Total Solar Eclipse Facts & Beliefs

On August 21, 2017 a Total Solar Eclipse is crossing the entire country (USA)!

On August 21, 2017 the United States will be part of a total solar eclipse reaching from Oregon to South Carolina. The places where you will be able to see the total eclipse is called the “Path of Totality.” This total solar eclipse will last for 90 minutes in total but will last 2 minutes and 40 seconds max in any one individual location. In this path of totality you will be able to see (using eclipse eyewear ofcourse! you don’t want to damage your eye sight) the moon completely cover the sun.

The last time the United States saw the solar eclipse was on July 7, 1972 which went from Northern Alaska to Nova Scotia. Another solar eclipse occured on July 11, 1991 from Southern Baja California to Panama. (I lived in San Diego, Ca but I was 5 years old, which means I don’t remember it!)

This upcoming total solar eclipse is extraordinary because it covers so many parts of the United States. People will be flooding into the Path of Totality from all over the world. This is an extremely rare event!

If you have any desire to see the total eclipse of the sun here in the U.S.A. you might want to catch it this August! The next one won’t come through the U.S.A. again until April 08, 2024. The trajectory of the Path of Totality in 2024 is mostly covering the east coast of the United States; this August it will be crossing the entire country!

 

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For more information on where to view the Solar Eclipse visit the NASA website where they have interactive maps that will show you where you can stay and view the eclipse. Many cities tourist centers are offering eclipse glasses to keep your eyes safe, or you can buy some at Amazon. Amazon has the widest selection of eclipse glasses for the special day!

Eclipse Glasses – CE Certified Safe Solar Eclipse Glasses – 10pk Assorted- Eye Protection – a 10 pack of glasses for only $8.99 will keep your whole family and close friends eyes safe from the harmful rays of a solar eclipse.

Plastic Solar Eclipse Glasses /w Carry Case | Adult Size | Cool Style and Look | CE and ISO Certified | Safe Solar Viewing – 3 Pack (3 Glasses and 3 Cases) – this is a great option as well if you would prefer to have sturdier glasses than the paper ones. For $15.95 you can get three quality eclipse glasses with carry cases. There will be more solar eclipses during our lifetime that these glasses will prove useful for. 

Eclipse Glasses – CE Certified Safe Solar Eclipse Shades® – Viewer and filters (30 Pack) – Made in the USA – this is a fantastic option if you have many people you need to provide eclipse glasses for, like a classroom, a church gathering, eclipse house party and etc… You get 30 glasses for only $28.50.

Celestron EclipSmart 10×42 Solar Binocular – if you are an eclipse chaser you might be interested in this Solar Binocular. Our normal cameras and telescopes are extremely dangerous to use if you are interested in catching the solar eclipse. These solar binoculars are a perfect way to enjoy seeing the eclipse without harming your eyes. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/512425263825696154/

Spiritual Interpretations of Total Solar Eclipses

Solar and Lunar eclipses have been happening longer than we know. Our ancestors had very specific spiritual interpretations of what a solar eclipse meant for us. I was curious and did some digging and below is what I found.

There are often times eclipses that we don’t hear about because they are partial or preumberal but total eclipses have never failed to amaze us.

There have been studies showing changes in water and plants during solar eclipses which leads scientists and spiritualists alike to believe there is a change in human bodies during solar eclipses. These changes might have inspired many of these spiritual beleifs.

Hindu Eclipse Beleifs 

There is a beleif that a transisting planet will evoke energy from a total solar eclipse starting a year beforehand and up to two years afterwards. According to Hindu beleifs we can oftentimes locate a major life change around the time of a total eclipse due to a change of energy within our world.

Hindu’s beleive that during the time of a total eclipse they should bathe in holy waters, do charitable acts like feeding brahmins and sadhu’s (here in America, try feeding the homeless or doing something charitable for the needy), and beleive that it is important to clean their home after the eclipse has passed to cleanse it of negative energy.

They also recommend not eating before or during the eclipse. Once the eclipse has started they beleive that they should be completely empty of food, all food should be digested. They fast until after the solar eclipse has passed. Typically they will bathe in holy waters or take showers to spiritually cleanse themselves.

Hinduism also encourages not having sex on the day of the eclipse as the child might not make it through the pregnancy or will be born with health defects. Along the same beleifs they encourage pregnant women to stay inside and avoid sunlight the entire day.

They beleive that doing Japa during the eclipse will encourage positive energy and help alleviate the suffering our world experiences. What is Japa? Japa (sanskrit: जप) is the act of meditating and repeating a mantra or a divine name over and over again. They can do this softly aloud to themselves or do this within their own mind. Hindu’s beleive that during this during the total eclipse will give you blessings from the Gods. They encourage the Japa take place in a body of water and that the mantra be repeated as much as possible.

The sages  of Hindu’s past and present might have been onto something. Either way, it’s never a bad time to meditate and pray for the world. Sharing kindness and love is always an appropriate thing to do whether or not an eclipse is happening.

Zafu Crescent: Meditation Pillow with USA Buckwheat Hull Fill, Certified Organic Cotton- 6 Colors – this has to be the most comfortable meditation pillow EVER. There are many other choices on Amazon but this one is probably my favorite.

http://www.crystalinks.com/eclipse.html

Mayan Eclipse Beliefs

The Mayans beleived that what happens in the stars is a communication from the Gods to us here on earth. Astrology is an important part of many different cultures around the world. The Mayans took astrology very seriously and political/social choices were made based on the movement of the planets. They aligned farming practices with the movements of the stars and planets above.

In Mayan culture, their astrologers were preists. These astrologers had an immense amount of power over society and their government because of their ability to predict what the skies were going to do. In their beleifs, the Sun is the most important part of our galaxy and they beleived it was the main object that gave life to earth. They associated the sun as a male deity and the moon as a female deity.

Mayans took preparing for the eclipse extremely seriously. The eclipse was tumultuous and stressful on their culture. They beleived the moon was able to eat the sun.

Unfotunately, not too much is known about their beleifs since many missionaries burned them in the 1600s.

http://weirdthings.com/2011/01/first-lunar-elipse-of-2011-boring-viking-wolkes-biting-the-sun-metal/

Vikings Interpretation of an Eclipse

In Nordic traditions the apocalypse (also called Ragnarok) is to be brought on by two wolves named Skoll and Hati. They beleived that during the procession of an eclipse the wolves were bringing on Ragnarok. They would make as much noise as possible towards the sky to scare off the wolves.

There are a large variety of eclipse beleifs around the world. Whatever your beleifs are, remember to stay kind, wear protective eye wear and thank the universe for the goodness it provides.

Have a happy total solar eclipse!

https://wisdomsdoor.com/cl/aug99.php

https://www.maconga.org/event/total-solar-eclipse-2017/9881/

 

 

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