Looking up at the stars

Looking up at the stars

The loud  noises of the car horns, the brightness from the city street lights,  the luminescent buildings and electric commercial  signs, combined with the fast pace of our lives leave much to be desired as  we keep our heads down towards the ground and get to our preconceived destinations. We sometimes even miss our fellow walkers as we bustle through our day neither  making connections nor connecting to our surroundings. Yet we are always looking up at the stars for guidance to our personal chaos. When we get the rare chance to be outside at night, and the light of man made origin turns off, we see a new sort of radiance of light emerge as we readjust our eyes to the night time. 

The stillness is deafening. The serenity can be disconcerting to an agitated and distracted mind. The radiance is that of the star light. Like pin holes in the heavens, the night sky shines brightly down with effulgence. It is unfortunate that we either miss this amazing sight due to the artificial light pollution or our eternal material distractions in life. So too is true when we turn off the outside light and look inward at the beauty of the light of our souls. We look to the heavens above for guidance, yet it is the soul within that is always in connection with this heavenly pathfinder. The infinite stars not only represent the light to guide our nights, but also the infinite possible directions that we can take with our lives. Shining bright through our creativity, our Self expression, our inner radiance guides our day and night lives. 

How do we tap into this light? In my opinion, first acknowledge that you are You, and accept yourself for who you are. Perfections and flaws alike, simply accept that who you were, who you are today and who you will become in the future. Once you do this, you are giving the true You a chance at recognition by allowing your ever ominous, looming and overbearing mind to bow gracefully in acknowledgment at something other than itself. This chance gives way to the spirit, your true nature to start voicing its opinion.  

Next comes facing the next hurdle which is your fears and doubts. By confronting them all head on with a warm embrace. Feel the light from the candle of your soul start to burn brighter, and brighter till it has engulfed your fears and shone the light to disperse all the darkness. No corner of the room of your mind's eye should be left without being illuminated. This almost is like a mind cleansing of your old thoughts, doubts, anxieties, worries and more over your own self critisizm. Once you have dealt with these "demons"you become lighter to float and be as airy as the luminesence that you are trying to reveal. 

Being free to touch the stars with the belief that anything is possible is the next stage of evolutionary mindfulness. Dispensing the notion of disbelief is accomplishable if you try in the physical to be present at night time outside and feel yourelf as part of the stars above. Why do we look to the stars for guidance when we know that our souls if unburdened by the chains of the mind, have the  power to connect to the creator and the universe in an instant. The infinite stars are like infinite destinations waiting to be explored. To borrow and paraphrase a quote that " as it is on earth, so it is in heaven" I would add that as the inner light shines within, so does it shine from above, as seen in the twinkling of the luminescent night sky.  

Standing outside, the more our eyes dilate in the night and we get accustomed to the darkness, the clearer we see the stars, and if you have ever focussed on these stars you see more of them and with progressive brightness. The "twinkle" is like the stars looking back at you and winking as if to say we see you, we  hear you and we are here to help. Similarly the more you clean up your mind to start experiencing the stillness, the clearer the mind's eye vision gets to start seeing the bright star of your shining true Self glow and take over your sky, your life, and your experiences. The clearer your mind, the clearer it can see your spirit and its  ever present and progressive radiance. A fun exercise that usually only children do and easily dismissed by the intelligent and more evolved adult is counting the stars as they come out every hour. It is interesting how many more stars a child can count than the adult, since not only is their mind more free of clutter but also free and innocent enough to enjoy the experience of the moment. How many stars can you count?

Look at all the stars out tonight, which one do you want to touch? The night is yours and so is the destination.