Thursday, January 14, 2010

The new moon is tonight

Everyone should get away from city lights when they can to see the night sky.  It feels like connecting to the ancient past to see the Milky Way and all the stars in the Little Dipper.  Stay out a little while and let your eyes completely adjust to the darkness.  With no moon, the stars are most brilliant, and you can get a sense of infinity.

Having been in cities for so long, I had forgotten how dark true darkness is.  On a cloudy, moonless night there is a profound darkness that feels darker than just the mere absence of light.  The darkness is a presence, not ominous, but natural.  And the nighttime silence is fitting.  It just feels right.  It gives a new, hopeful meaning to the phrase Dark Night of the Soul.

2 comments:

  1. i experienced that last week when the front was about to move through. i went outside to check the pipes, dog, etc...and it was dead quiet. no birds, no traffic, no nothing...it was eerie but peaceful so i stood there a while and enjoyed it. as i went around to one side of the house i passed by a large bush and startled 20 small birds who flew out and gave me a heart attack. went from calm to 'o crap' in 4 footsteps.

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