Solar Eclipse 2017

We woke up at 4am, put a case of Mason jars filled with rain water in the trunk of the car, grabbed my moonstone pendant, and headed down I-5 to Salem, OR. That was four years ago yesterday, and my son and I were on our way to witness a total solar eclipse.

It was a straight 3-1/2 hour drive. We found an area where we could park by a big field with no trees to obscure our view. We placed our jars of water on the roof of the car, my moonstone occupying one of them, climbed into our lawn chairs, and piled on the blankets to wait.

The eclipse started at 9:05am. It was absolutely surreal to watch dusk fall over us just a few hours after the sun rose. The "totality" occurred at 10:17am on August 21, 2017. For 1 minute and 54 seconds, it was totally dark, except for a thin halo of light. And then the sun emerged for the second time that day. It was breath-taking.

The drive home was a merciless 9 hours, weaving through backroads trying to make progress among all the other dedicated sky-gazers. But it was worth it.

I treasure the moon water, and my moonstone is still alive inside.

8/21/2017 - My post to Facebook:

"Gratitude for the glorious pas de deux between Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun today. Thank you Holy Ones for letting us witness your dance. Grandmother, you showed us how to court slowly and steadily. Grandfather, you stood steady while She led this dance. Your union showed us the answer - the Divine Feminine front and center, the light of the Masculine crowning Her. You let us peek into your deep mystery for just a brief moment. And then your exquisite exit... My breath was taken. You have shown us the way - The Divine Feminine will lead this dance. (Notice in this photo that our eyes are trained to see just one object, when in fact there are two. The descending moon looking just like a pregnant belly, the sun glowing as if a crescent moon.)"