Are The Stars Out Tonight? Reconnecting With The Power Of Mystery
On a crisp June night Im lying in my sleeping bag at 10,000 feet in the Sierras Desolation Wilderness. Here, far from the light and haze of the Bay Area, the sky is deep black, but thick with twinkling dots and dim wisps of cottony light. When I look from the corner of my eye, the dim lights become more defined, easier to perceive as stars. To count them all would take years, if it was even possible. The number seems incomprehensible. And the mystery of what could exist out there, somewhere, at once inspires and humbles me.
Enthralled by the night sky, I struggle to keep my eyes open, knowing with a disquieting certainty that upon my return to the real world my focus will be drawn steadily and relentlessly away from the mysteries of the night sky.
The real world of responsibilities, work, relationships and bills provides a powerful distraction from the mystery of the night sky and the mystery of our lives. This point was driven home, recently, when I heard the following two intriguing but contradictory statements in the same day.
First, in a recording, Carolyn Myss observed that...