Solar Eclipse Magic
Many of us in North America have the opportunity to witness a full Solar Eclipse on April 8. It happens on the same day as the new moon. I’m not sure if it has any particular actual meaning, and I can tell myself lots of good things about this.
Where I live in Philadelphia, I believe we are in the 80% range of full totality, which I’m guessing is pretty good. I plan to make myself open to witness what I can see and feel. The last time we had a solar eclipse nearby, which was just a few years ago, I travelled to see it on the Path of Totality. We even picked a place that would likely have a sunny day. Lucky enough it was a very clear day.
Folks who say why bother for the short number of minutes that it will be? I have an answer that really is a non-answer because it is truly experiential. Perhaps for you there is no reason.
You might remember the most recent full solar eclipse in the US was in 2017. My partner and I decided to meet his brother somewhere along the Path of Totality. His brother researched all the places and chose somewhere not too far from where my partner lives. He got us the binocular glasses, found us a place to stay and gifted us the room. For me the whole experience, from planning to go, to going, what we did that day in Mason, NC leading up to the event was sacred. Or at very least, exciting, fun and connecting.
Admittedly, I can make almost anything sacred. A handshake at the end of a tennis match, or a commercial for some sort of cell phone from France where there is a father/son connection that I have watched over and over. Certain music videos of concerts (mostly rock and roll –the music of my youth) where the musicians seem so alive and in sync and experiencing some sort of ecstatic connection and skill and artistry that in my world view must be considered sacred. Or how about a drumming circle? I am moved to another place where I can barely form a thought for the delight I feel inside. Sacred is the only word for this as well.
Leading up to the eclipse, when the moon was beginning to cross the sun and the expectation and wonder was growing, I still couldn’t really have imagined what would transpire when it got dark. What happened was that it did get dark. Right in the middle of the day.
What?!
It was not only dark, though. It also got silent. The birds stopped chirping. As if it was night. I was in a field with hundreds of other people. We all got silent. It’s difficult to put big and bulky words into the experience of something celestial (perhaps otherworldly is a better descriptor?) happening with all the beings sharing the experience. I stood still and silent amongst hundreds of others who did the same. Minutes passed, the light returned, and just like that, I was different. Never to be the same. Sounds dramatic, even to me, yet all these years later, the experience is alive in my body. And in my thoughts. Was this a sacred event? Quite.
Truth be told, navigating the 4-hour traffic jam out of the teeny town we were in did not fall into the sacred category, not even in the category of fun or pleasure. Except in some moments when I can remember feeling excited about just how many people went to that particular teeny town and witnessed what I did, and feeing curious about how many others traveled to their perfect spot to witness the event as well.
It is remarkable that so soon we are having another. There is one place that is on the Path of Totality both in the 2017 eclipse and this one. How wonderful for them! I am not travelling to be on the 100% line again. The priorities that guide my life choices have shifted a bit. I think I’ll enjoy being home, seeing a good bit of it (pray for clear skies!!)
What I will remember on this April 8 is that I have this one wild and precious life —as Mary Oliver suggests in her poetry. As I put on the special glasses to look directly into the sun, and once again witness this sacred event, I will also remember to put on the special glasses that allow me to look directly into and clearly see the everyday sacred.