when the sun, moon, and earth exactly align, causing their light to be obstructed from one another. This casts shadows and alters how our most visible planets, the sun and moon appear from Earth.
During a solar eclipse, the moon lands in between the sun and Earth, blocking the sun’s light from the Earth. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth falls between the moon and the sun placing the Earth’s shadow upon the moon. Solar eclipses will only fall on a new moon while lunar eclipses will only occur during a full moon.
Eclipses are a time of adjustments, transitions, and great endings or beginnings. Usually, the eclipse energy can cause turbulence on its own, without any effort on your part. They can bring karmic and fated events, which will happen one way or another, no matter which path you take.
If you’re destined for a certain path, the eclipse energy might give you a not-so-subtle nudge… tripping you up and knocking you down. Think of an eclipse as that over-dramatic person who has to turn everyday life into a soap opera. They’re here to shake things up and hopefully teach you valuable life lessons along the way.
The Astrology of Eclipses-
The eclipses occur in astrological pairs, with their “sister sign” the sign that is their exact opposite.
These pairs include Aries & Libra (Cardinal), Taurus & Scorpio (Fixed), Gemini & Sagittarius (Mutable), Leo & Aquarius (Fixed), Cancer & Capricorn (Cardinal) and Virgo & Pisces (Mutable). These pairs will experience multiple solar and lunar eclipses over two years.
Depending on which mode (Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable) the eclipses are in, you’ll generally feel these eclipses more or less. For example, if the eclipses occur on the Taurus/Scorpio axis, all of the Fixed signs (Taurus, Scorpio, Leo & Aquarius) will feel the added tension of the eclipses.
Solar Eclipse-
During the solar eclipse, the moon will pass between the sun and the earth, casting a shadow upon the earth. A solar eclipse will always occur during the phase of the new moon. At least two solar eclipses will happen in a calendar year with a potential maximum of five. Solar eclipses can be total, partial, hybrid, or annular.
Total Solar Eclipse-
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the face of the sun from the Earth. This causes a temporary darkening period, showing only the sun’s outermost layer (corona). Whether you can fully view it or not will depend on your location on Earth at the time.
Annular Solar Eclipse-
An annular eclipse takes place when the moon is or almost is at its furthest mark from the Earth. Therefore, the moon doesn’t completely block out the sun’s light, leaving the outer ring of the sun in view.
Partial Solar Eclipse-
A partial solar eclipse takes place when the sun, moon, and earth are not completely aligned. This leaves the sun’s light only partially covered, giving it a moon-like crescent shape.
Hybrid Solar Eclipse-
Since the earth’s surface is curved, a hybrid eclipse takes place when a total solar eclipse changes into an annular eclipse and then back into a total solar eclipse. Again depending on your location you’ll only see either or, not both. A hybrid solar eclipse is rare and only occurs about once a decade.
While it’s tempting to stare at these celestial bodies, it’s not recommended to stare at a solar eclipse. Without proper eye protection, you can do serious and permanent damage to your eyes.
Lunar Eclipse-
A lunar eclipse is when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon. This passing causes the earth’s shadow to dim the moon’s brightness or give it a reddish tint. A lunar eclipse happens during a full moon, occurring around twice or a maximum of five times per year. It can be either a total, partial, or penumbral lunar eclipse.
Total Lunar Eclipse-
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon moves into the earth’s innermost shadow (umbra) causing a red or orange hue. The cloudier or dustier the atmosphere is at the time of the eclipse will cause a more prominent colour.
Partial Lunar Eclipse-
A partial lunar eclipse sees an uneven alignment of the sun, moon, and earth. The moon passes through only a portion of the earth’s umbra, causing a partial shadow to cover the moon.
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse-
A penumbral eclipse is when the moon progresses through the earth’s penumbral (outermost shadow). The dimming of the moon here is faint, so unless you know it’s happening you probably won’t notice any change.
What Not To Do-
Since the eclipses are already so chaotic and unpredictable, manifesting, ritual work, or charging your crystals outside are highly NOT recommended. Whatever type of energy work you choose to do around this time might come back at you in ways you didn’t intend it to. It’s not worth the risk unless you’re into that kind of thing.
It’s not the best time for the consumption of drugs (even the natural ones) since the energy is too unstable and you’ll have a harder time staying grounded. Consuming large amounts of alcohol is heavily discouraged during this time.
People tend to get a little unhinged around the time of the full moon and since eclipses, especially lunar eclipses are like supercharged moons, mixing alcohol and a supercharged moon has the potential to become a recipe for disaster.
The term lunatic stems from people believing that the full moon can cause temporary insanity. Don’t pick fights with people and lay low as much as possible. If there are important conversations that you’ve been meaning to have, it’s best to wait until the energy is a bit more stable. It’s not the best time to ask your boss for a raise or to have that difficult conversation with your spouse that you’ve been putting off.
What To Do-
If you’re able, the eclipses are the perfect time to stay in and chill. Although it’s not recommended to do any type of ritual work, you can stretch, meditate, take a hot bath, journal your thoughts, read, or cook a healthy meal.
Don’t try to do too much. Anything that’s meant to happen for you, will happen. You don’t need to try to make anything happen and risk mucking it up. Our hustle culture of today is obsessed with doing more and more. However, there also needs to be time and space where the less you can do, the better.
Of course, life happens during astrological events and sometimes you’ll have to go out and attend work or events. Just be aware of the energy and plan for yourself accordingly.
This energy is nothing to fear but just to be conscious of. It’s like knowing it’s going to rain and taking an umbrella. Don’t cancel plans or flake on people because there’s an eclipse. Leave earlier than you would have, don’t say yes to another drink or any drugs, don’t gossip, and try to practice grounding at some point before you leave.
A Change is Coming-
Eclipses are nothing to be scared of but know that they bring about great change. Try to keep an open mind that the things happening in your life are probably for your greatest good. The changes that unfold are leading you to your highest purpose.
If you’re currently living a life that is unauthentic to you, but you’re forcing yourself to keep going in that direction, an eclipse might shove you onto a different path. It may seem jarring at first, but when you look back in hindsight, you’ll realize that things ultimately ended up for the better and you’re living a more true life.
Conclusion-
Eclipses hold a supercharged energy to them. When you pay attention to when they’re coming, you can place your energy accordingly, so that you work with, as opposed to against the energy in the sky.
Whether you’re dealing with a total, partial, annular, or hybrid solar eclipse or a total, partial, or penumbral lunar eclipse, you can align with the spirit of that particular eclipse.
Where you’re located in the world will depend on whether you can physically see the eclipse or not. Regardless of whether you can view it, the energy and effects will still be felt around the world.
Use eclipse time to chill out, meditate, stay at home, journal, lay low, exercise, or take a bath. The term “less is more” is a good phrase to live by while the chaotic energy of the eclipse is in the air. Eclipses are unstable and unpredictable. The less you can attempt to do the better. Manifesting or entering confrontations will likely not turn out as you had envisioned or planned.
Keep in mind that eclipses occur in pairs, Aries & Libra (Cardinal), Taurus & Scorpio (Fixed), Gemini & Sagittarius (Mutable), Leo & Aquarius (Fixed), Cancer & Capricorn (Cardinal) and Virgo & Pisces (Mutable).
Eclipses in your sign or another sign with the same mode (Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable) will affect you more heavily. Keep updated with when these eclipses are happening and in what sign and mode, so that you can prepare accordingly.
