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August 19, 2017
Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon on March 7, 51 BCE, the day of a solar eclipse. The Roman Republic died and gave way to the Roman Empire.
A solar eclipse preceded the Birth of Mohammad in 569 CE and coincided with the death of his son, Ibrahim, in 631 CE.
Two days after the RMS Titanic sank in 1912 in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean under the darkness of the new moon, a solar eclipse occurred.
Here are just three examples from history of solar eclipses that signified great changes.
Astrologer Steven Forrest writes in his recent blog on this Monday's Great American Eclipse, "A New Moon is both an ending and a new beginning. A total solar eclipse is simply an intensified, special-case version of exactly the same thing. In essence, it is a New Moon on steroids: an epochal new start – and of course any such start must be preceded by some dramatic ending. Space must be made for the new beginning."
The astronomical phenomenon is fascinating in and of itself. Yesterday, I read a woman's comment on Facebook describing her experience of the total solar eclipse of 1979. She described "the sound or lack of it... Everything got very, very quiet. All animals and all sounds." Equally thrilling, I have read that during the moments of the total eclipse, stars and planets are visible!
If you're looking for a sign or for guidance in your life, perhaps you ought to look up (with your eclipse shades of course!). The total eclipse of the sun. All life on Earth comes from the sun, therefore the Sun is an apt symbol for our own Life. The symbolism behind its eclipse is deeply profound. Like the phoenix of myth, dying only to be reborn again.
What part of yourself are you ready let go of, to be cleansed of, to release into darkness and to be reborn into light? What limiting habits, attitudes, relationships, and thoughts are you ready to release?
I share with you some inspiring meditations for your Eclipse from saints and sages of East and West:
"It is in dying that we are born to eternal Life." - St. Francis
"Only those who have dared to let go
can dare to re-enter." - Meister Eckhart
“When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has found.” -Sufi Proverb
"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." - Gautama Buddha
"Death is only an experience through which you are meant to learn a great lesson: you cannot die." - Paramhansa Yogananda
Happy Solar Eclipse! May the second sunrise on August 21, 2017 bring you ever more Joy and Peace.
Many blessings,
Bhima & East West
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