On June 15, we will see the century’s longest and darkest lunar eclipse. On this occasion, dnaindia.com gives you all that you need to know about the phenomenon. Here, Gayatri Kaul explains what the eclipse signifies in different cultures.
Shrouded in tales of mystery and superstition, the human psyche has always possessed the spirit of the moon in dark fantasy.
From howling werewolves to ghosts and ghouls, little is left to the spooked imagination. Naturally, an infrequent occurrence of a lunar eclipse would plunge such thoughts into a fathomless abyss foretelling imminent doom and destruction.
In China, it is the dragon eating the moon
For the Chinese -- the earliest to have noted a lunar eclipse (around 1000 BC during the Zhou dynasty in the Book of Songs) -- the sight of a crimson-smeared moon engulfed in darkness led them to believe such an event portended ill-fated occurrences of famine and disease.
Literally cannoning their fears into the air, the Chinese aimed to defend themselves against the ‘dragon’ that ate the moon. The red eye in the sky was also used to determine the emperor’s success.
In Japan, it’s the earthquake
Their Japanese neighbours too, did not hold the moon in bright colour, holding lunar eclipses to be synonymous with earthquakes, a phenomenon quite scientifically explainable in modern times owing to enhanced gravitational pulls during the event. Even today, one could find people aiming shots at the moon to battle the eclipse.
In India, it is bad for pregnant women
Back home in India, the colloquial term Chandra Grahan throws superstition generously at the event where several rituals are undertaken to defeat the ill-luck the eclipse bears.
Covering of food and water with tulsi, bathing after the eclipse, refraining from eating food during the event, are all customarily followed to cleanse oneself of suffering that might arise.
Pregnant women assume prominence, protecting their unborn from deformities and scars by abstaining from common household work like weaving, cutting vegetables and fruits, or even sewing.
In Pakistan, it’s time for seeking forgiveness
Across the border, one would find such women undertaking the same precautions. A woman reportedly told a Pakistani daily about the unfortunate birth of her son with a missing finger. The missing finger was attributed to her having cut an apple during the eclipse — an act that superstition circumscribes.
However, Islamic culture, rather than populating the phenomenon with superstition, ascribed a more godly annotation to it. The sun and the moon in Islam are both connected to Allah’s reverence. Thus, a gradually swallowed moon would duly be followed by reverberations of the salatul-kusuf(a special prayer for the lunar eclipse) to Allah, seeking forgiveness and bestowing greatness upon him. The customary two bows and two prostrations during the two-cycle prayer called rakat are observed in congregations during the duration of the eclipse.
In the Christian world, it’s wrath of god
Similarly, a bloodied moon in the Christian mind symbolizes the wrath of God, casting his anger over man. Very often have lunar eclipses been conjoined to Jesus’ crucifixion, describing a charred sky with an angry moon. A gobbled moon again, relates to the coming of Judgment Day and the end of the world.
Beating drums to canons
So, from Chinese scriptures to 21st century telescopes, be it a Christian, Hindu or Muslim — a phantom moon in an inked sky prompts people to weave myths and folklore about the eerie occurrence. If it’s beating drums in India, canons in China or a rationalist on his terrace, June 15 will certainly have everyone moon-gazing. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_wh ... ld_1555136
Shrouded in tales of mystery and superstition, the human psyche has always possessed the spirit of the moon in dark fantasy.
From howling werewolves to ghosts and ghouls, little is left to the spooked imagination. Naturally, an infrequent occurrence of a lunar eclipse would plunge such thoughts into a fathomless abyss foretelling imminent doom and destruction.
In China, it is the dragon eating the moon
For the Chinese -- the earliest to have noted a lunar eclipse (around 1000 BC during the Zhou dynasty in the Book of Songs) -- the sight of a crimson-smeared moon engulfed in darkness led them to believe such an event portended ill-fated occurrences of famine and disease.
Literally cannoning their fears into the air, the Chinese aimed to defend themselves against the ‘dragon’ that ate the moon. The red eye in the sky was also used to determine the emperor’s success.
In Japan, it’s the earthquake
Their Japanese neighbours too, did not hold the moon in bright colour, holding lunar eclipses to be synonymous with earthquakes, a phenomenon quite scientifically explainable in modern times owing to enhanced gravitational pulls during the event. Even today, one could find people aiming shots at the moon to battle the eclipse.
In India, it is bad for pregnant women
Back home in India, the colloquial term Chandra Grahan throws superstition generously at the event where several rituals are undertaken to defeat the ill-luck the eclipse bears.
Covering of food and water with tulsi, bathing after the eclipse, refraining from eating food during the event, are all customarily followed to cleanse oneself of suffering that might arise.
Pregnant women assume prominence, protecting their unborn from deformities and scars by abstaining from common household work like weaving, cutting vegetables and fruits, or even sewing.
In Pakistan, it’s time for seeking forgiveness
Across the border, one would find such women undertaking the same precautions. A woman reportedly told a Pakistani daily about the unfortunate birth of her son with a missing finger. The missing finger was attributed to her having cut an apple during the eclipse — an act that superstition circumscribes.
