Solar Eclipse Today – What Does It Mean To You?

Today, parts of Asia (the Indian sub-continent, China and Japan) will witness a total solar eclipse.  That’s when the moon moves between the earth and the sun and all three heavenly bodies are aligned in a straight line.

For many, this is a once in a lifetime natural phenomenon. At least one promoter has chartered a plane to carry fare paying passengers who want to follow the path of this solar eclipse.

But it was not long ago that such a natural phenomenon would evoke fear among people. The Chinese thought a dragon was devouring the moon during a lunar eclipse.  Their navy actually fired canons at the moon in an attempt to scare off that dragon.

The Inca thought it was either a serpent or a puma that was devouring the moon while the Cherokee thought it was a frog doing so.

The Indians thought that eclipses are caused by a demon (Rahu) who is intent on swallowing the sun and the moon because they saw him stealing the food of immortality.  Some of them still hide indoors for fear that the “bad” rays during a eclipse will hit them.

The Babylonians fear that eclipses are harbingers of disasters to come.  In fact many people associate eclipse as some sort of the-end-of-the-world belief.

What does today’s solar eclipse mean to you? Are you afraid?  Still thinking of whatever cultural beliefs you may have?  Wouldn’t it be nice if you can just shake off these cultural beliefs?  What would it take to achieve this?  Think about it. Today’s solar eclipse – what does it mean to you?