While everyone else is scrabbling to get a good view of the solar eclipse as it falls over the UK at 6pm today and the moon blocks out 95 per cent of the sun – depending on where you are looking – I will be sitting in my garden, getting ready for a cosmic reset.

Yes, that is right: You don’t need special glasses or a colander to reap the benefits of a solar eclipse. I will be dabbling with the energetic forces of the cosmic event in Leo, rather than looking at it in the sky.

As the moon obscures the sun and the sky darkens, I will repeat: “This is my garden. I am joy in the garden. I am worthy of this,” to embody the fire sign Leo, that thrives on vibrant self-expression and radiant energy.

I have taken guidance from LA-based astrologer, dream expert and psychologist, Dr Michael Lennox – known as the “Red Robe Astrologer” – who offers daily planetary updates and astro alerts published across his social channels while wearing a red bath robe at the crack of dawn. He teaches how daily planetary shifts affect the collective unconscious rather than forecasting individual fortune.

As this mind-boggling event has not occurred since 11 August 1999, when the solar eclipse was seen over Cornwall and Devon, and the next one is set to happen on 23 September 2090, it’s a major opportunity for those who believe in astrology.

This eclipse is in Leo (essentially because both the sun and moon are in the zodiac sign of Leo), “so it’s all about, ‘Am I ready to shine my light? That’s what the message is,” explains Lennox. “It’s about thinking big about who you are and who you want to be at the centre of your world.”

It means I need to surround myself with things that bring me joy and “know joy” in order to prepare myself for a major release of fears and negativity with the full Sturgeon Moon – often called an “almost blood moon” as it glows a coppery, reddish-orange – coming on 27 August. “It’s a time to lie back and just know joy. Be with your joy,” he says.

While astrology is not scientifically proven and for many the idea of adhering to eclipses, new moons and star signs is just woo-woo gone mad, it has surged in popularity with millennials and Gen Z who are obsessed with zodiac-based trends, using it for self-care, identity and agency in a chaotic world. Astrology might once have been a laughing matter, but among younger people (and sometimes even me), it’s a way to answer life’s big questions – the #astrology hashtag on TikTok has over 6.4 million posts.

Of course, astrology isn’t for everyone, but for those who want to use the eclipse tonight for something less scientific and more energetic, Lennox, who has 54,000 followers, has plenty more advice.

Not only is this eclipse apparently all about joy, but it’s also about accepting changes. The next four weeks are astrologically forecast to be potentially disruptive and challenging with lots of changes. “Just let them come,” he says. “You don’t want to launch anything or make any big, irreversible decisions... and don’t act on any information that’s revealed during an eclipse.”

During the solar eclipse, all the outer planets, which reflect institutions on Earth, he says, are in a perfect alignment called a grand sextile. “This is an unprecedented lineup because of their different orbits. This astrological lineup is the astrological reflection of all the chaotic changes that are happening in the world this year.”

I’m not somebody who reads my horoscope or really pays much attention to astrology. I have to admit that I am cautious, however, during Mercury retrogrades (yes I know enough about astrology to know what these are) when astrologers warn to watch out for communication mix-ups, tech glitches, travel delays, and misunderstandings.

And I’ve always been into setting intentions and manifesting my dreams on the advice of astrologers, psychics and friends. Whenever there’s a new moon, I like to manifest – and recharge my crystals. For those who aren’t in the know, that means putting them outside during a full moon to absorb the energy – and charge and cleanse them.

But Lennox says that the one thing you must not do on the solar eclipse is manifest your future. That means no thinking about your goals, no dreaming of a bank account with extra zeros and absolutely no imagining your future partner.

In general, you can't control events in an eclipse... It’s like walking around in the dark

“Don’t do it,” he warns me. “It'll be like shooting an arrow with your bow into a hurricane; the winds would not put it where you want it.” According to Lennox, as the moon will obscure the sun during the solar eclipse, “the light is blocked, then so is manifestation”.

“In an eclipse, it’s turning the light off and on of the whole system,” he continues. “It’s not a good time to honour the flow of unconscious to conscious – awareness. In general, you can’t control events in an eclipse... it’s like walking around in the dark.”

It all sounds quite alarming – especially when he adds that you should absolutely not charge your crystals. “That’s because you want your crystals to be receiving a direct flow from the moon, not a blocked flow.”

It turns out that everything I was planning on doing during this eclipse is totally wrong. Thank goodness I didn’t get out my crystals and try to manifest a TV show deal and Notting Hill mansion – it looks like the moon could have blocked my dreams from coming true.

He says to particularly beware of manifesting love – something people may be tempted to do now that Venus, the planet of love, is in Libra, the sign of relationships.

“A lot of manifestation teachers focus on the partner you want to attract,” he says. “But this eclipse season, it would be better to consider: ‘Am I worthy enough – because Leo is about deserving – to attract the relationship of my dreams? And if not, what do I have to let go of to become that?”

The nodes of the moon, known as the points where eclipses happen, have also just changed signs, with the North Node entering Aquarius, the sign associated with learning how to be of service to others, and the South Node entering Leo, which encourages us to give up self-centred, attention-seeking habits.

The sun is in Virgo, which is the sign of healing and clarity. The moon will be in Pisces, deep spiritual connection

The focus is all on self-awareness and introspection, which is precisely why astrology has become so popular with millennials and Gen Z – it’s almost like doing solo therapy.

Lennox encourages people to not just do this during the eclipse, but two weeks afterwards, which is apparently the ideal time to write down fears and then burn them in a candle flame, have a bath to wash off the negativity and declutter the house, because what else would you do during a new moon?

“It’s a healing moon,” explains Lennox. “The sun is in Virgo, which is the sign of healing and clarity. The moon will be in Pisces, deep spiritual connection. And it’s water, so that's where the baths come in and the ceremonial releases in water consciousness.”

But for now, it’s just about focusing on what brings joy, trying not to control anything, and being in the here and now. My crystals and vision boards are going back into the cupboards – there’s nothing like living in the present to create one’s future.