A full moon as Samhain-tide would be potent anyway, but when the moon becomes totally eclipsed as it was, it's even more potent indeed. Ponder for a moment the celestial event that creates a lunar eclipse. The sun, earth, and moon align in such a way that the earth's shadow covers the moon.
Staring at the lunar eclipse, imagine the normally brilliant disc of the moon sultry with a dusky ochre hue. The hidden sun is directly behind you, shining past the bulk of Mother Earth, illuminating space, but leaving the moon in Her shadow. The full moon, which normally reflects the brilliance of the sun into the dark night, stares directly into the shadow of the earth.
How direct. How elegant. Potent, indeed.
It is a time of balance...
A time of revealing that which is hidden...
A time of aligning ourselves with the larger forces of the universe...
A time of awareness of how tiny we really are...
and yet, how powerful we are in proportion to our size.
As the shadow of the earth dimmed the moon, I reflected on the things in life that dim my own light... I meditated upon the thought that, like the moon, the light that shines within my own spirit is not my own, but rather a brilliant reflection of something much larger than myself. I also realized that although my inner essence is a reflection of Divine wonder, it too waxes, wanes, and is sometimes hidden entirely.
Once the moon was completely swallowed in shadow, I meditated upon my own dark times, and let the counter-intuitive truth seep into me that our darkest times are often the result of being in perfect balance. The lunar eclipse is a result of a perfect celestial alignment. I contemplated the truth that the darkness is all a part of the pattern. I found acceptance for my own dark times.
Then, still during the dark of the eclipse, I went inside and allowed the tarot to inspire contemplation, and meditated on what was revealed. In the darkness of the eclipse, my quiet secret self could peer out and whisper deeper questions to my soul. I peeled away layers of faded fears in that darktime.
Afterward, I returned outside to watch the shadow slowly pass, and the brilliance return to the face of my Lady. The light seeped up from the bottom, creating a crescent with both horns pointing up. I let the returning light of the moon touch the crescent headband that I wore upon my brow, and felt the caress of the Sacred shine deeply within me.
I learned that my shadow-times are proper and right. They are an inevitable product of the balance I seek in my life. But every shadow passes, and leaves us touched with glory.
So mote it be.
~Flame RavenHawk
November 22, 2003