The Lesson of the Eclipse

The Lesson of the Eclipse

With the advent of the April 8th Total Solar Eclipse that will cross North America including the United States, parts of Canada, and Mexico, I began musing about a wonderful eclipse story from my childhood. Growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s, I was an avid reader, and especially loved the works of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his famous pen name, Mark Twain. Along with classics like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain was also famous for his often biting satirical works. One such book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, tells the story of Hank Morgan, a 19th century mechanic from Hartford, Connecticut, who receives a blow to the head and awakens from unconsciousness to find himself in England during the reign of King Arthur. Without giving away the entire plot, (and if you have not read this or seen the delightful 1949 movie version starring Bing Crosby, please do), he uses his “modern knowledge” to make King Arthur’s court believe he is a great wizard and even a challenger to Merlin! The total solar eclipse trope comes when he is about to be burned at the stake and remembers that an eclipse is taking place that very day as the sky begins to darken. He admonishes the assembled that this will be the end of the world and only he can “bring back” the Sun and save everyone. Needless to say, his “advanced” knowledge, quick thinking, and “Yankee ingenuity” saved him. When news of the April 8th eclipse was announced, I began to see posts on social media and...
Love, Loss and Hope

Love, Loss and Hope

20th Anniversary Issue   The period between Thanksgiving, 1997, and the first two weeks of January 1998, carries bittersweet memories for me.  It was during that time that my former partner, Judi, transitioned from this life.  Ours was a special story.  It was a story of synchronicity, of a life changing and affirming relationship, of learning, healing, personal growth and a very profound love. My first marriage ended because of diametrically opposed spiritual differences.  My path was expanding and inclusive, her path was contracting and exclusive.  It was 1995 and I was leading meditation and healing groups at the time and teaching Reiki.  At one of these gatherings, a friend mentioned a woman he knew who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and wanted to learn about visualization meditation and energy healing.  I called her and we arranged to meet on a Sunday morning. I arrived at her house and as I was about to ring the bell, she opened the door.  As we looked at each other, she pointed at me and I pointed at her and we simultaneously exclaimed, “It’s you!”  We had never met in this lifetime but there was an absolute recognition of having traveled together before. Our relationship ensued, first with healing, teaching and a growing friendship and rapidly evolved into a passionate love. We both came into the relationship with lessons to learn from one another.  She needed to learn that she was loved and worthy of that love; I needed to learn to love and believe in myself.  These lessons unfolded as we lived the extremes of life together in our mid-forties. ...
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