Eclipses in Astrology 101: Understanding Their Meaning & Why They Bring Big Life Shifts
- Cheyenne
- Dec 10, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 25
Eclipses: Cosmic Shake Ups for Life: Lessons on Surrender and Growth
Eclipses are some of the most powerful astrological events, bringing fated shifts, unexpected changes, and realignments that feel bigger than everyday astrology. But what exactly makes them so significant?
This post is your guide to understanding eclipses as cosmic course correctors—helping you align with your path, release what’s no longer serving you, and embrace new opportunities.
You’ll learn:
Why eclipses feel so intense and how they bring fated events.
How solar and lunar eclipses create different types of change.
How to navigate eclipse energy rather than resist it.
If you’re looking for how an eclipse affects your zodiac sign, check out this guide
If you want reflective exercises for eclipse season, explore these journaling prompts
Now, let’s dive into why eclipses are such powerful cosmic events—and how you can work with their energy.
Why Should You Read This Post? - Navigating Astrology Eclipses 101
If you read this post you'll be well on your way to understanding eclipses in astrology:
Understand why eclipses feel so intense and life-changing so you can navigate these shifts with clarity instead of fear.
Learn how solar and lunar eclipses create different types of change so you can recognize whether an eclipse is pushing you toward a new beginning or closure.
Discover how eclipse cycles unfold over time so you can see the bigger picture of how these cosmic shifts are shaping your long-term growth.
Reflect on past eclipses and their patterns in your life so you can use your personal history as a guide for what’s unfolding now.
Follow practical steps to work with eclipse energy so you can stay grounded and aligned rather than feeling thrown off course.
Eclipses as Catalysts for Change
Eclipses occur when the Sun and Moon align with the lunar nodes, marking points of destiny unfolding and life's doors opening and slamming shut. They often signal significant shifts -- befores and afters, one might say -- whether in your personal identity, relationships, career, or emotional areas of life. These shifts might feel sudden or chaotic, but they ultimately push you toward growth and alignment with your true path.
Lets take an example, Taurus and Scorpio eclipses (like those that occurred in 2022 and 2023) often center on themes of stability versus transformation. Taurus, the sign of the material world and comfort, contrasts with Scorpio's deep dive into emotional complexity and rebirth. Together, they ask us to reevaluate what we hold onto and what we need to let go of to thrive.
What Eclipses Can Teach You
Eclipses don’t just bring chaos; they offer opportunities for clarity and transformation. Here are a few ways they might show up in your life:
Self-Reflection: Eclipses often illuminate hidden truths about who you are and where you’re headed.
Letting Go: These transits encourage you to release what no longer serves you, whether it’s a mindset, relationship, or routine.
New Beginnings: As one chapter closes, another opens. Eclipses are not great times to set intentions for the next phase of your life, but rather to see what life gives and takes from you, and to then roll with the punches, or surf the big wave.
Understanding Eclipse Cycles: Short-Term & Long-Term Patterns
Eclipses don’t just happen randomly—they follow predictable cycles that shape different phases of our lives. There are two key types of eclipse cycles to understand:
Eclipses follow a repeating pattern in 18-month cycles along the nodal axis.
Each nodal sign pair (Taurus-Scorpio, Aries-Libra, etc.) carries specific themes.
Every 9 and 18 years, eclipses repeat in the same signs, bringing echoes of the past.
1. The 18-Month Eclipse Cycle: Thematic Shifts in Your Life
Each eclipse belongs to a series that takes place along the same lunar nodal axis for about 18 months.
The North Node eclipses bring growth and new opportunities.
The South Node eclipses bring release, endings, and closures.
For example, from 2022–2023, eclipses fell in Taurus & Scorpio, highlighting themes of stability vs. transformation. But from 2023–2025, the eclipses have shifted to Aries & Libra, bringing themes of identity vs. relationships.
Why This Matters:
Eclipses in the same nodal sign pair create a long-term period of transformation in specific areas of your life.
Tracking this 18-month cycle can help you see patterns in what’s shifting.
👉 To understand how these eclipses impact you personally, look at where the current nodal signs (Aries & Libra, for example) fall in your chart.
2. The 9 & 18-Year Eclipse Cycle: Revisiting the Past
Eclipses don’t just shape short-term themes—they also return to the same zodiacal axis every 9 and 18 years.
9 years ago, the nodes were reversed.
The themes from the past may return, but with a new perspective.
Example: If you had relationship shifts 9 years ago, you might see echoes of those lessons now—but from the opposite perspective.
18 years ago, the nodes were the same.
A full cycle has completed, bringing similar themes—but at a higher level of growth.
Example: If you started a major career shift 18 years ago, you might now see a culmination of that journey or a chance to redefine it.
Why This Matters:
Your past eclipse cycles can reveal the lessons you’re revisiting now.
Understanding these cycles helps you recognize patterns and make conscious choices about how you respond.
👉 Look back at what was happening 9 and 18 years ago—what themes were present? These clues can help you understand the bigger picture of what’s unfolding in your life now.
🔮 Bringing It All Together: What Eclipse Cycles Mean for You
The 18-month cycle brings steady transformation, while the 9 & 18-year cycles reveal long-term growth themes.
The short-term cycle guides you through current shifts.
The long-term cycle connects your past and future, revealing how your personal story is evolving.
💡 Next time an eclipse happens, look at both the immediate shifts and the echoes of the past. These cycles remind us that we are constantly moving through patterns of growth, closure, and realignment.
