Ho-Humm: I was slow to become excited about today's solar eclipse across the USA. After all -- what was the great mystery in a shadow crossing the earth?
But sometimes it is the little things that wake up a child like wonder and thrills. And trigger surprise emotions & non-verbal brain signals from my Lizard Brain
Hours before the predicted solar eclipse max -- I did spend 25 mins building a shoebox "telescope" -- a miniature Camera Obscura for indirect observation of the 61% max solar eclipse shadowing south Texas.
Camera Obscura Woodcut from Wikipedia
And I was enjoying eclipse 2017 geographical progress via video coverage on NASA TV Live via YouTube.
One Possible NASA TV Live Logo
SURPRISE and AWE: But my interest and child like wonder -- and my Lizard Brain "triggers" -- these really peaked when I first stepped outside to test my shoe box "telescope" -- and looking down -- realized there was something really different: Countless magical Solar Crescents: Every sunbeam thru the trees was transformed into a little wonder of nature! Perhaps a photo to illustrate.
Stepping out to test shoebox "telescope and seeing
every sunbeam transformed into a Solar Crescent
INTELLECT vs LIZARD BRAIN: Yes, a solar eclipse seems trivial from an intellectual viewpoint. But your lizard brain is kinda surprised & startled when you realized something is very different about every sunbeam thru the trees. This surprise emotion suggest why solar eclipses are so emotional for some -- and were great sources of terror in the past: Every part of our being is "hard-wired" to expect & assume the Sun is daily round -- and reliable. When the Sun is not round & reliable -- the Lizard brain starts talking in brain signals -- under the surface of our conscious minds -- where words rarely traverse.
Lizard Brain? Perhaps an vehicle driving example. On long road trips with little traffic -- your mind gets bored. Soon you are observing the passing scenery or listening to an interest radio program. 45 mins later -- you "wake up" and realize you have been driving -- with success -- no wrecks -- yet you cannot recall any specific driving details of the last 40-60 miles. No specific conscious decisions about curves or speed or lane changes. In essence -- the Lizard Brain "took over" the driving from your conscious mind -- a biological "autopilot." Your conscious mind is only "called up" by the Lizard Brain -- if some driving problem manifest that was "too difficult" for the routine auto-pilot decision loops of the Lizard Brain.
MORE VAGUE LEARNING: Your Lizard Brain can and does learn many thinks -- often without specific, conscious instruction. Example? Do you recall learning how to crawl or walk or drink? You did learn -- but now these skills are "just in there" -- "hard wired" -- deep into your Lizard Brain and body.
Solar Eclipse and Your Lizard Brain? And your Lizard Brain is learning thousands of other daily details that almost never "boil up" to your conscious mind. Many are "environmental triggers" for what is "normal" and "odd" -- environmental details that often keep us out of trouble & alive. This included an unconscious "awareness" of how the Sun & Moon and stars "should be" on a regular basis. And an unconscious awareness of what are "normal" sun shadows -- and when this normal is "broken" -- by what might be a danger or predator above us in the sky.
UPSHOT: I was surprised by my internal emotional reaction to the crescent sunbeams thru the trees. My Lizard Brain communicated -- not in words -- but via unspoken emotional triggers -- that something was "spooky different." These emotional signals were BEYOND words and independent of my intellectual understand of the solar eclipse event.
As I reviewed my Solar Eclipse 2017 videos -- I caught myself "giddy" in my voice dialog. As I thought back the many total eclipse sites covered on NASA TV and other TV networks -- and mixed reactions of folks on the ground -- their emotional reactions were surprisingly genuine and unforced. Some just fell silent in the total eclipse darkness:
CBS News from Jackson Hole Wyoming,
On camera talent's genuine loss for words in
almost 100% total darkness.
(3 min 22 sec clip)
Some became giddy or child like in verbal expressions. Based upon my experience -- I would bet that deep wired Lizards Brain reactions to the Sun going dark affect everyone -- in ways that surprise even the most careful & controlled internal conscious observer.
Below are a few simple videos from today. Those who know me well can judge for themselves if my Lizard Brain was over stimulated.
Solar Eclipse at 61% & Shoebox
"Camera Obscura" in Operation
Ad Hoc "Colander Telescope" and a
Solar Crescent from every hole.
Solar Eclipse 2017 at 61% Max Occultation
and countless Solar Crescents in every shadow
Enjoy!
very nice Ron. Looks like you enjoyed the day. In seven yr's we get to enjoy the full affect.
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