Twice a year there are two eclipses. The first is a Solar Eclipse on a New Moon, followed 16 days later with a Lunar Eclipse on a Full Moon. Eclipse season is the most life-altering and eventful time of the year. Although some of us are more impacted than others, there is a transformational atmosphere that we all feel.
Eclipses have their own dynamic. The two yearly sets of eclipses are best called ‘eclipse seasons’ because we feel and process their agenda for at least a month. The themes we will be dealing with can surface/erupt weeks before the first eclipse. They are not ‘events’ that come, influence, and move on. There is an inexplicable reality shifting energy about this ‘season.’ We feel something is going on, but we can’t explain it.
We may not know what is happening, except to feel disoriented, emotionally raw, and even afraid or apprehensive. These apprehensions can be real. Eclipses flip the switch in a way that can change our lives.
At a Solar Eclipse, the Moon eclipses the Sun. Solar Eclipses always happen on the New Moon. The Moon is normally invisible at a new moon. At a Solar Eclipse the Moon shows up and blocks the Sun. This is a new Moon with an agenda. Something that we have previously overlooked, ignored, or undervalued appears and becomes an important factor that we must deal with. Our habitual story shifts when an unexpected event, circumstance, person, or insight shows up.
At a Lunar Eclipse, the Moon is covered with the shadow of the Earth. Lunar Eclipses always happen on a Full Moon.
The Earth’s shadow interrupts the regular Full Moon process and compresses a monthly lunar cycle into a few hours. Something that we were unaware of suddenly happens or comes into our awareness.
Eclipses Change Our Story
The immediate impact of an eclipse can disrupt what we were or were not expecting. From a longer-term and broader perspective, eclipses are realignments. What happens creates a recalibration so what needs to happen can happen.
Eclipse season is inherently intense. Life can shift direction in unexpected ways, which are needed to rewrite an old script that has been preventing us from moving forward. Something that has been lurking in the background and bothering us for a long time demands resolution. We must remove this psychic and emotional weight from our backpack. Something that is part of the divine plan for our soul replaces that which our human self believed was our plan.
There are so many ways that an eclipse can make its energy felt. We can take a trip. We can move. We can re-evaluate a relationship. We can have an insight that changes how we operate. We can say ‘NO.’ We can say YES.’ We are all impacted differently depending upon how our natal chart is activated. Eclipses that come within 5 degrees of our natal planets have a greater impact.
The South and North Nodes and Eclipses
The South and North Nodes are not bodies or planets. The Nodes of the Moon are points in space where the Moon crosses (intersects with) the ecliptic (the Earth’s orbit around the Sun) from north to south and from south to north. The South and North axis creates eclipses.
The South Node represents our past, our karma, what has accumulated from this and previous life times and ancestral imprints. The South Node can also indicate the end of the cycle. The South Node is the tail of the dragon. The Dragon Tail doesn’t take in anything new. Its role is to release, digest, and transform what is already there from the past.
Something that has been brewing for a while can come to a head and explode. This can be both disturbing and liberating, or both. We can be rewarded for our efforts. We can get recognition for something we have been working on for a long time.
The North Node represents our future, our destiny, what awaits us, and a door to the future. The North Node is the head of the dragon. The Dragon Head can take in new energy, recognize opportunities, explore new territory, discover what it couldn’t see before, and benefit from new experiences. During a North Node Eclipse something new enters our life. A novel situation presents itself. A new person, an invitation, an idea, or situation invites us to enter uncharted territory and to change direction.
At a South Node Eclipse something is being released, rewarded, and recaibrated so we can move forward.
At a North Node Eclipse a portal is opening, something is entering, a gift is being presented, a new pathway and direction are being illuminated.
Although one predominates, both nodes are activated at each eclipse. They work together. The South Node supports the North Node because it also represents the accumulation of what we have learned, the legacy we have created so far this life time, our innate gifts and our ability to use them to our advantage. So we do not release our past only so we can move on. Instead we use our past to evolve and expand!
We use our experience, our accumulated talents and our relationship with the divine to create a new trajectory in our life. This can be an extremely transformative time.
Destiny, Fate, and Free Will
There is a very important dynamic to eclipses – the fluid dynamic between fate, destiny, and free will. We do not have to passively submit to fate. We can negotiate with our karma. We can transform by actively engaging and participating through our attitude, choices, and actions!
