This is a “Consciousness Portrait” of my father. My father was born on an eclipse and died 79 years later on an eclipse.
All his life, he struggled with dualities. He was the youngest of eleven children living in rural poverty, yet he struck out on his own to see the world and work with the elite. He was smart, but never got a formal education. He was brought up with deep Southern values – everything was black and white – which meant some of his assumptions didn’t work in a modern world where much is only a shade of gray.
Eclipses symbolize duality to me. It’s the only time when day and night, darkness and light, actually meet in one place. It’s confusing to many animals. The daytime butterflies and the nighttime moths flutter together. They don’t know if it’s black or white either.
Dad once carved and painted an Io moth (the pink one) for me. He loved butterflies. When I miss my father, I remember the transformational nature of these lovely creatures. Dad’s left his cocoon and flew to the other side – where I’m sure existence is much more connected for him.