Eclipse Season Explained
Eclipse season opens on the 12th of August, and if you have never really understood what that means, this is the post for you. So make a cup of something, get comfy, and let me walk you through it.
First things first, what even is an eclipse
You already know what an eclipse looks like in the sky. The Sun goes dark in the middle of the day, or the Moon turns a strange rusty red at night. Something briefly covers a light that is meant to be shining.
A solar eclipse happens at a new moon, when the Moon slides directly between us and the Sun and blocks the light for a few minutes. A lunar eclipse happens at a full moon, when the Earth slips between the Sun and the Moon and throws its shadow across the Moon's face. Every eclipse is either a supercharged new moon or a supercharged full moon. That is the simplest way to see it.
But not every new moon and full moon is an eclipse, otherwise we would have them every fortnight. Eclipses only happen when the Sun and Moon line up close to two specific points in the sky called the lunar nodes. The nodes are the two spots where the Moon's orbit crosses the path the Sun appears to travel. When a new or full moon lands near one of those crossing points, the alignment is exact enough for a shadow to fall, and you get an eclipse. This is why eclipses always arrive in pairs or threes, roughly twice a year, in what we call eclipse season.
The old story underneath it
Long before anyone had the science, people looked up, watched the light get swallowed, and told stories to explain it. A lot of those stories involve a dragon.
In Vedic astrology the two nodes are still called Rahu and Ketu, the head and the tail of a great celestial dragon who chases the Sun and Moon across the sky and, every so often, catches one and swallows it whole. For a few minutes the light is gone, held inside the dragon, and then it is released again, changed. Something gets taken into the dark for a moment. When it comes back, it is not quite the same, and neither are you.
You do not have to believe in dragons. But eclipses do have that quality of something being briefly removed so that when the light returns you see it differently. Keep the dragon in your back pocket. It will make more sense as we go.
Why astrologers make such a fuss about them
If a new moon is a seed and a full moon is a harvest, an eclipse is that same energy with the volume turned all the way up and the timeline sped up to match.
Eclipses are the sky's fast forward button. They tend to bring things to a head, shake loose whatever was already wobbling, and move the plot along whether you felt ready or not. The classic experience is the eclipse that arrives like a plot twist. A job offer out of nowhere. A relationship that suddenly clarifies itself, one way or the other. A truth you had been carefully not looking at, finally sat in the middle of the room where you cannot walk around it anymore. People often meet someone, leave something, or make a decision around an eclipse that they end up marking as a genuine before and after point in their life.
Eclipses rarely feel tidy in the moment. Because they are tied to the nodes, which carry that flavour of fate and destiny, they tend to move you along a path rather than politely asking your permission first. Things arrive. Things leave. It can feel a little out of your hands, and that is normal. The work is less about controlling it and more about paying close attention to what the dragon brings and takes.
One more thing worth knowing. Eclipses come in families. They fall along the same axis of signs for around eighteen months to two years, telling one long story in chapters, then the whole show moves on to a new pair of signs. So a single eclipse is never really a standalone event. It is one scene in something much bigger.
The two eclipses of this season
This season gives us two, roughly two weeks apart, and they are quietly telling two different stories.
The first is the big one, the total solar eclipse in Leo on the 12th of August 2026, landing at 20 degrees of Leo. This is a new moon eclipse, so it carries that seed planting, fresh chapter energy, wearing Leo's bold and bright and heart led colours.
The second is the partial lunar eclipse in Pisces on the 28th of August 2026, at 4 degrees of Pisces. This one is a full moon eclipse, so it leans toward release, revelation and things reaching their natural end, wrapped in Pisces softness, tears, dreams and everything that lives below the surface.
The stretch of time between the two, those roughly two weeks, is what people mean when they talk about the eclipse portal. It is an in between space where a lot can shift. You will feel the season as a whole, not just the two exact dates.
There is a lovely detail in this particular pairing, and it ties into something I wrote about recently when the lunar nodes changed signs. The Leo eclipse belongs to the brand new Leo and Aquarius eclipse story that is only just beginning. The Pisces eclipse is one of the final chapters of the Virgo and Pisces story that has been running since 2024. So this season sits right on the hinge of a door closing and a door opening at the same time. One theme taking a bow, another stepping onto the stage.
