A few days ago, the early evening sky in our part of mount Uraya featured a rare alignment of planets, with Venus and Jupiter queuing behind a smiley moon. It must have been clearly visible for nearly an hour when slowly from our vantage point, the light from the lampposts and houses in the subdivision began to outshine that of the sky’s. The heavenly spectacle then appeared to be blanketed by a thin white film that spoiled our little view of the heavens. End of show.
Every December, our tiny slice of sky treats us with Geminid meteor showers, which usually starts from the 13th to the 16th of the month. A long time ago in Perth, Western Australia, we’d have barbeque and pancit (and beer yes) outside to mark the event but unfortunately here, for three years running, the freaking clouds got in the way. So i’m not really hopeful this year. No show.
Alas, city lights and clouds, air pollution included, are indeed major bummers nowadays and I guess, most will just have to make do with Christmas lights twinkling in the windows while awaiting the nightly arrival of children singing carols. Unless of course, we move from our spot.
Ever been up the mountains? Or out at sea at night? I have had the pleasure of both during them younger years, thanks to itchy feet. Out there, with no city lights to blind us, or clouds to block our view of the sky, the stars can really put on a great show, planet alignments included. At last, one can play connect-the-dots and understand why such and such is called Cancer or Taurus, or in layman’s term, why there’s a big and small dipper. Everything is plain and simple, at their clearest.
In a profound sense, the ala IMAX panoramic view of heaven can lead one to realize how tiny we really are. More important and bad trip of all, creation has this humbling way of reminding us how frivolous we have become in spite of all it has laid before us. And I guess that is the gyst in all these. In life and in metaphor, we always seek the higher ground for a better view and advantage. Tiny snippets of lessons come our way, yet they have often gone in through one ear and out the other. Things like, “what is essential is invisible to the eye” or “think outside the box”, or “read between the lines”; all these may have been absorbed by us and may have lingered for brief moments. Sad to say, they eventually lose the battle, and are overpowered by the clouds and city lights of our mind.
