The heavens are telling the glory of God, and all creation is shouting for joy.
The opening of the 1980 hymn “Canticle of the Sun” rings true for northwest Ohio’s faith communities as they prepare for Monday’s total solar eclipse.
“Big events like this provide an opportunity for people to see the wonder of creation,” said Paul Reichert, pastor of Zoar Lutheran Church in Perrysburg.
He has an avid interest in astronomy and said faith offers a “window of wonder” that brings the divine and science together.
“When you're looking up at the sky, you [are] engaging with creation,” Pastor Reichert said. "It makes me appreciate the greatness of creation, the wonder and awesome size of it."
The Abrahamic faiths
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam don’t tie much significance to celestial events, but they take it as an opportunity to reflect on the marvels of God’s creation.
The Talmud, or book of Jewish teachings, considers eclipses to be a bad omen. Rabbi Lisa Delson of Temple Shomer Emunim in Sylvania noted, “There is no blessing that one says upon seeing it, which is different than almost any other experience in life.”
Peter Feldmeier, a religious studies professor at the University of Toledo, pointed to some biblical references to celestial events as part of judgment or other dramatic actions by God. Some Old Testament verses describe a darkened sun and that "God would pour out his spirit on the whole human race," he noted. Similar apocalyptic references in the New Testament suggest a darkened sun, the moon turning to blood, and stars falling from the sky will precede judgment day.
"A two-minute eclipse would hardly be what the texts, themselves a bit imaginative I think, actually say," Feldmeier wrote.
Farooq Aboelzahab, imam at the Islamic Society of North West Ohio in Holland, said the Qur’an “consistently reminds us to reflect on [God’s] creation.”
He also noted that the death of Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet Muhammad, coincided with a solar eclipse, and people believe it was a sign of condolence. The prophet, however, refuted ancient superstitions saying, “The sun and the moon ... do not eclipse because of someone's death or life. So when you see them, invoke Allah and pray to Allah. ...”
“Therefore, it is a tradition among Muslims to worship and pray during the solar eclipse until it is clear,” Imam Aboelzahab said.
Pagan practices
Pagans, Wiccans, and spiritualists might partake in a number of rituals during an eclipse and other lunar events.
“The problem with doing rituals during an eclipse is it’s a very chaotic energy, so you don't know how it's going turn out,” said Lori Parratt, who runs a Bowling Green-based traveling metaphysical store, Trinkets and Treasures BG.
The eclipse represents a balancing of opposing forces as the sun and moon come together, she explained.
“It is the marriage of the sun and the moon, the connection of the sun and the moon coming together,” said Lisa Fry, who runs The Mystical Moons crystal shop in Defiance. “It's really a moment of introspection and a viewing of the darker aspects of who we are.”
The eclipse is a good time for releasing old patterns and setting new intentions.
Parratt suggested doing shadow work or self-reflection, breaking curses, cleansing one’s home and self, and burning written intentions in a bonfire. Fry cautioned not to meditate or eat during an eclipse because it's “a total portal to allow things in.”
Some may charge their crystals during eclipses and full moons, which gets “rid of any of those negative attachments or any of the dirty work they've done,” Parratt said. For those interested in doing crystal work, she recommended using sunstone, moonstone, and labradorite during the eclipse. As one meditates, the sunstone will shine on areas that need more attention, the moonstone will help a person search for light in darkness, and the labradorite is polarizing and protective.
Other faith traditions
Buddhists consider eclipses to be an especially good time for Dharma practice and teach that karmic results are multiplied 100 million times during a solar eclipse, according to teachings by the late Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
“This modern Zen master's advice? Make sure to wear eye protection if you are going to look,” wrote the Rev. Jay Rinsen Weik, founder of the Buddhist Temple of Toledo.
Baha’i literature tends to use the word “eclipse” in metaphorical teachings warning of darkness or negativity obscuring light or virtue, Susan Modarai, a member of the Baha’is of Sylvania, explained.
Baha’u’llah, the founder of the faith, taught about the eclipse or corruption of religion, saying, “Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness, of justice, of tranquility and peace cease to shine.”
Ancient Indian astronomical texts document observations and calculations of eclipses as well as explore their spiritual significance, said Pandit Anantkumar Dixit, priest at the Hindu Temple of Toledo.
“The texts suggest that during eclipses, the veil between the physical and spiritual realms is believed to be thin, providing an auspicious time for deepening one's spiritual practices and seeking enlightenment,” he wrote.
When the moon passes in front of the sun, Hindus traditionally engage in purification rituals such as fasting, chanting of mantras, and taking ceremonial baths. Hindu mythology teaches of the demon Rahu, who on occasion swallows the sun and moon, causing an eclipse.
Other early civilizations turned to mythology and gods to explain celestial events that they did not understand.
The ancient Chinese believed a celestial dragon devours the sun during a solar eclipse. Norse mythology of northern Europe told of two cosmic wolves who hunted the sun and moon, devouring the sun during a solar eclipse. Ancient Egyptians feared solar eclipses and believed the event was caused by a serpent attacking the boat of their sun god. Through observations and calculations, early Maya astronomers could predict seasons, eclipses, and other solar events by observing the sky.
Whether it be a bad omen as seen by early Jews, Greeks, and Babylonians or the myth of a devoured sun passed down through families in Asia or South America, eclipses have shaped cultural and religious thought for centuries.
“I think [the eclipse] is a wonderful opportunity for people to gather together and do something really incredible,” said Fry, the Defiance Pagan. “It's just a really great opportunity to be open to other people's thoughts and belief systems, and maybe just let go of some stuff.”
First Published April 7, 2024, 1:00 p.m.