Astrology with Alice: The eclipses are back to jumpstart your next era
We've got a solar and a lunar eclipse coming up fast, inviting us to know ourselves better than ever
Two eclipses are coming: a total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 and a lunar eclipse on Aug. 28.
Graphic by Ryan Quan
Words by Alice Smith
Astrology with Alice: Welcome to Astrology with Alice, a monthly astrology column aimed at helping readers understand the vibes of the month ahead in plain English. As a Taiwanese immigrant who grew up in Los Angeles, I specialize in combining western astrology with eastern philosophy. I’ve taught modern astrology through the lens of Buddhism and Taoism, and I also draw from the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Knowing the movements of the planets can help us make decisions around our careers, relationships, family. As the planets move around in the sky, they shift the energetic vibes we experience on Earth, and I believe in flowing with energy instead of fighting it—to work smarter, not harder. So join me on our monthly planetary lowdowns and learn how you, too, can ride the cosmic waves!
August will bring us our second and final set of eclipses for 2026. This time, the eclipses will be straddling the signs Leo and Aquarius. The first eclipse will be a total solar eclipse in Leo on Aug. 12, and the second will be a lunar eclipse on Aug. 28.
Before we dig into these eclipses, here’s a quick refresher on them: eclipses are turbo-charged new moons and full moons. Solar eclipses plant new beginnings while lunar eclipses close out chapters of our lives. And unlike regular new moons and full moons, eclipse energy can take six to 12 months to unfold.
But here’s the twist this time. This solar eclipse is a south node eclipse, and the south node always points to something we’ve outgrown. So even though solar eclipses are supposed to signal new beginnings, a south node solar eclipse plants a kind of beginning that also demands a release from something we’ve outgrown. They remind me of losing baby teeth—the old tooth loosens and falls out before the adult tooth can come in. Meanwhile, the lunar eclipse two weeks later will be a north node eclipse, which is a point of new evolutionary growth. So the “beginning” eclipse will ask us to also let go, while the “ending” eclipse will point us forward. Conclusion? The August eclipses will invite us to release and reach at the same time.
The August eclipses will invite us to release and reach at the same time.
And if you’ve read my previous eclipse breakdowns, you’ll know that my favorite way of sussing out the flavor of eclipses is to look at history to see what was happening when the siblings of these eclipses came around. You see, each eclipse belongs to a “family” called a saros series. We geeked out on the saros series back in September 2024, but the tl;dr version is that a saros series lasts about a millennium with every eclipse in that “family” occurring roughly every 18 years.
And here’s what caught my attention about the August eclipses: both their eclipse families last visited in 2008, 1990, and before that, 1972.
And what happened during those years?
2008: The eclipses landed just weeks before Lehman Brothers collapsed and took our faith in the world’s financial systems down with it.
1990: Germany reunited and the Soviet Union began to fall apart.
1972: The eclipses happened two weeks after the Watergate break-in.
During each of these cycles, some official story stopped holding and someone—or something—we had crowned turned out to not deserve said crown. (Hold onto this theme.)
Want to know something else really interesting? If we look deeper into these eclipses’ family histories, the solar family’s 1485 eclipse happened just 18 days after the Battle of Bosworth Field, where King Richard III fell and the Tudors rose (which ended the viciously drawn out War of the Roses). The lunar family, on the other hand, literally was born in 1521, months after Martin Luther stood before the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Emperor and refused to recant his beliefs. So it’s fitting, then, that the solar eclipse this year falls in Leo, the sign of royalty, and the lunar eclipse falls in Pisces, the sign of faith. Again, we’re dealing with the themes of crowns and beliefs, and it goes back centuries. We’re going to be wrestling with similar questions again this time about who we give our power to and what we’ve chosen to believe.
So what does this mean for us right now?
First, we need to understand that August is a changing of the guard. For the past year and a half, the eclipses have been working the Virgo-Pisces axis. We’ve felt it through a collective reckoning with burnout, health, overwork on the Virgo side, and with escapism, illusion, and disillusionment on the Pisces side. We’ve been figuring out whether our routines serve us or run us, and also whether our dreams are visions or just pretty escapist exits. The Aug. 28 lunar eclipse in Pisces is one of the final chapters of that story. Whatever we’ve been learning about our limits, our health, and our relationship with reality since early 2025 is coming to a culmination point.
Meanwhile, the Aug. 12 solar eclipse is opening up an entirely new chapter. This will be the first eclipse of the Leo-Aquarius era, which will shape our eclipse seasons into 2028. Leo rules authenticity, creativity, and the courage to be seen, while Aquarius rules the collective, technology, and humanitarianism. Over the next two years, the eclipses will keep asking us to consider that in a world of algorithms, group-think, and machines that can imitate almost anything, what is authentically and irreplaceably yours? Where does your heart end and the hive begin? (Given everything that’s developing with technology right now, I don’t think the timing is a coincidence.)
Over the next two years, the eclipses will keep asking us to consider that in a world of algorithms, group-think, and machines that can imitate almost anything, what is authentically and irreplaceably yours? Where does your heart end and the hive begin?
