Eclipse 2017
"Eclipse 2017"
or "Ionically Charged"
A month ago, I was on a vacation from
work. I stayed at home on my vacation, working on improvement projects around my
home. On my second day of vacation, the forecast called for rain and
thunderstorms. I looked forward to the rain; the ground needed a thorough soaking.
That morning the rains came. My cats, Jazz and Blues, ran to escape the
storm, retreating to their cubby holes for safety, much as humans run to a
storm cellar when there is an impending tornado. I went about my work in the
home, noting the hours of continual rain.
At one point, I noticed the difference in
the day. As the rain continued to fall, I noticed the change in the air, and
how my body was reacting to it. The air was charged, and I felt it. Somehow, I
was feeling the outside atmosphere while inside my home, within my body. I remember feeling a great deal of stress
that day. I was ready for my vacation. Yet as the rain continued that day, I
felt the stress leave my body.
That evening, after hours of continual
rain, I was changed. Every ounce of stress had left my body. I felt as if I had
taken gotten a full body massage, or a proper night’s rest. It was a boost to
my mood, an elimination of my stress, and a feeling complete, utter relaxation.
It
was at once calming, soothing, and restorative.
Before that moment, I had never
experienced that feeling before. In researching what I experienced that day, I
discovered that scientists have known of this impact on the body for years. This
difference in the air, in the atmosphere, is caused by negative ions.
Negative ions in the air can have a
positive effect on the biochemistry of our bodies. Exposure to negative ions
has been compared to the rejuvenating effect of taking a shower. Showering
wakes us up, and often puts us in a good mood. Our mood receives such a lift
that we break out into song, thus singing in the shower. This boost in mood is
due to exposure to negative ions.
In nature, we can experience this same
lift in mood and energy when exposed to the atmosphere after a thunderstorm. With
such a dramatic effect on the body, ionic treatments have been prescribed for
people who experience clinical depression, as well as for those who suffer from
seasonal affective disorder (known as S.A.D.)
In the weeks since that summer storm I
longed to experience that feeling again. For me to experience that feeling
within my home, the atmosphere had to be highly charged. After hours of
continual rain and thunderstorms, it would lend itself to being charged with ions.
To my absolute delight, I was able to experience
this feeling again-during the recent solar eclipse.
Days before the eclipse the event loomed
on the horizon. I was aware of the eclipse as I wrote about it in my Moons of
the Year series…
While I knew the event was on the
horizon, I knew that I would not be able to view the event. It was to take
place in my state in the middle of the day, during my normal work hours. While
I knew I could not watch it live, I knew that N.A.S.A would be streaming the
event live on their website.
When it was time to view the eclipse, I
went to the N.A.S.A. website to view the event on my computer. To my surprise,
at the last minute, I was given the opportunity to see the eclipse. One of my
co-workers informed me that she had procured two sets of solar eclipse glasses,
and that we were welcome to take a moment to go outside and view the eclipse. I
had never seen a solar eclipse before, and jumped at the chance.
I had heard instructions for viewing the
eclipse on the news that morning:
“Do not view the eclipse without safety
glasses.”
“When putting on safety glasses, look
down towards the ground,
put the glasses on, and then look up at
the sun.”
I did just as I was advised. I looked
down at the ground, put the solar eclipse glasses on over my own eyeglasses,
and then looked up at the sun.
What I saw before my eyes was the most
magical thing I have ever seen. The eclipse was almost at totality; the sun moving in front of the moon created a crescent moon of orange light in the sky. It looked similar to this:
Image courtesy of N.A.S.A.: https://twitter.com/NASA
As I stood watching the eclipse, I took pictures of the event with my smartphone. I knew it would
not capture what I was seeing through the solar eclipse glasses; however, I
wanted to capture the event. I did not know if I would be successful in
capturing anything with the camera on my iPhone. I was looking through the
solar eclipse glasses, and not aiming the camera at anything but the sky.
Yet I did capture something after all. Here
is one of the pictures I took from the solar eclipse. I did not notice it, until I looked at the image on a larger screen, I was able to capture a mirrored reflection of the moon in each
photo. As the eclipse neared the totality phase, the small
moon reflection got closer to sun.
Watching the eclipse, it felt other
worldly. I felt exactly as I felt on the day of the thunderstorm a month prior.
My body chilled, and I got goosebumps. It was just like the stormy day that I
experienced a month ago. The charged air gave an immediate energy
increase, as well as a feeling of release and calm.
As I watched the eclipse reach the
totality phase, I found myself pondering the eclipse, and other solar eclipses throughout
history. How had the different civilizations throughout the history of mankind view
this astronomical phenomenon?
It was an honor and a privilege to view the
eclipse. I counted myself among the lucky.
I have seen several lunar eclipses in my
life; they are more common, with two occurring per year. Yet a solar eclipse
does not happen every day. In fact, it will be 2024 until the next solar
eclipse is visible in the United States. I look forward to the next solar
eclipse. I look forward to purchasing solar eclipse glasses well in advance of
the event, so I can view the eclipse again.
Until then, I will wait for the next day
of thunderstorms. I can’t wait to experience that feeling again, to witness the next solar eclipse, to experience the atmosphere ionically charged.
©Esperanza Habla All Rights Reserved
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