Reflecting On Stars

For just as the Milky Way is the universe in the form of a galaxy, an orchid is the universe in the form of a flower, we are the universe in the form of a human.  And every time we are drawn to look up in the night sky and reflect on the awesome beauty of the universe, we are actually the universe reflecting on itself.  And this changes everything.

Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Journey Of The Universe.

Reflecting on stars, something we all have done at one time or another can be difficult in our electric world.  Where I live, the lights that we think we need to keep us safe from the unknown that the darkness harbors, blind us from being able to even see the multitude of stars that make up the galaxy we journey through the universe with.  But despite our best attempts to overwhelm the darkness, a few hundreds of stars are still able to break through our artificial lights and share the nighttime sky with us. 

Yesterday, I experienced another form of blindness, what I think is called an ocular migraine.  While reading a book, suddenly a bright jagged image of light began flashing in my eye, making it difficult if not impossible to be able to focus on the words on the page.  Being unable to read, I walked outside and sat in a chair trying to figure out what the flashing in my eyes was all about.  

 I noticed my neighbor mowing his lawn across the street, and it seemed strange that the flashing in my eye seemed to resonate at the same frequency as the gasoline fueled engine in my neighbor’s lawn mower. As I sat, I wondered if it was just a coincidence between the flashing light in my eye and the roaring engine, or if there was a connection.  Suddenly, my neighbor put his mower in to neutral resulting in a reduction in the RPM of the mower engine and the flashing in my eyes stopped.  When he put the mower into gear again, the flashing fortunately did not start up again.  

Coincidence or connection  ̶  the incident reminded me that in our electric motorized world  ̶  the noise, electrical lights, and other waste we spew into our environment prevent us from being able to fully interact with the world around us.  If we want change the way we are, we need to create space where we can find the connections that will lead us to a better way.  

So the next time you feel blinded, take some time to use your other senses to understand what it is that you are doing that is causing you to lose your vision.