Eclipses

Eclipses are cosmic processes between heavenly bodies that are experienced as purely visual physical events on Earth, but behind which there lie significant spiritual realities.

In ancient times the spiritual meaning of the eclipses gave rise to simple superstition, today they should be understood in a spiritual scientific way.

During a solar eclipse, something totally different takes place in the part of the Earth affected, from what is happening when there is no eclipse:

the forces of will, all the unbridled impulses and instincts of humanity surge unhindered out into cosmos space
in other words: opportunity is given for the evil which is willed on earth to spread over the cosmos

The solar eclipse acts as a safety-valve that serves the purpose of carrying out the evil on Earth out into space in a Luciferic way, so this evil may work havoc in a less concentrated way in a wider sphere.

During a lunar eclipse,

thoughts stream through darkness down upon the Earth; which have a closer relationship with subconscious than with conscious life of Man
the lunar eclipse opens the gate for people who have a desire to receive and get hold of evil, diabolical thoughts

The lunar eclipse acts as serves the purpose of allowing the evil thoughts which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are desirous of being possessed by them.

Aspects

solar eclipses

clairvoyant observation of the Earth and nature's kingdoms (such as plant and animal life) is very different during a solar eclipse, compared to night time. "During an eclipse of the sun the group-souls of the plants and of the animals light up ... all physical embodiments of animals and plants seem to pass into shadow, while the group-souls become radiant." (1913-10-02-GA148)
relationship between solar eclipses and earthquakes (1913-10-02-GA148)
ancient clairvoyant astral vision in Northern (Scandinavian and Germanic) mythology describes a solar eclipse as "a wolf pursuing the sun, and who - the moment he reaches it - brings about the eclipse". The wolf is the symbol of the Fenris wolf, that darkens the light of the truth. (1910-06-15-GA121)
some well-known solar eclipses:
- solar eclipse coinciding with the death of Christ-Jesus on the cross at Golgotha
  - symbol inscribed in the cosmic script, of something new entering Earth evolution (see below 1913-10-02-GA148)
- coinciding with the death of King Henry I of England, the son of William the Conqueror, in 1133. After the death, a struggle for the throne threw the kingdom into chaos and civil war.
- in 1919, scientists measured the bending of light from the stars as they passed near the sun, thereby confirming Einstein's theory of general relativity (and the warping of space-time through gravity).

lunar eclipses

during a lunar eclipse, the blood-red light of the moon is an illumination from within. Rudolf Steiner states: "The moon is illuminated from within, it is like an egg: the yolk is the moon through which shines the red light."
rhythm of lunar eclipses
- the Chaldean Saros period is a period of approx. 18 years that can be used to predict eclipses of the Sun and Moon. Lunar eclipses occur with this periodical rhythm of 18 years. (1920-05-14-GA201)
- see also Eighteen year rhythm in Man
some well-known lunar eclipses:
- Herod the Great died between a lunar eclipse and a following Passover (Josephus)
- during the Second Battle of Syracus (First and Second Battles were where Athens fought the Syracusans and Spartans) on 28 August 413 BC
  - Athenians were preparing to sail home, as the lunar eclipse happened, and leader Eurymedon asked the priests what to do .. they suggested to wait for another lunar cycle. The Syracusans took advantage of attacked 86 the Athenian ships whereby he Athenians were defeated and Eurymedon was killed. Plutarch described this eclipse and how the superstition influenced events.
- other such examples are the 'use' of lunar eclipse knowledge by Columbus, and Lawrence of Arabia

Illustrations

Lecture coverage and references

Book of Revelation (Rev. 6,12)

When the moon became as blood.

