Something about the energy of the eclipse this past weekend (10/14/23) feels existentially relevant and cosmically necessary for all of us right now.
The etymology of eclipse comes from the Latin eclipsis, and the Greek ekleipsis, meaning "an abandonment.”
When the moon eclipses the sun, what could this possibly symbolize?
What is it about the darkening of our perpetual mode of solar consciousness that could be necessary for us to contemplate?
In his book The Black Sun, Marlan writes, “There is a long tradition of…the Sun reflecting the qualities of rational order, stability, life force, vitality, blessing, joy, and light…The problem begins when these archetypal forces overwhelm a developing or immature ego, inflating and corrupting it.”
He continues, “On the cultural level we all too often have become lost in our spiritual, Apollonian, patriarchal, male perspective. Our roots in European languages and a Cartesian worldview have led to a personal and cultural elitism that have fueled charges of racism and colonialism. To the extent that these judgments have validity, they reflect a collective, cultural, and philosophical shadow.”
Was it this one-sided perspective of light that was briefly abandoned this weekend during the eclipse?
We experienced a synchronistic, cosmic, archetypal moment where the dominant forces of light were dimmed briefly, but not absent.
When we tap into the felt sense of an eclipse, when our habitual modes of orienting become abandoned, and we experience light and dark in a moment of paradoxical connection to one another, for some, it evokes a moment of mystical awe, for others, an eerie moment of terror.
What could we take away from this?
We could reflect on the how we relate to light in our lives.
Do we connect to light in way that disconnects it from its inherent connection to darkness?
Do we prioritize and value what is seen, certain, and stable, while disconnecting from what is unseen, uncertain, and unstable.
To me, any disruption in a habitual pattern is a beautiful opportunity to reflect upon how we are positioning ourselves, how we are habitually seeing and orienting to self, world, and others.
In this case, what comes up when our dominant mode of consciousness goes dim and we are exposed to the darker sides of life?
Referenced:
Marlan, S. (2008). The Black sun: The alchemy and art of darkness. Texas A&M University Press.