STARGAZING

 

How wonderful it is in the summer months when the night skies are clear, to be able to gaze up at the stars in the Pacific Northwest.

They seem to shimmer like ephemeral diamonds, and many songs have been written to this effect. They seem to be so close that we feel we could reach out and touch them. There is an overall feeling that our very souls are being drawn out of our bodies, being invited to join in the wonderful dance of the cosmos.

In addition, during the festival of St. John, we are presented with the mystery of 8 yellow diamonds, or rhombi, on the back of the vestment of the priest, as a meditation.

In the physical world, we know that diamonds are created after many millennia, from coal under tremendous pressure, which in turn is the residue left over from plant life.

If you are familiar with homeopathy, you know that these healing remedies are created through a process of dilution, or refinement, until there is very little left of the original ingredient, that is to say, a marked decrease in the material; in turn, the energy of the ingredient is greatly increased. This energy has been proven to still be effective even after 100 years!

The diamond-like shimmery starlight that we see today, we know from physical science, has travelled thousands of years to reach us.

Some say that our own bodies may have been made from stardust, and that when we die, our souls return to the cosmos. Imagine if this process were to continue for millennia – our souls slowly and painstakingly being refined, until we also can shine bright like a diamond.

Imagine…..

Sparky

LOOK UP, WAAAY UP

 As the rain seems to fall seemingly endlessly, with only brief glimpses of the Sun, one can sometimes feel a little melancholy.

If you have recently lost a loved one, you may take comfort in the thought that they still linger nearby. When you think of them, it means that they are with you. I have begun reading to my daughter and mother for a few minutes each day. Think of something that you liked to do together, and continue this practise, keeping your loved one in mind. They wish to remain as connected with you, as you do with them.

I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to lose a loved one and not believe in a spiritual world,

In Luke 4, verse 43 we read: "but he said to them, 'I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose'". The Christ did not come just to save us from our sins, but to remind us that there is, in fact, a heavenly realm of angels and spiritual beings. Our preoccupation with materialism has caused us to forget where we came from, and where we will one day return. We need only to look around in nature or up at the stars to help us remember.

Many therapists recommend that people reconnect with nature, even if only for 15 minutes a day, so that we may hopefully begin again to feel a sense of wonder and mystery. Forest bathing is promoted in countries like South Korea, Japan, the US and Canada.

Gazing at the stars can also foster a sense of wonder, or perhaps tickle a long-buried memory of where we came from.

The spectacular planetary alignments in 2025 and 2026 are a call from the cosmos itself, for harmony and cooperation between people and countries. They are also a call for re-connection between human beings and the heavens.

The wonderful thing about our church community is that we know we all carry heavy burdens, due to the pressures of everyday life – economic, physical, emotional and spiritual. I know that I will find support and understanding, and beyond that, the space to flutter my wings as I continue to practise how to fly. As well, there is the Sacrament of Consultation – not a confession per se – but a laying down of a burden and giving it to God, or seeking a way forward.

When we strive to see the Christ in the person standing in front of us, we can strive for mutual understanding. In other words, meet each other in the middle. To put aside our subjectiveness for a moment and ask ourselves, what is it that the person across from me is carrying? This striving for mutual understanding must begin in the community where we live, for with mutual understanding there can be compassion, which can lead to cooperation. Thinking, feeling and willing.

Sparky