Pietro d'Abano (c. 1257 – 1316)

wrote about the importance of conjunctions but also eclipses and their influences on world matters on Earth

1910-06-15-GA121

for more context and positioning, see Ragnarok

[Fenris wolf]
The expression for everything that was dimness of vision, that was not correct seeing, was some animal; and here in the North it was principally the Fenris Wolf. This second animal is Loki's influence on the etheric body, which causes man to have the inclination (coming from within) to deceive himself, to think incorrectly about things; that is to say, the objects in the external world do not appear to him in the right way. This was generally expressed in the old Germanic Scandinavian mythology as the figure of a Wolf. That is the astral shape for lying and all untruthfulness proceeding from inner impulse. Where Man comes into relation with the external world, Lucifer meets Ahriman, so that all the errors which insinuate themselves into his knowledge, even into his clairvoyant knowledge, all illusion and all maya, is the consequence of the tendency to untruthfulness which is active there. In the Fenris Wolf we must therefore see the shape surrounding man, through his not seeing things in their true form. Whenever any part of the external light, i.e., the truth, appeared darkened to the old Northman, he then spoke of a wolf. That goes through the whole Northern consciousness, and you will find this image made use of in this sense, even to the external facts.
When the old Scandinavian wished to explain what he saw during an eclipse of the sun, (of course a man at the time of that old clairvoyance saw very differently from a man of the present day, who sees with the aid of a telescope), he chose the picture of a wolf pursuing the sun, and who the moment he reaches it brings about the eclipse. That is in perfect harmony with the facts. This terminology belongs to what is grandest, yea, even to that grandeur which positively awes one in the Scandinavian Mythology. I can only give indications here; but if it were possible to speak for weeks at a time upon this mythology, you would then see how it carried this out all through. That is because Scandinavian mythology is a result of the old clairvoyance, into which, however, the ‘I’ plays everywhere.
Materialistic people of today will say that this is a mere superstition; that there is no wolf pursuing the sun. The old imaginative Scandinavian sees these facts in pictures; and perhaps I could enumerate many so-called scientific truths which contain more of the influence of Ahriman, i.e., greater error than does the corresponding astral vision, which says that the wolf is pursuing the sun.
To the occultist there is something which is still greater superstition. That is, an eclipse which occurs because the moon places itself in front of the sun. From the external point of view that is quite correct, just as the case of the wolf is quite correct to astral perception. In fact the astral view is more correct than the one you will find in modern books, for the latter is even more subject to error. If a Man were to perceive the true state of affairs instead of this external one, he would find that the Scandinavian myth is right. I know that I am saying something that is utterly absurd to the present-day point of view, but I know also that in anthroposophical centers one is sufficiently advanced to make it possible to indicate wherein our physical view of the world is most influenced by maya, deception or illusion.

1913-10-02-GA148

To begin with, there arises before the gaze of clairvoyance something that seems like an affront against the conceptions of modern science. Nevertheless I feel compelled to put into words what presents itself here to the eyes of soul — as far as I am able to do so. I cannot help it if what has to be said finds its way to inadequately prepared hearts and souls and if the whole thing is mooted as untenable in face of the scientific views by which the present age is entirely dominated. The gaze of clairvoyance lights, to begin with, upon a picture that represents an actual happening, one that is hinted at in other Gospels too, but is a particularly striking spectacle when one sees it emerging from the myriad pictures arising before the backward-turned eye of vision. This clairvoyant gaze actually beholds a kind of darkening of the earth.
And one feels, as it were in aftermath, that deeply significant moment when, as in a solar eclipse, the physical sun was darkened over the land of Palestine, over the place of Golgotha. And one has the impression, which vision schooled in the sense of spiritual science can still confirm when an actual, physical eclipse of the sun casts shadow over the land: that to the eyes of soul the whole environment of Man looks quite different during the time of an eclipse.

I shall refrain from dealing with the spectacle presented during a solar eclipse and with all those things that are the creations of human artifice and technique. To be able to endure the spectacle of those demonic powers and entities which during an eclipse of the sun rise out of the creations of art-forsaken, technical science, requires great courage and the realisation that all these things were inevitable. I do not propose, however, to go further into this particular matter but ..

... merely draw attention to the fact that a vision, at other times only to be reached after very difficult meditation, lights up and reveals that during a solar eclipse all plant-life, all animal life, every butterfly, take on quite a different appearance. It is an experience that in the very deepest sense brings the conviction of how intimately a certain form of cosmic-spiritual life belonging to the sun and having its physical body in the visible sun, is connected with life on the Earth.

