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The sun watches all I do,
but the moon knows all my secrets.
– J.M. Wonderland
In North America on the morning of February 26, 1979, day turned into night, birds stopped singing and nocturnal animals anxiously stirred. What caused this strange behavior? A total solar eclipse, which on August 21, 2017 will happen again.
This eclipse is being touted as the Great American Eclipse as it will visibly move across a narrow path of land stretching from the Oregon Coast to South Carolina’s coast with the maximum duration point taking place near Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
| Location | Eclipse Begins | Totality Begins | Totality Ends | Eclipse Ends | Time Zone |
| Madras, OR | 09:06 a.m. | 10:19 a.m. | 10:21 a.m. | 11:41 a.m. | PDT |
| Idaho Falls, ID | 10:15 a.m. | 11:33 a.m. | 11:34 a.m. | 12:58 p.m. | MDT |
| Casper, WY | 10:22 a.m. | 11:42 a.m. | 11:45 a.m. | 01:09 p.m. | MDT |
| Lincoln, NE | 11:37 a.m. | 01:02 p.m. | 01:04 p.m. | 02:29 p.m. | CDT |
| Jefferson City, MO | 11:46 a.m. | 01:13 p.m. | 01:15 p.m. | 02:41 p.m. | CDT |
| Carbondale, IL | 11:52 a.m. | 01:20 p.m. | 01:22 p.m. | 02:47 p.m. | CDT |
| Paducah, KY | 11:54 a.m. | 01:22 p.m. | 01:24 p.m. | 02:49 p.m. | CDT |
| Nashville, TN | 11:58 a.m. | 01:27 p.m. | 01:29 p.m. | 02:54 p.m. | CDT |
| Clayton, GA | 01:06 p.m. | 02:35 p.m. | 02:38 p.m. | 04:01 p.m. | EDT |
| Columbia, SC | 01:03 p.m. | 02:41 p.m. | 02:44 p.m. | 04:06 p.m. | EDT |
It’s hard to ignore the excited esoteric chatter surrounding this eclipse and while most of it is useful, a lot of it just feels overwhelming and fatal. Personally I view total eclipses as opportunities to reboot and clear shadow patterns in order to shed new light on what I’m ready to fully engage with and see. For this divination I’m choosing casting as my go-to means though any divination system will do.
A total solar eclipse can be viewed in five phases and existing within each phase is an opportunity to see what might be hiding in the shadowy actions that prevent us from fully showing up. The word totality is key here as it reminds us to expose what we’re ready to totally look at and change. For this divination I recommend randomly selecting one to three charms (cards work too) for each of the five positions. In addition, use the following petition and questions to guide the way. The goal is to make contact with a shadow pattern, expose where it might be hiding or eating away at your life, and then reboot a life that’s no longer aligning with said pattern’s agenda.
While useful, it isn’t necessary to print the provided casting sheet. You can make your own by creating a space with five casting positions. If this is your first time to visit my site, welcome! Please detour here if you wish to learn more about casting sheets and the art of casting with the Magpie Oracle. The majority of my posts present casting opportunities, however they are not limited to my products. With a little creativity, just about any divination system will work. And now, back to casting.
Print. Cast. Divine.
(click here for larger pdf image of casting sheet )
Before getting started, Eclipse2017.org is an excellent resource for safely viewing this, and future eclipses. The site also offers the following descriptions for the five phases of the eclipse which inspired the petition and questions for this divination. As always, feel free to customize the casting sheets to fit your needs. May they serve your reboot well.
Partial eclipse begins (1st contact)
The Moon starts becoming visible over the Sun’s disk. The Sun looks as if a bite has been taken from it.
Question & Petition (select 1 to 3 charms)
Greetings Lunar Shadow! In your mystery I watch with the eyes of a fair witness as you make first contact with your celestial opposite. The shadow you cast appears to be taking a bite out of the Sun! Help me to see, understand and name the shadow-pattern that consumes momentum and prevents forward motion.
How can I expose and therefore break free from justifying agendas that eat away at my progress?
Total eclipse begins (2nd contact)
The entire disk of the Sun is covered by the Moon. Observers in the path of the Moon’s umbra may be able to see Baily’s beads and the diamond ring effect, just before totality.
Question & Petition (select 1 to 3 charms)
Dear New Moon, I call to you as you move between the Sun and Earth and cast the darkest part of your shadow, your umbra, over the Sun. Here I stand in preparation for total darkness and watch as your shadow moves across the face of the Earth and ask:
What action can I take to fearlessly reach into the darkest part of my shadow and pull from it insights that inform rather than obscure my soul’s mission on Earth?
Totality and maximum eclipse
The Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun. Only the Sun’s corona is visible. Latin for crown, the corona is an aura of plasma that surrounds the Sun. This is the most dramatic stage of a total solar eclipse. At this time, the sky goes dark, temperatures can fall, and birds and animals often go quiet.
Question & Petition (select 1 to 3 charms)
Greetings Darkness! I stand tall and look at you with eyes wide open . Even in total darkness I can sense the shadowy crown I’ve placed upon your head. In return you have ruled a light-less path that has concealed, rather than revealed the light of my full purpose. For this reason I ask two questions in one:
How can I totally remove myself from the rule of the Court of Shadow and fully take the lead when driving my destiny?
Total eclipse ends (3rd contact) 
The Moon starts moving away, and the Sun reappears.
Question & Petition (select 1 to 3 charms)
Farewell Darkness and Shadows! In your absence, the warm, energizing light from the Sun reappears! My eyes and spirit adjust to this new light that exposes a clear path for the taking. Receptive, I stand before you and ask:
What first step will illuminate a path that connects my commitment to my purpose?
Partial eclipse ends (4th contact)
The Moon stops overlapping the Sun’s disk. The eclipse ends at this stage in this location.
Question & Petition (select 1 to 3 charms)
Greetings Light! This divination is receiving your bright blessings with recognition and gratitude. I clearly see how taking the sunless path only serves to restrict movement and inhibit initiative. I now move with the intention of serving my passion over my shadow.
How can I best sustain this fire that fuels vitality, drive and focus?
Once you’ve finished divining, and if possible, keep your reading out and check in with it as needed. A good way to keep your reading alive is by taking a photo of it and save the image as a screen saver for one or all of your devices.
Depending on where you live, the next eclipse that falls on February 10 or 11 is a good time to revisit your divination to see if you have in fact followed through, or need to give your reading a little more time and attention. Continue nurturing your desired outcome by divining with future moon phases and eclipses until you feel you’ve accomplished a reboot.
Click here for a lunar eclipse spread.
Need a Lenormand deck? I’ve made two free printable decks here and here.
Magpie Oracles can be found here.
