Solar and Lunar Eclipse?

[Firebird]

I have heard a couple different trains of thought on this one.
One, Eclipses are bad and challenging energy, and it is very difficult to preform a ritual of clarity and continuity. Having been in many circles that had eclipses, I have noticed wonky energy, discombobulated flow, lack of focus and concentration, and downright Loki filled craziness.
Two, Eclipses are full trans-formative energy. Taking one headlong down into the darkness, to a moment of cold nothingness and death, only to come out the other side, challenged and changed, renewed and re-born, tried and transformed, fresh....charged...made sweet in the new light.
After much conversation within my group about this, and having had many circles that were so filled with madness we now joke about it, but is was to the point that we have cancelled due to eclipse. Then we decided the work with the latter, and found less structure worked better... like going with the flow. Some were able let go of outdated ways of thinking and old attitudes within the darkness, and were ready find new answers as the light returned. Mostly these circles turn into an orb gazing event with lots of incense!
Since I spoke only of Lunar eclipse here, and have not ever tried to work a circle during a Solar event, I can only imagine the energy to be similar only stronger.
Many blessings, Firebird

[-Dark-Moon-]

I work all the eclipses.

Totally agree that some of the energy is wonky.

I find the lunars easier to work with. They are basically a full lunar cycle in about an hour. Lunar eclipses always occur on full moon (mother aspect of lunar goddess), then as the shadow passes, the mother transforms into the crone (waning crescent), then to darkness then back to the maiden (waxing crescent) and then the mother (full). The idea is you pass what you wish to leave behind or transform into the arms of the crone. It falls into the dark moon and is destroyed or changed, then is passed back into the arms of the maiden, renewed - to reach pregnant potential again as the mother.

Solar eclipses on the other hand is when the moon comes between the earth and the sun. We watch as the moon covers the sun. So we have UNION of male (God, sun) and female (Goddess, lunar) aspects. If you have experienced a total solar eclipse as I did last year, there is definitely an aspect of primal fear (darkness, birds stop chirping ect) that accompanies this. Can be a very strange energy. At totality I was on a deserted beach and I looked down and found a witches stone. That was an amazing moment for me. There were mundane aspects too... My partner were both eating bacon and egg rolls wearing welding helmets walking round like cyber men. I didn't do any magic during that eclipse as the astrological aspects were just not worth bothering with.

The last solar eclipse I did a ritual for but I was unable to see the eclipse as it was raining, so I think that for me it did not feel as powerful as say, the last lunar I did which was only partial but i did it out doors, and my view was over a mountain of rainforest, with mist and bats flying around, followed by a spectacular sunrise - beyond magical.

I hope that helps !