The
solar eclipse over the U.S. this week really was nothing like I expected.
Up
at the usual 5 AM, the morning started out pretty foggy—one of the thickest
over recent weeks … My mood became increasingly deflated as the hours closed in
on the start of the eclipse.
I knew
I had to come to peace and honor the once-in-a-lifetime eclipse even if I could
see nothing from my vantage point under the grounded clouds; so I began the
inner work to do so. Somehow, I was able to ease open a little spaciousness
within, including a plan to just spend time outside for the duration of the
eclipse: observing nature, celebrating transition, abiding in the beauty of
what was rather than longing for
something I couldn’t have.
Then,
very literally, thirty-five minutes before the onset of the eclipse, the fog
began to quickly thin. Three minutes later I could see a shiny-white, lit ball through
the haze; exactly six minutes before the moon began its journey between us and
the sun, the lower atmosphere completely cleared up. A deep royal blue sky
painted itself across my vision.
I
had become serene as I moved into the earlier recognition of invisibility. But
then the gift of a wide-open expanse of vision out to space became the
once-in-a-lifetime gift!
The
rest was just icing on the cake, pure delight, as we experienced:
* the
awe! of using eclipse glasses and
seeing the first notch bitten from the sun orb at 9:20 AM
*
a noticeable temperature drop so that T-shirt weather turned to sweatshirt weather,
and back again
*
an eerie and unexpected darkness inside the house (when we entered briefly to
check on our pets)
*
the slightly darker dusky feel outside as the moon reached its full 92%
blockage of the sun
*
every shadow taking on an eclipse shape, varying per the moon’s transit
*
a rising breeze, the one we welcome and recognize as the herald of dusk
*
the seemingly sudden return to bright midday as if something phenomenal had not
just occurred!
My
next-door neighbors helped us celebrate by bringing out “breakfast” at 10:40:
homemade blackberry ice cream from the fruit-laden bushes edging our yard.
I
do truly believe I would’ve been at peace had the fog not lifted; the fine
surrender to now-as-it-shows-up came before
the blessed clearing.
That
said, I am totally enthralled with this truly wondrous experience … 92% is
great!
All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2017 JenniferJWilhoit/TEALarbor stories. AllRightsReserved."
