Have you ever stared into a starry sky? Lying on your back you’re asking why. What’s the purpose I wonder who am? If you’ve ever stared into a starry sky” – Brandi Carlile
This is an invitation to the vastness and expansiveness of life. It is a call to clearer vision, a vision that takes in the whole rather than just what is right in front of us and the stories within. A reminder of what has been there along, that which is real and true.
By looking at a starry sky, we are invited to:
- step outside our ordinary life
- see things that were not in our awareness
- ponder bigger questions, making some of our problems seem smaller
- open up to new possibilities
- be still
By noticing the stars at a deeper level, intentionally gazing and perhaps being amazed, we are brought into their story and the story of millions of individuals before us. Those who have gazed at the stars and felt their gift of expansiveness, dreaming of possibilities. This is the journey of connecting with the world outside of ourselves.
A few moments of gazing at the stars, and the “self” that was staring at the phone or caught in the drama of life gets a break, gets to step out of the ordinary life and into a greater experience, an expanded experience. What we thought was so important might not be.
That brief moment of pause, of connecting to something outside of ourselves, to something that is pure and true, causes our body to respond. We first might experience a deeper inhale and exhale – which communicates to our nervous system that we can let down our guard and relax. If sustained over time and becomes a practice, our endocrine system gets the update that things are okay and we can stop with the overproduction of cortisol and adrenaline. Without the overdose of cortisol, the inflammation in our body goes down, thus helping our body to return to a place of homeostasis. This chain of events is simplified, but true. With practice, we can rewire our neural pathways, thus transforming our body, mind, and spirit. And this all started with gazing at the stars.
This is an invitation to transform your personal and professional life by deliberately connecting with the natural world. The good news is, this is for real, and supported by research from around the world. Is your life really working for you right now? Are you feeling content or peaceful over all, or do you generally feel anxious and overwhelmed? Most of us would lean toward the anxious and overwhelmed. However, those are just signs of a system out of balance. They are not our natural state.
What is one of the most powerful antidotes to this? Connecting to the natural world in meaningful ways. Connection with the natural world begins a journey of transformation in which you will find peace and contentment within yourself that you never thought possible. A relationship with the natural world has the potential to remind us of who we inherently are, if we listen. This journey of connection is our coming home, an unfolding of who you have always been, and what you have known deep in you heart that is possible.
