Eclipses in Your Chart

Why eclipses matter in astrology

Eclipses happen when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align at or near the lunar nodes. Solar eclipses occur at new moons near the nodal axis; lunar eclipses at full moons near it. Eclipses come in pairs (and occasionally triplets) during eclipse seasons, which happen roughly every six months. The sign axis they fall in changes slowly over the 18.6-year nodal cycle, spending about 18 months in each pair of signs.

Not every eclipse is personally significant. The ones that land close to your natal planets or angles are the ones that tend to bring significant change. When an eclipse falls within two to three degrees of your natal Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Midheaven, or any personal planet, that eclipse is activated in your chart and its themes typically play out over the following three to six months.

The difference between solar and lunar eclipses

Solar eclipses, which are supercharged new moons, tend to mark beginnings. They often correlate with new chapters opening, sometimes suddenly, sometimes through an event that removes an old option and makes room for something new. The emphasis is on what is arriving rather than what is departing.

Lunar eclipses, which are supercharged full moons, tend to mark endings or revelations. Something comes to light, reaches a culmination, or closes. The emphasis is on what is completing and what is being released. Together, the solar and lunar eclipses in any given eclipse season often describe two sides of the same developmental shift.