The Majesty of Morning
I have never been a meditator, at least not in the sitting still form of meditation. Running and swimming are my forms of meditation. And these two activities are a habitual part of my morning, rain, hail, or shine. In my running, there is a space, an expansiveness, at times out from all of the competing commitments. This morning, a crisp autumn morning, one of those days where the Australian light, which is different from any light I have experienced in any other country…clean, sharp, vibrant, colourful…was particularly beautiful. But before that, there were the first streaks of dawn across the Pacific, not a cloud on the horizon, and four stars clustered together in a most unusual formation. Venus and Jupiter, vibrant and pulsing and Mars and Mercury harder to see.
From the Herald Sun Newspaper.
The truly remarkable event – when Jupiter lines up with Venus, Mercury and Mars in the pre-dawn sky – will be visible in Australia’s eastern sky on Friday.
The alignment of the four planets, which happens only once every 50 to 100 years, will occur just before sunrise, Sydney Observatory says.
“Every couple of years you get two or three planets that come close together, but to have four is particularly rare,” the observatory’s education officer, Geoffrey Wyatt, said today.
The last time Australians saw such a show was in 1910, and the next occasion would not be until 2056, Mr Wyatt said.
During the alignment, from 5am on Friday, the four planets will be visible just above the horizon in the east.
Wow…I cannot tell you how beautiful these stars were, hovering over the crest of the Pacific Ocean. And then to run, as the sun makes its way into the sky, through the natural habitat of the Spit, on Queensland’s Gold Coast. It just doesn’t get any better. My cup runneth over with the majesty of the morning.
And it seems I need to be on the beach at 5 am tomorrow as well…to capture the full impact of the four planets in alignment.
On Tuesday, my morning run was along Tallow Beach to Broken Head, Byron Bay. Followed by breakfast overlooking Byron Bay’s main beach. So many people who come to Australia to visit fall in love with Byron Bay, our most easterly point. There is something about her energy…
What have you done today to be present to the magnificent majesty of morning? Of life? To the abundance that rolls always at our feet?
To quote from the master Rumi,
This moment
This love
Comes to rest in me,
Many beings
In One being.
In one wheat grain
A thousand
Sheaf Stacks
Inside
The needle’s eye
A turning night of stars.