And when the physical radiance is darkened by the intervening moon, this is different from when, during the night, the sun is merely not shining. The spectacle of the Earth around us is quite different during an eclipse of the sun from what it is during an ordinary night.
During an eclipse of the sun one feels the group-souls of the plants and of the animals lighting up ... all the physical embodiments of the animals and plants seem to pass into shadow, while the group-souls become radiant.
[Mystery of Golgotha]
All this presents itself very vividly when the backward-turned gaze of seership contemplates that moment in the Earth's evolution when the Mystery of Golgotha took place. And then comes an experience which may be described by saying: one learns to read what this remarkable phenomenon of nature perceived in the Cosmos really signifies! I cannot help it if — in defiance of all contemporary materialism — I am obliged to read in the occult script at this particular point in the Earth's evolution, a purely natural event, one that has also occurred, of course, both before and since, and to speak of the direct impression it makes. It is like opening a book and reading the script ... one feels when this event is there before one that what one should read comes out of the very script itself. This cosmic script compels one with a kind of necessity to read something that mankind must come to know. It appears before one like a word inscribed in the cosmos, like a sign in the cosmos.
And when one opens the soul to it, what is it that one reads?

In the lecture yesterday I spoke of how by the time of Greek culture, mankind had evolved to the point where, in Plato and Aristotle, a very high development of the human soul, a very high level of intellectuality had been attained. In many respects the intellectual knowledge attained by Plato or Aristotle has never since been surpassed. Intellectuality in mankind there reached a certain zenith. A vast store of knowledge had been acquired.

And if one pictures this intellectual knowledge to which humanity had attained, which at the time of the Mystery of Golgotha had been spread abroad by wandering preachers far and wide over Greece and Italy, if one pictures how this knowledge had spread in a way incomprehensible today — then it is possible to receive the impression which seems to be like a reading of that occult script out in the Cosmos.

And when clairvoyant consciousness has been mustered, one realises: all this knowledge, gathered and garnered by humanity in pre-Christian times, has its symbol in the moon, as for earthly sight it passes through the Cosmos. The moon is the symbol, because for all higher stages of human cognition this knowledge has acted, not as a light-bringer or solver of riddles, but rather as a bringer of darkness, just as the moon darkens the sun during a solar eclipse. That is what one reads. All the knowledge existing at that time shed darkness, not illumination, upon the riddle of the universe. And as a seer one feels the higher, truly spiritual regions of the world darkened by the intellectual achievements of antiquity which placed themselves like a screen in front of the real knowledge, just as the moon screens the sun during a solar eclipse.

And the external event becomes a symbolic expression of the fact that human evolution had reached a stage where the knowledge born of Man's own mind placed itself in front of the higher knowledge, like the moon before the sun during an eclipse. In that eclipse of the sun one feels the darkening of the sun of humanity in earthly evolution, engraved into the Cosmos in a stupendous sign of the occult script. I have said that the modern scientific mind may take this as an affront, because it has no understanding of the sovereign power of the Spirit in the universe. I do not want to speak of miracles in the ordinary sense of the word, of any infraction of the laws of nature, but I cannot do otherwise than convey to you how one can read that darkening of the sun — read with the eyes of soul what it is that this happening of nature expresses. With the moon-knowledge, darkness crept over the higher message of the sun.

And then there actually comes before the clairvoyant consciousness, the picture of the Cross raised on Golgotha, of the body of Jesus hanging upon it between the two thieves; the picture, too, of the body being taken down from the Cross and laid in the grave. And here I will add that the more one tries to prevent it, the more forcibly does it present itself.

[Earthquake]

And now comes a second mighty sign, whereby again there is written into the Cosmos something that one must read in order to discern it as a symbol of what has actually transpired in the evolution of humanity. One contemplates the picture of Jesus taken down from the Cross and laid in the grave, and then, while the gaze of the soul is thus directed, one has the experience of being shaken through and through by an earthquake which spread through that region.

