Celestial Bodies

I think of the sun and the moon as lovers – who rarely meet, always chasing and missing each other. But once in a while they catch up, and they kiss, and the world stares in awe of their eclipse.

Anonymous

It is only when a new moon – the moon that is not visible to our bare eyes – sits exactly between the sun and earth that a total eclipse happens. In ancient times, people thought the Sun and Moon were in a tiff and the moon was winning. They would make noise with pots and pans, yell, or sing to distract the moon and set things right. For millennia, the Chinese tradition was to shoot arrows (and later canons) at the eclipse and to chase the moon away. In more recent traditions people chant through the eclipse, take ceremonial baths, and/or wear red. In yoga, we think of sun energy as a metaphor for strategic, rational thinking while moon energy is a metaphor for creativity and intuition. This solar eclipse is an opportunity to pause and consider how these two energies battle within you. Is the productive part of you chasing the creative part of you away? Are you so busy doing that you don’t make time for being? Is multitasking wearing you out?

This eclipse takes place on Saturday, December 4th. Though it will only be visible from the southern hemisphere – here are 3 suggestions for embracing your moon energy this Saturday.

  1. Give the moon her day and set aside the whole day to be playful, creative, and spontaneous. Dance, paint, be silly, have a tickle or pillow fight, splash in puddles, make snow angels…all day long.
  2. Set aside time to go without power and technology for a few hours on December 4th and do one thing at a time. Light a candle, take a bath, read a book in the sun, write a letter, take a phone/GPS less walk.
  3. Set your alarm for 11 pm Pacific Time on Friday night and tune-in to watch the eclipse live stream via National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Zc4lKMWsE (it will start at 11 pm PT Friday and go past midnight (into Saturday) – with Maximum eclipse at about 11:30 pm). Turn off the voice-over and listen to Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon, Van Morrison Moondance, or another album of your choice, play your tambourine, sing, chant or simply meditate. https://open.spotify.com/album/4LH4d3cOWNNsVw41Gqt2kv?si=xmx6V-auQnyR_BdQRXWFmw
  4. BONUS IDEA – WEAR RED!

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Kiki Wiley

Author: Kiki Wiley

Celestial Bodies is a mindful movement and yoga lifestyle practice – grounded in ancient astronomy, wisdom, and ritual – informed by modern psychology. The foundation for this work includes my academic studies in cultural anthropology, PhD in psychology, as well as over 500 hours of certification in Yoga, Meditation, Kundalini, Ayurveda, Sound, and Aromatherapy. I offer accessible yoga, sound healing, aromatherapy (both group & private), and am a circle-of-life celebrant . Peruse my shoppe for curated ritual and wellness items for self-care and gifting, read the blog for mindful movement & yoga lifestyle inspiration, and check out bookmarks for the ancient history and modern science around our ancestor’s practices and rituals.