I’m always drawn to the wisdom of ancient cultures and their seemingly innate connection to the cosmos and higher consciousness. A dear friend of mine has been learning about Vedic traditions, rituals and belief structures and was kind enough to pass along the following information regarding the solar eclipse. Please feel free to add any further knowledge on this subject in the comments below.
“Eclipses are not to be viewed. Avoid business, important work and all major decisions for the period of the eclipse progression (approximately 2 hours though the viewing period is 1-2 minutes). Take the day off from work and meditate if your schedule allows. If this is not possible distinguish between what you initiate and what is required of you – don’t initiate important things.
This solar eclipse is said to be exceptionally potent due to the planetary alignments and can bring great upheaval for a period of weeks, especially in places that will see the eclipse in totality.
Avoid eating for the two-hour period (for example, that will be between 1:10pm-3:40pm on the east coast of the United States. Please look online for the actual time of the start to finish of the eclipse.
Puja or ritualized practices should be done only after the eclipse is over. Meditation, mantra or text recitation is recommended during the eclipse.
Avoid phone calls, texting and other types of technology during the eclipse.
Don’t eat in restaurants.
Pregnant women should not go outside during the eclipse and should meditate and rest throughout the day.
The effect will be felt for weeks afterwards so its a good time to deepen sadhana and introspection and avoid major life changing decisions if possible until early September.
All mantras increase in potency of 1000x during an eclipse.”
Photo solar eclipse vedic tradition: Anthony Russo