Eternal search for transcendence
by Alfonsina Betancourt
PC: @joshuaearle
I have always been astronomical conscious. I love sunsets, sunrises (although I am more of a night owl), stargazing, looking for the moon, and finding shapes in the clouds. There is a particular mystery that involves seeing from afar and at the same time feeling wholly taken by the grandeur of nature. Looking at the sky is a humbling experience; something so powerful out there reflecting our inner world. For me, it has always been the space where science, magic, beauty, and spirit collide.
Maybe the desire to look through my window and commune with the elements has shaped my connection to the Universe. Very rightfully, it has inspired the work of poets, guided adventurers, and even initiated religious and scientific chapters since the beginning of humankind. Or perhaps it is that when you are a dreamer and romantic, it is easy to remain connected to something as far away as a star and still feel like it influences you.
Two events in the last week have made me want to untangle the role of the astronomical world in my spiritual development.
PC: @@astro.nic.visuals
First, we had a total lunar eclipse that was supposed to show its magnificence in the area I live, as it hasn’t in 25 years. So obviously, I did not want to miss it!
The eclipse would start around 9:30 pm. I was exhausted from a very eventful weekend, but as I closed my eyes, I decided to look out the window one more time. The sky was clearing by then; the full moon illuminated the space like a spotlight as a single cloud covered its magnificence. After I dozed off for a while, I opened my eyes again at the time the penumbral phase was starting, so I jumped and went to my studio, where I should have the best view. As a fogged glass shower door, the sky had covered its extensity with a veil that hid the full eclipsing moon. A treetop stood in front of the celestial spectacle, so I knew that it did not make sense for me to stay awake.
No viewing of the eclipse for me. Although disappointed, I thought about all the people who were probably looking at the sky at the exact moment.
The second event happened a couple of days later. Meteorologists predicted a powerful storm approaching with potentially damaging winds, hail, and maybe the possibility of tornadoes. As I was writing in front of a window, I could see the sky getting darker, the birds flying away, and the typical doom of an incoming storm charging the air. At first, there was an almost imperceptible drizzle, then the drops of water fell with more force creating a rhythmic effect over metal surfaces. I peeked outside, and although the air was hazy and heavy, sun rays filtered through, mixing warm light with cool grayness. It looked so unique!
PC: Yulia Gadalina
My first thought was, “there must be a rainbow somewhere.” I looked through every window I could, and I did not find any indication of it. It was at that moment that the truth hit me. The same way that some people were probably excited looking – or wanting to look – at the eclipse days before, there was someone like me that day who saw the combination of rain and sun and started searching for the rainbow. There is some kind of people who live delighted by the magic, beauty, and poetry that flows out of nature; people who see the metaphor behind the Earth covering the moon with a copper tone and of a prismatic explosion of color when water and sun mix.
I am not against science and looking at the world with rational eyes. But for me, life is worthy of seeing through wandering eyes, awe and delight, and the eternal belief in magic. Through that lens, we can transcend and realize we are more than matter and actual speckles of stardust. The Universe is so vast and appealing that when we marvel at it, we immediately connect with other souls who are doing the same thing and at the same time regardless of where we are, our ethnic, cultural, or racial background. It is a great unifier.
Maybe that is why the stars and the moon have inspired so many poems; because by looking at something bigger than us, we find a reflection of our inner world, of that infinite Universe of emotions, storms, rainbows, and complexities that inhabit the depths of our humanity.
We are drops of rain and sun rays, and in someone’s heart will be stardust and moons until the end of times. That is enough reason to keep waking up to see an eclipse, search for rainbows, and remember that through all our changing seasons, our own little Universe’s purpose is to remind us of how expansive and marvelous we can be.
In the act of marveling at the world, we become genuinely eternal and perennially connected to other souls even after our dusk arrives. Like love, the human desire to connect to something bigger than us will never expire. In the meantime, let’s keep enjoying the spectacle, writing the poems, and making our wishes because the Universe is always listening. Of that, I have plenty of evidence!
PC: @jeremybishop