81 The Stars Progress
After weeks of rainy afternoons followed by cloudy evenings, again the sky is clear at night – and what changes have taken place in the meantime! Slowly, slowly we move through the seasons, but when there is break in continuity it becomes very clear how a little change each day adds up. After evening chanting I go out with a friend to the courtyard; when we last looked Orion was almost directly overhead, and now it lies half way down towards the horizon. Just now as we progress through springtime we have some truly wonderful views with most of the readily identifiable constellations spread out across the western sky. Ursa Major, the Great Bear, which I last saw in the mornings is now the most northerly of these groups; followed by Gemini, with its twin stars Castor and Pollux; then comes Orion, and Canus Major with Sirius the Dogstar, the brightest star in the sky, lying to the south.
We have a book of star maps and general information, and we often stand and stare in awe at the heavens above – if what the astronomers tell us is true we live in the presence of a universe whose dimensions are beyond all imagination, a universe so vast it actually is immeasurable – and yet still somehow we manage to treat everything as though it revolved around ourselves and all that we do, instead of reaching out to the infinite heavens with an open and empty heart. We grasp at the insignificant, thinking to satisfy our greedy selves – and that too is a wonder when you think about it.
It is early afternoon,
and the lovely clear morning
has given way to dark skies.
Outside, walking back and forth,
I breathe in the cool fresh air
before the rains hem me in.
When the waters fall they will
bring life to new-planted seeds;
marigolds to brighten the day.