It's been heartening to see so much excitement about the upcoming solar eclipse.
Across North America, hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of people will greet the eclipse just as we used to in the old days: with gatherings, with ritual, with parties.
Some years back I sat alone on my back steps to watch that intimate moment in the dance of our Earth and our Moon that we call a lunar eclipse.
As always, it was beautiful, moving, disturbing: a lunar month in unreal microcosm.
But at that silent moment of red totality, I thought: this isn't how it should be. There should be people in every back yard, in every park, watching this holy event.
And at that moment of totality, there should have been massive city-wide outcry: voices, drums, the ringing of bells. It could have been a ritual that united the city.
On Monday, August 21, 2017, people across North America will honor that awesome, beautiful Great Rite that we call a solar eclipse. At that moment of terrible Union, for a brief while we will become one, united people: Red with Blue, pagan with cowan.