Eclipses

Eclipses. An eclipse is a dramatic alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and the lunar nodes, and astrology treats it as one of the most potent events in the sky. Eclipses come in two kinds. A solar eclipse is a supercharged New Moon, when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and briefly blocks its light. A lunar eclipse is a supercharged Full Moon, when the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon and casts its shadow across the Moon's face. Eclipses happen only when a New or Full Moon falls close to one of the lunar nodes, the points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's. For this reason they arrive in pairs or small groups during eclipse seasons, roughly twice a year, and they recur in long, repeating cycles. The sign and degree an eclipse falls on, and any natal planet it touches, show where its effects will be felt most. Astrologically, eclipses act as turning points and accelerators. A solar eclipse tends to mark beginnings and fresh starts, while a lunar eclipse tends to bring culminations, endings, and emotional revelations. Their effects can arrive suddenly and then unfold over the following months. Because they involve the nodes, eclipses are often linked to fate and to the larger direction a life is meant to take. The work of an eclipse is to accept the change it sets in motion, since it tends to clear the way for something new whether or not a person feels ready.