Lunar eclipses have a number of fascinating spiritual meanings, and it’s important to understand them if you want to truly thrive during this celestial event.
This guide will teach you what lunar eclipses mean spiritually, if it’s good luck to see one, and much more.
Table of Contents
What Is A Lunar Eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. The Sun, Moon, and Earth form a line when this happens, which is what allows the Sun to shine on Earth and cast a shadow over the Moon.
When a total lunar eclipse occurs, the entire Moon falls under the darkest portion of the Earth’s shadow (or umbra). During a partial lunar eclipse, the Sun, Earth, and Moon don’t form a straight line. This allows only a portion of the Moon to fall under the umbra.
Total lunar eclipses are sometimes called “blood moons.” This is because the umbra gives the Moon a bright red or orange hue, making it appear stained with blood. This has given rise to multiple legends and rituals about the end of the world, epic celestial battles, and the need to placate unhappy spirits to restore the Moon to normal.
How Does It Impact Us?
Believe it or not, the Moon can impact how people feel and act. While the effects of a full moon are largely overstated, a lunar eclipse may cause you to feel more tired, wired, anxious, or down than usual.
If you’re particularly sensitive, you might notice that you experience headaches around this time. Some especially unfortunate people might even get migraines.
Fortunately, these effects are all temporary and short-lived. You don’t really need to do anything to fix them, other than discover what moods or physical symptoms lunar eclipses trigger in you. Once you know, you can take steps to mitigate them by getting more rest, staying calm, and following healthy habits.
The Spiritual Meaning Of A Lunar Eclipse
For ages, cultures around the world have attributed numerous spiritual meanings with lunar eclipses. While they’re not as common as the new and full Moon, they still happen regularly enough to be noteworthy. On average, we see about two lunar eclipses each year.
Total lunar eclipses happen more rarely. These are the eclipses that produce bright red-orange “blood moons.” Total lunar eclipses are often viewed as negative omens, but lunar eclipses in general mark times of major shifts and upheaval. These energetic changes can mean a lot of different things spiritually.
1. Be Receptive To The Energy Of The Universe
To many, a lunar eclipse is seen as a time when the Moon’s energy is at its most potent. The eclipse itself is viewed as all parts of the Moon’s cycle, compressed into a short time frame. That means that this could be the ideal time to do any kind of work related to the Moon or lunar magic, since the Moon’s energy is so intense.
It also means that it’s very important to be open and receptive. Just like the Moon governs the tides, lunar eclipses mark big shifts in spiritual energy. If you have an open heart and mind, you can receive guidance to help you navigate these shifts.
On the other hand, if you choose not to receive this energy, you could be setting yourself up for trouble. These energetic shifts are as natural as the tides, the lunar cycles, and the rising and setting of the sun. Fighting against them, rather than embracing and trying to navigate them, can just make things more difficult for you.
2. Listen For Messages From Your Guardians
Along with marking major shifts in energy, the spiritual meaning of a lunar eclipse indicates that it’s a good time to seek guidance from your spirit guides, ancestors, deities, and guardian angels. Whatever spiritual or incorporeal allies you have in your corner, now’s the time to keep your psychic senses open to receive their wisdom.
If you aren’t clairvoyant, clairaudient, or otherwise gifted with one of the “clair” senses, that’s okay! The lunar eclipse is also a good time to perform divination, connect with your spirits and deities, and be alert for other signs and omens. You may want to pay particular attention to your dreams at this time, since dreams are one way that your spiritual guardians have of communicating with you.
Lunar eclipses can also have a pronounced effect on your dreams. You might notice that they’re much more vivid and memorable than usual, or that they help you uncover deep-seated issues that need resolving. It could be a good idea to keep a dream journal near your bed, so you can write down your dreams for interpretation later.
3. Get Ready For Change
As mentioned above, the spiritual meaning of a lunar eclipse can indicate that big changes are coming. Even if you don’t choose to do any meditative or spiritual work at this time, it’s still a good idea to buckle up and prepare yourself for whatever life’s going to throw at you.
It’s important to remember that lunar eclipses are neutral — while total eclipses were often seen as negative in the past, the energetic shifts that come with them aren’t particularly good or bad. They just are.
Any big upheaval can seem negative at first, since these can disrupt the normal flow of your life and comfort. If you’re prepared for them and willing to adapt, you’ll be able to come out on top. Just remember that change is normal and natural and only becomes disruptive if you aren’t ready for it.
You can actually use this transformative energy to help you, if you want. If there’s an aspect of your life that you want to change, now’s the time to do it.
4. Letting The Past Go
The lunar eclipse is basically the entire lunar cycle distilled into a brief snippet of time. It’s almost like seeing the entire month sped up. This has a strong connection to the concepts of the past, present, and future, and the illusory nature of time as we know it.
The intense energy of the lunar eclipse is also useful for cleansing yourself. The waning phase of the Moon is helpful for this, since waning is connected to release, clearing, and banishing the things that you no longer need. When you pair the intense eclipse energy with the idea of an eclipse as a condensed lunar cycle, you can take advantage of the lunar eclipse to let go of your past.