One day, perhaps, people will understand — in the scientific sense too — more about the connection between that darkening of the sun and the earthquake, for certain theories which are already current in the world, but somewhat haphazardly, indicate that there is a connection between solar eclipses and earthquakes, and even fire-damp in mines.
That earthquake followed upon the eclipse of the sun. It shook the grave in which the body of Jesus had been laid, and the stone covering it was wrenched away; a fissure was rent in the earth and the corpse was received into it. Another tremor caused the fissure to close again over the corpse. And when the people came in the morning the grave was empty, for the dead body of Jesus had been received into the Earth. The stone, however, still lay where it had been hurled.
Once again let us follow the sequence of pictures. Jesus dies on the Cross of Golgotha. Darkness breaks in upon the Earth. The corpse of Jesus is laid into the grave. A tremor shakes the land and the corpse is received into the Earth. The fissure caused by the tremor closes; the stone is hurled aside. These are all actual happenings. I cannot describe them in any other way. Let those who wish to approach these things from the basis of natural science form what opinion they like, bring forward all kinds of contrary arguments: what the gaze of clairvoyance perceives is as I have described it.
And if anyone were to say: it is impossible that from the cosmos there should be set up, as it were in a mighty language of signs, a symbol of something New having entered into the evolution of mankind; if anyone were to say: the divine powers do not write into the Earth in such signs a happening like an eclipse of the sun and an earthquake ... then I could only answer: You believe in all sincerity that such things are impossible. Nevertheless they actually happened. ...

1913-12-10-GA148

quote A

When Christ was nailed to the cross, a darkness spread far and wide over the region. It has not yet been possible to determine from the Akashic Chronicle where it came from whether it was of earthly or cosmic origin. But it was there, and what such an eclipse means can be observed occultly during a solar eclipse. I do not want to say that it was a solar eclipse at that time, it could also have been an eclipse of clouds. But it is something different when the sun is eclipsed in the sky during the day than when it is simply night.
What effect such a general eclipse has can already be seen, for example, with the moon, for example. This causes occult changes to take place in all living beings, humans, animals and plants; the whole structure, for example, between the physical body and the etheric body of the plants changes, the whole world looks completely different and with it the earth aura.
The last made a particularly shattering impression on me when when I was able to observe it during a solar eclipse during a short lecture cycle in Stockholm. [editor: there was a solar eclipse in Stockholm on 21 August 1914]
It is actually that for the part of the Earth's aura where the eclipse is greatest, great changes take place.
And through such an influence in this way, the Christ impulse flowed into the earth's development when the Christ Jesus died on the cross. This is the miraculous, the sacred event of the eclipse far and wide around the cross on Golgotha.
The other is what I have already hinted at once in Karlsruhe and what is also in the printed cycle from Karlsruhe, what the Fifth Gospel also shows, how the physical body of Jesus of Nazareth was, as it were, absorbed by the physical Earth, for when the body was laid in the tomb, an earthquake-like shaking of the earth took place, combined with a storm, so that a fissure in the earth opened up and absorbed the body. The storm swirled in such a way that the peculiar winding and position of the cloths was as described in the Gospel of John. The gap that had formed as a result of the earthquake then closed and so, of course, the body could not be found. The seekers could only be given the answer from be given from occult regions: The one you are looking for is no longer here.

