FLUX
The lunar eclipse on September 7th/8th, 2025 left a lasting impact on me. Here are some of my thoughts about the event.
I was excited right from the moment I got to know about this. I waited like how a child would wait for something that’s promised. An astronomical event which isn’t that common, and people like me in Hyderabad would find it even more amazing, given the pollution and the high-rise buildings all around. I heard about eclipses in the past, but luck wasn’t on my side. My wife told me that the eclipse would start at 9:45 PM. I kept my hopes low, considering the battering the city took through the copious rains in the recent past.
The clock stuck 9:45 and I peeped from the balcony towards the sky. A shade of grey was visible towards the right side of the moon. I picked up my armamentarium and ran towards the terrace. My 5-year-old daughter followed me with her digital camera (not a proper DSLR, but a toy version which has a SD card slot which can capture few decent images). Within an hour or so from the first evidence of eclipse, the moon started getting masked by the grey tinge, layer by layer. I was busy capturing the images. My daughter was as excited as I was about the entire event. I loved her enthusiasm.
Our excitement was threatened for a while by the thick clouds. But we patiently waited for the clouds to be drawn away from the wind. Just when we thought of calling it quit, one big cloud mercifully gave way to the clear view of the total eclipse. My daughter stayed with me on the terrace until 12:30 AM. While we were satisfied with the entire experience, the mosquitoes had great fun too, drawing some blood from us. One final capture of the eclipsed moon showed the reddish tinge, THE BLOOD MOON, and then I was forced to go and rest, thanks to the biggest bunch of clouds.
When I evaluated the collage of images which I captured, starting from the slight greyish tinge to the full-blown reddish tinge, it made me think, beyond the eclipse. Are we not going through similar shifts in life? We are happy sometimes, sad at times and clueless, completely covered by doubts and worries some other times. Flux is something which we cannot stop. We have to go through it. But we need to adapt ourselves to the changes and not worry too much about whether we’re going to be happy or sad in the future. If you are sad now, happiness will be waiting to knock your door and vice-versa. This cycle goes on. What we need to do is to focus on the present, ‘What’s my job now?’. Past experiences can be data points which can help us in being prepared for the inevitable future, whatever that ‘inevitable’ is going to be.
No one is exception to the flux of life. Happy are those who adapt to the flux and continue to engage positively, understanding the ups and downs. Nature has lessons to offer, irrespective of our attention.
Next time when you look at the moon, please remember that it is natural to go through emotions. Look at the bigger picture and tolerate the seemingly irritable and annoying situations. Embrace yourself and move on.
Beyond the FLUX, focus on the LUX
