Witchcraft and Eclipses
Witchcraft During an Eclipse
Should you do witchcraft during an eclipse? It really depends on what you are trying to do. They can be very powerful times to create change and disrupt systems that are fundamentally unbalanced. But they often bring a bit of chaotic energy.
I think of them as wildcards. A time to call the winds of change. And that is part of the work that a witch can do. Historically, we often were on the edge of acceptable society and saw things in a different way. So stir up the winds of change! As long as you aren’t attached to that change happening in a specific way.
An eclipse is when the Moon blocks the Sun during a new moon phase. A lunar eclipse happens when Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon during a full moon phase. There can be a partial eclipse or total eclipse. Eclipses usually come in pairs. A lunar eclipse is usually paired with a solar eclipse two weeks apart. There are at least four eclipses every year, but there can be more. 2020 had six, and 2027 will have five, which breaks the pairs rule. A pentacle of eclipses, anyone?
Eclipses and Magic for Change
So what ways would I work witchcraft during or around eclipses? I see them as cracks in the fabric of day-to-day existence, so as I said, they are good for big-picture cultural change magic.
I usually do divination to get information about the best way to frame that magic, whether there is an eclipse or not. And I usually add a caveat like “best possible outcome” so that people already struggling are supported.
Eclipses and Divination
In the time leading up to, during, and immediately after eclipses, I've often had a lot of success with divination, spontaneous visions, and knowings. To me, a solar eclipse is a crack in the veil between the worlds, where we have a chance to step outside our mundane view and peer into the depths of time and space.
So I often use divination and dreamwork during this time. I think questions like, “What needs to be revealed that I wouldn’t normally see?” are particularly useful. But I would say not to turn your life upside down in a way that’s destabilizing based on a reading at this time. Take the info you receive as one possible option. Ask yourself if you actually need to do that right now. And maybe double-check later.
Eclipses, Banishing, and Release
To some extent, I tend to think about eclipses as similar to the energy of a dark moon or a very late waning moon, where it's time to go within, do banishing and releasing work. Maybe burning clearing herbs like rosemary or Vervain. Or you could try lighting a candle and ask the flame to help you with any of the releasing or renewal work that you want to do.
Some people don’t work with lunar cycles in their witchcraft. They work more with seasonal or traditional cultural festivals. I still think an eclipse would have an impact, but if your main focus is not on the sun or moon, the effect might be minimized.
The Milky Way and shooting stars arching over a lake
Astrology and Eclipse Energies
In astrology, people interpret the likely effects of an eclipse based on what sign the moon and sun are in, or where it falls in someone's individual birth chart. When I’m looking at what magic an eclipse might hold, I like to think about the season it’s occurring in, or if it falls very close to a seasonal festival. For example, an eclipse happening near Samhain is going to feel very different than one that occurs around Beltaine or the Spring Equinox.
Also, I like to look at other celestial factors. Like if there is a meteor shower occurring, which I feel enhances the unpredictability of an eclipse effect, but enhances a wider range of places that divinatory messages come from. That’s just my personal thoughts.
If you work with astrology at all, eclipses activate your past and future destiny points in your astrological chart, the North and South Nodes.
In simpler terms, what that means is it puts a bit of an emphasis and a boost, or a little exclamation point, on the ways that destiny works in your life and emphasizes issues that might come up around that.
So it's a good time to do some journaling or take note of any insights or revelations you might have about your life path, where you're going, and what has led you to this point.
A partial lunar eclipse setting in the sea
Historical Views of Eclipses
Historically, many of our ancestors in various parts of the world probably saw them as ominous or a sign that dramatic change was coming, or at least that's what we hear from recorded sources. But like all things magical, the time that people have been practicing magic is long and extended, and so my guess is that perhaps people viewed them in different ways in different localities over different periods of time.
The chance of a total eclipse occurring in the area where you live is really very rare. But I find that partial eclipses are pretty common. There is always the ongoing question of if you will notice anything energetically if it’s not visible in your region.
I think that depends on how sensitive you are and what you are most sensitive to. I tend to not usually be affected by retrogrades of the planets, but I usually really notice eclipses.
Shadow of a cat watching the eclipse patterns on the sidewalk.
I always take a moment to check in on the day of the eclipse before I launch into witchcraft. If the day feels a bit off, I might change my magical plans. I feel like the moment of the eclipse is powerful, and it's fine to just observe, make offerings, light a candle, listen, and feel what's happening. So whatever you have planned, play it by ear. And yes, I do work with eclipses, but I feel like we don’t really have a long history of working with them in witchcraft.
Want to explore Moon magic more deeply? Join me for 13 Moons, an on-demand online series beginning October 1, with monthly practices and materials for bringing the magic of the Moon into your witchcraft.
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Blessings on your Path
Colette Gardiner
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