To consciously work with eclipses, we must understand and work with their special dynamics. This is the difference between fate happening to us, co-creating with the universe, and taking an active role in our life.
It is wise to assume that something is going to happen as an event or inside us. Something is going to shift, which we may not even notice at the moment. But stay aware and make conscious choices when called to do so. Eclipse season is the best time to change an old pattern, let go of a default program, or interrupt the status quo.
Eclipse season is a window of opportunity. The old way is interrupted, making way for us to forge a different path. The season unfolds with its own sequence, intentionality, and intelligence.
August 12, 2026 there was a total Solar Eclipse at 20 degrees Leo.
This eclipse changes our story, our script about who we believe we are and who we are in the world.
Both the Sun and Leo are about our identity in the world. When the Moon overrides the Sun, our conscious identity becomes aware of what has been unconscious, which includes what we were not aware of, what we have neglected, and what we have tried to hide or ignore.
When the door opens, the wind blows in. Hidden desires, repressed needs, and buried truths are exposed. They command our attention and demand to be acknowledged. We notice what we have not noticed before. We can’t NOT notice!
What is exposed is critical information about lessons we must learn and facts that we must integrate to be more of our authentic selves. What we learn about ourselves supports our long-term development. We gain new perspectives that shift our attitude about who we are and what is possible. These revelations can be encouraging, exciting, and motivating.
Supportive Planetary Alignments
The planetary alignments involving the personal planets after each eclipse help us clarify what’s next. There is always a follow up that helps us create a new story line and a reorientation in how we think and live.
With Jupiter in Leo (for one year), we may become more audacious, bold, and self-confident. Our boldness is propelled by a deep heartfelt conviction that what we propose really matters. Our voice is confident and our words are spoken from our truth.
There is a larger audience that wants to hear from us. We are being called to take a stand, not to be dogmatic, but to be honest. Not to be pushy, but to respond to the current state of the world that demands more truth and more love.
Mars in Cancer (12 August – 28 September) wants us to act with compassion. Neptune dissolves what cannot be sustained in the vibration of Love. We are not used this combination. Relax into the flow may seem a blurry directive. How can we define what is realistic? How can we tell the difference between wishful thinking and the call of destiny?
For clarity, Venus asks us, ‘What do I really want?’ Saturn asks, ‘Can this actually work?’ Figuring out what is doable and sustainable can be a liberating process.
When the Sun enters Virgo August 22,‘back to work’ has a comforting ring. Our work makes things happen. Being focused and moving forward make us feel good about ourselves.
The short window when Mercury is in Virgo (August 25 – September 10,) is a great time to get things done. Our efforts will bring resolution, clarity, and comforting progress. Things line up. Results become visible.
August 28, 2026 – Lunar Eclipse at 4° Pisces
A Lunar Eclipse on a Full Moon brings something to culmination. We are nearing the pinnacle of the Eclipse Season.
This is a North Node Eclipse which means that this Eclipse Season is not just about closing an old chapter and liberating emotional work. We are being pulled into a new future that is yet to be created.
Things can happen unexpectedly fast. Uranus squares the entire eclipse axis. An awakened mental framework can help us perceive what is really going on and help us design our future direction.
The North Node eclipse opens the door to new opportunities and surprises us with new developments. The energy is volatile and electric. We cannot (and do not want to) go back to the way things were. What presents itself may surprise us. The news can be liberating. We need to say YES.
August 31, 2026 Jupiter at 23° Leo trines Saturn at 13° Aries.
Saturn and Jupiter are the two architects of the physical world. Jupiter’s vision and Saturn’s logistics sync up. Jupiter’s confidence supports Saturn’s discipline. Their cooperation can build something that lasts. We can trust it and go for it, without hesitation. Something has happened and is still happening, creating a deep sense of satisfaction.
Summary
- One thing that makes eclipses different from other astrological events is the interaction between the Sun and Moon. One takes the place of the other. At a Solar Eclipse the Moon takes over the Sun. At a Lunar Eclipse, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow over the Moon. In both cases, what has been hidden in our unconscious and emotional body becomes visible.
- What has become a default program in our psyche is revealed and can be shifted. Relationship patterns are exposed. We can adopt behaviors that are more functional, beneficial, and rewarding. One marker of transformation is when we quit doing the same thing and expect different results. During this Eclipse Season our fate is no longer locked in. Our destiny can be negotiated. Let your heart lead your way. Follow Love.
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