It’s Eclipse Season! Here’s What 3 Astrologers Have to Say
If you spend time on social media, I'm going to bet that you've probably seen content about the eclipse season on Instagram or TikTok. Most of us know eclipses as cool astronomical events, but they are also very significant in astrology. Eclipses happen about 4 times a year, and they come in pairs. First up, we have tomorrow's partial solar eclipse in Scorpio and then a total lunar eclipse in Taurus on November 8th.
I've felt particularly invested in the eclipses this year because they are occurring on the Taurus/Scorpio axis, which is where my North and South nodes are. So I'm also having my nodal return, which happens about every 18 years. The nodes represent our past and future on a karmic level—and they're a key to understanding our soul's purpose or spiritual path. Needless to say, the eclipses are a bit more potent for any of us with major Taurus and Scorpio placements and even more so for anyone who has their nodes on the Taurus/Scorpio axis.
I've already experienced some fateful moments since the first Taurus eclipse kicked off in November 2021. On the night of the Taurus eclipse on November 19th, I had a first date with a man (whose Venus happened to be in Taurus) that ushered in a really big lesson for me about communicating my needs, and really shifted how I view myself in romantic relationships—even though the relationship was short-lived. Then perhaps the biggest shift I experienced was this year's total lunar eclipse in Scorpio on May 15th when I left New York to embark on an incredibly new and exciting chapter to live in a new country. These have both been really significant moments in my personal evolution.
Depending on your personal views on change, eclipses can have a slightly ominous quality to them but they are not to be feared. Yes, they can bring about unexpected changes and highlight how little control we have sometimes, but I always try to view it as change for our highest good. They set us on a new path for the 6 months that follow. It's important to note that not everyone will feel each eclipse, and certainly not in the same way. It all depends on your personal birth chart. You can look it up here, take note of which houses are ruled by Taurus and Scorpio. Yes, everyone has Taurus and Scorpio in their chart even if you don't have any planets located inside the house. The wheel below shows the themes for each house in a birth chart.
Below, I chatted with three astrologers about what eclipses are, how to prepare, and why you should embrace change.
JASON FLEMING @THESAGITTARIANMIND
What is an eclipse?
Well, number one, you've got different kinds of eclipses. I say that it's a super strength new and full moon. So, a new moon is where you have the sun and the moon in the same sign. A full moon is where you have the sun and the moon in opposing signs.
But either way, you look at a light as being blocked, so to speak. In a solar eclipse, the moon moved between the earth and the sun. Turning off the sun's light. So, it's like going into a room and turning out the light. You will hear arguments as to which is more powerful, a solar or a lunar eclipse. All eclipses are not experienced equally. That really boils down to a person and where the eclipse is happening in their birth chart.
Why do you think there's fear around eclipses?
I think people think they're scary because we don't know exactly what's happening, number one. Number two, I think some people want something to talk about so badly that they'll go to lengths to... you know, it's that concept of fear over anything, right? It's more of a passive point of view, where these forces are just going to overwhelm us and we're going to be helpless in the face of these forces. I think people become afraid too, because they underestimate that there are events that take place beyond our control, but sometimes people underestimate their capacity to act for themselves.
I think people can create a self-fulfilling prophecy for themselves, like you're being told how to feel. It's like a hypnotist, right? Saying, "You're getting sleepy, you're sleepy aren't you?" And you're like, "Am I sleepy?" And it's like, “Yes, you're sleepy. You're going into a trance." You think you're supposed to feel this way, so you trick yourself into thinking it's that way.
You're not really separating your personal preferences because you're hearing so much from the outside that this is the way that it's supposed to be. I think what helps people is to understand that there's such a range. Anytime you're putting planetary combinations together, there's such a multi-varied range of what can take place based upon those combinations. And I think that's an important thing to consider.
What are the nodes in a birth chart?
The nodes in a chart are the intersection of the sun and the moon at your time of birth. They're not planets. So, the intersection of the sun and the moon, going north is the north node and going south is the south node. Astrology is largely about interpretation, so karmic or past life astrologers will say the south node is you in a past life. North node is what your purpose or what you're moving towards.
