Last night was a total lunar eclipse. This year it coincided with the solstice – something that hasn’t happened since 1634! The next time it occurs I will be 143! As for ‘ordinary’ total eclipses, this was the first in three years to be ‘visible’ from New Zealand.
It was to be a special event. Oh, the anticipation. The promise of a ‘blood red’ moon. We checked the time and kept the curtains open so we wouldn’t miss a thing. So what happened? The clouds rolled in and they kept on coming: fluffy white ones; sludgy grey ones; and huge dense ominous black ones… Behind the clouds the sun, earth and moon arranged themselves in perfect alignment and the awaited display took place out of sight.
For a few moments the clouds parted and we saw an amazingly intense red glow on the underside of clouds passing above the moon. At the end of the eclipse the clouds seemed to taunt us by parting again and revealing a normal-coloured moon, made special by an eerie bright halo emanating from it. So even though we didn’t see the full deal, we still felt uplifted and somehow lighter.
It made me think of what needs to line up in our lives to create a truly spectacular life. To my way of thinking, if we align our deeply-held core values, our unique personal strengths and our most compelling passions we have a pretty good chance of really shining and making an impact.
But often we allow clouds of self-doubt, regret and fear to obscure the amazing person we really are and our lights appear dimmer. An occasional glimmer may shine through, delighting onlookers. Don’t hide your light – make this the time you decide to shine clear and bright, enjoying being who you really are.
