Solar Eclipse in Aquarius

As we enter February 2026, we will have our first eclipse in the new Leo/Aquarius cycle. Eclipses bring about accelerated change and upheaval. While disruptive and at times unmooring, they can also serve as great pattern breakers. In ancient times, they told of the falling of kings; like the wheel of fortune, what comes up must come down, and then the wheel spins once more.

This solar eclipse, on the 17th February 2026 at 12:01 GMT, is in the sign of the Water Pourer. Aquarius has always been a sign that confused me. It’s an image of a figure pouring water from a large jug. When I started studying traditional astrology, I was surprised to learn that this sign isn’t associated with the outer planet Uranus, but with the traditional planet Saturn.

This is shown by its opposition to the sign of Leo, which is the domain of the Sun. Leo is a fixed fire sign associated with kingship, sovereignty and visibility, and its opposite is Aquarius, which rejects the spotlight. Saturn stands opposed to the Sun. Where the Sun shines, Saturn darkens. Aquarius rejects popularity and instead seeks to improve things for the collective. Saturn wants things to last, which requires slow, methodical planning, which is where Aquarian themes of future-orientated thinking come from.

Aquarius, illumination from a book of hours, Italian, c. 1475

The ruler of the sign informs its qualities, and Saturn, being the farthest visible planet at the boundary of our cosmos, informs Aquarius’ outsider status. Its light is muted, unlike Jupiter or Venus in the night sky, and is symbolic of Aquarius being sometimes on the edges of society. Imagine the archetype of the old man at the edge of the village who is ignored or shunned but, when in need of a cure, is the one they desperately seek out. Saturn is a cold planet; its nature is to contract, reduce and limit. Saturn is Kronos, father of time. So Aquarius seeks to maintain the collective order, but also improve outdated traditions. It’s out of necessity, not desire, that Aquarius operates from. Saturn isn’t just about rules and tradition; it speaks to what cannot be avoided, what reality demands, and Aquarius is a sign that knows what needs to be done.

Let’s go back to that image of the Water Pourer. In traditional astrology, Aquarius is a humane sign (like the other air signs of Gemini and Libra); it contains a human invention, unlike the other zodiacal signs, most of which are images of animals. Human intellect is symbolised here, which sets us apart from our animal instincts. The element of Air is all about language, thought and the human experience.

It’s not just a person pouring water, but also, if you think about it, a piece of technology. I can’t remember who I heard that from (probably on an episode of The Astrology Podcast), so I can’t take credit, but it has always stuck with me. The jar is a container, used to hold and control a natural resource. Water has no boundaries; it just flows until it is given shape. The vessel this figure carries holds the water and represents control and the ability to repeat the process. This speaks to the fixed nature of Aquarius, where it seeks to stabilise, to endure, which is Saturn in a nutshell. Humans didn’t invent water, but they control the management and distribution of it, which is technology at its basic definition.

Solar eclipses are when sunlight is being blocked by the Moon. It’s an interruption, an instability, which symbolises great endings and beginnings. In astrology, they are events that signify less autonomy surrounding what is being ‘eclipsed’, more agents of fate than free will.

It’s important to look to the ruler of the eclipse and its condition, which will give us more information. Saturn will be freshly in the sign of Aries, after recently finishing its story in the sign of Pisces after a three-year stint. Aries is the place of fall for Saturn. It struggles to be ‘Saturn’ in Aries. Aries is a fire sign, where Saturn is a cold planet. Aries wants to ‘Just Do It’, where Saturn wants to take things slow. This implies an eclipse defined by urgency, where waiting is no longer an option and action becomes unavoidable.

Looking to your natal chart, the house that holds the sign of Aquarius will show you where this energy is showing up on a personal level. Eclipses and their effects don’t necessarily happen on the day itself, but there is a waxing and waning cycle which usually builds beforehand and lasts up to the next eclipse cycle, which is usually six months later. The most important thing about eclipses is that they are disruptions to the norm, and this is magnified in Aquarius, which strives to improve upon systems that perhaps need slimming down.

So where in your life are systems outdated? Where is there a need to be more discerning?

For example, if Aquarius is your 2nd house, perhaps the way you do your finances needs to be re-evaluated and upgraded. This could be a moment where old systems are expiring. You might have to start from scratch, through a process of trial and error, testing out new ideas, seeing what will last.

What does Saturn require to be done, but from a place where waiting around isn’t an option this time?

BYOB - Bring Your Own Birth Time- Local Astrology Event in Belfast

So last Wednesday, fellow astrologer Niamh and I hosted our very first local astrology event in Belfast, cheekily titled BYOB, Bring Your Own Birth Time. The idea was simple: mini birth chart readings of around 15 minutes each, giving people a little taster of how astrology can genuinely speak to someone’s lived experience. We were incredibly lucky to be welcomed by the wonderful Holly, owner of Flax, who was so gracious and kind in offering us her beautiful space. She created such a warm, cosy, and supportive atmosphere, which made the perfect setting for the evening to unfold.