However, Islamic culture, rather than populating the phenomenon with superstition, ascribed a more godly annotation to it. The sun and the moon in Islam are both connected to Allah’s reverence. Thus, a gradually swallowed moon would duly be followed by reverberations of the salatul-kusuf(a special prayer for the lunar eclipse) to Allah, seeking forgiveness and bestowing greatness upon him. The customary two bows and two prostrations during the two-cycle prayer called rakat are observed in congregations during the duration of the eclipse.
In the Christian world, it’s wrath of god
Similarly, a bloodied moon in the Christian mind symbolizes the wrath of God, casting his anger over man. Very often have lunar eclipses been conjoined to Jesus’ crucifixion, describing a charred sky with an angry moon. A gobbled moon again, relates to the coming of Judgment Day and the end of the world.
Beating drums to canons
So, from Chinese scriptures to 21st century telescopes, be it a Christian, Hindu or Muslim — a phantom moon in an inked sky prompts people to weave myths and folklore about the eerie occurrence. If it’s beating drums in India, canons in China or a rationalist on his terrace, June 15 will certainly have everyone moon-gazing. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_wh ... ld_1555136
I have come curiously close to the end, down
Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole,
Defeated, I concede and
Move closer
I may find comfort here
I may find peace within the emptiness
How pitiful
It's calling me...
And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping
The moon tells me a secret - my confidant
As full and bright as I am
This light is not my own and
A million light reflections pass over me
Its source is bright and endless
She resuscitates the hopeless
Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting
And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt
Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism.
I must crucify the ego before it's far too late
I pray the light lifts me out
Before I pine away.
So crucify the ego, before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
And let them pass right through
Bringing out our hope and reason ...
before we pine away.
Door 3
VOLCANIC LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Wednesday night, June 15th, there's going to be a total lunar eclipse visible from every continent except North America. The Moon will spend 100 minutes fully engulfed in Earth's shadow, making this the longest lunar eclipse in nearly 11 years. Maximum coverage occurs on Wednesday night at 20:12 UT. [details] [animated map] [webcasts: #1, #2]
Exhaust from the erupting volcano in Chile could alter the appearance of the eclipse. Scroll past the shadowed Moon for further discussion:
Above: A lunar eclipse on Dec. 21, 2010, photographed by Alan Dyer of Gleichen, Alberta. [gallery]
Atmospheric scientist Richard Keen of the University of Colorado explains the volcano-eclipse connection: "The Moon will pass deep into Earth's shadow during totality, actually passing over the center of the shadow at mid-eclipse. As such, it should be a fairly dark eclipse. Furthermore, it appears that last week's eruption of the volcano in Chile may have placed some sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. The ash and sulfur plume is extensive and dense, with ash reported at least as high as 13.7 km. Particles in the southern stratosphere could cause a darkening of the southern part of the Moon during totality."
In recent years, Keen has studied the brightness of the Moon during eclipses to probe conditions in the stratosphere. When the eclipsed Moon is bright, the stratosphere is clear. On the other hand, a dark eclipse indicates a dusty stratosphere. Clear vs. dusty is important because the state of the stratosphere affects climate; a clear stratosphere lets the sunshine in to warm the Earth below. At a 2008 SORCE conference Keen reported that "the lunar eclipse record indicates a clear stratosphere over the past decade, and that this has contributed about 0.2 degrees to recent warming."
Sky watchers in the eclipse zone are encouraged to monitor the darkness.
http://www.spaceweather.com/
Exhaust from the erupting volcano in Chile could alter the appearance of the eclipse. Scroll past the shadowed Moon for further discussion:
Above: A lunar eclipse on Dec. 21, 2010, photographed by Alan Dyer of Gleichen, Alberta. [gallery]
Atmospheric scientist Richard Keen of the University of Colorado explains the volcano-eclipse connection: "The Moon will pass deep into Earth's shadow during totality, actually passing over the center of the shadow at mid-eclipse. As such, it should be a fairly dark eclipse. Furthermore, it appears that last week's eruption of the volcano in Chile may have placed some sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. The ash and sulfur plume is extensive and dense, with ash reported at least as high as 13.7 km. Particles in the southern stratosphere could cause a darkening of the southern part of the Moon during totality."
In recent years, Keen has studied the brightness of the Moon during eclipses to probe conditions in the stratosphere. When the eclipsed Moon is bright, the stratosphere is clear. On the other hand, a dark eclipse indicates a dusty stratosphere. Clear vs. dusty is important because the state of the stratosphere affects climate; a clear stratosphere lets the sunshine in to warm the Earth below. At a 2008 SORCE conference Keen reported that "the lunar eclipse record indicates a clear stratosphere over the past decade, and that this has contributed about 0.2 degrees to recent warming."
Sky watchers in the eclipse zone are encouraged to monitor the darkness.
http://www.spaceweather.com/
