You Will Never Be the Same

The Great American Eclipse Mania

Have you bought your eclipse glasses? Have they been tested by an accredited testing laboratory to meet the ISO 12312–2 international safety standards? You still have time to find some on Amazon though the prices are three times what they were a month ago.

Perhaps you’ve learned how to poke a hole in a box to make an “eclipse diorama.” Anything to be part of this once in a life time occurrence that will turn midday into midnight in just a few short weeks.

Or better yet, maybe you’re one of the “lucky ones” who live in the “Path of Totality” or plan to visit a town or national park within that 60-mile wide swath of black ribbon that will bisect the country from Oregon to South Carolina.

The Great American Eclipse will happen on next Monday, August 21st, and the country has been swept up in “eclipse mania.” With 12.25 million people living in the path of totality and a substantial portion of the country living within a day’s drive of that path, it is estimated that between 1.5 million and 7.4 million will come a-visiting to stare up at the sky.

The tiny town of Madras, Oregon (population 6,000) anticipates a crowd of 100,000+ visitors for the eclipse. Fortunately, town leaders have been planning for the last two years. Farmers have created campgrounds that can accommodate both RV and tents. Plenty of Port-o-Potties have been ordered. But the state of Oregon, as well as others, advise eclipse viewers to be ready for complete self-sufficiency. With so many viewers and cars on the roads, there will be accidents and traffic jams. Cell phone systems may be overwhelmed. Emergency vehicles may not be able to get where they are needed. Be prepared to shelter in place — meaning bring food, water, toilet paper, sunscreen, and hats. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and a first aid kit.

What can you expect from the Great American Eclipse? Within the path of totality, the eclipse will last about 2 hours, with 2 minutes (give or take, depending upon location) of total darkness. As the daytime sky begins to darken, the temperature will drop. Nocturnal animals will awaken, and birds will cease to sing. Flowers will close. As it approaches total darkness, the stars and planets will come out.

Some people believe that you will never be the same after seeing a total solar eclipse, that you will experience such a profound sense of awe that will change you and your fate, forevermore. That this daytime midnight will open the eclipse viewer’s mind’s eye and allow you to see the inner clockwork of the entire solar system.

Others say that it will change you — but not necessarily for the better. Even today, some advise that pregnant women and young children stay indoors and draw the shades.

Two groups seemed to be the most concerned. Many Evangelistic Christians believe that this eclipse signals the start of the Great Tribulation; a 7 year period filled with worldwide disasters, hard times, war, suffering, and such, that will wipe out 75% of all life before the Rapture, which they say will coincide with another total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. That solar eclipse will also bisect the country on a diagonal — from Texas to Maine. Yep, End Times, again.

Astrologers, as a rule, aren’t big fans of solar eclipses, maybe they jiggle the planets a bit too much. Add in President Donald Trump (born during a lunar eclipse which, supposedly makes him exceptionally vulnerable to the power of all eclipses), and astrologers really aren’t happy. The Great American Eclipse may be a portent of Great changes for The Donald — from concerns about his health, his possible resignation or removal within the year. (So it’s not all negative.) The big concern is what some astrologers say are signs that show more dangerous eventualities that are indicated — like war with North Korea or even, China. Certainly, all of The Donald’s recent saber rattling make this possibility more frightening than usual.

So what will next Monday’s eclipse bring? God’s final judgment? Natural catastrophe? The resignation of Donald Trump? Or simply the most fantastical black light show the country has ever seen.

Dede Donahue lives in Southern California. A former film marketing professional, she gave up writing tag lines and TV spots to raise her family and write from the heart. A memoirist and college essay consultant, Ms. Donahue, has been published in the Washington Post, Suss, another literary journal, and featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. She is currently at work on her memoir, Meet The Donahues.

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