Our intention for BYOB was to give the local Belfast community a space to explore their curiosity around astrology, and to show how traditional astrology (which has had a revival over the last 30 years) can dive into the nuance and specifics of a birth chart. We also wanted to offer something a little different, something magical, meaningful, and not your typical night out.

For about two hours, Niamh and I each had our own little reading table, armed with our trusty astro software, and every participant arrived with a question/theme along with their birth time, date, and location. That allowed us to cast a unique chart and talk to them about their natal potential. Everyone had a dedicated slot, and in between readings there was a lovely buzz as people chatted and connected. We actually sold out, 14 tickets in total, which genuinely amazed us and confirmed that there is a community here eager to explore a little deeper what traditional astrology can offer.

Little introduction to Traditional Astrology

What really stayed with me was the enthusiasm and curiosity each person brought. Everyone was so open to exploring their chart, asking thoughtful questions, going beyond what they had encountered on TikTok and eager to learn something new.

At the heart of BYOB, we wanted to create a grounded astrological experience and alleviate that nervousness people sometimes feel around readings. Ultimately, it is just a conversation between two people of a picture of the sky the moment you where born. When you start talking about the symbols, thats when the real magic happens. This was very much a passion project from two local astrologers wanting to connect with Belfast, find the star curious among us, and share a small yet meaningful taste of what a full astrological session can offer.

Niamh and I

We were so delighted with how the evening unfolded that we are already eager to organise another soon. People have even started reaching out saying they were disappointed to miss out the first time, so definitely keep an eye out because BYOB will be back. A heartfelt thank-you to Niamh for making this such a genuinely lovely experience to work on together.

Stay updated through my website or over at @gealachastro and @flaxcoffeebelfast.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/bb4a43_023e002576f24fc3813a831c6ec02905/480p/mp4/file.mp4

Eclipses September 2025 in Pisces and Virgo

Eclipses are loud.

We are approaching eclipse season, which lasts for about 34 days, during which a solar and a lunar eclipse occur. They have a way of entering our lives and shaking things up, whether we like it or not. Eclipses happen in pairs, roughly two weeks apart. The time before, between, and after can carry a disruptive energy, or perhaps an opportunity to break away from old patterns and try something different.

The first pair of eclipses this year occurred in March 2025: a lunar eclipse in Virgo and a solar eclipse in Aries. This was the last eclipse in Aries for at least eight years, as the lunar nodes have now shifted into Pisces and Virgo.

A little bit of history of eclipses...

The word eclipse comes from Old French and Latin, and eventually from the Greek word ékleipsis, meaning “abandonment” or “failure to appear.” Omens and signs within divinatory systems have a long history of being connected with appearance, or in the broader context of astrology, the ancient concept of light, sight, and visibility.

In ancient astrology, the Sun and Moon were known as the luminaries: archetypes of the King and Queen, the royal couple in the sky. In a natal chart they are key markers of the plot-line and circumstance. The Sun represents father, king, purpose, and authority; the Moon represents mother, queen, body, and circumstance. The Moon is material, the Sun the mind. They are tied to the philosophical concepts of Spirit and Fortune in ancient astrology.

In Babylonian times, eclipses, especially solar eclipses, were considered agents of fate, signalling important events around leaders, often their downfall. Protective rituals, such as substitution rites for the king, were performed to avert harm at the moment of the eclipse. Babylonian astronomers recorded eclipses over centuries and could predict them mathematically, while also creating symbolically rich interpretations.

Within astrology, the luminaries are sources of light, considered the life force. When that light disappears, it indicates an interruption in the natural order: daylight darkens, and the Moon loses its luminous glow.

The Astronomy bit.

An eclipse occurs when one celestial body, Earth, Moon, or Sun, moves into the shadow of another. It is about light, or the absence of it. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun, turning day into night. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth blocks the Sun’s light from reaching the Moon, making it appear dark or red.

A solar eclipse can only happen during the new moon phase, when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun. A lunar eclipse can only occur at the full moon, when the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon. In natal charts, the symbols resembling headphones (☊ ☋) represent the lunar nodes.

The lunar nodes are two points, not physical bodies, where the Moon’s orbit crosses the Sun’s path, the ecliptic. The Sun’s apparent path moves roughly 1° a day, compared with the Moon’s 13° daily. If the Sun is within 18° of either the north node (☊) or south node (☋) in a natal chart, the native was born either just before, on, between, or shortly after eclipses.

Astrologically, the nodes spend 18–19 months in each zodiacal sign or axis. This year, they are in the Virgo/Pisces axis. The last time they were in this axis was around 2007. Consider what was happening in your life then. Themes of a similar nature may now repeat, not identically, but with familiar patterns.

“History doesn’t repeat, it rhymes,” as the old saying goes.

