Mystical month

October is here and it is here to party! First, we still have some wonderfully warm days to soak in the sunshine, or of what is able to appear with all the cloud cover, and a beautiful breeze to welcome in the smell of autumn. Soon the days will be here ushering in the cooler air. I am not ready for that yet, but with time passing planetary events happen and that makes my little geeky heart happy.

This year in the month of Spooky October there are two eclipses following Friday the 13th. One on the 14th - Annular Solar eclipse ‘aka’ the “Ring of Fire” and on the 28 - Partial Lunar eclipse.

A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and earth while it is at its farthest point from earth, making the appearance of the moon smaller than the sun causing the effect of “Ring of Fire.”

On October 14th, get out your neat solar “eclipse glasses” and observe the beautiful sight before your very eyes. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see the full solar eclipse, only partial, unless you will be traveling to Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, or Texas. There will be some full visibility in parts of California, Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona too. According to NASA, this is the last annular solar eclipse that will be visible from the U.S. until June 21, 2039 and that will take place only in Alaska.

I want to note that if you do choose to look at the solar eclipse to use correct and safe “eclipse glasses,” which are not the same as sunglasses and regular glasses no matter how dark they are. If you are interested in purchasing some I would make sure they are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international standard. If you don’t want to spend money on some glasses, or it is too late to order them, you could make an indirect viewing device to witness the event (however, this does not involve looking directly into the sun). Never look into the sun without proper equipment! I would recommend if that is the path you will take, there are a good chunk of DYI indirect viewing devices that are made with a piece of paper and a small hole that you can look up on the internet.

As for the Partial Lunar eclipse on October 28, we will not be in an area that is visible to us here in the states. If you make it over to the Middle Eastern continents you would be able to observe the Partial Lunar eclipse.

Don’t let the sadness form inside from not seeing the lunar eclipse because there are plenty of things to keep you occupied at the end of the month and in the beginning of next. As children get ready for the boatloads of candy from Halloween to the veil between the ‘worlds’ thinning and many individuals creating and honoring their loved ones who have passed for Allhallowtide, or Dia de los Muertos.

So, whether you are bobbing for apples at a Halloween party or preparing for your ancestors to return for a short while on Dia de los Muertos, remember to take some moments to feel the energy from the planetary events and revel in them. Breathe in the cooler air that is approaching and don’t forget to feel the mystical, magical and spookiness of this time of year. Don’t forget that change is the force that cannot be stopped.

Seeking

W

onder