Don't Worry, You've Got Some Time Before The Next Lunar Eclipse

Staying strong during a lunar eclipse is no easy feat. You come out of the experience dealing with loss, change, and the sense that nothing will ever quite be the same again. The experience is enough to leave you immediately wondering when the next lunar eclipse is, because you might as well mentally prepare yourself as far in advance as possible for the emotional whirlwind. Even though they only happen roughly every six months, the events that take place on a lunar eclipse continue to haunt the imagination long after they've come and gone.

What a lunar eclipse essentially boils down to is a full moon with amplified power. It takes place when the sun and the moon form an exact opposition (which is exactly what happens during a full moon), but this time, the transit switches on the lunar nodes. In astrology, the lunar nodes symbolize fate. Fate is a pretty powerful thing, and if you're headed in the wrong direction, an eclipse serves as a moment of staggering course correction. If you thought a full moon was overwhelming, then a lunar eclipse can be downright disorienting. Instead of emotional wave, it's a freakin' tsunami.

However, it always takes six months before you'll truly understand the path an eclipse forced you to embark on. If you went through something as major as a breakup, a job change, or the move to a new city, you'll see why that shift happened and how it forced you to grow. In other words, by the time you get the full benefits of an eclipse, you're already forced to endure another eclipse. But that's life — if you're not shaking things up, you're not learning.

The next lunar eclipse activates the Gemini-Sagittarius axis, which starts a brand-new series of eclipses that will continue all the way into 2021. Here's what to expect during the first leg of your journey:

The Lunar Eclipse In Sagittarius Takes Place June 5 At 3:12 p.m. ET

The next lunar eclipse takes place a couple weeks before summer 2020, tinging the sunniest season of all with a bit of darkness (at least at first). The Gemini-Sagittarius axis reflects two majorly different perspectives. While Gemini is concerned with close-ups, details, and community, Sagittarius is preoccupied with the overall story, the big picture, and the world at large. During a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, you are meant to reconsider the philosophy you live by, your level of open-mindedness, and whether you're truly living your life to the fullest. By remaining stubborn and unchanging, you're only missing out on what the world has to offer.

This eclipse could majorly rattle your relationships. Opposing Venus — planet of love and romance — while in the midst of retrograde, this eclipse could divulge game-changing secrets, bring up conflicts from the past, and induce a sudden change of the heart. Forming a square to aggressive and primal Mars, these disagreements could get ugly, bringing out the worst in either partner. However, you should take these battles with a grain of salt, as the lunar eclipse will also form a square to overly sensitive and illusive Neptune. Even though things may seem bleak, you could be taking things a little too personally and everything might be nowhere near as bad as they seem. Remember that the long-lasting implications of a lunar eclipse can take weeks to become apparent, so don't judge your situation until the dust has settled.

Even if this eclipse results in the last thing you want, try not to lose hope. Whatever happens on an eclipse was meant to and you're on the right track.