Aaahhhh....today was just the kind of day this girl needed. My 8 a.m. class was cancelled, so I could catch up on a few things - like sleep - and I didn't have to be on campus until 11:15. I even got to answer a geology question for another student, who asked if the Basin here in middle Tennessee could be an ancient impact crater (if you're curious about the answer, go here. It's in the paragraph that begins, "Anyway, back to my gathering...")
So...today has been quiet for the most part. I did have a moment on the way to school when I came upon a poor cat that had been runover. You know, sometimes it's hard to split your attention as you drive (and I generally wouldn't advise it) but this poor guy's spirit was lingering. I could sense it as I drove by. The attention split came when I had to go into the middle world to "open" a portal and encourage him to move on. Of course, being a cat, he exercised his perogative to not do it. I got the sense there was someone else there on the other side of the portal, trying to convince him to go, which he finally did after what seemed like forever. Something got his attention - for all I know, they turned on a phantom can opener.
Speaking of cats, the Sea of Felinity was in its usual form tonight. I went out to work on the star log, since this was the first clear night in a long time. I got the ladder to use as an impromptu table for my notebook and Mei-Mei was among the first three who immediately threw the thing on the ground. They'd throw it down as soon as I put it back down. I could almost hear them chuckle, "Silly human!"
It was actually fun to find all these constellations again. I've discovered I like the shape of a constellation I hadn't thought about in years: Perseus. There's just something fanciful about the shape of it - I'll see if I can get to look right in a graphic.
I took one summer back when I was in my twenties and learned all of them - which immediately took all the mystery out of the night sky. I literally felt as if I had suddenly been enclosed in a big dome, locking me away from the rest of the universe. Now I know that dome has a name - the celestial sphere - and there are more mysteries out there than we could ever solve. Instead of the constellations being a lock, they're now a key to an entire host of interesting things out there, not only in the night sky but also in several different mythologies and cultures as well.
So dears - I suppose there is another lesson for tonight: Look at your own locks and prisons. Maybe they're not locks at all. You may just find they are the key to more freedom than you've ever known.
Good night and sleep well.
Page and graphics Copyright 2004 D. Firewolf
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