SOLAR ECLIPSE

The sun came back and people cheered. A very sensible thing to do. Where would we be without the energy and light from the sun?

ABC News reported:

The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century has cast a shadow over much of Asia, plunging hundreds of millions into darkness across the giant land masses of India and China.

Ancient superstition and modern commerce came together in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which could end up being the most watched eclipse in history, due to its path over Earth’s most densely inhabited areas.

. . . A total solar eclipse usually occurs every 18 months or so, but Wednesday’s spectacle was special for its maximum period of “totality” – when the sun is wholly covered – of six minutes and 39 seconds.

Such a lengthy duration will not be matched until the year 2132.

Superstition has always haunted the moment when Earth, moon and sun are perfectly aligned. The daytime extinction of the sun, the source of all life, is associated with war, famine, flood and the death or birth of rulers.

Desperate for an explanation, the ancient Chinese blamed a sun-eating dragon. In Hindu mythology, the two demons Rahu and Ketu are said to “swallow” the sun during eclipses, snuffing out its light and causing food to become inedible and water undrinkable.

In the run up to Wednesday’s eclipse, some Indian astrologers had issued predictions laden with gloom and foreboding, while superstition dictated that pregnant women should stay indoors to prevent their babies developing birth defects.

A gynaecologist at a Delhi hospital said many expectant mothers scheduled for July 22 caesarian deliveries insisted on changing the date.

For others it was an auspicious date, with more than 1 million Hindu pilgrims gathering at the holy site of Kurukshetra in northern India, where bathing in the waters during a solar eclipse is believed to further the attainment of spiritual freedom.

While the report suggests that Monsoon clouds and bad weather spoiled the spectacle for some, it is equally true that without rain where would we be.

The report is a reminder that we can be thankful to be freed from ancient superstition although we have equally forgotten, or are simply ignorant of ancient wisdom.

Advertisements