Eclipses are special kinds of new or full Moons. They happen when the Sun, Earth and Moon all occupy the same plane, and therefore interact with each other’s light.
A New Moon or solar eclipse happens when the Sun’s light is blocked by the Moon. A Full Moon or lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s light is blocked by the Earth.
Eclipses occur in seasons, which happen twice a year, six months apart. Eclipse season is defined by the proximity of the Sun to the North and South Node axis. When the Sun is within 18 degrees of the nodes, eclipse season is in play. Any new or full Moon that occurs while the Sun is within this 18 degree space (either side of the nodes, so 36 degrees in total) is an eclipse. The closer to the nodes the Sun, the stronger or more total the eclipse.
Eclipses follow the nodes. The Nodes spend about 18 months moving through a pair of zodiac signs. In an 18 month period, eclipses occur at different degrees within the same pair of signs, which often means the same pair of houses in your chart too.
When the nodes are at the start or end of a sign, eclipses can occur in the sign next door. The nodes move backwards, so their path is the reverse of the Zodiac.
Eclipses also occur in groups or families, known as Saros Series. Each Saros Series lasts approximately 1300 years. They are some of the longest cycles to be used in astrology.
Bernadette Brady has an excellent book which includes eclipse info like Saros Series, ‘Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark’. In it she discusses the connection of the English Royal Family and a particular eclipse grouping.
The Saros Series of an eclipse adds flavour and feeling to each eclipse, that is separate from the sign in which it occurs. The meaning of a Saros Series is based on the planetary aspects and themes in play in the first eclipse in that series (the series’ birth chart). Eclipses within each Saros Series occur every 18 years.
Eclipses also have rulers. This is the (traditional) ruling planet of the sign in which the Moon is placed at the eclipse. In a solar or new moon eclipse, this is the planet ruling the sign in which the New Moon Sun/Moon conjunction occurs. In a lunar or full moon eclipse, this is the planet ruling the sign in which the Full Moon is placed.
Each eclipse has its own path around the globe, and is visible in certain bands across Earth. Seeing or experiencing the eclipse directly is said to make its effects stronger.
To work with eclipses, you need to consider:
– the themes of the sign in which the eclipse occurs (and those of whichever house this activates in your birth chart)
– the quality and strength of the eclipse’s ruling planet
– the themes of the Saros Series to which the eclipse belongs
– the strength or totality of the eclipse
Do you work with eclipses? Have you ever had major events timed to eclipses in your chart/life?