Is Magic During Eclipses a Good Idea?
It is common to advise witches and pagans to avoid working magic during eclipses. Following this advice is wise if you don’t know what you’re doing, but this wise caution has been passed around so many times without context, I’ve seen influencers literally advise people to shut the blinds and hide in the closet during eclipses.
Hysterical fear of eclipses is completely unnecessary. But it has a proud history.
Mesopotamian astrologers were masters of planetary magic in the ancient world, and nothing terrified them more than eclipses. The Mesopotamians loved order, and they saw eclipses as moments when the divine order was turned on its head. Since they had no idea how to predict them, every eclipse was a surprise they had to scramble to fix.
Making a right response to eclipses was so important to ancient astrologers, research into how to predict eclipses was a driving force in the development of the science of astronomy. The moment it became possible to predict eclipses in advance was the moment when astrologers started seeing themselves as scientists and stopped seeing themselves as messengers of the many gods.*
The Mesopotamians weren't wrong. Eclipses are powerful moments when the normal rules of magic are suspended, but there is order in the cosmic chaos. Today, we can predict eclipses down to the second. We know that they happen roughly four times a year. We know where in the sky they will happen and where in the world you will get the best view of the eclipse. This opportunity to prepare in advance should help us feel more relaxed about eclipses.
If you practice planetary magic, and you understand exactly how the normal rules of magic are suspended and why, it is perfectly reasonable to work magic during eclipses. To understand how eclipses suspend the normal rules of magic, it helps to understand the science behind how they work and how ancient astrologers translated their scientific observations of the sky into mythological stories.
The Science of Eclipses (aka the Nodes of the Moon)
Most of the objects orbiting the sun move on roughly the same plane. This means that if you were to look at the solar system side on, it would look like there is a line going right through the center of the sun, a bit like a planet's rings. The line along which most space objects move around the sun is called the ecliptic.
No planetary orbit is perfect. As planets move around the sun, their orbits take them above and below the ecliptic. The places where a planet's orbit cross the ecliptic are called the planet's nodes. Each planet has two nodes: a north node, where the planet is crossing the ecliptic going up, and a south node where the planet is crossing the ecliptic going down.
Eclipses happen when the moon has reached one of its own nodes (one of the places where it crosses the ecliptic).
Eclipses always happen during New Moons and Full Moons because this is when the moon crosses the ecliptic, and the sun and moon are exactly aligned in the sky.
Solar eclipses always happen during New Moons because the sun and moon are in exactly the same place from our perspective. The moon passes in front of the sun, obscuring our view of it. In astrological terms, the sun and moon are conjunct.
Lunar eclipses always happen during Full Moons because the moon appears to be on the other side of the sun from us, and the sun seems to pass in front of the face of the moon. In astrological terms, lunar eclipses happen when the sun and moon are opposed.
During an eclipse, the moon is aligned with either the north node or south node. Each year we (usually) get two eclipses aligned with (conjunct) each of the nodes of the moon--one lunar eclipse and one solar eclipse.
Eclipses in Mythology: The Dragon Who Eats the Sun and Moon
Because the moon and the sun look about the same size from our perspective on earth, when they are perfectly aligned during an eclipse, it looks like there is an invisible monster eating the sun or moon. In Indian astrology and mythology, they tell a story about a dragon that is cut in half when he takes more than his share in a bargain with the gods. Because the dragon had drunk an elixir of immortality, he is condemned to live forever separated from half of himself.
(I tell the story of Rahu and Ketu in more depth in my post on the south node in Scorpio.)
In astrology, the top half of the dragon (Rahu) is associated with the north node. It is a mouth without a stomach that eats and eats and never feels full.
Astrologically, Rahu's place in the sky points to a place in our lives where we are experiencing unquenchable longing for something that seems impossibly out of reach. It may seem like our desires will never be satisfied, but Rahu's desire is our pole star. There is treasure in the house and sign that contains Rahu, but we need to fight through our despair and disbelief to find it.
The bottom half of the dragon (Ketu) is associated with the south node. It is the digestive system that magically receives the benefits of Rahu's greedy eating and is condemned to purge that excess forever.
Astrologically, Ketu's place in the sky points to a place in our lives where we are overdoing it. Sometimes, that can take the form of a coping strategy that we use whether or not it's the best tool for the job. Other times, Ketu's place can represent ghosts that need to be exorcised from your life. Regardless of the details, Ketu's house and sign represent a place in your life where you can stand to do some purging.