The personal invitation for this eclipse season is actually pretty simple. The Leo eclipse invites you to notice where you’ve handed your crown to someone else. Is there a boss whose approval became your compass? Is there a partner whose moods determine the weather in your home? Or have you handed your authority over to an expert or guru? Now consider this—is it, perhaps, time to take it back?
The Pisces eclipse this summer then invites us to dissolve the beliefs that made the handoff possible in the first place. Remember, power requires you to believe in its legitimacy, and the Pisces eclipse wants to dissolve some limiting belief.
And here’s your own personal homework: think back to the summer of 2008 and also to 1990, if you were around for it. What was happening in your life? If a chapter turned back then, this August is revisiting that theme. And if you find nothing? That’s an answer, too. It means that this isn’t your family of eclipses, so you can relax.
Ready to see how these eclipses might land for you? Find your sign and rising sign below. (If you don’t know your rising sign, you can use this free online rising sign calculator.)
Aries
The solar eclipse asks you to release an old approach to romance, creativity, or parenting that stopped being fun a long time ago, so that joy can actually re-enter. The lunar eclipse then closes a private chapter. An old grief, a habit you keep behind closed doors, or a period of isolation is ready to end.
Taurus
Something about your home or family life needs to change form—whether that's a move, a renovation, or a new arrangement with the people you live with. Release the setup that no longer fits before you build the new one. Later in the month, a friendship or group involvement reaches its natural end, making room for people aligned with where you're headed.
Gemini
An old way of communicating is up for review. If you've been saying yes when you mean no, or softening your opinions to avoid friction, this eclipse resets how you speak. The lunar eclipse brings a culmination in your career—a project completes, a role wraps up, or a professional door closes so a better-fitting one can open.
Cancer
The solar eclipse hits your money house, and it wants you to drop an outdated income source, spending habit, or story about what you're worth before new earning opportunities can land. The lunar eclipse then finishes a chapter around education, travel, or a belief system. A course of study ends, or a worldview you inherited finally loses its hold.
Leo
The solar eclipse lands in your own sign, so this is the big one. A version of you is being retired. Old roles, old images, even old looks are falling away this year, and the you that emerges will feel more accurate. The lunar eclipse then brings closure around shared finances, so expect movement on debts, loans, inheritance, or financial entanglements with a partner.
Virgo
The solar eclipse works behind the scenes for you, clearing out mental clutter, old anxieties, and self-defeating patterns you may not even notice you're running. Rest more than usual this month because the work is internal. The lunar eclipse then brings a relationship to a turning point. A partnership either deepens into something more honest or completes its purpose.
Libra
Your social world is reorganizing. The solar eclipse asks you to step back from groups, organizations, or friendships you've outgrown so you can connect with people who share your actual goals, and not the goals you had five years ago. The lunar eclipse then closes out a work or health chapter, and a draining routine, job situation, or habit may finally end.
Scorpio
The solar eclipse shakes up your career. An old professional identity or ambition needs to be released, possibly because you've achieved it and it no longer motivates you. Something new wants to take its place. The lunar eclipse then completes a chapter in romance or creativity. A creative project may finally ship.
Sagittarius
It's time to let go of a belief, philosophy, or long-held plan that you've technically outgrown but kept out of loyalty. The solar eclipse clears it so new learning and new horizons can open. The lunar eclipse then brings an ending at home—a move, a family member's transition, or the resolution of a long-running domestic issue.
Capricorn
The solar eclipse stirs your house of shared resources, so financial arrangements with others (joint accounts, debts, an inheritance, a business partnership) are due for restructuring. Release the deal that no longer serves both parties. The lunar eclipse then ends an old narrative—a story you've repeated so long it sounds like fact is losing its voice.
Aquarius
The solar eclipse lands in your partnership house, and it's asking you to release an old dynamic in your closest relationship, or, if you're single, an old pattern in how you choose people. The lunar eclipse then closes a money chapter. A financial worry may resolve, and your sense of what you need to feel secure will simplify.
Pisces
The solar eclipse resets your daily life. Work routines, health habits, and schedules that have been quietly draining you are up for demolition and redesign. The lunar eclipse then happens in your own sign, which makes this personal: a long chapter of your life is completing, and you get to decide what the next one is about. Endings in Pisces are gentle if you don't fight them.
Published on July 29, 2026
Words by Alice Smith
Alice Smith has loved astrology ever since she read her first horoscope as a kid. She’s a certified, professional astrologer who reads birth charts for clients all over the world and has spoken at events throughout the Pacific Northwest. Alice learned to write horoscopes from her mentor Rebecca Gordon who was herself mentored by the grande dame of horoscope writing, Susan Miller. Alice has a degree in sociology from the University of Washington and is (too) obsessed with her “Furgo” (furry Virgo) cat, whose birth chart she often interprets on social media.
Art by Ryan Quan
Ryan Quan is JoySauce's social media manager, associate editor, and all-around visual eye. This queer, half-Chinese, half-Filipino writer and graphic designer loves everything related to music, creative nonfiction, and art. Based in Brooklyn, he spends most of his time dancing to hyperpop and accidentally falling asleep on the subway. Follow him on Instagram at @ryanquans, and check out his work on his website.