Spring might’ve started with the March 19 equinox, but astrologers are much more interested in another season this month. We’re talking about “eclipse season,” the two-week period that’s bookmarked by a lunar and solar eclipse.

The opening ceremony of this season begins with the Libra full moon—a lunar eclipse—on March 25. As the shadow of the earth turns the moon blood-red, we might have some unexpected insights and epiphanies about the Libra-ruled areas of life: relationships, inner balance, and peace.

Then, the Aries new moon and total solar eclipse will wrap things up with fanfare. As the moon blots out the light of the sun, daytime skies will darken across the United States on April 8. There will be no escaping the collective sense of darkness around Aries-themed issues: autocrats, war, the impact of excessive individualism. For what it’s worth, the last time the United States was in a solar eclipse’s path of totality—meaning the sun was completely blocked out by the moon—was on Aug. 21, 2021, Donald Trump’s first year in office.

Yes, everyone, eclipses are here to shake things up, and force us to look, even when we’d rather turn away.

Eclipses aren’t really anomalies; in fact, most years, we get four of them. And since they always come in pairs, two weeks apart from each other, we have two eclipse seasons every year, sometimes three. Still, anyone who’s paying attention will tell you that eclipses are no ordinary new and full moons. Visibly, the earth’s shadow turns the full moon blood-red during a lunar eclipse, and the moon blocks out the sun during a solar eclipse. And invisibly, there’s an eeriness and intensity during these two-week phases that make them stand out as much as a Mercury retrograde.

One possible explanation for this is the old “as above, so below” factor. While eclipses reveal shadows in the sky, they also force us to look at the emotions we’ve buried in the darkness ourselves. There’s no avoiding that Jungian “shadow work” during eclipse season. What comes up might not be pretty, but some would argue that it’s better to illuminate what’s there than to live in denial.

The zodiac signs that eclipses fall in will present the themes we’re collectively dealing with. Currently, we are midway through a cycle of Aries-Libra eclipses that began on April 21, 2023, and ends on March 29, 2025. Not surprisingly, these are the signs of war (Aries) and peace (Libra).

On a global stage, these eclipses could bring about ceasefires or cause fighting to rage more intensely. On a personal level, you might feel inspired to extend an olive branch during the Libra lunar eclipse on March 25. Two weeks later, all bets might be off as the Aries solar eclipse agitates our emotions and turns relationships into battlegrounds.

Aries is also the sign of trailblazing independence, while Libra rules committed partnerships. Could that be why both polyamory and #tradwife life have become mainstream topics of conversation this year? We wouldn’t say no.

While it’s nearly impossible to prepare for the curveballs that eclipses hurl, we can aim for becoming better “pitchers” and “catchers.” Meaning, pay attention to the way you present information during this frenetic two-week cycle—and watch how you respond and react. Everyone’s going to be a little (or a lot) more on edge between March 25 and April 8. So do your part to not inflame tension or let yourself get so hungry/lonely/tired that you’re ready to snap at the slightest provocation.

While this might feel like the longest two weeks, you only have to battle these illusions for a Shakespearean fortnight. And as the playwright himself advised, “Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly.”

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