The Great Beyond
- Meagan Swingle
- Aug 26, 2017
- 2 min read
"I look into the stars, I look into the moon... I'm looking for answers from the Great Beyond." - R.E.M.
I read all the articles. I listened to all the podcasts. I made our matching t-shirts! I did everything I could to try to understand and prepare for the total solar eclipse we were about to witness, just an hour an a half north of Atlanta, but nothing could prepare me for what I experienced, the feeling of such wonder and awe and connection to something so much bigger than me/us/this time/this space we're living in.
I knew that the 90 or so seconds of "totality" would be beautiful and maybe even a little magical. I didn't know that what I saw would make me cry and feel this intense emotional connection to a bigger something out there. To our universe. To our galaxy. To the Great Beyond.
I felt like an "Earthling"... a resident of our planet and a tiny part of something so much more. Something powerful and beautiful and immense. And I was overwhelmed by it.
A friend sent me these inspiring words about the eclipse that her yoga teacher had shared, because she knew I'd love them (my friends know me well!):
"The eclipse happened just at the perfect time to meet the challenges of now. The play of light and darkness in the sky mirrors that drama within us. The light that we shine sustains us through the darkness, through difficult times. That light awakens in us (and in others) the qualities of Grace, Compassion and a Passion for Justice."
- Gayanne Geurin
Maybe that's why the moments of totality hit me so deeply, Maybe I needed some light to break through within me.
I can see now why people become "eclipse chasers" after their first experience with the wonder of it all. What a beautiful reminder that we're a part of something so much more than ourselves. What a wondrous work of God and the universe. What a perfect reminder to let our inner lights shine through any darkness we face.
Namaste.