In eastern traditions, the north node was seen as the dragon’s head and the south node as the dragon’s tail, symbolising the dragon swallowing the luminaries and tied to the concept of fate. The north node is associated with increase or amplification, and the south node with decrease or diminution.

We already had an eclipse in Virgo in March 2025, but not in Pisces, so something new will occur in that part of your chart this September and in the subsequent months. The lunar eclipse will be visible in much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe, with the solar eclipse visible in New Zealand, Antarctica, and the South Pacific.

Lunar vs Solar Eclipses.

The Moon generally represents the collective. In ancient astrology, it symbolised the people, the body, circumstance, mother, flux, and travel (as the Moon wanders). A full moon marks a culmination, something coming to completion. Cassandra Tyndall recently described the difference between a full moon and a lunar eclipse: with Selene’s light being eclipsed, there is a “backlight” effect, rather than the illumination of a full moon. There is a sense of revelation or completion, but with some obscurity.

What makes a solar eclipse special is that the Moon intersects the ecliptic, being at the same celestial longitude as the Sun, temporarily eclipsing Helios’ light. Associated with leadership and authority, a solar eclipse can sometimes signal the fall of a leader. Personally, solar eclipses can mark the start of something new, a rapid shift in the area of your natal chart where the eclipse occurs.

Some Musings and Meaning-Making.

Total Lunar Eclipse – 15 degrees Pisces – 7 September 2025, 19:08 BST

This total lunar eclipse is near the north node, so Earth’s shadow will stain the Moon crimson. In Pisces, a feminine, double-bodied sign, the Moon signals flux and change. Pisces marks the turn from winter to spring, carrying hope that the light will return with the solar ingress into Aries. Saturn recently retrograded into Pisces, so wherever Pisces falls in your chart, expect a reality check in the area of faith, hope, and compassion. Saturn is perhaps asking us to concretise those hopes and make sure our faith can endure, even when things might come to an end.

Pisces is ruled by Jupiter, currently exalted in Cancer. This forms a supportive trine with the Moon, indicating a line of assistance in the matters eclipsed. While eclipses can bring instability, Jupiter’s presence brings hope and support. Being conjunct the north node, there could be themes of increase, or even overindulgence, but overall this eclipse carries deep emotional and intuitive potential.

Partial Solar Eclipse – 28 degrees Virgo – 21 September 2025, 20:54 BST

Solar eclipses indicate a new cycle: out with the old, in with the new. Partial though it is, the eclipse carries the weight of change. Virgo, a feminine, double-bodied earth sign, signals practical and tangible matters. Mercury, ruler of Virgo, is in Libra, encouraging relational, thoughtful approaches in breaking down and improving systems in the Virgo part of your chart.

This eclipse may require subtle navigation with its ruler Mercury not being able to witness its sign of Virgo. A supportive sextile from Jupiter and the co-presence of Venus, both benefics, offer assistance and add a little padding. Saturn casts an opposition ray from Pisces, injecting realism and asking, “What’s the long-term plan here?” It reminds us that the axis in our natal charts where this falls is interconnected. Being conjunct the south node, this eclipse asks us not to cling to old patterns but to let new ones emerge. Try something different.

Eclipses are great beginnings and endings. They are one in the same. The wheel turns, look below to see where it lands for you.

Wheel of Fortune.

Rising sign and house focus during these eclipses.

• Aries Rising: 6th and 12th houses, work, health, routines, rest, and retreat.

• Taurus Rising: 5th and 11th houses, creativity, children, romance, friends, and community.

• Gemini Rising: 4th and 10th houses, home, family, career, and public reputation.

• Cancer Rising: 3rd and 9th houses, day-to-day, learning, communication, travel, and spiritual beliefs.

• Leo Rising: 2nd and 8th houses, money, resources, debts, and shared commitments.

• Virgo Rising: 1st and 7th houses, body, identity, self-expression, and significant relationships or partnerships.

• Libra Rising: 6th and 12th houses, routines, health, and balancing work with rest.

• Scorpio Rising: 5th and 11th houses, creativity, children, romance, community shifts, and friends.

• Sagittarius Rising: 4th and 10th houses, family, home, career, and public life.

• Capricorn Rising: 3rd and 9th houses, day-to-day, study, travel, and faith.

• Aquarius Rising: 2nd and 8th houses, finances, possessions, intimacy, and shared resources.

• Pisces Rising: 1st and 7th houses, identity, appearance, body, and partnerships.

Check the degree of the eclipse. If it is conjunct, square, or opposite the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant ruler in your chart, the eclipse season will have extra significance. Also note if it is conjunct one of the natal angles (Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant, or IC), as this indicates major shifts. Eclipses occurring in the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th houses will be particularly impactful.

If all of this is fascinating but complex, do not worry. Book a reading with me to explore your chart and see how eclipse season is showing up in your life.

Use promo code ECLIPSE at checkout for 15% off any session.

Offer ends 01/10/25.

book a session.

P.S. Also never look at a solar eclipse directly, have some handy glasses at the ready :)