Science and Spirit Weekly Post: Stars, Meaning and a Wonder-filled New Year
Hi Folks,
After the wonderful full moon eclipse, and after hearing so many things for while now about auspicious cosmic events, their effect on our consciousness and their meaning, I got to thinking what's it all about anyway?"
In this community, this could be a potentially contentious topic. There are many astrologers among us who put great stock in the meaning discerned from the position of the stars and planets. But those more scientifically trained may take great exception to this. I studied astronomy at one point in my life. I really loved it. But they made sure we knew in no uncertain terms that astrology was bogus and completely unscientific. I continue to have many friends who take it very seriously and I want to be considerate of their perspective. Additionally, I've often enjoyed my own sign's quirks and characteristics. Makes for friendly party conversation. But on a deeper level, is there anything to it, really?
Well here is a subject that seems irreconcilable. Is astrology a belief, a spirituality, a religion? Granted there are many calculations that depend on cosmological knowledge. But does that make it a science? Well, personally I don't think so. But as a perspective there could be interesting information. Maybe someone out there can enlighten us further one way or the other.
Meanwhile, the deeper meaning for me in considering the stars is the incredible sense of wonder and mystery I feel when gazing upon them. Everything is so, well, so vast. We are less than a particle of dust on the arm of the Gods. Something about that makes me feel contrite, but also gives an incredible sense of freedom too. Let go of the small stuff. You know, the drama. It just don't matter, baby!
All this talk about the different line-ups of planets, stars, and so on, have me wondering. Hmmm, I think I'll just step outside tonight for my answer and get a big dose of mystery. Personally, I think it would be a better world if we all were reminded daily how little we really know. When we know we don't know, then we start to ask really interesting questions.
For this new year, I'm going to advocate awareness of the greater mystery, wonder and beauty of it all. That's ultimately what real spirituality is at it's core. Oh, and you know what? That's science at its core too! Voila!
Here's a nice little piece I found on beliefnet. enjoy!
Beyond the Stars
Jonathan H. Ellerby Ph.D.
When did you last go out into the night to gaze at the stars? When did you last take the time, perhaps lying on an old blanket, supported by the nurturing earth, to do nothing but look into the darkness--your eyes straining to see further into the inky black ocean of sky? Nowhere else to be, you breathe easily and softly as the wind gently washes over your face. What did you observe? Where did that journey take you?
Like many children, I used to love to go outside at night and lie under the stars. As kids, some of us were fortunate enough to be able to have that adventure on a regular basis, and others remember those moments only as rare gems found on the occasional night walk to a park or during a weekend camping trip. But the experience is unforgettable.
If I close my eyes, I can still see the jeweled darkness, patterns and stories scattered across the heavens. I've often wondered who else was looking with me. How many generations before me had also admired this vast display? Did Jesus Christ walk beneath the same night sky? Did Buddha or Mohammed? What about Alexander the Great, Queen Elizabeth, Anne Frank, Lao-tzu, or Steve Biko? Did Galileo help find these stars?
Were the pyramids and the Great Wall of China built beneath this same moon? Was there a young Aboriginal man somewhere deep in the wild country of Australia sleeping alone beneath this same night sky on his first walkabout, his journey into manhood? Did he wait for that moon to chase away his fears, or did he savor the darkness as the stars surfaced by the millions? How many stories, births, and deaths took place beneath this majestic array of lights? And there I was, wondering . . . one more story, one more set of eyes. Beneath the mystery, I was one more soul pondering what lay beyond.
No matter how far I looked or how hard I thought about it, time and space raced on. What was beyond the stars? There had to have been a starting point, and what was before that? The soaring awareness was endless, and soon my mind would rest. Below the eternal sky, my thoughts would grow silent and my heart would open, like the most precious night-blooming flower. Only during thoughs very rarest moments, something would shift, and effortlessly, I'd feel an opening within.
It's hard to put that experience into words, but if you've felt it (and most of us have at one point or another), then you understand. I glimpsed the solitary nature of my life's path and the fragility of my existence. I knew that no matter what my life would show, in time it would pass and be forgotten. All my suffering and all my triumphs would eventually vanish into the vastness of time. I am a mere blink in the life of a star.
In the same moment, however, there was a deep, deep peace and a profound sense of connection. No matter how insignificant I might feel as an individual, I am forever a part of something extraordinary. I share the same air, water, and sky as the highest and lowest of humanity. My breath is distantly intermingled with the exhalation of the jungles and great rain forests. My bones and blood are infused with the same carbon and chemicals found in all the plants, stones, and animals of the earth. Somehow, beneath the night sky, I knew that everything was and is connected. I could feel the love that all things emerged from and knew that we are all ultimately united. Oneness was the feeling. Oneness was the thought.
Those precious moments shaped me in subtle yet profound ways. The ability to step back and breathe in the grand design of life has always helped me weather the storms and seasons of change. I'm reminded not to take things too seriously, to practice humility and the art of letting go. It's a lifelong process, but the perspective assists my growth immeasurably.
Read more: https://blog.beliefnet.com/practical...#ixzz19wnRmI00
