{"id":3441,"date":"2017-07-25T04:41:29","date_gmt":"2017-07-25T10:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/naturespath\/?p=3441"},"modified":"2017-07-25T04:41:29","modified_gmt":"2017-07-25T10:41:29","slug":"spirituality-eclipse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/naturessacredjourney\/2017\/07\/spirituality-eclipse\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spirituality of the Eclipse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A total solar eclipse is one of the most stunning things to see on Earth \u2013 an especially sacred time for those of us with an Earth-Centered Pagan Spirituality. \u00a0 For many of us, it\u2019s a sacred event worthy of pilgrimage<\/a>, and on August 21st, it\u2019s right here in the US. Until recently, I didn\u2019t realize how stunning a total solar eclipse was. Photos and videos fail to convey the experience, but descriptions, as shown by this video, start to come close.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\nTo experience totality, you have to be in the path of totality. As shown in the map below, it stretches across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina. With an eclipse path dozens of miles wide (the best viewing is in the middle ~70% or so of the path, which is still ~50 miles wide), one can likely find a place to see it from, if you start planning now. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/naturespath\/files\/2017\/07\/Host1707a.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3442\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3442\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/857\/2017\/07\/Host1707a-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Host1707a\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\"><\/a>Don\u2019t let the fear of eye damage stop you from going<\/b><\/h4>\nSimple precautions<\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/eclipse2017.nasa.gov\/safety\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u00a0are all that are needed to guarantee safety<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/a>. \u00a0The biggest uncontrollable concern is probably the chance of clouds on the day of the eclipse, August 21, 2017. \u00a0The cloud cover chart here shows that the odds of clouds are low \u2013 especially for the brown shaded area. \u00a0Experiencing the eclipse is easy \u2013 just be outside, in the path of totality, for the time of the eclipse. \u00a0The Moon will start covering up the edge of the Sun (if you aren\u2019t looking for this, you won\u2019t notice it happening). \u00a0From there, it will take around an hour and a half as the Moon covers more and more of the Sun. \u00a0Then, it will get darker outside, as the Moon fully blocks the Sun. \u00a0This total coverage will only last for a minute or two. \u00a0Then, the Sun will emerge from behind the Moon, exposing more and more of the Sun over the next hour and a half. \u00a0The moment of totality is around 10 am in Oregon, ranging to nearly 3 pm in South Carolina. \u00a0Look up the exact times for wherever you will be watching from. \u00a0This will hold millions of people in awe (including both Americans and eclipse chasers), and will be the most photographed, selfied, live streamed, and documented moment in the history of the Universe up to now, as far as we know. \u00a0Will the next\u00a0Carl Sagan or Neil Degrasse-Tyson will be\u00a0one of those millions of kids who stare in awe at the fiery ring in the sky this August? \u00a0Maybe she or he is a child you know, who you will bring to the path of totality?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/naturespath\/files\/2017\/07\/Host1707b.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3443\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-3443\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/857\/2017\/07\/Host1707b.png\" alt=\"Host1707b\" width=\"617\" height=\"332\"><\/a>What will I do during those 100 or so sacred seconds? \u00a0Will I hold a ritual? \u00a0Just revel in it? \u00a0Hug my kids? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/naturespath\/2017\/07\/preparing-solar-eclipse\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Allison Ehrman suggests some ideas here<\/a>. \u00a0I have no idea yet, aside from infusing my\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/solstice-and-equinox.com\/universebeads.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Cosmala\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/a>with the shadow of our Moon, Luna.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nOr would the descent into darkness (and then the return of the light) be better times for ritual activity? \u00a0After all, those times are ~90 minutes long\u00a0<\/span><\/span>each<\/i><\/span><\/span>, and that would make the whole time of totality part of my ritual if I started before totality and ended after it. \u00a0Pagans who can\u2019t make it (including those on other continents than North America), might want to hold a ritual at a chosen moment during the eclipse. \u00a0All religions have sacred times and sacred places. \u00a0For those of us with a pagan spirituality (as well as for many others), reality itself \u2013 and especially our Earth, Moon and Sun \u2013 often show us those sacred times. \u00a0For many of us (and certainly me), this August 21st will be one of those most sacred times. \u00a0What will those 90 seconds be like for you? \u00a0I don\u2019t think that can be predicted \u2013 we can\u2019t decide\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/humanisticpaganism.com\/2016\/08\/22\/visions-part-3-the-power-of-spiritual-experiences-by-jon-cleland-host-starstuff-contemplating\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">when the sacred will touch us<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nBlessed be.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nDr. Jon Cleland Host<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u00a0is a scientist who earned his PhD in materials science at Northwestern University & has conducted research at Hemlock Semiconductor and Dow Corning since 1997. \u00a0He holds eight patents and has authored over three dozen internal scientific papers and eleven papers for peer-reviewed scientific journals, including the journal\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Nature<\/i><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 He has taught classes on biology, math, chemistry, physics and general science at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University.\u00a0 Jon grew up near Pontiac, and has been building a reality-based spirituality for over 30 years, first as a Catholic and now as a Unitarian Universalist, including collaborating with Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow to spread the awe and wonder of the Great Story of our Universe (see\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thegreatstory.org\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.thegreatstory.org<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/a>, and the blog at\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/evolutionarytimes.org\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">evolutionarytimes.org<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/a>).\u00a0 Jon and his wife have four sons, whom they embrace within a Universe-centered, Pagan,\u00a0family spirituality.\u00a0 He currently moderates the yahoo group\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/humanisticpaganism.com\/He%20currently%20moderates%20the%20yahoo%20group%20Naturalistic%20Paganism.\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Naturalistic Paganism<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jon Cleland-Host writes about the upcoming solar eclipse, “What will I do during those 100 or so sacred seconds? Will I hold a ritual? Just revel in it? Hug my kids?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,500,29,20],"class_list":["post-3441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-earth-centered","tag-eclipse","tag-nature","tag-spiritual-practice"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>The Spirituality of the Eclipse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jon Cleland-Host writes about the upcoming solar eclipse, "What will I do during those 100 or so sacred seconds? Will I hold a ritual? Just revel in it? 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