Open to the Spirit
Today’s word: “Eclipse”
1) Months ago, when I first heard that there was going to be a total eclipse in Quebec, I made sure to schedule a day off from work. There was no way that I was going to miss an opportunity to see this incredible celestial event, something which happens truly “once in a lifetime.”
I have read about other eclipses throughout history and the ways that they have been interpreted by the people who see them. Some saw the darkening sky as a sign of the end of days, or a message from the gods. Others saw the eclipse as a blessing of good luck or simply as a reminder to pray. Yet what holds all of these ideas together is that they force people to look up, to take a break from their normal lives and spend a few moments fully immersed in a mystery beyond them. I can imagine these people looking up to the heavens (without eclipse glasses) wondering how such strange events could happen, and trying to figure out what message the Sun and Moon must be sending.
Eclipses in Hebrew are called likui, a defect, and like so many other cultures, Jews saw them as a bad sign for the world. The basic belief was that God was taking away the Sun for a short period of time, using the darkness as a warning for humanity to shape up. Yet as science helped people understand a bit more of the astronomical reasons for the event, eclipses became more of a positive reminder of the mysteries of the cosmos and the powers that lie beyond us.
And thankfully Judaism left plenty of other times where people are asked to get out of their homes and places of worship and look up. Even though the exact time is now available on the internet and in calendars, we know the time of Havdalah, the exact moment that Shabbat ends by going outside and seeing three stars. There is a monthly spiritual prayer event called kiddush levana, the “Blessing of the Moon” that asks us to go outside to pray and sing, and like hippies at a dance festival, jump up and down as we try to reach the heavens. Our calendar is organized by the interaction of the moon and the sun, and once a month, usually in the comfort of a synagogue, we have a special blessing announcing the new month, celebrating the New Moon.
Even with all of these celestial reminders, these days it’s all too easy to just look on the calendar and say, “The moon is full,” or “It’s a new month” and move on with our days. But something as big as an eclipse can push us out of our slumber and remind us to take a break to get out and look up. There is no way that we can feel the power of such a rare event looking at a computer screen. And standing outside in the fresh air, surrounded by the trees, the sky, the light and dark, and possibly other people, we are reminded that we are not alone. Even more, we are reminded that even in our complicated and busy life, and even though the science is clear, mystery still exists.
On Monday, I hope the weather will be clear when eclipse time comes. I will be standing outside looking up at the heavens, admiring the mystery that the sky will provide. The sky will darken, the quiet wind will blow, and we will be reminded that there is something beyond us. The Sun, the Moon and the stars are always there, quietly moving on their path and which, for a blessed few moments, sometimes make the sky go dark. Who knows? Maybe this time the eclipse will give us a message we all need to see.
2) An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. I am looking forward to it, and my wife made sure we have glasses to watch it together as we stand on the lawn behind the church. There has been so much publicity about the eclipse next Monday one would think our world has never experienced this before.
However, eclipses are not a new phenomenon. In ages past, the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians all experienced them and tried to understand what they meant. In Hebrew Scriptures, in Isaiah we read: “The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light.”. In the New Testament we read this about the day Jesus was crucified. “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” It appears that Luke may have originally explained the event as a miraculous solar eclipse. Mark Twain used an eclipse in his comedic novel “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”. A time traveler used his knowledge of eclipses to surprise people and gain popularity. It was published in 1889.
I do not want to give you scientific details about eclipses. I’m not sure I could anyway. Also, unlike with many other words, I have no stories to tell. Watching this eclipse will be a new experience for me. Instead I want to share a spiritual perspective. There are many times in our lives when we lose the sun, when life gets dark. We wait in darkness till a few rays of light appear on the horizons of our life. These might come from a friendly smile, a walk through the woods, or a song on the radio. Slowly light and life seep back into our lives and bring some hope.
And standing outside in the fresh air, surrounded by the trees, the sky, the
light and dark, and possibly other people, we are reminded that we are not alone. Even more, we are reminded that even in our complicated and busy life, and even though the science is clear, mystery
still exists.
There are many times in our lives when we lose the sun, when life gets dark. We wait in darkness till a few rays of light appear on the horizons of our life. These might come from a friendly smile, a walk through the woods, or a song on the radio. Slowly light and life seep back into our lives and
bring some hope.
Let’s enjoy watching the eclipse next Monday, but let’s open our eyes to the world around us and see the light shine. Let’s also remember that we can shine bright for our friends and our communities.
One word “Eclipse” and two voices today.
Enjoy your weekend, and Monday’s special event.
May every shift in the balance of light and dark be to us all a blessing.
Rev. Mead Baldwin pastors the Waterville and North Hatley Pastoral Charge; Rabbi Boris Dolin leads the Congregation Dorshei Emet in Montreal; Rev. Carole Martignacco, Unitarian Universalist is retired from ministry with Uuestrie and now resides in Standrew’s-by-the-sea , but keeps one foot in the Townships by contributing to this column.