Image: Solar Eclipse 04 08 2024 NASA
| Reflections on the EclipseBy Anita Sanchez Yesterday, many of us in Mexico, Canada, and the USA experienced a total solar eclipse – a phenomenon that will not recur until 2044. A total solar eclipse occurs when the new moon traverses between the sun and the Earth and, for a short time, completely blocks the sun, placing us into darkness.  No matter what your identity, business/government/nonprofit leader, Indigenous person, parent, teenager, or child, you might have found a place to experience this occurrence that is often viewed as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime, must-see’ event.“However, in ancient cultures as well as in some current indigenous cultures, solar eclipses found their place in ancestral mythology and were not considered festive nor positive events. Because the sun, moon, and stars were extremely important to people in agrarian and Earth-based cultures for their survival, stories were created to explain why the sun disappeared. A lot of cultures explained solar eclipses in terms of an animal or mythical figure consuming the sun. For example, over 4,000 years ago, Chinese people believed a dragon was devouring the sun. In South America, the leopard was the sun-eater; in Norse mythology, a giant wolf swallowed the sun; and for the Native American Cherokees, a giant frog dined on the sun. In other cultures and faiths, such as the Hindu, eclipses were interpreted as battles between the sun god and other demigods.” ~ Junia Imel, Divine Adventures  My friends from the Diné (Navajo) say that an eclipse is deeply rooted in the respect of the cosmos and serves as an event of renewal and contemplation. Dr. David Begay, a Navajo astronomer, explained: “Our elders tell us that the sun, the moon, and the Earth go through constant renewal by aligning themselves… It’s one of the natural laws that’s been observed over the years and the sun rebalances itself with the alignment… When there’s an eclipse, they tell people, ‘Go inside.’ Respect the cycle and let time pass.” Some traditions, including Aztec, Toltec, Mayan, create spiritual ceremonies or rituals to restore the harmony within the universe and the connection between living beings and the celestial realm. This strengthens our bond with the cosmic order and preserves our cultural knowledge, spiritual and physical connection to the natural world. The First Peoples, the first scientists, believe it is important for us to observe this phenomenon with humility, reverence, and gratitude for Mother Earth. The eclipse is a time to go within and reflect, to pray, to be in community, participate in rituals. As the sun undergoes its ‘rebirth,’ it is a sacred time of transformation that needs to be honored as members of the Hoop of Life. How did you mark the total solar eclipse? (a celestial moment…with frivolity and/or with reverence?) Did you come together with others? (family, friends, co-workers, strangers…) However you decided to mark the solar eclipse, it did bring people together, no matter what their ages, race, gender, physical abilities, or beliefs to participate in a ‘shared-consciousness’ experience that, for a few moments, connected us in a state of awe, unity, and oneness.Photo credit: @sarahleejs |
