Ning came rushing into the temple yesterday morning and excitedly told me that there would be a lunar eclipse later in the evening. It would be a spectacular one and I should watch it.
I've never seen an eclipse before, so I said I would go with him. He suggested the roof of the temple as an ideal place to watch the eclipse as it faced the moon directly. We asked Head Nun's permission to use the roof and she had no objection, though she said that to the humans, an eclipse is an inauspicious event and one should avoid looking at it. So she and the nuns would go to bed early and chant some mantras and avoid looking at the sky.
Well, we're cats and not superstitious, so at about 7.20 p.m. ten minutes or so before the eclipse was to take place, we jumped onto the roof of the temple and waited. Ning had also invited his young friend, Milo to join us and as we waited, I told them of the story behind an eclipse as told to me by Head Nun.
There is an age old legend which says that eclipses are caused by a heavenly dragon or dog devouring the moon. To scare away this celestial beast and prevent disaster, people made loud noises by banging drums, gongs and pots, lighting firecrackers, or shooting arrows. But I guess in this modern world, nobody believes that!
By a strange coincidence, this total lunar eclipse known as the "Blood Moon" takes place this year on Chap Goh Meh, the 15th and final night of the Chinese New Year. I don't know whether this signals good fortune or trouble but from what I heard, many people will be watching this phenomenon from various parts of the country regardless.
Milo had also done some research and he told us that the movement of the earth between the sun and moon causes a shadow to be cast on the moon, turning it into a copper red, hence the name "Blood Moon", and the next one will only take place in 2029, about 2.5 years from now.
This astronomical event soon began unfolding before our eyes. The rare appearance of a coppery coloured moon filled us with awe and wonder and we felt a sense of being connected to the cosmos and the powerful forces of the universe. For some time we were "lost" in a different world where all was still and only peace reigned.
Then suddenly, Milo screamed and pointed to the sky. "It's the dragon .... look... it's circling the moon..."
Both Ning and I looked but we couldn't see any dragon.
"Come on, Milo," said Ning impatiently. "Stop fooling around. There's no dragon and you know it."
"I saw it, I swear," he insisted. "But ... but it's gone now ... it appeared only for a few seconds...."
"Ya, just for you to see," laughed Ning.
Milo became very upset that we didn't believe him and he jumped off the roof in anger.
"Milo, come back," I called.
"Oh, let him be," said Ning. "Let's watch the eclipse till the end."
It took up to about an hour before it was over and we climbed down the roof feeling quite blessed that we had witnessed something wonderful and miraculous.
The next morning, I told Head Nun and the nuns what we had seen. Head Nun smiled and said that from a spiritual view, we should not think of the lunar eclipse as a bad omen but a time for "spiritual cleansing"- a time to confront our hidden fears and suppressed emotions and to start again with renewed energy and positivity.
I mentioned to her that Milo claimed he saw the mythical dragon. Head Nun smiled, then whispered to me, "I also saw it when I was a young girl in China during a similar eclipse."
"You did?" I gasped in awe.
She smiled again but wouldn't say more.
I can't wait for the next Blood Moon in 2029. Maybe this time I'll see the dragon.....
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