alternative translation

When Christ was nailed to the cross, a widespread eclipse occurred. It was not yet possible to determine from the Akasha Chronicle where it had come from, whether it was of earthly or cosmic origin. But it was there, and what such an eclipse means can be observed occultly during a solar eclipse. I do not want to say that it was a solar eclipse at that time; it could also have been a significant cloud eclipse. But it is different when the sun is eclipsed in the sky during the day than when it is simply night.
But the effect of such a general eclipse can already be seen in the case of a solar eclipse caused by the moon, for example. During such an event, great occult changes take place in all living beings, humans, animals and plants; the entire structure, for example, between the physical body and the etheric body of plants changes, the whole world looks quite different and with it the earth aura. The last time it happened, it made a particularly moving impression on me when I was able to observe it during a solar eclipse during a short lecture cycle in Stockholm. It is a fact that great changes are taking place in that part of the Earth's aura where the eclipse is at its greatest. And it was through such a part of the Earth's aura that the Christ Impulse flowed into the evolution of the Earth at the time of the death of Christ Jesus on the cross. That is the wonderful, sacred event of the eclipse around the cross on Golgotha.
The other thing is what I already hinted at in Karlsruhe and what is also in the printed cycle of Karlsruhe, which is also shown in the Fifth Gospel, how the physical body of Jesus of Nazareth was, as it were, was absorbed by the physical earth, for when the body was laid in the tomb, an earthquake-like shaking of the earth did indeed take place, combined with a storm, so that a fissure in the earth opened up and received the body. The storm whirled in such a way that the peculiar winding and position of the cloths actually resulted, as described in the Gospel of John. The cleft caused by the earthquake closed up, and so the body could not be found, of course. Only the answer from occult regions could be given to those seeking: “He whom you seek is no longer here.”

1920-05-14-GA201

If we consider a lunar eclipse occurring in a certain year, then there will be a certain date when the eclipse can occur. The lunar eclipse occurs on the same date about every 18 years, and in the same constellation. There is a periodical rhythm in the lunar eclipse, a rhythm of 18 years.
That is just a quarter of a cosmic day and just a quarter of a Man's life. Man, if I may so express it, endures four such periods of darkness.
Why? Because in the Universe everything is in numerical harmony. On the average, Man has in accordance with the rhythmic activity of his heart, not only 72 years of life, but 72 pulse beats, and approximately 18 respirations - again the quarter - in the minute.
This numerical accord is expressed in the universe by the rhythm between the 18 years, the Chaldean Saros period, so-called because the Chaldeans first discovered it — and the Solar period; and it is the same rhythm as is also to be found in man in the inner mobility between his respiration and his pulse-beats.
Plato said, not without reason: ‘God geometrises, arithmetises’ ... Thus our 72 years of life, to which is co-ordinated also our heart and pulse activity, goes through the Saros period four times; because in our heart and pulse activity we have our breathing activity, as it were, four times over. Our whole human organism is constructed on the lines of the Universe, but we only see into its significance when we bear in mind another connection.

1922-06-25-GA213

is called 'Sunlight and Moonlight, Solar and Lunar Eclipses and their Relation to Man's Life of Soul'

[Solar eclipse]
In addition to all this, a man who has had these experiences learns to measure the true significance of certain transitory phenomena which stand, as it were, midway between processes regarded as physical and cosmic in their nature, and those which are cosmic and spiritual. The man of today, owing largely to his materialistic education, describes everything from the physical point of view. He says: “An eclipse of the sun is due to the fact that the moon comes between the sun and the earth, cutting off the rays of the sun.” This is a physical explanation, built up from physical observation and as obvious as if we were to say: “Here is a light, and there an eye. If I place my hand in front of the eye, the light will be darkened.” As you see, it is a purely physical, spatial explanation, and that is as far as modern consciousness goes.
We must strive once more for a true knowledge of such phenomena. They are not of everyday occurrence, and on the comparatively rare occasions of their appearance they should be studied not only from their physical but also from their spiritual aspect.
At the time of a solar eclipse, for instance, something totally different takes place in the part of the earth affected from what is happening when there is no eclipse. When we know that

