What You Need To Know About Solar And Lunar Eclipses

Following a year of intense astrology, 2020 culminates with a string of eclipses. These lunar events bring "shake-ups," dramatic shifts, and "new beginnings" between three and seven times a year, Allure explains. Depending on where the eclipse is taking place, it may impact various aspects of your life. In old-school astrological theory, eclipses were a time to fear — when the sky went dark and everything was unknown, per Mindbodygreen. Today, astrologists view them as powerful transformative forces.

These events have a lot to do with the lunar nodes: These are the "highest and lowest points" of an elliptical orbit that match up with the ones in our birth charts, according to Allure, and these activations align with our destinies. The big difference between solar and lunar eclipses revolves around the phase that the moon is in. "Solar eclipses occur during the new moon phase when the sun and moon are positioned at the exact same degree within the same zodiac sign," Allure notes. These involve the moon passing in front of the sun, making it appear as if the sun has been blocked out. Meanwhile, lunar eclipses happen during the full moon period, when the moon reflects the Earth's shadow, and the sun stands on the opposite side of the planet.

Much like what's happening in the sky, the results on Earth can be dramatic — lots of shifts and illuminations that may impact big things in your life.

With so much drama in the sky, you may notice some flares of various emotions during eclipse season. Mindbodygreen explains that the sun corresponds with our creativity and conscious mind, while the moon reflects our emotional world and subconscious in many astrological schools of thought. The moon blocking out the sun, then, may represent a heavy emphasis on emotional reactions, rather than those that are aligned with our conscious mind, the outlet notes.

Another thing to remember is that eclipses come hand-in-hand with change, often pretty quickly. Making things seem more volatile, these astrological events are a perfect time to journal, take time to process, and detach from outcomes, according to Mindbodygreen. With all of the change and releasing, try not to make any sudden movements or big life decisions — give yourself time to integrate. Use centering activities like yoga, meditation, running, or other self-care practices to calm your mind throughout the process.

Astrological events like these don't happen to make your life more difficult, rather, eclipses may help spur us in the right direction, even if it gets messy at first. Allure explains that the cyclical nature of these occurrences show us how to let go and welcome in the new — trusting that everything is as it needs to be. Support yourself through these portals and trust that your journey is going according to plan.