For the rest of this post I am going to focus on the Leo solar eclipse on the 12th, because that is the one opening a new cycle, and it is the one where degree theory and your own chart get really interesting.
The Leo total solar eclipse on the 12th of August
Let me set the scene properly, because this eclipse is a bit of a showstopper even in the actual sky.
On the 12th of August the Moon will pass completely in front of the Sun, and for a few minutes daylight will vanish along a narrow path that crosses Greenland, Iceland, a corner of Russia, Portugal and Spain. If you happen to be in northern Spain that afternoon, you will see the Sun blotted out entirely and the stars come out in the early evening, which is the first time totality has swept across that part of mainland Europe in a very long time.
Because it happens at a new moon, the invitation is beginnings. New intentions, new self expression, a new relationship with the part of you that wants to be seen. But it lands in Leo and sits on the South Node, which gives it a specific texture. The South Node is the place we are being asked to release, so this is a new beginning that comes through letting something go first. Very Leo themes are up for review here. The need to be the main character. Performing confidence you do not feel. Waiting for applause before you let yourself enjoy anything. Making yourself the whole show by default. The eclipse is clearing space in the part of your life ruled by Leo, so that something warmer and more honest can grow in its place.
Leo rules the heart, both the literal one and the metaphorical one. It rules creativity, romance, play, children, joy, and the courage it takes to show people who you really are. Wherever this eclipse falls in your chart, that is the area getting the fresh start. Which brings us neatly to the part you actually need your chart for.
Degree theory, and why 20 degrees of Leo matters
Every eclipse happens at an exact spot in the zodiac, measured in degrees. This one sits at 20 degrees of Leo. That number is the key that tells you whether this eclipse is knocking on your personal door or just passing through the neighbourhood.
There are two layers to degree theory, so let me give you both, plainly.
The first layer is the practical one, and it is the one that matters most. Every sign runs from 0 to 29 degrees. When an eclipse lands at a particular degree, it lights up anything in your own chart sitting close to that same degree. So if you have a planet, your Sun, your Moon, your rising, or any other point within about five degrees either side of 20 Leo, meaning roughly 15 to 25 degrees, this eclipse is personal for you. It is speaking directly to that part of your chart rather than gently in the background.
And it does not stop at Leo. An eclipse also reaches across to the other fixed signs, which are Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius. So if you have anything around 15 to 25 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius, you are one of the people who will feel this one in your body, not just read about it. Aquarius especially, because it sits directly opposite Leo and the eclipse is pulling on that whole axis at once. If you have no idea what degrees your planets sit at, do not worry, I will show you how to find out in a minute.
The second layer is the one you have probably seen doing the rounds online. In this version, each degree carries the essence of a sign. 0 degrees is the sign in its totality, its purest and fullest form, so 0 Leo would be Leo at its most Leo. Then the count begins, 1 is Aries, 2 is Taurus, 3 is Gemini, and on round the zodiac from there. When you count all the way to 20, you land on Scorpio. That makes 20 a Scorpio flavoured degree.
So this eclipse is Leo energy sitting on a Scorpio degree, and both of those are fixed signs, which doubles down on the intensity. Leo is the warm, expressive, heart on show kind of energy. Scorpio is the deep, private, all or nothing part of us that goes right to the bottom of a feeling instead of skimming the top. Put them together and this beginning wants your whole heart in it. It asks you to be seen not only shining, but feeling something real, and it carries an undercurrent of transformation, the kind of fresh start that only arrives once something older has been felt all the way through and released.
How to find out where it lands in your chart
This is the bit that turns a horoscope into something you can actually use, and it needs one thing from you first. Your birth time.
Your rising sign and your houses are worked out from the exact minute you were born, so without a birth time you can read along for the general vibe, but you will not know which house the eclipse is switching on for you specifically. If you do not know your birth time, it is often on your birth certificate, and in some places you can request it from the record office where you were born. Worth digging out, because it unlocks so much of your chart.