A lunar eclipse is a great time to work on healing old wounds and soothing trauma. If you’d like, you can perform a cord cutting ceremony at this time to release you of any old, unwanted attachments. This is also a good time to work on breaking bad habits. Consider trying a cleansing bath or simple candle burning ritual to help you.
Spiritual Meaning Of A Total Lunar Eclipse
Total lunar eclipses are the ones that were once referred to as “blood moons” or “blood on the moon.” These can have different spiritual meanings depending on who’s interpreting them.
While the Moon is usually viewed positively by people today, it isn’t always. In the tarot, for example, The Moon card represents illusions, anxiety, dreams, and the subconscious mind. It’s a card of uncertainty and confusion, both feelings that can definitely arise during a total lunar eclipse.
Biblically, total lunar eclipses have a negative connotation. This comes from the Book of Joel, which describes the Sun turning dark and the Moon turning to blood before the “great and terrible day of the Lord.” A blood moon is also mentioned in Revelation, during the opening of the sixth seal: “He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.”
The idea of an apocalyptic red moon appears in the Norse Eddas, as well. There, a warg named Hati Hróðvitnisson (“He Who Hates, Son of Fenrir”) is said to chase the Moon across the night sky. This chase will go on until Ragnarok, at which point Managarmr will swallow the Moon and cover the sky with blood.
To a particular tribe in Benin, the spiritual meaning of lunar eclipses was seen to represent a battle between the Sun and Moon. They would use dances and chanting to encourage the two to overcome their differences and reconcile.
To some modern Pagans and practitioners of witchcraft, a total lunar eclipse is considered a bad time for spells or spiritual work. Instead, it’s a time to rest and reflect. Some even consider performing spellwork to be dangerous during an eclipse. It’s often recommended to avoid workings for manifestation, and focus instead on meditation, contemplation, and shadow work.
On the other hand, others consider it a very useful time for prayer, meditation, and spellwork. This goes hand-in-hand with the idea of a lunar eclipse as symbolic of all of the phases of the Moon.
Many people experience more vivid dreams during a total lunar eclipse. You may have an easier time remembering them and wake up with a clear message. It’s not uncommon for some dreamers to receive messages of deep spiritual truths.
Overall, it’s hard to pin down a single spiritual meaning for a total lunar eclipse. Depending on your perspective, it can either be a mysterious, dangerous time of intense energy and upheaval, or a powerful time for lunar magic and spiritual work. You may wish to do some simple meditative rituals and keep a journal of your impressions. This can help you discover what a total lunar eclipse means to you, personally.
Spiritual Meaning Of A Partial Lunar Eclipse
Partial lunar eclipses aren’t as intense as total eclipses. They don’t produce the same bright colors, and don’t have the same apocalyptic lore attached to them. In fact, most people probably don’t even notice when one occurs since the Moon isn’t fully obscured.
While these eclipses aren’t viewed as negative omens the way total lunar eclipses sometimes are, their energy also isn’t as intense. This means that they can be a bit easier to handle.
Partial lunar eclipses also affect dreams, but these dreams tend to be much more emotional in nature. You may have dreams that arouse long-buried feelings or uncover forgotten memories.
For people who aren’t comfortable doing spiritual work during a total lunar eclipse, a partial eclipse can be a better opportunity to do things related to emotional healing, working with lunar deities, developing psychic abilities, or enhancing magical skills.
Like a total lunar eclipse, there’s no one spiritual meaning for a partial eclipse. It brings change and powerful energy, just not to the same degree that a total eclipse does.
Another type of partial lunar eclipse, called a penumbral eclipse, involves the Moon passing through just the edge of the Earth’s shadow. The effects of this are usually so subtle, they’re not often noticed by observers.
Penumbral eclipses can affect dreams just like partial and total eclipses do. However, these dreams tend to be more vivid, memorable visions of daily life. You may dream of going to work or school, for example.
Is It Good Luck To See A Lunar Eclipse?
Seeing a lunar eclipse can be very good luck, but it can also be very bad. Really, a lunar eclipse is generally seen as significant regardless of whether or not you actually see it. Even if it’s overcast, or you’re somewhere where you’re unable to see the Moon, its energy can still impact you.
To ancient people, a lunar eclipse was a warning or a sign that spirits required appeasement in order to ward off bad luck. Today, this time is seen more as a period of reflection, shadow work, and transition.
Lunar eclipses of any kind represent change and new beginnings. Remember, change is neutral. Seeing a lunar eclipse can be good luck for you if you use its transformative energy for your benefit. It can also be bad luck if you fight change instead of embracing it.
Closing Thoughts
As you can see, it can be quite beneficial to understand and appreciate the spiritual meaning of a lunar eclipse. These celestial events not only impact us directly, but they can also serve as guidance for your future.
We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions or thoughts on this topic. It’s one of our favorites!
