Learning to Let the Shadow Go

It was like watching a snake shed her skin.

Shining brightly in the night sky over two thirds of the Earth, the moon moved in and out of eclipse today. 

We were fortunate to be able to watch live stream with views from observatories of five international partners - Australia, Israel, UAE, Greece, and South Africa. The views were stunning. I picked up the broadcast when the eclipse was near maximum and the deep blood red-orange color of the moon was striking so close up. I've seen lunar eclipses in the sky before, but watching this had its own unique perspective and pleasure.

But I think the best part for me today has been watching the eclipse shadow move off across the moon and reveal the moon's shining surface. It's doing that right now, and I was so startled by the image that I had to start writing while I was feeling inspired.

The stream is highlighting the UAE view from Abu Dhabi and from the top left view of the lunar surface, the shadow is peeling away toward the right in a downward, diagonal motion. There are dust clouds or winds or some kind of movement as the shadow moves off and it appears to the naked eye, mine, that the shadow is dissolving and disseminating into the skies. And as it does, more and more of the moon's shining surface is revealed once again.  

Israel is showing a black and white image, highlighting light and shadow and, from that perspective, it appears that we are seeing an entire month of lunar movement in a few minutes. As if we're watching all of the lunar cycle as a single, unfolding moment.

The view from Australia showed the red-orange hue give way to shining golden light moving across the lunar surface.

Santorini gave us a view from the ground, with Mars shining nearby. Mars is very close to earth these days in his orbit and, astrologically, he's exactly conjunct the Moon, which is why we see them so close together in the night sky. Mars is the orange point of light that shines in the eastern sky these days, well, nights. The point of light is still. Only stars twinkle. Planets do not. 

Johannesburg, South Africa's view seems to be a topsy turvy version of the UAE view. The shadow is moving off from the bottom left toward the top right. 

But it's that UAE view that captures me so much. Like a snake shedding her skin and leaving behind what no longer fits or serves. When the old skin begins to irritate, the eyes of the snake become clouded and she begins to rub away that old skin. She is vulnerable because she cannot see and because her attention is fixed on this transformation. She is powerful because she is willing to do the hard work of letting it go and remaking herself. 

There is so much we can learn by reflecting on both the process of the snake's shedding her skin and the peeling away, so to speak, of the lunar shadow as the eclipse moves off. 

If the moon could speak to me, she would say - 

          There is no shadow. There is only what you see and what you give power to.

          The shadow that obscures me from your eyes is simply a perspective. I remain,

          shining brightly in the heavens. 

          Everything is perspective. Everything is perception. Connect with what lies 

          behind all perspective and perception. That is what is real.

If she could speak to me.

The Summer of Self-Love is a daily writing practice created to harness three months for thriving. The goal at the end is to host a dinner party. Sounds like an odd Hero's Journey, doesn't it. Most of them usually are.



The photo was taken by a friend, Dean Adams, in real time during the eclipse in Dubai.