“No more be griev’d at that which thou hast done:

Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud;

Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,

And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.”

Sonnet 35, Shakespeare (John Richardson)

This month we will experience a Solar Eclipse in Leo – the  sign of the Light – and a Lunar Eclipse in Pisces – the sign of the Dark. What does it mean when both the Light and the Dark are interrupted? The last time this particular combination occurred within the same month was in August 1998, twenty-eight years ago. That was a month marked by bombings in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ireland. Russia devalued the ruble on the day of the Pisces lunar eclipse, triggering a financial crisis that spread through international markets; by the end of the month, the Dow experienced its second-greatest point decline to that moment in time. The Second Congo War began, while catastrophic flooding of the Yangtze River caused enormous destruction and loss of life.

In 1998, however, the sequence was reversed from that of 2026: the Lunar Eclipse in Pisces occurred first, followed by the Solar Eclipse in Leo. This month, the Solar Eclipse in Leo – when the Sun and Moon unite – occurs on the 12th, followed by the Lunar Eclipse in Pisces – when the Earth and Moon unite in opposition to the Sun – on the 28th, when the Sun is in Virgo. There is so much symbolism here that it cannot possibly be encapsulated in a few simple paragraphs. Royalty and sovereignty (Leo) stand in contrast to slavery and service (Virgo and the Moon); individual self-expression (Leo) meets sacrifice and salvation on behalf of others (Pisces); the visible encounters the invisible; structures of power and authority confront the downtrodden; the conscious meets the unconscious, and on and on.

The eclipses of 1998 appeared to be associated with destabilization, exposure, and profound challenges to leadership and authority. In these troubled times, we already seem deeply embroiled in many of those same dynamics. Eclipses are such powerful times however, that during these moments of pause, we could consciously and willingly be a part of bringing about a better expression of their symbolism. What if the eclipses of August 2026 invite us to awaken the courage of a heart-centered awareness through the Light of Leo, and then carry that light deeply into the compassion and collective unconscious of Pisces? What if we are being called to merge the creativity and self-expression of Leo with the forgiveness and reverence of Pisces, and include the willingness to serve represented by Virgo?

What if these eclipses can represent the dissolution of separateness into compassion, imagination, and the understanding that we are all One and that we are meant to be working together toward a better world? We don’t need the Light to conquer the Darkness, nor the Darkness to extinguish the Light. We need them both, but expressed on higher and better levels. The Light dives deeply into the Darkness, exploring the greater depths of consciousness, such that emergence from the Darkness gives the Light greater meaning, depth, and purpose. Leo initiates the heart-centered light, Pisces carries it into the depths of collective consciousness and Virgo asks that the realization become useful through service.

Everyone: Remember: All eclipses have halos.