聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 This past week, on Monday, Aug. 21, a solar eclipse took place and, although tempted, I avoided the phenomenon鈥� until someone in the office made a pinhole viewer and another person brought by welding glass for us to look through.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Essentially the darkness of the eclipse forces our pupils to dilate naturally in order to let in more light and since there are no pain receptors in the retina, the bit of sun poking out from around the edges becomes that much more dangerous than just looking at the sun on a sunny day (your pupils automatically constrict), so during an eclipse the sun can burn your eyes without you really knowing at the time.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The phenomenon which can now be tracked was once thought to be a harbinger of sorts, typically of something nefarious. After all it was a random occurrence that, in the past, Before the Common Era (BCE) civilizations saw as a worrisome occurrence because it appeared as though something was eating the sun. The occurrence is now a cool event for people 鈥� who remember to get the special glasses 鈥� to enjoy watching. Some communities where it will be a total eclipse have even seen boosted tourist numbers in order to view the phenomenon.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It鈥檚 still considered a harbinger of sorts as Hollywood typically uses an eclipse to signify some large change in a TV show or movie.聽 So, if anyone gets super powers after the eclipse like they did in the television series 鈥淗eroes鈥� let me know.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Some civilizations like the Aztec and Mayan were enamoured by the phenomenon as well, but they had discovered ways to predict when the next one would occur through their rather advanced study of the sun. It鈥檚 even said that the city of Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City) coincided with an eclipse in 1325.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Anthropologists and Archaeologists even think that the sun god Tonatiuh within the calendar stone of the Aztecs is fighting with an eclipse monster. They also believed in the cycles of the world, so an eclipse being the harbinger of change perhaps meant that one cycle of their world was ending and the next beginning 鈥� a cosmic shift.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In fact the Mayan culture was very much involved with the sun and the pyramid of Chichen Itza was built, so that during the winter solstice the shadow of the Snake God weaves its way down along the stairs of the pyramid.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 They had a great understanding of celestial bodies and understood the movement of stars, the moon, and the sun because they dedicated a lot of time to it. Scientists even discovered that the Mayans 鈥� through using the Dresden Codex 鈥� had predicted a solar eclipse to within one day, which occurred in 1991. An impressive feat when you think about how many variables in the universe there are.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 For the Navajo people it is also a reverent time and one which they believe you should not be outside in or sleep in 鈥� taking their learnings from the law of the land. Watching animals during past eclipses, in which the animals don鈥檛 sleep, don鈥檛 eat, and simply huddle together. It鈥檚 a time to respect the natural world, something that could possibly benefit more people in doing. After all we only have one Earth.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Cultures around the world all see it as something important and typically something that marks change. So, I guess we鈥檒l have to wait and see what that change might be.
