staring at the sun
“Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse ... as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane. Although the one experience precedes the other, it in no way prepares you for it.” —Annie Dillard
Total solar eclipses are rare, weird, and utterly overwhelming experiences. After seeing my first in 2017, it’s fair to say that I’ve become obsessed with them.
I remember arriving with friends and lovers in a little mountain town where many others had gathered with kids and cameras and scientific contraptions. A cheerful buzz of anticipation surged through the crowd, almost like a festival.
Then time began to slip.
Eerie undulating crescent shadows that looked like astral snakes appeared on leaves and the ground.
The songs of crickets and birds went strange.
The light flattened and turned monochromatic silver.
Darkness enveloped the world.
Stars came out in the daytime.
I heard no words; just ecstatic shouts and screams.
What on earth was happening?
I catapulted out of my rational mind into half-animal, half-astral existence.
I don’t fully understand why, but the experience of seeing that eclipse felt like a spiritual birth. On the other side of it, I was different. As I lay there on a hillside, I felt a strong sense of us all as earthlings.
I came home with the music of the universe inside me, which I turned into “The Lovers” on my album Hollow. I was deeply grateful for that gift, and I wanted to give music in return to mark the total solar eclipse that will traverse North America on April 8, 2024.
Staring at the sun is that gift. I hope you enjoy listening, and if you’re in the totality path on April 8, I wish you excellent weather, spectacular views, and a transcendent experience.
Love,
Angela
TRACKS
arrival
time-slip
stars and lovers
world under darkness
astral snakes
dragon swallowing
otherworldly sun
earthlings
BONUS TRACKS included with Bandcamp album purchase:
foreshadowing – recorded during an uncanny moment in a Mexico City Uber on January 1, 2024
The Lovers – a song born during the 2017 total eclipse
CREDITS
released April 8, 2024
PRODUCTION—Produced, performed, and mixed by Angela Winter; mastered by Jack Chuter
PUBLISHING—Written and published by Angela Winter (ASCAP)
COVER ART—Photo by Kevin Crosby; design by Angela Winter
THANKS—Deep gratitude to: my star family for our eclipse adventures; my angels for your generous love and support; Mary Beth and Brandon for offering your sweet (pea) home as a creative retreat space; Kevin Crosby for sharing your exquisite shot of the 2017 eclipse; Jack Chuter for your brilliant ears and open heart; and Brent Winter for being the brightest, most beautiful star in my universe
Send eclipse glasses and constellation postcards to: Winter Creative Studio, 304 W. Weaver St. Suite 230, Carrboro, NC 27510, USA
dedicated to the Otherworldly Sun
©℗ 2024 Angela Winter, all rights reserved