Eclipses are fun astronomical phenomena, but can be daunting cosmic events! Dive in below to learn about eclipses.

What is an eclipse? (The Astronomy Part)

An eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are lined up in an exact straight line in space, causing the shadow of one body to fall on another. 

A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon, when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun. The Moon blocks the light of the Sun, and the shadow of the Moon falls on Earth. For people in the path of the Moon’s shadow on Earth, they see a total solar eclipse, while those just outside of the direct path see a partial solar eclipse. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is slightly farther away than usual (due to the imperfect circular orbit) and, despite fully passing over the Sun, does not completely block it out.

A lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon, when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. The Earth blocks the light of the Sun, and the shadow of the Earth falls on the Moon. Those experiencing night during the time of a lunar eclipse can see the shadow of the Earth move across the Moon before blocking most of the Sun’s light. This leaves the Moon with a black, red, orange or yellow hue. Partial lunar eclipses can occur as well.

Eclipses can occur between four and seven times a year and usually come in pairs (eg. a solar eclipse followed by a lunar eclipse two weeks later, or vice versa). Lunar eclipses usually occur twice a year, sometimes once, three times, or not at all. Solar eclipses can occur two to five times a year, usually one annular and one total eclipse within a year, or three to four partial eclipses within a year. Total solar eclipses only happen once every year or two, and a single geographical spot on Earth may only experience a total solar eclipse once every 100-400 years.

Each eclipse can only be seen in certain geographic locations, at certain times, and depending on weather conditions. No matter where the eclipse is occurring or whether or not it’s visible, it still has an astrological effect on us here on Earth.

Why isn’t every full or new moon an eclipse?

Eclipses only occur on Full Moons and New Moons, but not every one. This is because the Moon’s orbital axis around the Earth is at a slight tilt to the Earth’s orbital axis around the Sun. All of the planets orbit around the Sun on almost exactly the same plane in space. The Moon’s orbit is slightly tilted, so sometimes it is above that plane and sometimes it is below it.

The Moon crosses that plane on one side of the Earth to move above the plane, and crosses that plane again on the other side of the Earth to move below it. The two points where the Moon crosses the plane of the planet’s orbit around the Sun are called the Lunar Nodes. The Moon completely orbits the Earth once a month and passes over both of the Lunar Nodes every month.

As the Moon moves around the Earth and the Earth moves around the Sun, the positions of those Lunar Nodes change. As the Moon orbits the Earth every month, sometimes it is between the Sun and the Earth, and sometimes the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun – this causes the New and Full Moons each month.

When the Moon is on a Lunar Node and lines up with the Sun and the Earth, that is when an eclipse occurs.

A Full Moon occurs when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, so from the Earth we can see the full shape of the Moon as the Sun’s light reflects off its surface back toward us. When the Moon is at one of its Lunar Nodes, and thus is crossing the exact orbital path of the Earth around the Sun, the Earth’s shadow blocks the sunlight from shining on the Moon. So, instead of a Full Moon, we see a Lunar Eclipse.

A New Moon occurs when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, so from the Earth we cannot see the Moon at all at night. When the Moon is at one of its Lunar Nodes, and thus crossing the exact orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun, the Moon perfectly blocks out the Sun. Whichever part of the Earth is in daylight will see the Moon cover up the Sun and block its light from us. This is a Solar Eclipse.

One node is called the North Node, and one is called the South Node. The North Node is the lunar node the Moon passes as it rises above the Earth’s orbital plane around the Sun. The South Node is the lunar node the Moon passes as it dips below the Earth’s orbital plane around the Sun. Any eclipse can occur on either lunar node. The labels of the Nodes do not change, but their locations in space do, which allows them to change zodiac signs. The Lunar Nodes typically move backwards, or retrograde, through the zodiac, occasionally switching to direct motion.

What does an eclipse mean in astrology?

Historically eclipses have been viewed as negative events. Ancient astrologers associated eclipses with the rise or fall of major world leaders or empires, major wars and battles, natural disasters, plagues or famine, and other culture-shifting or history-shifting events.

Modern astrologers tend to view eclipses more like supercharged new or full moons. They are seen as markers of major endings and new beginnings, major culminations of larger cycles, or foreshadowing for future major events. Lunar eclipses, like supercharged Full Moons, tend to reflect those major events and culminations, epiphanies or new understandings, and are highly emotional. Solar eclipses, like supercharged New Moons, tend to reflect those endings and beginnings, access to new motivation and a new direction, and venturing into the unknown where not all necessary information has been revealed yet.

Due to the inherent connection to the North and South Nodes, eclipses are also closely tied to fate, karma, and alignment with purpose. The North Node and South Node in astrology are associated with our soul’s karmic purpose and the lessons we must learn in this lifetime.

