Soulful Total Solar Eclipse

The total solar eclipse experience was, by all accounts, truly soulful. I spent a week camping at a trance festival in a beautiful national park in Southern Turkey, arriving before the festival began to contribute to the setting up of the healing space, offering an opportunity to connect with some truly divine people.

The festival itself turned out to be a bit of a mudbath, for every afternoon for the first four days of my stay, a storm would drench the ground and create the sort of mud which seemed to delight in sticking to your shoes. That not being enough, the rest of the mud would grow envious of the mud affixed to your boots, and cast itself upon its brethren, until your feet weighed an extra couple of kilos, and you stood a good six inches taller. Bare feet were an option which afforded one the luxury of being able to walk through the many puddles without fear of eternally soaked footwear, though as they offered less traction and thus a high likelihood of falling over, they were a dangerously muddy threat to the remnant patches of clothes which could be described clean. Those clever Turks who realised that neither trinkets, nor soap shaped like fruit were going to be big sellers at a festival remarkably dissimilar to a tourist resort, quickly began to sell wellington(gum) boots, and it is the fond memory beautifully dressed men and women, from all over the world, uniting to make a common fashion statement - ala gum boot - which must have had the creators of the ugg boot in emergency meetings about having been upstaged in the ugly stakes.


The rain was typically brief and the mud seemed to dry quite quickly, much to everyone's relief, and the weather and festival site were astonishingly beautiful. Set by a winding river and draping itself around numerous hills, morning mist typically burned off about the time of my morning yoga and swim session. The morning typically heated up to a temperature which encouraged the exposure of inappropriate amounts of flesh for a muslim country, and the local turks who heard about the festival and swanned about perving must have been happy with the prospect of wet t-shirt competition promised by the typical afternoon buildup of cloud, though those of us there to witness an eclipse nervously searched for the sun each day about the time of the forthcoming eclipse.
(my campsite)(view from my yoga platform)

Little could have prepared us for the approaching cataclysm, and certainly the turkish workers employed to build the mainstage employed the same construction techniques as they have in their ruins, for a severe thunderstorm which centred itself over the festival for an hour - dropping 1cm diameter hail until the ground was white - caused the flat-roofed main stage to collapse, much to the dismay of the hard-core partygoers who had to make do with 2 stages for 3 days. Most people seemed to cope well enough with this catastrophe, even though it occurred just before the opening ceremony, such was the peaceful vibe and pleasant nature of the first international party of the season, and all-in-all it had a nice cleansing effect.

My contribution to the festival, apart from the occasional piece of voluntary labour, was as a healer. Together the healers - which included yoga instructors, masseurs, Reiki practitioners, sound healers, Mayan calendar teachers, and more - came together to hold resonance within the healing space, perform impromptu observation of ceremony and ritual, and to bring our own energies into line. Through this group I felt a deep connection with my own energy, and stepped into a space of personal power and group service. My particular contribution, beyond that mentioned above, was to facilitate a talking circle, an opportunity for free and open communication between a group of people. The focus for the circle was experiences and understandings of the healing potential of solar eclipses, with the group sharing of wisdom opening doorways of understanding into personal experience. Its effect was deeply satisfying to assist in bringing those present to a state of attunement and inner observation, concluding as the sun's light began to dim under partial eclipse, and it certainly connected me with a deeper experience.


The total solar eclipse itself was, as ever, indescribable. Again, as per the Outback Australian Eclipse 2002, I can only describe my internal feelings. For me, this eclipse was less exhilarating than my first (a short but intense 23 seconds) and had a different appearance (high in the sky versus on the horizon), though its duration (3m30) seemed eternal and time lost all meaning. Although, like an addict enjoying a peak, you wish it could keep going, the climax of the eclipse is indeed the reappearance of the sun - at first but a pearl as it peeks through a crater on the moon, but quickly growing to glow upon one side like a diamond ring, before finally discontinuing to envelop the whole moon. Internally, beyond the feelings of awe, tears of joy in beauty and sadness, I felt a sense of completeness and integration. Completeness in person and in self, and completion of this expansive cycle since my past eclipse (from when I have come to stand far more assuredly in my power). Integration as though somehow the eclipse was in my heart and beating through my body a DNA-activating or awakening (as came to me visually when sitting with the feeling I had), as if possible the associated new beginning. The photos below convey neither my feelings nor the visual spectacle that is the eclipse, but they do give an opportunity to put a visual image against my experience, and in doing so greater share the experience. I sent out the feelings I was having to those in Australia I knew would be listening, also to all those graced, touched, and moved by the moon's shadow, those in the chaotic neighbouring region in the spirit of salaam aleykum, and all of us all over the planet with the intuition that in these times of change, such opportunities are energetic blessings (eclipses have stopped wars before). To all you receiving this email, I hope that you too feel some of its magic.



The eclipse experience itself was about far more than just the eclipse. The gathering of the tribe at Soulclipse, the total solar eclipse festival which I attended, brought together beautiful people from all over the world, each bringing with them the energy of anticipation and joy. Plenty of fun was had dancing, but far beyond that was connecting with friends old and new. I was happy to again meet and dance with Vera (my German friend who now lives in Istanbul), Fi Minto and her incredible bus, and Jo who has delighted the Victorian trance festival circuit with her joyous transformation and carefree antics. I spent much time hanging out with a group of new friends who were also contributing to the healing space, and together we shared beautiful experiences, journeys, ceremonies, meals, and happiness. Dessy came across from Bulgaria, and it was wonderful to share the solar eclipse and trance festival experience with her. Particularly it was a truly embracing reunion which certainly must be the most loving, caring friendship I have experienced as we recounted our past year, shared our dreams for the future, healed aspects of our past current and future relationship, and were re-connected.

And, not only did I get a solar eclipse, but in the same day I met and engaged with one person who I hero-worship on a musical level. I was dancing to Shpongle beside this bloke, commented on his clothes, he mentioned that I reminded him of some cartoon character and I said - "that's funny, you remind me of Andy from Lamb". He said "that's funny, because I am". Anyway, whilst the music continued and people carried on dancing, our worlds stood still as we engaged, chatting about life and the effect Lamb's music, in particular Gorecki, had had on me, Dessy, and two others of the aforementioned group of friends - a pertinent connection as I had been discussing that it is the energy carried by the love communicated in the song Gorecki which keeps my level of faith high, in knowingness that the perfect partner does exist, that they're out there and are worth waiting for. Yaaay - so nice to meet Andy again!!!


Anyway, it was difficult to leave such a brilliant festival, and there's many more stories to be told - many captured in photos online - http://www.flickr.com/photos/beautifulworld. But for the moment, I'm in Syria and the Syrian government won't let me access my email. Hope then that this gets to you somehow.

Love to you all.
Warwick