What I say is that it's an axis of growth. The south node can be something that we're very familiar with. It has value, it's a strength. But that strength needs to be used to support what the north node indicates in the birth chart. The north node can suggest a direction of growth, it's a stretch point. Sometimes we might even question our fitness in moving in towards our north node or our purpose.
SHINOBI ROBESON @BLACKGIRLHOROSCOPE
How would you describe the eclipse season and its impact on a cultural level?
Eclipse season is a very fated time. This month we have the eclipse happening on the Taurus and Scorpio axis. Given that I have so many placements in both, it hits home for me specifically, and I know it does for you as well since you're a Taurus rising. I think that this is one of the more important ones because if you take a look at what's happening on a world level right now, we're in a recession, even though no one really wants to admit that we are. It's all about resources and money. The way people are making their money is changing in a very significant way. Now we're starting to see a lot of people owning their own businesses and peer-to-peer exchange, for example, Venmo and Cash app, and things like that are really starting to boom right now. So, the way we make our money, our resources. There's inflation, food in the grocery stores is the most expensive it's been in a very, very long time. The North Node being in Taurus is really changing our lives in a significant way. Now, the South Node being in Scorpio is like a lot of people are purging. People are experiencing endings, unfortunately, especially in the United States, which is going through its Pluto return, experiencing death. It's a very deep transit. Also, people might be divorcing, that's common for the US, but it's centered now, and that's ruled by Scorpio and the 8th house.
Eclipse season is not a time to manifest, correct?
Absolutely not. There is no right or wrong way to go into it, but what's most helpful is to have an open mind. So the things that do happen, if you're able to see it from a perspective of how is this going to improve my way of life? Or, if something does exit my life, if a relationship does end, which intuitively is what I think is going to happen for a lot of people that aren't in very sustainable, healthy relationships. But let's just say, if I do break up or lose a friend, or end up having to leave my location suddenly, what is this teaching me? What is the lesson? What am I meant to see from this?" Just having an open mind, try to maintain a positive perspective will help you in the long term.
STEPHANIE WHALEY @ORO.MOON
What do we need to know about the upcoming Taurus/Scorpio eclipses?
Instead of looking outwards, look inwards. When we talk about Taurus, Taurus is the springtime, it's life, things are blooming. When we talk about Scorpio, it's the season of fall, the leaves are changing color, it's incredibly spiritual. What is the point of fall? For the leaves to shed themselves. And so it's like this reawakening process of these plants, of these trees, and that's exactly what you're going to go through. With this partial new moon solar eclipse on the 24th, it's going to be conjunct to Venus. And that's a bit rare, but also more powerful. Why? Because Venus is the planet of love, romance, but it's also self-worth and values. “What are my truest, rawest desires? What do I want to let go of?” Go deep into your subconscious. Instead of being scared, think “ready or not, here I come,” that is eclipse season.
Even if things happen to me, let's say during Mercury retrograde or an eclipse, I think, "You know what? Eclipses are just speeding up the process." It's inevitable because you create your own destiny. The point of eclipses is just to say, "All right, let's get in line. Let's get this organized. This is meant for you. Oh, you fear something? You're being slow? We're going to push you off that proverbial cliff and push you towards your destiny." Eclipses are literally evolution. For this one in particular, I think a lot of people are going to focus on their career and their relationships because that's kind of the biggest highlight of the eclipses.
Let go of old patterns and understand that eclipses usher you closer to your destiny. And when I say your destiny, I don't mean the destiny that the world has thrust upon you, I mean the destiny that you are creating for yourself.
Is there any way to prepare for an eclipse?
The best thing to do to prepare is just embrace the new beginnings. Expect the unexpected. This is an emotionally deep evolution, and perhaps cathartic for some. You're going to evolve to the next chapter, the next stage of your life. And the point of living is to be constantly growing, learning, and bettering yourself, whatever that means for you.
Is there anything you've been doing that has been making you feel bad? Maybe you spend too much time on social media romanticizing other people's lives, and that's causing you self-harm in a way because you no longer understand what it is that brings you joy personally. Or even prioritizing a spiritual makeover for yourself. When you have Venus conjunct the sun and moon, the solar eclipse in Scorpio, it's saying, "Just cut things out that don't fulfill you any longer." It's, again, this intuitive process. What are the things that are going to make us the happiest?