What Is “Eclipse Season” and Why do Astrologers Talk About it so Much?

If you follow any astrologer (like myself) online, you’ve probably heard them talk about eclipses and “eclipse season.” But what does that even mean?

Let me break it down for you…

Eclipse season refers to a 4 week period that happens twice a year when the sun and moon line up near the lunar nodes (also referred to as just the nodes, the nodes of the moon, the north and south nodes, or rahu and ketu).

The lunar nodes are points in space (NOT physical bodies like the sun, moon, and planets) that are mathematically calculated based on the relationship between the sun, moon, and earth. When a full or new moon occurs near these points, we have an eclipse.

During an eclipse, the sun and moon line up in such a way that the shadow of one covers, or “eclipses” our view of the other. Eclipses always occur on a full or new moon and they always come in pairs meaning that there is always one full moon and one new moon in each eclipse season. The four week period that defines eclipse season includes the week before the first eclipse, the two weeks between eclipses, and the week following the last eclipse in the pair.

During a regular (non-eclipse) full moon, the sun and moon are always opposite each other. When a full moon occurs close to the nodes it’s known as a lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, the earth sits in between the sun and the moon such that the light of the sun casts a shadow from the earth onto the moon. If the moon is visible in your location when this happens, the shadow on the moon makes the moon appear darker, often red tinted, and we might call this a “blood moon.”

During a regular new moon, the sun and moon appear to be in the same place in the sky from our perspective on earth. A solar eclipse (a new moon near the nodes) lines up the sun and moon in such a way that the moon blocks our view of the sun, creating the appearance of nightfall during the day if a total solar eclipse occurs when it is daytime in your area. If you are in the US, you might remember the Great American Eclipse that happened in August of 2017 which was visible in most of North America.

There are different degrees of intensity when it comes to eclipses. The Great American eclipse was a total solar eclipse, meaning the moon completely covered the sun and was visually very striking. But partial eclipses, where only some of the sun or moon are covered by shadow, are common. While not all eclipses are strikingly visible (or even visible at all) depending on where you live, all eclipses are astrologically significant and are important to pay attention to if you track cosmic cycles.

Eclipses in Astrology

Like most aspects of astrology, to really understand the significance and impact of eclipses, we need to consider them metaphorically. What’s happening during an eclipse? During a solar eclipse, the light of the sun - the most basic source of life on earth - goes out and we experience a strange kind of night when it is supposed to be day. With a lunar eclipse, the moon that should be full and bright becomes bloodied and dark. The usual order of nature is disrupted.

Eclipses are often associated with shocking, sudden, or otherwise out-of-the-norm personal and world events. Ancient astrologers considered eclipses to signify the death of a ruler (the sun being symbolic of kings/rulers and having its light snuffed out). The history of the British royal family is remarkably aligned with eclipses as described by Chris Brennan in this video on Eclipses That Aligned with Important Historical Events. 

One way that my teacher Austin Coppack emphasizes to understand eclipses is their connection to the Indian myth of Rahu and Ketu with Rahu being connected to the North Node and Ketu with the South Node. Rahu and Ketu are opposite ends of the same dragon, which is fitting since the nodes are always in opposite signs of the Zodiac. Rahu is the insatiably hungry head and Ketu is the constantly purging tail. Both take things to extremes but in contrasting ways. Rahu can easily overdo its desire to consume while Ketu tends to excessively release or shed.

So how does this show up in our individual lives? 

Experientially, eclipse season can feel like being strapped to a rocket and taking off into the unknown. We often have no idea where we will end up on the other side of a set of eclipses because of their disruptive and mysterious nature. If there are any changes that need to occur in your life, trust an eclipse season to force your hand to make those changes. Most witchcraft practitioners advise not to manifest during eclipse season and simply surrender to the currents of these energetically potent lunations.

Each eclipse season activities two different houses in your natal chart. These houses correspond to certain areas of life such as health, relationships, career, or higher education. When an eclipse occurs in a given house, you can expect to see great endings and/or great beginnings in that area of your life. A skilled astrologer can help you identify where an eclipse is occurring based on your natal chart and how that will impact you. As with all astrological phenomena, some eclipses hit us more personally than others. If you were born near an eclipse, eclipse seasons will be even more potent for you. Again, a skilled astrologer can help you assess if this is the case. 

So to answer the question, why do astrologers talk about eclipses so much…it’s because these are often pivotal times when many people are experiencing rapid change all at once. As astrologers, we are able to track these time frames and can anticipate where and when these changes might hit us, our clients, and our loved ones. Eclipses are heavily associated with karma and karmic patterns. Being able to track our personal patterns can help us to understand the role we play in them and give us insight to identify and break out of cycles we don’t wish to keep repeating. And the end of the day, eclipses are excellent times to check on and make progress with your personal spiritual growth. 

Want to learn more about how this eclipse season is impacting you personally and what you can do to make riding the wave a little easier? Schedule an astrology consultation here.

I spent the most recent eclipse in Pisces on the beach in San Diego. Pisces is connected to the ocean and it felt both highly appropriate and deeply healing.