“The Moon loves the Sun just as shadows love light.

Love your shadow until your love transforms it into light.”

The New Moon, or Solar eclipse occurred at 28 degrees Leo,

on August 21, 2017, at 12:30 p.m. MST.

The eclipse has always been something of magic to mankind. Some praised them, others hid from them. In China, drums were beaten and rituals performed until the sun would return. In India, pregnant women were made to stay inside to avoid the shadow that could cause bad luck. It is an impressive thing, the way it all lines up so perfectly… the way the Sun’s diameter is approximately four hundred times larger than the Moon and the Sun is about four hundred times further away… it is poetic and almost magical, undoubtedly mystical, the relationship between them. The near perfect relation when it comes to size and distance is part of the reason why the eclipse can occur, why we can see the Sun’s light being shadowed by the Moon, if only for a few minutes.

Fun facts about Solar eclipses:

• They only occur on the lunar phase of the New Moon cycle. The Moon has to be between the Sun and Earth for a solar eclipse to occur.
• They occur between Saros cycles. A Saros cycle is approximately every eighteen years. Eclipses that are separated by one Saros cycle are similar as they occur at nearly the same distance from the Moon to Earth and around the same time of year.
• Nature will notice. Shadows will look different, animals will take notice and a temperature drop is likely.
• They did not always occur. As the Moon is getting about four centimeters further away each year, that means that it was not always in the right spot for an eclipse to be seen and eventually will appear to be too small for the total Solar eclipse.

My Experience

Days prior, I had planned to go for a small hike and watch beside a waterfall outside of Moab. Once the day arrived, I escaped to a private hang out in Castle Valley, instead.
It was all spontaneous, following my intuition by the moment. Here I performed a sacred crystal energy clearing ritual and enjoyed the reclusiveness of the small pond and surrounding desert. As the time went on, I will admit I felt odd. I did not leave or hide though, instead I paddled out onto the pond on my board, put some goggles on and a pair of sunglasses, and watched the eclipse through its reflection in the water. As it hit totality for my spot – which was not full totality, to be noted- I lowered myself in the water, allowing myself to be completely immersed in the new Sun, Moon and energy.

It was funny though, as I was in the high desert, I had been appropriately warm prior to the dunk. Yet immediately after I noticed the shift in temperature. The water itself had been a nice chill, but the chill in the air was something entirely different. I actually became cold! So I paddled back to shore and finished the eclipse on land.

Here are the shots I captured from that spot. If you watch the sunspot travel across the screen, you can see the effect of the eclipse.
Do not worry, you do not need glasses this time.

*Love & Light*