On April 8, a total solar eclipse will darken the skies over North America, turning day into night.
It is a magical or eerie sight for many people. For some people, it will be very spiritual.
Throughout North Jersey and around the world, many Wiccans, Pagans, and Druids view the 2024 solar eclipse as a powerful source of energy that brings about personal transformation and healing. Although witches have traditionally viewed solar eclipses as bad omens, many say they will try to use the energies of this latest version for positive change in the world.
Alexa Blanco of Hackensack says this is a “powerful, very energetic time, and an especially good time to heal our past and awaken our inner fire.” The company operates Tomb of Bruja, an online “metaphysical store” that sells witchy products. Cleaning candles and crystals, teaching tarot card readings, etc.
Solar eclipses only occur during new moons and signify new beginnings for Blanco and her fellow witches.
“Given the fact that the solar eclipse is occurring in fiery Aries, marking the beginning of an astrological new year and spring, this is a time of heightened energy for change,” Blanco said.
How will Wiccans celebrate the 2024 solar eclipse?
Scientists will say that the reason the sun disappears during a solar eclipse is because it lines up with the moon at a perfect angle and distance. As a result, the sun’s light is blocked and a fiery corona appears around the edge of the star.
For adherents of non-traditional spiritual movements like Wicca, which are growing in popularity as more Americans turn away from organized religion, it’s an opportunity to tap into the energies that flow throughout the natural and spiritual worlds. Witchcraft is a practice and Wicca is a religion.
New Jersey is not in the path of the total solar eclipse in April. This total solar eclipse was the most significant in the United States in more than six years and the last in the country in 20 years. But astronomers say about 90% to 95% of our stars are hidden in the sky above the Garden State.
Blanco plans to meditate under the eclipse with yellow candles. It was chosen because its color represents the solar plexus. The solar plexus is “where our inner fire resides. The solar plexus is one of our main energy centers and connects us with the sun. That’s why yellow candles can help. ” to summon this energy. ”
more:Do you think solar eclipses are thrilling? For our ancestors, it was terrifying
She tries to draw that power into the candle through prayer and meditation. “We’re charging objects with the day’s energy so we can bring that energy into our homes and disperse it into space,” Blanco said.
A warning to the earth
Oberon Zell, 81, a neo-pagan author and religious leader from Asheville, North Carolina, said eclipses are associated with positive change. He plans to observe the day with a group of druids in northern Ohio, where they will be in the path of a total solar eclipse.
“We are planning a massive gathering to direct our energies toward healing the Earth, saving Mother Earth, and turning the tide of human aggression. We need to rid Earth of its destructive forces. “There is,” he said. “The eclipse is a wake-up call for people to treat each other and the planet better.”
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Jason Mankey runs a coven for witches in the San Francisco Bay Area and writes about witchcraft. He said many witches believed that “magical work should not be done during a solar eclipse because in the ancient world people didn’t know why solar eclipses occurred and they were considered bad.” ” he believes.
“Most of us today are pretty excited because those events happen so rarely,” he said. “It’s great to be a part of.”
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meditation and ritual
“These events are powerful,” said John Beckett, a Texas druid and author. “In my experience, the sun goes from bright to dark to bright in minutes, not in an entire day. So it can speed up the magic. It’s an amazing natural phenomenon and something we can see and appreciate.”
Beckett added: “In preparation for whatever the eclipse will bring, I would like to say some prayers and make small offerings to ask the gods and spirits for help.”
Lorraine Henrich of the Fairfield-based church said, “Traditionally, spells are not cast on days when such events occur because the shadows of a solar eclipse prevent us from effectively accessing the energy of the sun or moon. It will not be done.” A solar eclipse brought ruin or bad luck. ”
In Ringwood, self-proclaimed “eclectic witch” Megan McSweeney said the April 8 event was about relationships, adding: “Our relationships with others, ourselves and God. The seasons are not to be controlled, but they are to be surrendered to, and that means following the flow of energy that brings about great change and growth.”
She meditates on and celebrates relationships and personal growth. She also performs cord-cutting rituals to get rid of “relationships you want to completely let go of,” and “abundance blessings” to ensure that “the seeds you plant now will thrive for the rest of the year.” It’s planned.
Eclipses can “bring an end to certain relationships and a beginning to others,” she says. “This is a time of dynamic change.”
What is a witch?Who are Wiccans? Primer
- Wicca is one of the largest pagan groups, and its members often practice witchcraft, said Helen Berger, a women’s studies professor at Brandeis University who writes about witchcraft. But she says the terms witch and Wiccan are not interchangeable. Wicca is a type of witchcraft, but not all witches are Wiccan.
- The modern Wiccan movement was established in England in the 1940s, came to America in the 1960s, and began to grow in earnest in the 1970s.
- It always emphasized magic, but later began to emphasize responsibility towards nature and the environment. According to Berger, women’s empowerment became an important theme in the 1970s.
- Wicca and witchcraft are part of a larger pagan movement that has no formal structure or church, and instead worships multiple gods and worships the earth and its cycles (solstices, equinoxes, and crosses between them). (including the day). Witches often celebrate the cycles of the moon and the seasons throughout the year through rituals.
- The number of Americans who identify with Wicca and paganism has grown from 134,000 in 2001 to nearly 2 million in 2021, Berger said. The rise of TikTok witches and other witches on social media suggests that the number of people who identify as witches in America continues to grow, she added.
Dina Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how spirituality intersects with our daily lives, please visit Subscribe or activate your digital account now.
Email: hellin@northjersey.com
