This guest post is written by Kate Harveston, a writer and political activist from Pennsylvania. She blogs about culture and politics, and the various ways that those elements act upon each other. For more of her work, you can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her blog, Only Slightly Biased.

On Monday, August 21st, the entire contiguous United States saw its first total solar eclipse in 99 years. While it lasted for only a few precious minutes, it was a moment of great anticipation that indeed did unite America’s 50 states, federal districts, territories, and islands for a brief and rare moment of community.

Of course the country — the world — saw the solar eclipse as an event to be celebrated, but more so for the phenomenon we understand it to be scientifically, as opposed to an overtly spiritual event. However, looking back at religious perceptions of solar eclipses, we learn of their major spiritual significance, both negative and positive, within different religions. The human’s fascination with solar eclipses is thousands of years old, and naturally the various interpretations of them have shaped religion’s appreciation of these events today. Continue reading “The Solar Eclipse and Spirituality”