Happy (Chinese) New Year and a solar eclipse

It's the Chinese New Year - and it's the year of the Ox! It is also the day of an annular eclipse when the moon (moving to new moon) puts itself directly in the path of the sun and the earth covers part of the sun's surface. It struck me as intriguing then, as peering at the sun through the lens of a welding helmet, the sun look exactly like a set of ox horns! Synchronicity or coincidence...

Solar eclipse of 26 January 2009 approx 08h10
(thank goodness for the cloud cover making these shots possible)

An article I read this morning said:

"Any eclipse signals a time to be wary and this is especially true if the sun is involved because all living beings are dependent on the sun for light... During the eclipse, the power of negative energy increases 1,000 times as compared to other times... People are advised not to carry out activities as usual during the eclipse period as they may behave irrationally... After the eclipse, people should wash and clean their houses to remove all “harmful energies” that would have set in and offer prayers."

I suppose it's a good thing I'm having the house scraped and painted at the moment!

That said, it was so curious, I could feel the eclipse as it began - there was a very distinct shift in energy - from summery and light to something heavier and oppressive. The dog next door started howling. A guinea fowl took off to the top of the tree where he sat and hecked for the entire duration of the eclipse - about six minutes. And every dog in the neighbourhood barked incessantly. There is something unquestionably eerie about solar eclipses and I recall viewing the full solar eclipse in 1999 when I was visiting friends in Guernsey. Everything fell utterly silent as the moon blocked out the light of the sun and darkness fell over the island. It was as though the world was coming to an end.

Solar eclipse, images shot through lens of welding helmet - eerie or what...

Coming back to the Chinese New Year, it's intriguing that Barack Obama is an Ox - I wonder if there's some special significance? Mind you, I too am an Ox (and a Taurus - so it's a double load of bull...)

Apparently the Year of the Earth Ox evokes stability and dependability. One of the predictions for the year of the Ox reads as follows:

"The Ox is a practical work animal, while the Earth element is steady and firm. Together, they create a kind of plodding energy that can be exasperating. Still, progress will be made in 2009; it will occur in slow, barely perceptible increments. If you stay patient and keep your nose to the grindstone, you will make the most of this ponderous energy.
It is said that Oxen place great emphasis on authority and tradition. Therefore, 2009 will lay an especially heavy burden on world leaders. Government officials, CEOs and community organizers will be expected to correct society's ills. If they slack off, they'll be thrown by the wayside. Substance is always favored over style in the Year of the Ox."

My own Chinese horoscope prediction says that this is a year in which I am invited to reach for the stars. Love, luck and money are headed my way. And my personal life will be particularly rewarding. And I'll enjoy exuberant good health! Oh goodie! It also says it's a good year to go on an extended vacation - which is just as well - but I'll tell you more about that in another post!

Anyway, now you know. So, here's wishing you a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!