This past week I had the privilege to travel to Tredara with my family and many other pagan (and pagan-adjacent) folks to experience the totality of the solar eclipse that stretched across the United States on April 8th.  “Tredara is a 22-acre facility owned and operated by druids of Stone Creed Grove. It features multiple nemetons, an Ancestor Mound, a shrine to the Nature Spirits, and many other sacred spots” (Stone Creed).  Every time I have visited Tredara has been amazing, especially because they always seem to have new shrines each year (this year was a lovely Hekate shrine), but it was especially wonderful this visit because experiencing Totality is absolutely awe-inspiring, and then to see it on sacred ground amongst my spiritual community was ineffable.   

Many of us traveled there the day before and left the day after in order to avoid the predicted heavy tourist traffic.  This had the added benefit of really setting up this time outside of time to experience the breathtaking phenomena of a total solar eclipse.  While everyone had been encouraged to bring their own food and such, that didn’t stop the community from compiling a days-long potluck assortment of snacks, drinks, slow cooker entrees, and desserts of all kinds.  We gathered, a more mixed group than normal, with some big names from across communities, and had lively informal discussions on topics ranging from theology and magic to parenting, music, and grounds maintenance.  The first evening ended with a drum circle late into the wee hours, complete with chanting and dancing around the bonfire.  I was able to reach a lovely liminal space as I kept a beat for the dancers.

The next day dawned with even more people arriving on site and setting up for the day.  The air was one of great excitement.  We compared stories and tried to guess at what Totality would feel like (most of us had never experienced it before).  We were gathering for a common, joyful purpose. Rev. Ian Corrigan had prepared a small charm for the event, where we were to toast the sun, moon, and fire (Corrigan), though he had surmised correctly that during the actual 3min and 46sec of totality we would want to just be present.  

Granted, reflecting back, I think even if we had wanted to do anything other than be stunned we would have been hard pressed to do something more.  It is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I understand now why there are people who chase eclipses across the globe to see as many as they can.  

I had witnessed about 80% totality in 2017, and let me tell you: partial eclipse is cool, but it doesn’t hold a candle to 100% totality.  The temperature dropped by about 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit, there was a sunset in every direction, the color of the world shifted to a silvery blue hue, the night insects and animals awoke and started chirping, and it was almost like a weight lifted from the world for that brief period of time.  

And then, all at once, the sun shot back into being, like a great spotlight being turned back on.  As Rev. Earrach Cannali would say “why not the sun” indeed (Cannali).  That little sliver of solar power is enough to blast the world back to daylight, to burn out retinas, and yes, to fill me with such awe that its absence caused tears to come unbidden to my eyes. 

Works Cited

• Cannali. Why not the sun ? The Book of Sassafras. http://thebookofsassafras.blogspot.com/p/why-not-sun.html 
• Corrigan. A charm for the full eclipse of the sun. Ár nDraíocht Féin. https://ng.adf.org/a-charm-for-the-full-eclipse-of-the-sun/ 
• Stone Creed Grove, ADF. The Wellspring Gathering 2024.  https://stonecreed.org/festivals/the-wellspring-gathering-2024/ 

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Rev. Jan Avende (they/them) is an Initiate and Consecrated Priest of Ár nDraíocht Féin currently serving as the Vice Archdruid. Locally, they serve the Central Ohio pagan community out of Three Cranes Grove, ADF and work as a contracted chaplain at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. They are a talented Bard, Liturgist, and Spiritworker, with a passion for mentoring others, building resources for pagan families, and making the work that we do as pagans accessible for all. You can see more of their writing at hellenicdruid.com and support their work at patreon.com/skylark913.