The South Node includes the lessons, wisdom, challenges and shadows that you have brought into this life with you from a past lifetime. It can represent areas of life that feel really safe and comfortable for you, that you excel at and are easy for you. It can also represent some shadow behaviors or challenges that you bring forward from past lifetimes too. Working through these challenges and shedding those shadows is important work to help your soul progress in this lifetime.

The North Node is the guiding star for your soul during this lifetime. You are meant to shed the shadows of the South Node and use the wisdom and gifts you have learned in past lives to carry you forward toward your North Node goals and lessons. It is uncharted territory, but it is where purpose and meaning lie. You will have many goals and journeys in your lifetime, but the North Node serves as the overarching theme and final destination for all of them.

An eclipse activates the North and South node on a collective level and on a personal level. It serves as a portal for us to accelerate toward our purpose as individuals and as a society. Think of the speed walkways in an airport — once you hop on there is no getting off until you get to the destination, and you’re going there fast!

An eclipse forces us to shed our shadows and move toward our purpose at hyper-speed. If we have been preparing and doing the shadow work necessary, the eclipse portal can reward that hard work with major progress. If we have not started yet, the eclipse portal will start it for us, and if we’ve been on the wrong path, the eclipse portal will reroute us. It can be clunky and time-warpy, chaotic and unpredictable, and by the end we might find ourselves on a path we had no plans to venture on! But we can trust that the end result, however long it may take to reach it, will be aligned with our higher purpose and for our greatest good.

Eclipses on a Collective Level

Significant events that shape the future often occur during eclipse season (the period of a few weeks just before, between, and just after the eclipses). Even if the true impact is not known until years later, eclipse season events often have a major impact on history or foreshadow important themes for the future. Major events in a significant individual’s life (like births, deaths, coronations etc) coinciding with eclipses also can indicate that the actions during that person’s life will have a major impact on history.

Some things we have seen happen during eclipse seasons are:

• The First Continental Congress met in 1774 on the same day as a solar eclipse in Virgo. Those members would go on to establish the United States of America.
• French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was famously defeated in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, three days before a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius. This ended the Napoleonic Wars and began a period of relative peace in Europe that lasted about a century.
• One day before a lunar eclipse in Libra, General Lee surrendered to General Grant in 1865, ending the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated four days after that lunar eclipse. Lincoln had been reelected in 1864 during eclipse season, and he gave the Gettysburg Address in 1863 during eclipse season as well.
• Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call in 1876, on the same day as a lunar eclipse in Virgo.
• The Titanic sank in 1912 during eclipse season.
• Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was confirmed thanks to a solar eclipse in 1919.
• The first “successful” atomic bomb test, the Trinity Test, took place in 1945, less than a week after a solar eclipse in Cancer.
• Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama during eclipse season in 1955, lighting a flame under the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
• The US Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed during eclipse season.
• In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated during eclipse season.
• The famous nuclear disaster at Chernobyl occurred in 1986, two days after a lunar eclipse in Scorpio.
• Tim Berners Lee submitted the proposal for the World Wide Web in 1989 during eclipse season.
• Donald Trump was born on the same day as a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius. The Great American Eclipse in 2017 occurred right after he was elected and was within ten degrees of his rising sign in Leo.
• In December 2019 and January 2020, within the middle two weeks of eclipse season, the World Health Organization (WHO) office in China is notified of a pneumonia-like illness spreading in Wuhan, and notifies the world of this mysterious illness (which spread rapidly and was later called COVID-19).

Eclipses on a Personal Level

Eclipses can coincide with major events in our personal lives too. They can reflect the end of a personal cycle, the beginning of a new opportunity, or the culmination of hard work, emotional tension, or major events. They can help us work through the most challenging parts of our lives and shed the things holding us back from our true purpose.

During eclipse seasons we can become more in touch with our emotions, experience epiphanies or revelations about ourselves or our lives, and find ourselves on a new path entirely. These big changes are often triggered by some kind of crisis and can be distressing. However, when the dust settles, we will find we have made meaningful progress in an overall positive direction. 

To see how an eclipse will affect you personally, look at what house the eclipse will be transiting in your chart. This will show you the areas of life where you might experience the greatest effects from the eclipse or the most personal progress. 

Additionally, check if the eclipse is forming a significant aspect with your Sun, Moon, Rising, North Node or South Node – it will have a much greater impact on you if it is!

Find your specific eclipse season horoscopes here on the blog for the upcoming Fall 2024 eclipses.

---

For 1:1 Birth Chart Readings with Maggie, check out her website at egressastrology.com!