It was almost midnight. 11:57 to be exact. An angry cat was yowling in the darkness outside my window. I stared into the heavens and waited.
Above me the moon was disappearing, slowly eaten by the darkness overtaking it. No wonder the Ancients were so alarmed by lunar eclipses. It’s a fearsome sight to see the full moon disappearing into gloom, only to be replaced by a deep red hue…The moon swimming in blood.
Tonight’s eclipse would be more gory-looking than most, according to experts. The rare “Blood Moon” was in alignment with the red planet, Mars. And it was all happening on Passover, which is considered to be the “bloodiest” of all Jewish holidays.
In awe, I watched the metamorphosis taking place. So did my mom and dad, 2000 miles away. So did my sister, and my daughter in their distant locations. Thousands of miles apart, we were all viewing the same thing at the same time.
Across the nation and around the world, millions of others watching too. This particular eclipse had been discussed for the past few years and now we were seeing it happen before our eyes. The series of four, rare “Blood Red Moons of 2014 and 2015” were underway.
11:59… The clouds in the sky were thickening. It worried me considerably.
My cell phone rang and I answered it, never taking my eyes off the fast-disappearing moon. “It’s just a silvery circle now. It looks like a diamond ring….” my sister said on the phone.
“CNN is talking about the eclipse right now!” my sis said. “I’m reading the headline at the bottom of the screen. It says the moon will soon be ‘Cooper Red’…I think they mean copper red!” she said, and then interrupted herself. “Oh, look! Mars is right near the moon. So close. What a spectacular sight…!”
I stared up at the eclipsing moon with its bright, celestial companion. It was indeed a rare and remarkable sight!
My sister was chattering a hundred miles an hour. I heard her words from a distance. I stared at the moon mesmerized as the ominous clouds thickened about it.
The clock struck midnight. The yowls of the cat lessened. And the moon disappeared behind dark clouds. I sighed.
My sister was still reading the headlines running across the bottom of her TV screen. ”There’s a lot of other exciting things happening too, right now,” she said. ”It says: ‘Russia flies over U.S. Warships in the Black Sea’… Oooo…that sounds dangerous. Like it’s a warning to the U.S. or something.”
Her voice was interrupted by an incoming call. It was our Mother. I excused myself, and clicked a button on my celly.
“Wow….” Mom said. “This eclipse seems ominous somehow. So many disasters seem about ready to happen. The swarms of quakes on the West Coast…and the super volcano in Yellowstone seems to be stirring. Animals are fleeing the area, they say. Oh, wait!” she said. “I’ve got to take a look at the moon again.”
She paused. “Oh yeah!…it’s red,” she said. “Definitely! You know the Bible talks about the moon being turned to ‘blood’ before the great and terrible judgment comes upon the world.”
I nodded. Yes…a lot of folks are discussing the same kind of things tonight. It was the talk of the town…the country…the continents…and the entire planet. A trans-continental party of sorts. Star-gazers and prophecy-experts and worriers, alike. All eyes turned skyward.
Another call was coming through on my cell phone. I excused myself and switched over. It was my daughter. “Mother,” she said. “I can see the eclipse here in Kansas City. Even with the city-lights, I can see it taking place!’’ And then she was gone…The call had broken off.
Silence reigned.
I stared wistfully out the window. The moon was obscured by clouds in my corner of the world, but elsewhere, the planet was agog over the rare “Blood Moon.” It was historic. From 1600 to 1990 there had been no tetrads of Blood Red Moons for 300 years, and there had been only a couple since then. This was a special night, indeed…! And kind of scary.
I stepped outside into the darkness. The angry cat gave one last yowl and disappeared into the night. The world was hushed…Awaiting the return of the moon from its hiding place. The wind had died away. The earth held its breath.
I pondered the situation. What if this strange “Tetrad of Blood-Moons” spelled doom and gloom for all of humanity?
A cold chill ran through me, as I stood there thinking ancient, worrisome thoughts. I shivered.
A night bird broke the silence. It whistled tentatively. Calling…calling. I stared up at the sky waiting.
And then it happened. The clouds parted and I could see the glorious red moon, peering downward. Mars winked at me reassuringly and I smiled, forgetting my worries. It was so beautiful!
I glimpsed it for only a moment or two before the heavenly sight slid into oblivion….but at least I had seen them in all their glory. The red planet, Mars, and the “Blood Moon of 2014.”
It was mysterious. Magical.
And it was mine….A midnight memory that would last forever!
Adventuring With Vic 