Athena And the Eclipse
Today is all about the sun. The solar eclipse, happening today, is going to be visible across a swath of the United States. We are not in the “totality” zone, but are fairly close. I have heard total solar eclipse are rare, but it turns out they happen every 18 months. That said, they are not always visible to people. Any given place on Earth’s surface will only experience one total solar eclipse, lasting only a few minutes, every 375 years on average (1).
The next full solar eclipse to be seen in parts of the United States will be August, 2044. As I am not science oriented, I turned to The Oracle to learn a bit more about the “why” of an eclipse. The moon must be positioned directly between the Earth and the sun, blocking out the sun’s light. However, because the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is slightly tilted compared to the Earth’s orbit around the sun, this alignment does not occur frequently. This particular eclipse is also happening during a “coronal mass ejection” (CME) cycle, something that happens every 11 years on the sun. That means these CMEs will be visible to the naked eye during the eclipse, which is a very rare treat.
As I am thinking of the sun, the goddess Athena comes to mind. She is often associated with the sun, due to her connection with agriculture and wisdom. Her origin is complex, and evolved over many cultures, with the Greeks using her to be the protector of their city, Athens. She is a fierce woman, in a pantheon of patriarchal gods, and was “born” straight out of Zeus’s head. She is portrayed in a golden outfit, fully armed, and often used her wisdom to diffuse destructive wars.
This small marble lamp has a paper shade with an image of Athena. I spotted it at a charity shop a few years back, paying around $30 for it. The shade is made of heavy paper, with a wonderful green background. I cannot determine how the image was made; it is possibly a hand done print. The paper was then wrapped around a metal frame and finished off with a rich gold ribbon. Age is unclear, but I would guess 1940s. She lights up each night via a timer, casting a soft light in our home. Though, to be honest, hubby gets annoyed when the time change happens as the light then stays on past his bedtime, grumbling until I adjust the timer to appease his luddite sensibilities.
Athena is often depicted with a bird symbol, commonly an owl due to her association with “wisdom”. This three-dimensional plaque of an owl was found at the thrift store, and had a few companions. The other owls were not as charming, so this is the only one who ventured home with me. Also not signed or dated, but the yellow mushrooms and green plants make me think 1970s. We are very fortunate to have Great Horned Owls that nest around our property, and can sometimes hear them late at night. I have read that as the eclipse blocks the sun, birds and animals will begin to respond as though night has fallen. I will listen for the Great Horned Owls, and be thankful we live in a time that wisdom is available at the click of a few buttons.
(1) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-ancient-humans-studied-and-predicted-solar-eclipses/