on the one hand the rays of the sun penetrate down to the earth and

on the other hand the forces or rays of will stream out to meet the sun,

it is possible to form some idea of how a solar eclipse can affect these radiations of will which are altogether spiritual in their nature. The sunlight is blocked by the moon; that is a purely physical process. But physical matter — in this case the body of the moon — is no obstacle to the forces streaming out from the will. These forces radiate into the darkness, and there ensues a period of time, short though it may be, in which all that is of the nature of will upon the earth flows out into universal space in an abnormal way. It is different altogether from what takes place when there is no eclipse. Ordinarily, the physical sunlight unites with the radiations of will streaming towards it. When there is an eclipse, the forces of will flow unhindered into cosmic space.
The old initiates knew these things. They saw that at such a moment all the unbridled impulses and instincts of humanity surge out into the cosmos. And they gave their pupils the following explanation. They said:
Under normal conditions the evil impulses of will which are sent out into the cosmos by human beings are, as it were, burned up and consumed by the rays of the sun, so that they can injure only man himself, but can do no universal harm. When, however, there is an eclipse of the sun, opportunity is given for the evil which is willed on earth to spread over the cosmos. An eclipse is a physical event behind which there lies a significant spiritual reality.
[Lunar eclipse]
And again, when there is an eclipse of the moon, the man of today merely says: “Now the earth comes between the sun and the moon; hence we see the shadow cast upon the moon by the earth.” That is the physical explanation.
But in this case also the old initiate knew that a spiritual reality was behind the physical fact. He knew that when there is an eclipse of the moon, thoughts stream through darkness down upon the earth; and that such thoughts have a closer relationship with the subconscious life than with the conscious life of the human being.
[editor note: re Hieroglyph cycle and 18 year Saros period link with 18y periods in a Man’s life]
The old initiates often made use of a certain simile when speaking to their pupils. It is, of course, necessary to translate their words into modern language, but this is the gist of what they said:
“Visionaries and dreamers love to go for rambles by moonlight, when the moon is full. There are, however, certain people who have no wish to receive the good thoughts coming to them from the cosmos, but who, on the contrary, are desirous of getting hold of evil, diabolical thoughts. Such people will choose the moment of a lunar eclipse for their nocturnal wanderings.”
Here again we approach a spiritual reality in a physical event. Today we must not absorb such teaching in its old form. Were we to do so, we should be led into superstition. But it is very necessary to reach a point at which we are able once more to perceive the spiritual which permeates all cosmic processes.
[Eclipses as safety-valves]
Eclipses of the sun and moon, recurring as they do in the course of every year, may really be looked upon as “safety-valves.” A safety-valve is there to avert danger, to provide an outlet for something or other — steam, for instance — at the right moment.

One of the safety-valves which makes its appearance in the cosmos and to which we give the name of a solar eclipse, serves the purpose of carrying out into space in a Luciferic way, the evil that spreads over the earth, in order that evil may work havoc in a wider, less concentrated sphere.

The other safety-valve, the lunar eclipse, exists for the purpose of allowing the evil thoughts which are present in the cosmos to approach those human beings who are desirous of being possessed by them.

In matters of this kind people do not, as a rule, act in full consciousness, but the facts are nevertheless real - just as real as the attraction of a magnet for small particles of iron. Such are the forces at work, in the cosmos - forces no less potent than the forces we analyse and investigate today in our chemical laboratories.
Man will not be able to free himself from the forces in his being which tend to drag him downwards until he develops in himself a certain feeling for spiritual concepts such as these. Then only will the path leading to a true comprehension of birth and death be opened up to humanity. And such a comprehension and understanding is sorely needed by humanity today, when men are plunged in spiritual darkness.

Johanna von Keyserlink

reports a conversation she had with Rudolf Steiner

I had also noted down the question: 'What is the meaning of the Apocalyptic phrase: "When the moon became as blood"?' (Rev. 6,12).
Rudolf Steiner said in a most serious manner: 'That is a very deep saying which you have quoted!'
I: 'Does it mean that the dark moon slag begins to shine when the red light shines through it from within—or does a red glow shine from the visible sun towards the moon?'
Rudolf Steiner: 'The first statement is correct, not the second. The latter is incorrect. The moon is illuminated from within, you see, it is like an egg: the yolk is the moon through which shines the red light.'

Notes:

slag: stony waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore, also: stony material ejected by a volcano
yolk: the yellow internal part of a bird's egg, which is surrounded by the white, is rich in protein and fat, and nourishes the developing embryo

this means the moon is illuminated from within, we can compare the moon with an egg and the red light shines from within.

