“Eclipses are magical moments where something slips through an energy portal to both destroy and create. It’s a path opener.”
~Cathy Pagano~
Special things are happening in the celestial realm this summer, with up to six planets in retrograde motion at once. This week presented the world with the rare opportunity to witness both a Blood Moon and a lunar eclipse on July 27, the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. Although the eclipse was not visible to North Americans, the sight of the blood moon, with brilliant Mars shining nearby, had its own magical effect on me.
When I was driving home on July 27, I rounded a corner and caught sight of the full moon. It was such a beautiful reddish-orange colour that I took the first opportunity to pull my car over to take a few pictures. It just so happened that a tree was partially blocking my line of sight. The roadway was too busy for me to safely exit my car. (Okay, truth be told, it was windy and cold outside, so I didn’t feel like stepping out of the toasty warmth of my car.) Problem solving, I opened the moon roof (aptly named for this purpose) and thrust my phone up as far as I could reach. I began randomly snapping a few photos, holding my phone at various angles in the hopes of capturing the fullness and colour of the moon.
When I pulled my phone back in and scrolled through the pictures I’d taken, chills ran down my spine, but it was not from the cold air. In one image, the tree branches appeared to be lovingly, delicately holding the moon up in the night time sky, just like it was a precious pearl being held up for my inspection. It was perfectly framed to show off the glowing red orb against the deep purple-black velvet background. I knew immediately that this picture would be the one I’d have to paint for my portal series this week.