Terri Patrick
Terri Patrick’s blog
This picture of the solar eclipse over Portland, Oregon, is shared by my friend Jessa Slade. She took it through the window of her home and this was about the halfway point.
Ed and I saw this view, and to the almost full eclipse, while walking the local college sustainability path. This path wanders through natural reserves, wetlands, community and experimental gardens, and under some, extremely loudly buzzing electricity, high tension power lines.
This “ring-of-fire” solar eclipse is an eighteen-year-cycle event. In 1994 this celestial event was visible in Cleveland, Ohio where my sister Rose lives and she observed the event. I know I also watched it but don’t remember if it was a partial eclipse from our home in the northwest corner of New Jersey, or if I was in Cleveland for Mother’s Day. As we chatted about the eclipse then and now, we also considered who we were and what life events coincided with the 1994 part of the cycle.
It was fun to remember life events in relation to natures cycles. We realized there was a significant event the month following the solar eclipse in 1994 that began a new emotional cycle for us, and our perspective as mothers.
Our mom broke her femur and the medical diagnosis was that Mom’s condition was firmly in the post-polio syndrome stage. They gave her a life expectancy of three-to-five years. Ha. She was already a medical miracle as a healthy and vibrant quadriplegic for over 33 years. So of course Mom proved them wrong…
But for Rose and I, our shift in perspective then was something we could now see in a clearer light, eighteen years later, because of a solar eclipse cycle. We tracked forward on events since then, and understand our choices with a new awareness. It’s not that we believe the eclipse influenced us personally but it is a cool way to bookend almost two decades of life experiences and reassess who we are, and our life journey.
Celestial events are so awesome they should be celebrated with parades even if there are cloudy skies. Ed and I were prepared to observe this eclipse on our walk, but we were surprised to see so many people who were unaware of this rare event above their heads.
Astrologers agree that an eclipse cycle does have a global influence on the planet and all humans. Fortunately the buzz is that this ring-of-fire event is full of beneficial energies. There was no websphere to buzz in 1994 but I’m reminded that in live theater, to “break a leg” is considered good luck.
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