Well We can see in mathematical tables when eclipses are going to happen, and can expect those time-frames to come with certain characteristics. This works on an individual level, and on a collective level. They may not be, but they certainly seem that way. A lot of how that shapes up depends on your relationship to the ideas of karma and destiny. The world always seems to plow forward on its crazy way, and yet nothing ever seems to really change.
Life is genuinely different as eclipses approach, and then never quite returns to normal.
In the process of the Soul evolution of the planet, and in our individual lives, these events represent critical transition points without which there would be very little progress at all. So, another characteristic is a distinct sense of sudden transition . We move from one space of life into another. Personal relationships, including marriages and lover-relationships, are particularly susceptible to rearrangement. The change can be deepening of stronger the relationships, and shake-ups in weaker relationships, many of which are likely to change dramatically.