For many people in ancient times, a total solar eclipse generated fear. They thought the world would end or a great evil would follow. Myths often involved a beast trying to destroy the Sun with the fate of Earth hanging in the balance.
In Mark Twain’s book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, the hero (who is transported back to Camelot), gets captured but avoids being hanged with a wave of his hand, seemingly making the Sun go dark. “For a lesson, I will let this darkness proceed, and spread night into the world; but whether I blot out the Sun for good, or restore it, shall rest with you.”
Total solar eclipses are a cosmic coincidence, how else do you explain that the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun but also 400 times nearer to earth? The eclipse makes the only two disks in our sky appear the same size. It would not be the case if either were larger, smaller, nearer, or farther away.
Judaism has longstanding interconnections with astronomy. As for eclipses, Rabbi Mordechai Becher, suggests that eclipses were created by God for a profound reason. “God created a system that would remind us regularly that our choices can create darkness, even at times when there should be light.”
In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it is believed that the energy of positive and negative actions is multiplied during major astronomical events such as a solar eclipse. Some of the recommended spiritual activities on these days include chanting, mantras, and sutras.
Some Christians believe that an eclipse portends the coming of the “end times” that will precede Christ’s return to Earth as prophesied at various points in the Bible. There is a persisting belief among some Christians that an eclipse occurred during the crucifixion because three of the Bible’s four Gospels mention a three-hour period of darkness as Jesus died.
According to Art and Living Magazine, the eclipse is a good time for prayer as the Sun is connected to both the mind and body. When all three celestial bodies are aligned, so is the body with the mind making it a good time to meditate.
Last month, Jeanette Epps became the sixth Black woman to ever travel to space, according to NASA. She shared her excitement for Monday’s eclipse from her very unique perspective. “What we can see, mainly, is the shadow of the eclipse over the earth as it passes through,” she said. “We won’t be able to look directly at the sun and see the eclipse that way. But what we’ll see and we’re looking for is to see the shadow as it crosses over the earth.”
Moon Pie has released a Solar Eclipse Survival Kit, which includes four chocolate mini Moon Pies and two pair of glasses. You can buy the kit at Walmart.
Though Maryland is not in the path of totality for the solar eclipse set for Monday, April 8, 2024, there will be plenty of reasons to look to the sky here on the Eastern Shore.
Kate Emery General is a retired chef/restaurant owner who was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Kate loves her grandchildren, knitting, and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband, Matt are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.