Once you have it, pop your date, time and place of birth into any free birth chart calculator online. You are looking for two things. Your rising sign, sometimes called your ascendant, which decides which house Leo falls in for you. And whether you have any planets or points sitting around 20 degrees of Leo, or around 20 degrees of Taurus, Scorpio or Aquarius, because those are your personal contact points with this eclipse.
A quick honest note on houses before we go sign by sign. I read charts using the Placidus house system, but for a collective post like this I am going sign by sign, which lines up exactly if you use whole sign houses. If you use Placidus and your rising sign sits very late in its degrees, Leo might spill into the house next door for you specifically. If you want it pinned down precisely for your own chart, that is what a full personal reading is for. For now, find your rising sign below.
Where the Leo eclipse lands for each rising sign
Aries rising, your fifth house
This one is a treat for you, because the eclipse drops straight into your house of joy. The fifth house is romance, creativity, pleasure, children, and everything you do purely because it lights you up rather than because it is useful. A fresh chapter is opening here. It might arrive as a new creative project that finally feels like yours, a romance that appears out of nowhere, or simply permission to stop being so serious and let yourself play again. Whatever you have been treating as a guilty extra is being moved to the centre of the table.
Taurus rising, your fourth house
For you the eclipse comes home, quite literally. The fourth house rules your house, your family, your roots and the emotional foundation everything else in your life is built on. Something is beginning down at the base of things. A move, a change in the household, a shift in a family dynamic, or a slow realisation about what home actually needs to feel like for you now. This is deep, private territory, so it may not be loud, but it will be felt in your bones.
Gemini rising, your third house
The eclipse switches on your busiest, most everyday house. The third house is communication, writing, learning, short trips, siblings and the constant hum of your daily mind. Expect a new conversation to start something, a piece of writing or a course to open a door, or your own voice to find a fresh register. Words carry real weight for you over this season, so pay attention to what you say and what gets said to you. A single message could turn out to be the beginning of something.
Cancer rising, your second house
Money and self worth are where your fresh start is landing. The second house rules your income, your possessions, and the deeper question sitting underneath both of those, which is what you actually believe you deserve to have. A new earning opportunity, a change in how you value your own work, or a shift in your whole relationship with security could open up now. This is a good season to back yourself with your wallet as well as your words.
Leo rising, your first house
This one is yours in the most personal way possible, because the eclipse lands right on you. The first house is your identity, your body, your presence, the whole energy you carry into a room before you say a single word. Eclipses here tend to bring reinventions. A new look, a new name for yourself, a new way of moving through the world, or a quiet refusal to keep being the version of you that other people got used to. You are being handed a blank page with your own name at the top. Fill it in as the person you actually are now.
Virgo rising, your twelfth house
Yours is the quietest placement of them all, and that is not a bad thing. The twelfth house rules rest, retreat, dreams, the subconscious and everything that happens behind the scenes before it is ready to be seen. Your new beginning is being made in private first. This is a season for closing a chapter softly, for healing something old, for sleeping more and pushing less. Whatever is stirring for you is real, it is just not ready for the spotlight yet, so let it stay in the dark a little longer and trust it is forming.
Libra rising, your eleventh house
Your people are where the action is. The eleventh house rules friendships, community, networks and the future you are quietly building alongside others. A new circle could form around you, a group or cause could pull you in, or a friendship could suddenly become far more central to your life than you expected. Some connections will click into place and some will quietly fall away, and both are part of the same clearing. Look at who is walking into the next chapter beside you.
Scorpio rising, your tenth house
The eclipse lands at the very top of your chart, which is the most public spot there is. The tenth house rules your career, your reputation and your place in the wider world. This is one of the most visible eclipse placements you can get, so expect movement around your work and how you are seen. A role, a title, a recognition, or a whole new direction could begin now. Something you have been building quietly may suddenly step into the light and ask you to own it out loud.
Sagittarius rising, your ninth house
Fittingly for a fire sign, your eclipse expands your whole horizon. The ninth house rules travel, higher study, publishing, beliefs and the big picture of what you think is possible for your life. A trip, a course, a spiritual thread or a bold new philosophy could open a door you did not know was there. Say yes to the thing that stretches you a little further than feels comfortable.