How to Work With an Eclipse in Real-Time
Eclipses are not moments for forcing change—they are moments for allowing change. Unlike other astrological transits where we might set intentions or take direct action, eclipses ask us to surrender, observe, and trust the unfolding process.
Instead of trying to control the outcome, focus on staying present, recognizing what’s shifting, and responding with awareness rather than resistance.
Here’s how to navigate eclipse energy as it unfolds:
🌑 1. Pay Attention to What’s Surfacing
Eclipses highlight major life themes—what patterns, emotions, or external events are demanding your attention?
What feels unsettled, unsteady, or suddenly urgent?
What is breaking down, shifting, or being revealed?
💡 Reflection Tip: Even if nothing major happens on the day of the eclipse, pay attention to the weeks before and after. Eclipse energy unfolds over time.
🌒 2. Release What No Longer Fits
Eclipses bring endings and new beginnings—but you don’t have to force the process.
If something is leaving your life, trust that it’s part of the realignment process.
If something feels uncertain or chaotic, resist the urge to control it.
💡 Ask Yourself: What is this moment trying to teach me about surrender and trust?
🌓 3. Expect the Unexpected—But Stay Open
Eclipses often bring shifts we can’t plan for. Instead of controlling the outcome, focus on staying adaptable and grounded.
You may not see the full picture yet—allow events to unfold naturally.
If life feels like it’s accelerating, take time to process before making big decisions.
💡 Reassure Yourself: Not everything needs to make sense right now. Eclipse energy unfolds over months.
🌕 4. Look at the Houses in Your Chart
The area of life most affected by an eclipse depends on which house it activates in your chart.
If an eclipse falls in your relationship houses (1st/7th), expect themes of self-identity and partnerships to surface.
If an eclipse lands near a personal planet, look at the houses that planet rules for deeper insight.
👉 Need help reading your houses? The Astrology Houses Explained post explains them in depth.
🔮 5. Work With an Astrologer for Clarity
Eclipses can feel disorienting, but they don’t have to be overwhelming. If you’re navigating an eclipse cycle and want to understand how it’s affecting you personally, an astrology consultation can provide deeper insights.
Reflecting on Past Eclipse Cycles and Understanding Eclipses in Astrology
One of the most fascinating aspects of eclipses is how they connect to events from the past. Eclipse cycles operate on an 18- to 19-year rhythm, revisiting the same zodiacal axis and bringing forward themes that were relevant during the previous cycles. For example, the Taurus-Scorpio eclipses of 2022–2023 are tied to events from nine years ago (2012–2014) and 18 years ago (2003–2005), when the same axis was activated.
These cycles help us recognize our growth since past eclipses and provide insight into what themes may emerge in the future. The same themes may resurface now, offering a chance to revisit, resolve, or deepen our understanding of them.
A Personal Example
When the Taurus Scorpio eclipses occur and activate my chart themes of home and career are highlighted. In 2012 and 2013 I moved about every 6 months of my own free will. I was going here and there and it felt in my control.
However, 9 years later when the north and south node were reversed, the themes were still activated and I still moved around every 6 months, but it did NOT feel like it was of my own accord, and I felt like it was not in my control what so ever. Now I know that this is a time where my housing situation is turbulent, but in the future the details and circumstances will change. I don't have to feel out of control, I can instead choose to feel curious about where we're going next.
A Final Thought on Eclipses
Eclipses are a reminder that life is a series of cycles—some of building, others of release. While the changes they bring might feel disruptive, they are part of a greater cosmic order designed to help you align with your true self.
Whether you're reflecting on past eclipse seasons or preparing for future ones, remember that these moments of change are opportunities to grow and thrive.
Now that you understand how eclipses work, you might be wondering:
How does this eclipse affect my zodiac sign? 👉 What Eclipses Mean for Your Zodiac Sign
How do I process these changes emotionally & spiritually? 👉 Eclipse Journaling Prompts to Stay Grounded
Continue Exploring Astrology with Us
Eclipses mark powerful turning points—times of release, realignment, and stepping into what’s next. If this post resonated with you, and you’re feeling the pull to navigate change more intentionally, I’d love to help you move forward with clarity.
✨ Want to align your goals with your personal astrology? Check out my 5-Day Mini Course: Setting Aligned Goals That Work for You—where you’ll learn how to work with your chart, uncover the best timing for action, and create a strategy that actually fits you.
🔮 Prefer personalized guidance? If you want deeper insights on how current and upcoming eclipses are activating your chart, let’s explore it together in a one-on-one astrology consultation.
No matter where you are in your journey, you’re exactly where you need to be. Keep trusting the cycles, and if you need guidance, I’m here for you. 💫
Key Takeaways
Eclipses are cosmic course correctors, bringing fated events, realignments, and shifts that feel bigger than everyday astrology.
Solar eclipses initiate new beginnings, while lunar eclipses bring revelations and closures. Each marks a turning point in your personal and collective story.
Eclipses follow cycles that repeat every 18 months, 9 years, and 18 years, allowing you to track past themes and recognize patterns in your growth.
You don’t control eclipse energy—you align with it. The best approach is surrender, self-awareness, and trust in the unfolding process.
Working with eclipses means observing what arises, reflecting on past patterns, and staying open to change. Your astrology chart can reveal which areas of life are being activated.
Eclipses are opportunities, not obstacles. Even when they feel chaotic, they are realigning you with your path, bringing clarity, and clearing space for what’s meant for you.
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