Eclipse Seasons Change Everything
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As August comes to a close and we near the end of Summer, we’re once again standing on the precipice of a super-charged “eclipse season.” What can we expect to happen and how do we navigate it?
Twice a year, lasting for ~4 weeks each, we experience major endings and beginnings (individually and collectively) in what is now coined as an “eclipse portal.” When the Sun, Moon and Lunar Nodes align with the ecliptic, we see our cosmic lights go out. Eclipses have been deemed the most astrologically important periods ever since humankind has been able to consciously observe itself in relation to the stars. Need I mention sacred sites such as Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids of Giza, or Chichen Itza?
This particular eclipse season, which officially opens on September 1st and will last until September 28th, 2025, includes a total lunar eclipse (super-charged full moon) in Pisces on Sunday, 9/7 as well as a solar eclipse (super-charged new moon) in Virgo on Sunday, 9/21. Both of these eclipses hold significant developments, all of which I’ve outlined below.
In the ancient world, eclipses were looked upon with terror and awe, as the Sun or Moon suddenly disappeared from the sky. They were often viewed as omens of natural disasters, war, and danger to leaders. Today, the interpretation of eclipses still carries traces of what our ancestors saw, however, they have largely been reframed to be about a karmic influence that intensifies and stimulates, for good or bad, the points & signs in our chart that are activated.
Eclipses can only happen when the Sun and Moon are joined with what’s called the lunar nodes. The lunar nodes are the points of intersection between the plane of the Moon’s orbit with the plane of the Sun’s apparent orbit around the Earth, also called the ecliptic. Together, they represent how our past actions have led to current circumstances (south node), which then provides opportunities for personal and spiritual growth (north node).
From a psychological perspective, when the light of our mind (Sun) or the instinctive wisdom of our body (Moon) becomes obscured, something that was normally held under restraint emerges. Eclipses allow us to access what may have been concealed or repressed—what Carl Jung referred to as our “shadow.” This encounter with the hidden (or rejected) contents of our unconscious can help a person integrate the unknown with the known, the dark with the light, and the past with the future.
The lunar nodes also move in a retrograde motion at all times, or in the opposite direction to the planets, which is a key feature to consider because it highlights how their purpose is not oriented around sequential life development nor material achievement. Instead, nodal growth is concerned with the integration of the spiritual life, which can often pull us in a direction different from where we thought we were headed. Its cycle encourages how the soul’s calling could be best actualized and appreciated.
The lunar nodes move through a pair of signs in the zodiac for about 18.5 months at a time, meaning it takes ~18-19 years to complete a full cycle. It’s important to consider how each eclipse season fits into the 18-month cycle, because not all eclipses are created equal.
The opening eclipses introduce us to themes and areas of life where we’ll need to grow on a soul-level, while also letting go of what’s taking up too much space. The ending eclipses tend to be less destabilizing since by that point we’re focused on integrating changes that have already been set in motion. In the middle, which is where we’re currently at in this September 2025 season, we reach a peak experience of fated events that are characterized by accelerated, unpredictable changes and turning-point decision making.
In September 2024, when this current cycle started between Virgo and Pisces, we had a partial lunar eclipse in Pisces but no activity in Virgo. Earlier this year, in March 2025, we had a total lunar eclipse in Virgo but no activity in Pisces. What makes this Autumn Eclipse Season special is that it’s the only one during the entire Virgo / Pisces cycle that we will have back-to-back eclipses in Virgo & Pisces! By March 2026, we’ll have a final total lunar eclipse in Virgo before a final lunar eclipse in Pisces in August 2026. Then the lunar nodes enter Leo / Aquarius in July 2026, pushing us into a new cycle.
When thinking about how eclipses will affect you personally it’s important to note that we all experience what’s called a “Nodal Return” and a “Nodal Opposition”, which are heightened periods of personal experience within the eclipse cycles, timed to when the lunar nodes are in the same pair of signs where they were when you were born.
Nodal Return Ages: 18, 36, 54, 72, 90
Nodal Opposition Ages: 9, 27, 45, 63, 81
Check to see if you have your own north and south node between Virgo and Pisces to determine whether you’re in one of these transits. If you were born 2006-2007, 1997-1998, 1988-1989, 1978-1979, 1969-1970, etc. then this would be you.
These are considered pivotal times for personal growth and development. While the cycles of everyday life immerse us in physical and emotional attachments, nodal transits awaken other values. Think of each nodal return as a reconfirmation of our spiritual nature, a calling that emerges from the depths of our soul.
For everyone, the house that the north node is passing through is where greater conscious understanding and spiritual development is surfacing. This is an area of intake and assimilation where soul growth happens. The transiting south node highlights issues from the past that need to be resolved and disseminated. This is a place of release where the experiences of the past bring insight. Here’s a breakdown of the meaning of the nodal transits through each house:
Below are themes you can also apply to the relevant houses where Virgo and Pisces sit in your birth chart.
Key Themes of the North Node in Pisces / South Node in Virgo:
Releasing perfectionistic ideals
Shedding unhealthy addictions & escapist tendencies
Quieting the “monkey mind” / the inner critic to improve discernment
Letting go of measuring one’s worth based on how much you accomplish
Establishing & enforcing spiritual & emotional boundaries
Developing an ear to listen to the intuitive wisdom of one’s body
Creating a grounded sense of spirituality, beliefs, or religion that works for you
Enhancing creativity & emotional intelligence
Using myself as an example, I’m a Virgo Rising with my natal north node in my Libra 2nd house / south node in my Aries 8th. When the lunar nodes finally moved out of Aries / Libra into Virgo / Pisces in January 2025, I felt the relief of no longer being in my Nodal Opposition, which confronted me with all of the ways in which I had built my self-worth and self-esteem on work and relationships that didn’t feel true or authentic.
Now, as I experience the north node in my Pisces 7th and the south node in my Virgo 1st, I’m finding that many of the inauthentic relationships are organically fading away so that I have room for more aligned connection. At the same time, I’m working to release a self-image that has been highly curated so that I’m able to visibly embody not just the best parts of myself but also the messy, chaotic, and dark sides as well.
If there’s one key lesson I’ve learned when it comes to how to navigate eclipse season it’s how important it is to stop resisting or trying to control external outcomes. Instead, redirect that energy to finding inner awareness that allows you to move through change from a place of groundedness. It’s altogether impossible to avoid the changes eclipse season ushers in too. Don’t look away, otherwise the Universe has a harsh way of forcing you into change that is rarely as easeful as when you just flow or prompt it yourself.
When it comes to interpreting the eclipse narrative for your own birth chart and how you can expect it to unfold in ways unique to you, I highly recommend booking a reading with a professional astrologer (I’m available!) who practices a form of ancient astrology. Until next time, I hope you have an empowering eclipse season ahead! Xx