Eclipsed

Are you excited to witness today’s solar eclipse? I resisted all the hoo-ha until I heard Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson speak recently. His enthusiasm and the light in his eyes as he described this celestial phenomenon (in other words, his qi) changed my blasé outlook. Today, as the eclipse develops, I plan to watch the chickens and horses across the street to see how they react. My cats will probably sleep through it, but you never know. I read that the rods and cones in our eyes will adjust in different ways as the sky darkens, making red objects appear grey and green objects more vividly green. The birds will respond for sure. They always do. It’s one of their endearing qualities. They’re little qi meters, letting us know when the sun is coming up, or going down, or doing something odd like disappearing for 4 minutes in the middle of the afternoon.  

Qigong cosmology sees the eclipse as a pure blend of Yin and Yang, offering a chance to experience both in their full glory. This is the state of perfect balance we strive for in our practice.  When I do Zhang Zhuang, or standing meditation, I feel a similarly powerful and energizing balance of energy. My can’t-sit-still-for-long Fire Monkey nature settles down, as though a peaceful lunar shadow is lulling it to quiescence. Once my inner hyper monkey nature calms, I can sense an incredible source of deep, warm, healing power within. It’s a wonderful sensation: the ever-present, warm glow of Yang, always moving and transforming, yet contained securely within the stillness of Yin, like the Sun held momentarily by the shadow of the moon.