A secular ceremony, of sorts. Even atheists have their rituals, and celebrations are certainly among those. As I leaped on a chair to take this pic, invisible to a crowd enraptured with the splendor above, I smiled to myself broadly at the cosmic coincidence. MythCon2, primarily the product of a love of Mythology, took a bow beneath a blood-red moon. The once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse, total and titian, tantalizing and terrifying, would have been of enormous astrological significance to the ancients. The very stuff of myth and superstition.
The globe beguiled with a ghostly glow while the gathering gawked…..goddam, but it was red! Red in a pining, provocative, other-worldly way. Red in a way that can’t really be described, the effect through telescope or binoculars was even more enchanting. In a room full of skeptics and science geeks, thinkers and poets and dreamers and doctors, the conversation centered squarely on the sanguine satellite. In the rush to prepare for the weekend, I’m not sure anyone had foreseen it, but certainly no one in attendance will ever forget the galactic symmetry. A gang of secularists and mythicists, humanists and atheists, freethinkers of every persuasion cavorted like a coven in a modern day Blood-Moon Ceremony. There was even a priest in attendance! Killah Priest himself, a master of words and gnostic imagery, stared in wonder astride his disciples.
The ritual was not one of worship, but not without wonder. Which of us could not be stunned speechless for a moment at the sheer beauty, the infinitesimal odds and the comfort of the science that lets us begin to get our heads around the scope of celestial grandeur. Save the sense of wonder, but skip the supernatural; this congregation’s ritual was one of celebration. A celebration both of astronomy and a job well done, but also acknowledgement of facts undiscovered and goals yet to achieve. Mythicist Milwaukee’s Mythinformation Conference 2 was as rare and exciting an event as the scarlet beach-ball above. KP, Mandisa Thomas, Arthur George and David Fitzgerald educated an enthusiastic crowd, each with their own unique perspective on the secular movement.
In the Book of Joel, lunar eclipses are described as portents of destruction. Today, we understand with certainty the cause behind the mysterious beauty, but those remain who would use this natural event to scare, control and bilk the innocent. Perhaps in the future, thanks to the tireless work of diverse, dedicated teams like this, everyone will be able to separate Myth from Truth. And celebrate both with equal fervor.
A “W” rose in the deepening dark as the goddess slowly donned her crimson cloak, and Cassiopeia cast an approving glance at the revelers far below her, and smiled once more at the irony.
The Secu-Larynx 
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