This Solar Eclipse May Signal the End of Your Relationship—and That’s *Okay*

This one is a big one for you, lovebirds. The new moon eclipse in Libra is coming to shake up every aspect of our lives, but it’ll focus especially on relationships. Lucky us, huh? And while it’s happening on October 2, 2024 at 2:49 pm ET, we’ve actually been feeling the energy (and living through its astrological consequences) since July 2023—and it won’t officially end until January 2025.

If you’re new to the mystical (and confusing) world of astrology, let me break it down for you: Eclipses have great significance in our lives, mostly because the moon has great significance. They happen several times a year, in different zodiac signs—and, depending on those signs, they also have different meanings. The moon changes in cycles, reflecting the changes we need to implement in our lives. When it’s the new moon, we accept a new beginning. When it’s the full moon, we let go of the old. Eclipses are similar—but amplified by 100.

“It’s all about taking a look at all the stuff that we have, and asking [ourselves]: ‘What is around us? What is the energy? What is happening here in this space? And what are the things that I am wanting to let go of?’” says Sav Wilder, a certified astrologer and tarot reader based in Northern Virginia. And when it comes to this month’s eclipse on October 2, it’ll be about “seeing the situations that aren’t working and [asking], ‘What’s this? What’s working? What’s not working?’” says Wilder. “It’s going to be a lot of cutting out people and situations that aren’t serving you.”

The specifics behind this month’s eclipse

Eclipse seasons happen on an axis (or lunar modes), with two zodiac signs on the opposite end of the chart. This solar eclipse is happening on the Aries and Libra nodes. They’re opposite: Aries is the self (independence), while Libra is relationships (ourselves in relation to the other). What does this mean? That, since July 2023, we’ve been dealing with changes and deep realizations about our relationships (platonic and romantic) and our independence in them.

How the energy could be impacting you

Personally, I know I’ve had several breakups—both in friendship and romance—during this past year and a half that have forced me to rethink everything I knew about myself and how I am in relationships. So much so, I’ve had to build a new community for myself, pretty much from the ground up. I’m sure I’m not the only one, either. This was the point of this eclipse’s energy, after all. As we get closer to the end of the season, I’m asking myself: ‘Have I learned not to tiptoe in my relationships? Have I closed the door on self-abandonment? Have I learned the balance of compromising with others without hurting and betraying myself?’

How to reap the benefits of this eclipse

The solar eclipse in Libra is a perfect opportunity to reflect on your relationships and what you’ve learned during the past year. I always recommend journaling (I’ve had wild realizations about myself and my situations from journaling that I wouldn’t have had otherwise). Or, if you can’t be bothered to write, try sitting down and have a few deep conversations about these reflections with your partner or your bestie. If nothing else, it’s at least a good opportunity to have a relationship check-in.

The most important thing during this time, though, is to not control the narrative—whether that’s for yourself or for others. The best thing you can do is let go, and let people (and yourself) come to their own conclusions on their own time. If you try to control your relationships during this time, you’re risking it ending in disaster. Remember: Eclipses are about fated changes. So if your relationship is coming to an end during this time, then it was probably meant to happen. Don’t fight it; let it go.