Total Lunar Eclipse Wednesday
If you look at this diagram to the right you will see that during a lunar eclipse the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the light from the Sun that usually illuminates the Moon. During the eclipse the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in perfect alignment, a syzygy, one of my favorite words that means “union.” The entire eclipse, from the time the Moon starts to go behind the Earth’s shadow until it shows up again on the other side, will last 5 1/2 hours. The totality of the eclipse is when the Moon is directly behind the earth and fully shadowed. It will last an amazingly long 100 minutes during this eclipse, and during that time the Moon will appear a dark red or orange. The reason totality will last so long is because the Moon is moving past the center of the earth, through the deepest shadow. This is called a “central” eclipse. The last one we had was in 2000 and the next one won’t be until 2018. This is a very special alignment, one of the closet and most centered possible. During the eclipse the Sun, Earth, and Moon will be in perfect union, you will be in perfect union. Imagine that you are perfectly centered and aligned between the Sun, your spirit, the Moon, your soul, and the Earth, your body. Imagine yourself as the pivotal point between spirit and matter, between what is Above and what is Below. Carl Jung’s word for this alignment between opposites is Individuation, which means in-divisible, at one. When you are in union with Heaven and Earth, all things are possible.
The eclipse will not be visible in the USA or Canada, since it occurs at 4:14 pm EDT and the Moon will not have risen yet. You can look at this diagram above for the areas the eclipse will be seen. The rising Moon occurs around sunset, since a Full Moon is opposite the Sun. The eclipse will be visible at the Moon’s rising in Europe, South America, and western Africa. It will be visible completely over Africa and Central Asia. In western Asia, Australia and the Philippines the lunar eclipse will be visible just before sunrise. The times of the eclipse are listed in Universal Time.
Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 17:24:34 UT
Partial Eclipse Begins: 18:22:56 UT
Total Eclipse Begins: 19:22:30 UT
Greatest Eclipse: 20:12:37 UT
Total Eclipse Ends: 21:02:42 UT
Partial Eclipse Ends: 22:02:15 UT
Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 23:00:45 UT