In December of 1999 there was a total eclipse of the moon that appeared in the sky here in the Midwest. It was beautiful! It is quite amazing to watch a lunar eclipse because you can observe something very similar to the phases of the moon, unfolding over merely a period of hours, instead of the month as usual. I say similar, because it looks different somehow, the dark section isn't black, but an otherworldly color, sometimes gray sometimes a brownish-maroon, and the shadow is different, not a sharp edge, but a bit fuzzy. It's easy to believe that an eclipse was considered supernatural long ago. As I watched this heavenly show unfolding before my eyes, I explained to my daughters that it was the shadow of the earth passing across the full moon. Gazing up at the almost totally masked moon, in my mind's eye, I saw the spirit of the Moon Goddess, pulling her dark cloak around her, amusing herself with a celestial game of hide and seek. I kept this picture in my head for 9 months until I finally put it to paper, it had aged to perfection. It was completed on a full moon night the following August. A lunar eclipse can bring about change, it is a good time for letting go of the past and unveiling something new in your life before you. It is a time of blessings and wonder. 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board. By Mickie Mueller