What a stunning sight will fill the night sky on July 21st 2020! On the day of Summer Solstice the Moon will be in front of the Sun, causing a Solar Eclipse or Surya Grahan. But mind you, this isn’t your usual Solar Eclipse. The Moon is too far from the Earth to completely cover the Sun and will leave a thin edge of sunlight to be see around it – The Ring of Fire
Not for everyone
A Surya Grahan is spectacular. For safety, don’t ever look at the sun directly, though. Eclipse or not, it is dangerous. It is easy to imaging how frightening and worrisome it must have seemed for ancient societies to see the Sun disappear for a moment. This Solstice Solar Eclipse won’t be visible in the United States though, only a observers in Africa and Asia will be able to see it.
Big deal
More stunning is that there are 3 eclipses within 30 days, which happens only once every few hundred years; Two Lunar eclipses, or Chandra Grahan, and one Solar Eclipse, Surya Grahan. A very big deal astrologically and many astrologers are warning for the immense global impact this is having (if you haven’t noticed, there is a pandemic, protests around the world, unrest between China and India, and much more)
Astrological impact
As said the impact is huge. Ancient Indian texts show a fast amount of precautions and steps to take in order to make this malefic astrological event less impactful on your personal life. Some of them being yoga and meditation, our 7 minute yoga, meditation timer and activity tracker YogaMap app can help with meditating and yoga poses, check it out if you like.
4 don’ts during a Solar Eclipse
Having relatives in India and Gurpreet being from India, made us more aware of these steps and we received quite some good advice for the Solstice Weekend. You can follow these tips with every Solar Eclipse. There are about 2 – 5 solar eclipses every year, so keep them in mind. These are the precautions we are taking:
Do not eat
That’s right, don’t eat. Actually don’t even prepare food. Meat and alcohol are a strong no-no (as always) but – more surprisingly – left overs are as well. The rays of the eclipsed sun are said to be toxic and will spoil or negatively charge all cooked food. It is best to completely fast as any consumed food is believed to be bad for you and give indigestion.
Do not sleep
Unfortunately the Ring of Fire is visible only when the USA are asleep. You could stay awake, though it happens at 2:40am. If you are anywhere in the world where it is daylight when it happens, you should definitely not take a nap or sleep in. Be awake.
Do not be intimate
If you are staying up and think you can pass time with your loved one this way, think again. It is a very inauspicious time and certainly not a moment of intimacy.
Do not go outside
Many of us are under lockdown, so probably won’t be going out anyways. On top of that it is the middle of the night here in The States… Nevertheless, Im putting it out there, it is advised to stay indoors during a Solar Eclipse.
4 do’s during a Solar Eclipse
Now you are going to ask me, what CAN I do? Well, there are quite a few things that you should be doing;
Chant
Listen to mantras dedicated to Lord Surya or chant them yourself. The Sun was created by Lord Vishnu when his head was chopped off and it turned out the be the Sun! (don’t worry, it was Lord Vishnu’s plan all along, because he would get a horse head instead and then would be able to destroy the horse demon Hayagreevasura, who could only be killed by a horse faced God)
A mantra to chant would be Surya Beej Mantra: Om Hraam Hreem Hraum Sah Suryay Namah
Alternatively, the powerful Gayatri Mantra, dedicated to the Vedic Sun deity Savitr: Om bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayat
Meditate
I think you expected this one, meditation is always useful. Meditate on the image of Lord Vishnu situated in the middle of the Sun. Or meditate on light, the sun, the sun’s energy, happiness and/or the light within you.
Do yoga
Sun Salutations would make an excellent choice. Since solar eclipses are said to influence the mind, make you sleepy or can give you mood swings, yoga – and meditation – can help to balance and stay focused.
Give to charity
Giving to charity is always a wonderful way to share your blessings with others. In an inauspicious time like this, though, it is also good for yourself to give and share. Donate money is probably the best way in this situation. Donating food might not be a good idea given the ‘do not eat or prepare food’ warning. Donating goods like clothes, diapers, toys etc will also work.
Have a wonderful Solstice Weekend and since it is also Father’s Day don’t forget to call your dad 🙂
Sat Nam and Namaste
Caroline & Gurpreet
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