Capricorn rising, your eighth house
This is the most intense and intimate placement of the twelve. The eighth house rules deep bonds, shared money, other people's resources, and the kind of transformation that only happens by going through something rather than around it. A beginning here often involves someone else, a joining of finances, a deepening of trust, or the start of a real inner change. It asks for vulnerability, which does not always come easily to you, but what opens up on the other side of that is worth the discomfort.
Aquarius rising, your seventh house
The eclipse lands directly opposite your sign, in your house of partnership, and since Aquarius is pulled on hardest by anything in Leo, you will feel this one clearly. The seventh house rules one to one relationships, marriage, business partners and close alliances. A significant person could arrive, an existing relationship could reach a turning point, or you could finally see a connection for what it truly is. Other people become the mirror this season, showing you parts of yourself you cannot see on your own.
Pisces rising, your sixth house
For you the fresh start lands in the daily, practical rhythm of your life. The sixth house rules work, health, routines and the small habits that quietly hold everything else up. A new job, a new routine, or a change in how you look after your body and your time could begin now. This is not the flashiest placement, but it is one of the most useful, because a shift here reshapes your actual days rather than just your ideas. Build the routine that a healthier, steadier version of you would keep.
A quick word on the Pisces eclipse on the 28th
Two weeks after the Leo eclipse, the partial lunar eclipse in Pisces arrives to close the season. Where the Leo one planted something, this one asks you to release something. Full moon eclipses tend to bring endings, revelations and a wave of feeling that can catch you off guard, and Pisces adds tears, dreams, intuition and a pull toward rest and forgiveness. If the Leo eclipse is the doorway opening, the Pisces one is where you finally set down something you have been carrying too long. Be extra gentle with yourself around this date. It is a soft, emotional, slightly dreamy few days, and pushing hard through it never works.
What to actually do during eclipse season
Here is where I get practical, because knowing what an eclipse is only helps if you know how to move through it.
The single most important thing is to slow down and pay attention rather than rush to act. Eclipses stir things up fast, but the picture they reveal is rarely complete on the day itself. Whatever surfaces around the 12th tends to make full sense weeks later, sometimes even six months later when the next eclipse lands. So resist the urge to make an enormous, irreversible decision in the heat of the moment. Let the wave rise, let it settle, and then choose from clearer ground.
A little myth busting while we are here. This is not the time for your usual new moon manifesting ritual or charging your crystals under the light. Traditionally eclipses are considered too unpredictable and too charged for setting fixed intentions in the moment. The energy is doing its own thing, and trying to steer it with a wish list tends to work against you. Save the manifesting for a normal new moon. Use the eclipse to observe instead.
So what do you do with all that watching. Notice what arrives and what leaves without you forcing either. Notice who reaches out, what opportunity lands, what suddenly feels intolerable that you had been putting up with. Write it down. Keep a note on your phone of anything that shows up in the two weeks between the two eclipses, because eclipse events often only reveal their meaning in hindsight, and you will want the record.
If you like a bit of ritual that actually suits the season, keep it gentle. Rest more than usual. Take a bath. Journal on the house the Leo eclipse is lighting up for you, and ask yourself what you are ready to begin there and what old habit you are willing to release to make room for it. Look back to your last big eclipse in the fixed signs and ask what was going on in your life then, because these families of eclipses rhyme. And then just let it unfold. You do not have to make anything happen. The dragon is already at work.
If you want to know exactly what this eclipse is stirring for you
Reading along for your rising sign will give you the map, but a map is a general thing, and your life is not. If you want to know what this eclipse is actually waking up in your world, what it is asking you to begin, and what it is quietly clearing out to make the space, that is exactly what a written tarot reading is for. I sit with your cards, pull the thread that runs through them, and send it back to you as a printable keepsake you can return to as the season unfolds. If that feels like the nudge you needed, my readings are open, and I would love to look at this one with you.
And if you want to keep learning the sky alongside me, my membership blog is where I break down every new and full moon, every big transit and every eclipse, for your sign, all year round. Come and join us in there. I break it all down for every sign, and it is a really lovely place to learn this stuff properly.
