Photo credit: N Anderson, 4.2023
In the parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, United States, where I am from, we’ve recently been treated to the breathtaking aurora borealis - the northern lights. Where I live currently, there are too many city lights to see these well - not to mention I am much more likely to be viewing the inside of my eyelids at the time of night these phenomena are most present. But when I wake in the morning, I am delighted by a social media feed filled with professional and amateur snaps of the dancing green, gold, and purple lights. These northern lights are awe-inspiring and it’s heartening to see folks taking time to revel in the mysteries of nature rather than perseverating on who’s been dragged through the mud in the news today.
Amid these gorgeous images, I came across 2 side-by-side images of the night sky. The first was a lovely single shot taken with a dark sky and a few stars. The other appeared to be the same picture but was actually a compilation of 120+ images “stacked” to form a more complete image, revealing the milky way galaxy in breathtaking detail. Not only were there more visible stars due to the layering of the smallest glimmers of light, but the dark sections were made even darker, allowing the stars to shine even more brightly. The multi-dimensionality of the cosmos was evident, and I was struck by the utter incomprehensibility of infinity. Getting lost in this image, I thought about how much more was revealed when those pictures were layered upon one another.
As human beings we, too, are much more than we appear at first glance. Our outward facing self is only superficial and sometimes we forget to honor all the dimensions of ourselves. We are built from heartache and grief, from love and loss, from laughter and joy. Our current reality has grown out of our experiences, influences from family and friends, our trials and achievements. We are enriched by our childhood places and adventures in growing throughout our lives. But we now assess ourselves relative to our contemporary lives, colleagues, education, and work experiences. What does it take to carry our multidimensionality into our present frame as we take inventory of our selves? If we do, might we able to feel more aligned with our essential selves in relation to our work lives, our friendships or our relationships? If we follow the echo calling us home to our essential selves, we then reclaim the essence of us that we may have set aside in order to meet the expectations, real or perceived, that others have of us, and in doing so, we can let go of the situations and relationships in which our best selves are not reflected back at us.
Living in infinite and multidimensional layers, we allow our own light to shine more brightly in comparison with the shadow lands through which we’ve traveled. We are the cosmos personified.