In September 2025, the eclipses are shifting into Virgo and Pisces. I talk about the relationship between Virgo and Pisces in How Pisces and Virgo Can Make You More Creative.
How Eclipses Turn Moon Magic on Its Head
In ordinary times, New Moons are for dreaming new dreams in the dark. Seeds planted under the New Moon manifest when the moon is full, and the New Moon is a time to take small, symbolic actions that you hope will grow into something bigger. Because actions taken during the New Moon have consequences that reverberate into the future, it is usually best to rest during the New Moon or move slowly while divining the right course.
Full Moons are times of manifestation. Because the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the sky (from our perspective), we can see the truth of our lives more clearly than usual during these times. This clarity also means that we can clearly see the things in our lives that aren't serving us, which is why the Full Moon is a good time for releasing.
During eclipses the regularly scheduled New Moon or Full Moon programming is interrupted by Rahu (North Node) or Ketu (South Node).
When the eclipse interrupted by (conjunct) Rahu, the eclipse story becomes about an unquenchable desire and the quest to go after the object of the desire. When Rahu is involved in a New Moon, the themes of the New Moon and Rahu's story align perfectly, but things become more complicated when Rahu is involved in a Full Moon.
When the eclipse is interrupted by (conjunct) Ketu, the eclipse story becomes about the need to get away from excess and eliminate the things in our lives that aren't working for us. Ketu is a great companion for Full Moon workings, but things get strange when Ketu is involved in New Moons.
Moon Magic During Eclipses
Finding the Eclipses
The first step to working with eclipses is learning when and where they are. The signs of eclipses, the intensity of the eclipses, and which of the nodes of the moon are most activated will all influence the best way to respond to the eclipse.
A good astrological planner will give you all the information about eclipses you need. My favorite planner is made by the Honeycomb Collective. Alternately, you can use an ephemeris or astrology app to keep an eye on the location of the nodes of the moon. The closer a New Moon or Full Moon is to the nodes, the more likely we are to experience an eclipse--and the more powerful the eclipse will be.
When the Solar Eclipse (New Moon) Is in Rahu's (North Node) Sign
New Moons are about setting intentions, and when the New Moon is working with Rahu, the intentions that we set are informed by our deepest desires. This can, counterintuitively, make setting intentions more difficult. If you are a person who tends to decide you "aren't really feeling it" when something you want seems impossible, you are likely to miss the opportunity to move in the direction of your desires. Beware of settling for small things. This is the time to reach for the thing you want so badly it breaks your heart.
When the Solar Eclipse (New Moon) Is in Ketu's (South Node) Sign
New moons involving Ketu are still about setting intentions, but Ketu's presence makes things more complicated. Ketu's sign represents an area of life that has become corrupt and overdone. When we set intentions without careful awareness of what time it is, we run the risk of trying frantically to save things we should be trying to release. If you are not clear on how, exactly, you need to change your relationship with Ketu's sign, lunar eclipses in that sign are best used for divining on that question.
When the Lunar Eclipse (Full Moon) Is in Rahu's (North Node) Sign
Full moons involving Rahu can be bittersweet. They are usually times where we (metaphorically) sit on the top of a mountain and celebrate how far we've come. When Rahu meets up with the moon, the focus is usually on how much further we have to climb. The sun meets up with Ketu during these times, as well, which means that we can feel like we are channeling Rahu and Ketu, frantically chasing something in one area of our lives while equally frantically throwing things out the back of the car in another area of our lives. It can feel reckless, but it's the right thing to do, as long as you keep your eye on the prize.
When the Lunar Eclipse (Full Moon) Is in Ketu's (South Node) Sign
Full Moons and Ketu are both about releasing, so it is best to treat Full Moons conjunct the south node like a super purge. Because the south node is an area where we don't tend to have a lot of clarity, it's important to do this purging with thoughtfulness. If the sign of the south node is operating in a dysfunctional way in your life, you risk eliminating things from your life that you might want to keep if you were in a better place. Keeping your goals (Rahu's sign) in mind during a Ketu lunar eclipse can help you keep your priorities straight.
*The bitter divorce of astrology and astronomy was a mistake, in my opinion. Astrologers and astronomers have suffered without each other. Astrologers need the critical rigor of science to keep us grounded, and scientists need to get meaning and purpose from somewhere if they’re going to handle staring into the vast, emptiness of space.