Mineral science states: During a total lunar eclipse, Earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. The only light reflected from the lunar surface has been refracted by Earth's atmosphere. This light appears reddish for the same reason that a sunset or sunrise does: the Rayleigh scattering of bluer light.

The Danjon scale is used to describe the lunar eclipse brightness on a scale from 0 to 4.

Elisabeth Vreede: 'Astronomy and Spiritual Science' (1927-28)

Letter 9 - Eclipses of the Sun and Moon: Whitsuntide [Pentecost]
Letter 10 - More About Eclipses: The Saros Period

Discussion

Note 1 - Nature's kingdoms during solar eclipses

Clairvoyant observation shows that plant and animal life is very different during a solar eclipse, compared to night time (see 1913-10-02-GA148 above).

This topic has been subject of research, mostly focusing on comparing behavioural patterns against known night-time behaviour and thus the effect of the internal clock.

The following extract is taken from the paper 'How do fishes react to total solar eclipses?'by Stéphan G. Reebs Université de Moncton, Canada 2007-2013 (link to PDF paper via online article: How Fish Behave During a Solar Eclipse)

Published reports indicate that during an eclipse, mammals either keep on going about their normal business (for example, zebras, lions, baboons, ground squirrels, dairy cattle) or appear to be nervous (for example, chimpanzees, horses, hippos).[1]
They do not seem to prepare for sleep in any way. We therefore conclude that internal clocks seem to be strongly relied upon.
Birds, however, often behave oddly, crowding together and becoming quiet. Some birds have been seen flying to their roost, a presleep behaviour.[2]
One observer in Africa reported that waders and herons showed no reaction to a total solar eclipse, but that egrets, oxpeckers, ibis, trumpeter hornbills and geese set off for their roosts. Meanwhile, nocturnal owls and frogs started calling, as if night was starting. [3]
Reptiles and insects can also adopt night time behaviour during totality. During a 1991 total eclipse in Mexico, orb weaving spiders were witnessed taking down their webs, as they do every night, and zebra-tailed lizards also seemed to turn in for the “night”. [4]

No clear conclusions arise from the various scattered research, though certain interesting cases are observed too:

The only diurnal species that did not exhibit night time behaviour during totality was the surgeonfish Prionurus laticlavius, which stopped grazing and formed schools that swam erratically with apparent alarm.

Definitely some remarkable experiences are reported during eclipses. Example below from a post on a facebook forum by David Wansbrough:

I was walking across a field from a prison at Emu Plains in the mid 1970s (Australia) when there was an almost total eclipse. The birds were silent. I stood still. All around birds were on the ground with bent legs, and many were on their backs with their claws curled as if dead. As the light returned the insects started to click rhythmically, pausing collectively in unison and starting again, as if they were orchestrated by an invisible conductor.

Hereby some examples of research papers to illustrate:

one (birds and insects), two (birds), three (chimpanzees), four (spiders), five (wildlife)
six (fish), seven (fish)

Some links for further reading:

Note 2 - Various other notes

Death of Herod timed with mention of lunar eclipse

This is a topic that appears in discussions of astronomical events that appear in or are related to the Bible, re: Greub, Ormond Edwards, Powell

Josephus maintains that Herod the Great died between a lunar eclipse and a following Passover.

f the lunar eclipses visible in Jerusalem, the two in contention are those of March 13 in 4 BC and January 10 in 1 BC.

Following Luke (1:5 ff), Herod was still alive at least 15 months before the birth of the Luke-Nathan Jesus. In that case Herod must have died between the eclipse and the Passover of 1 BC. It is not at all certain that the "infanticide" happened 4 BC or earlier; it might have been as late as 1 BC.

On this topic, see also the NASA page on lunar eclipses

Related pages

References and further reading

Elisabeth Vreede: 'Astronomy and Spiritual Science' (1927-28)
- Letter 9 - Eclipses of the Sun and Moon: Whitsuntide [Pentecost]
- Letter 10 - More About Eclipses: The Saros Period