What Does Eclipse Season Mean and What Happens? How to Make the Most of It, According to an Astrologer

If it feels like there’s a dramatic full moon — or a new moon ripe for intention-setting — happening almost every week, it’s because they do happen fairly frequently. Every month hosts at least one new moon and one full, and less often, two of one of these lunations. And while these events can amplify emotions and set the stage for you to manifest your wildest dreams, they’re not even close to as game changing as lunar eclipses. And if you’ve heard that we’re already in eclipse season, that’s because one of these powerful astrological moments is right around the corner. But what does eclipse season mean, and how can you make the most of it? Read on for all the details. 

What are the eclipses in astrology? 

Eclipses occur in tandem with either a full moon, which aligns with a lunar eclipse, or a new moon, which aligns with a solar eclipse. Here’s what you need to know about each.  

What to know about full moons and lunar eclipses 

During a full moon, the sun’s light reflects off of the moon, which leads to it appearing so wonderfully luminous as it brightens the night sky. Astrologically-speaking, because the moon rules emotions and intuition, we’re stirred to identify and reveal our feelings during a full moon — as well as tend to relationship matters, reflective of the fact that the moon is sitting opposite the sun. But during a lunar eclipse, the earth sits between the sun and the moon, which throws a shadow over the moon. This only happens twice a year, and each time, we’re presented with a full moon energy that’s amplified and wired to bring massive emotional shifts. A regular full moon’s effect lasts four days before and after the event, whereas an eclipse’s dramatic vibe can be felt for longer — about a week before and after with residual effects playing out over the next six months. 

What to know about new moons and solar eclipses 

During a new moon, the moon and the sun meet up at the same exact spot in the sky and the zodiac. Because they’re sitting so closely together, the sun’s radiant light doesn’t reflect off of the moon, causing the sky to be pitch black — almost like a blank canvas on which you can envision whatever reality you’d love to begin to manifest, given that the new moon kicks off a whole new lunar cycle. When the moon is new, you could feel a magnified sense of possibility, anticipation and self-awareness. In general, new moons invite you to plant seeds that you want to see come to fruition over the following two weeks (up until the next full moon) and the following six months (when we’ll experience the corresponding full moon).   

However, during a solar eclipse, the moon passes over the sun, blotting out its light. This only happens twice a year and each time, the typical new moon energy you feel on a monthly basis is stunningly amplified. You could feel restless, inexplicably emotional, confused or unmoored. And while a regular new moon’s effect lasts four days before and after the event, a solar eclipse’s vibe can be felt for longer — about a week before and after with residual effects playing out over the next six months. 

What is the Eclipse series? 

A series of eclipses happen in opposite signs over the course of approximately two years. During eclipses, the sun and moon are in the same signs as celestial points known as the South Node (your karmic past) and North Node (your future).  

 For example, in spring 2023, we kicked off a new series of eclipses in cardinal fire sign Aries and its opposite sign cardinal air sign Libra that will end in spring 2025. The dates of that eclipse series have been as follows: 

• April 19, 2023 - Solar eclipse in Aries 

• October 14, 2023 - Solar eclipse in Libra 

• March 24, 2024 - Lunar eclipse in Libra 

• April 8, 2024 - Solar eclipse in Aries 

• October 2, 2024 - Solar eclipse in Libra 

• March 29, 2025 - Solar eclipse in Aries 

If you pay attention to how you experience an eclipse series and the cataclysmic life changes that play out over the course of the two-year span, you’ll see that it’s likely tied to a particular story that began around the time of the first eclipse and culminated with the final eclipse of the series. Then, about nine years later, another eclipse series occurs in those two signs, and you can get a sense of how much you’ve released, grown and evolved in the time that’s passed. For instance, September 17, 2024, marks the first in a new Virgo-Pisces eclipse series. The last time the eclipses occurred here was from early 2015 to early 2017, so you could be reflecting on how far you’ve come since then. 

What does eclipse season mean? 

Most years, we get two eclipses — one solar and one lunar — earlier in the year and then two more — again, a solar and a lunar — approximately six months later. The period of time around each pair of transits is referred to as eclipse season. You’ll likely feel the effects of any given eclipse season about one month before the first of the pair and for one month following the second one in the pair. During this period, you’ll likely notice an uptick in the intensity of the energy and heightening of emotions. It might be a case for leaning on practices that help you get centered (like meditation, journaling or therapy), finding more time for rest and self-reflection and practicing being more adaptable and open minded (more on why in a moment).  

How to make the most of any eclipse season  

No matter which signs an eclipse season happens to be falling in — and therefore, how they’re hitting your birth chart — you can apply the following tips and tricks to taking advantage of this dramatic astrological weather. 

Sit back, relax and allow the eclipse to do its work 

During a regular full moon, you’re generally encouraged to focus on your relationships (given the opposition between the sun and the moon) and to actively release what’s no longer serving you. And during a typical new moon, you might do rituals to set powerful intentions you want to see come to fruition over the course of the next two weeks to six months. But during a solar or lunar eclipse, you’ll do best to avoid taking conscious steps to work with the energy of the event. That’s because these astrological occurrences are so powerful and are such agents of stunning, radical change on their own that you don’t need a ritual, a sound bath, a crystal charging session, etc. to make the most of them.  

Instead, your job is to kick back and allow the eclipse to move through, spurring changes and transformations that might be very well out of your hands. It’s absolutely challenging to relinquish control, especially when it comes to massive shifts, but rest assured that, especially once you’re in the throes of a particular eclipse series, you’ll likely have some sense of where you’ve been and where you’re headed in whichever part of your life a lunar event is influencing. 

A personal aside that might also help illustrate this experience: The last eclipse series on the Virgo-Pisces axis from 2015-2017 hit my chart spot-on. Two of the eclipses connected with my sun, which speaks to self-image, identity and purpose. And over the course of those two years, I was nudged to reflect on and make major alterations to my first marriage, residence on the east coast and even where and how I worked. By the end of the series, I had separated from my ex, moved across the country and launched a whole new chapter of my career. Of course, I had to make conscious decisions that led to that sea change, but it was the waves of the eclipses that helped nudge me to do so. 

Try to keep track of — and reflect on — your eclipse series story 

When moving through a current eclipse, it can be empowering to look back at eclipses that fell in the same signs — whether that’s within the same, two-year series that you’re in the midst of or nine years prior — to get a sense of what themes could come up for you and where in your life you might be destined for a massive shift. You can get even more specific with this if you have your birth chart and can pinpoint the house that an eclipse is falling in as well as any planetary placements that it’s clashing with.   

An illustrated example: The October 2, 2024, solar eclipse falls at 10 degrees Libra. If you have any placements in a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn), especially from 0 to 20 degrees of a cardinal sign, you’ll feel this eclipse more intensely than others.  

 You’ll want to consider the themes associated with the planet (or angle, like your ascendant or rising) for even more intel on what to expect. If the moon at 10 degrees Libra is forming an opposition to your natal Venus, the planet of romance and money, at, say, 13 degrees Aries, you could be moving through a challenging lesson related to your emotional bonds, finances or relationship to beauty. (For more insight on what eclipse aspects to natal planets, I highly recommend this article by my mentor, April Elliott Kent of Big Sky Astrology.) 

Work with a professional astrologer 

When you have a reading with a professional astrologer, you might start out by learning about your birth chart, but then dive into predictive information. And eclipses are one of several key tools many astrologers will use to help you better understand turning points in your life. Given how frequently eclipses occur and how impactful they are, there’s certainly a case for tapping an expert for their opinion and guidance. 

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