Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth

In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.

  • Home
    Home This is where you can find all the blog posts throughout the site.
  • Tags
    Tags Displays a list of tags that have been used in the blog.
  • Bloggers
    Bloggers Search for your favorite blogger from this site.
  • Login
    Login Login form

Eclipsomania

It's been heartening to see so much excitement about the upcoming solar eclipse. 

Across North America, hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of people will greet the eclipse just as we used to in the old days: with gatherings, with ritual, with parties.

Some years back I sat alone on my back steps to watch that intimate moment in the dance of our Earth and our Moon that we call a lunar eclipse.

As always, it was beautiful, moving, disturbing: a lunar month in unreal microcosm.

But at that silent moment of red totality, I thought: this isn't how it should be. There should be people in every back yard, in every park, watching this holy event.

And at that moment of totality, there should have been massive city-wide outcry: voices, drums, the ringing of bells. It could have been a ritual that united the city.

On Monday, August 21, 2017, people across North America will honor that awesome, beautiful Great Rite that we call a solar eclipse. At that moment of terrible Union, for a brief while we will become one, united people: Red with Blue, pagan with cowan.

And for a time we will remember that there are more important things than what happens in Washington DC.

Last modified on
Poet, scholar and storyteller Steven Posch was raised in the hardwood forests of western Pennsylvania by white-tailed deer. (That's the story, anyway.) He emigrated to Paganistan in 1979 and by sheer dint of personality has become one of Lake Country's foremost men-in-black. He is current keeper of the Minnesota Ooser.

Comments

Additional information