The Northern Lights: Part 1

I’m heading North in a few days, to the Yukon where Scott and I are hoping to see the Northern Lights. They’ve always called to me, I’ve never seen them, I’m 65, and it’s time.

This is less a trip than a pilgrimage, to a place where I hope to see some of the Universe’s magic with my own eyes—to see the sky dance..

It’s good to pay attention to what calls to you. I want to experience how vast our universe is, and to remember that we humans, too, are bigger than we know. I need that reminder, especially now, when a malignant few in power do their best to make us feel broken and small. I want to look up and remember that we are part of something so much bigger than ourselves.

You don’t have to travel to the Yukon to experience awe. As James Crews writes in his poem below, it’s all around us. We can experience it anywhere, anytime. We just have to choose to see it.

I’ll let you know how it goes. See you next month!

*****

Poem:

Awe by James Crews

It’s a shiver that climbs the trellis

of the spine, each tingle a bright white

morning glory breaking into blossom

beneath the skin. It can happen anywhere,

anytime, even finding this sleeve of ice

worn by a branch all morning, now fallen

on a bed of snow. You can choose to pause,

pick it up, hold the cold thing in your hand

or not. Few tell us that wonder and awe

are decisions we make daily, hourly,

minute by minute in the tiny offices

of the heart—tilting the head to look up

at every tree turned into a chandelier

by light striking ice in just the right way.

Practice:

Read the poem aloud to yourself. Don't rush. Really take it in. Take one of the following jump off lines:

It can happen anywhere

It can happen anytime

A shiver…

A decision

I pause…

— or any other line or image that resonates. An alternate line could be: A few things I’m thinking about…

Then write for 10-15 minutes, pen not leaving the page. When you are done, read it back to yourself, out loud if you wish. Thank yourself for taking the time to meet yourself on the page. Your practice is now complete.