Connecting with the Cosmos

It was about 9pm on the night of the Summer Solstice when I stepped outside.

A sea of light dots shimmered in a dark night sky.

A waxing crescent moon turned red on the horizon.

I gazed out not only into space but into time…

….watching these stars was a journey in time travel. These stars are so far away that their light has taken millions of years to reach our eyes. And since light is the Usain Bolt of the Universe, racing at speed of 186,000 miles per second, it quickly starts to boggle my mind to how big the Universe really is.

I looked into the night sky and recalled this incredible journey – from when the Universe first began to birth stars and planets, galaxies and solar systems.

I reflect on the journey of our own planet which majestically placed itself at a perfect distance from the sun for the cosmological soup of life to begin. I am called to remember the depth of the time that enabled our planet to form core to the crust, transform its chemical composition many times over, create an atmosphere, have an environment conducive to bacteria and the increasing evolution of life, to become capable of self-regulation and complex quantum leaps that gave us such magic as the ‘great oxygenation event’ which created a dynamic and blissful relationship between the ocean, plants and the lungs of Earthbound life.

It’s amazing to drink all this in and feel a part of it.

Life is incredible.

A simple 15 minutes looking into the stars can give us a new sense of perspective – about our planet and our ridiculously short time on it. We are fleeting paragraphs in a story that is 13.6 billion years old. And, yet guided forth from those who came before us, we have the exciting opportunity to write the next chapter of its expansion.

 

‘Universe’ is the buzz word of many of us in the ‘new thought’ tribe so it’s a great exercise to connect with and learn more about the real, tangible, mind-expandingly-magnificent Universe that we reside in and tap into the wisdom.

Not so long ago our ancestors were watching the night sky, making observations and growing in awareness of what it meant to be alive on this Earth. Through their long stretches of nightly gazing they discovered planets with their naked eye and learned about the seasons of the Earth.

Continued observation evolved the concept of who we are – we went from living on a flat Earth to a Sphere and moved from being the centre of everything, to one small planet in a heliocentric solar system. We found out that our galaxy is really huge but  yet is only one of many billions of other galaxies in an ever expanding universe (maybe Multi-verse).

The knowledge that was once only discussed by keen astronomers may be readily available to anyone who wants to download Google Sky on a smart phone. But even with all the books, apps, websites and fascinating science documentaries which advance our intellectual knowledge, there is no substitute for direct connection with the cosmos.

We are in a very unique position in history to look out into the night sky with so much knowledge and yet still tap into the primal wonder that resides in our cellular lineage.

So much has happened in this Universal journey and we are in the wave of this current expansion, with the opportunity to move into a newly awakened consciousness. With the awareness of our cosmological place we can live in greater harmony with the magnificent planet that continually takes us on this whirlwind journey through space and time.

Knowing we are on the best ride of the Universal funfair is a sure reason to be grateful each day! Click To Tweet

The stars are calling us to remember our origins. The night sky longs to offer the gifts of deep time memory and inspirational guidance for the future. The nature of the cosmos unites us all as Earthlings living on this one small planet within a vast Universe.

As it was Solstice, the day had been filled with the usual annual attention given to the ancient sites around the world that line up with the sun. While many of these are marvelous in their construction and history, they are quite simply a manifestation of people who were in deep observation of their world. As super-star astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson eloquently explains in his book Death by Black Hole:

“The astronomy embodied in Stonehenge is not fundamentally deeper than what can be discovered with a stick in the ground.  Perhaps these ancient observatories perennially impress modern people because modern people have no idea how the sun, moon or stars move. We are too busy watching evening television to care what is going on in the sky. To us a simple rock alignment based on cosmic patterns looks like an Einsteinian feat, but a truly mysterious civilization would be one that made no cultural or architectural reference to the sky at all.”

Are we to be that truly mysterious civilization without deep connection to the night sky? Or will you allow yourself to delve in to this world of wonder, mystery, awe and expansion?

Give yourself the gift of watching the night sky for a few days and see how you feel. Share this article with friends so you can stargaze together.

Please do share the experience of your nightly sojourns with us in the comments below. Does looking at the night sky help you feel more nature connected?

Onelove

Terri

P.S. I know that for those of you living in a big city, the excessive light pollution really messes up with your stargazing intentions. While there are thousands of visible stars in the night sky, you may only be able to see 20-30. If that is your reality then I urge you to connect with the few that are there – they are still awesome! After a while of establishing this connection maybe you will be energized to contact your city council or representative and make the case for them to adopt low emitting light technology and discourage use of non-essential lighting. Find out more about this movement at The International Dark Sky Association

You also have the option to join me in Dominica on a custom-made retreat program to reset your circadian rhythms and get a good dose of night sky nature connection in tropical paradise. Find out more