Connected by Stars

One of my favorite stars is Sirius, sometimes called the “Dog Star.” It is found in the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog), just to the lower left of the constellation Orion. Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky, and Orion and Canis Major are currently found low in the EASTERN sky in the northern hemisphere before sunrise these early October days.

Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, which draws you to it like a magnet. It’s so bright, you wonder, “is that a planet or a star?” Actually, it’s a binary star system (Sirius A and Sirius B) that appears as one star! In the northern hemisphere, Sirius rises in the EAST before sunrise in the later summer months…which marked the flooding of the Nile for ancient Egyptians and the hot “dog days” of summer for Greeks (and modern day Texans). For our siblings in the southern hemisphere, Sirius marks wintertime and was an important reference point for the Polynesian peoples as they navigated the Pacific Ocean.

Did you know, that Sirius is one of our closest neighbor stars, and that it is currently moving closer to us? This means it will get slightly brighter over the next 60,000 years…at which time it will also become the new southern pole star. Sirus…is SERIOUSly…an amazing star!

When I feel alone. When I have a tough day. When I feel disconnected and don’t know why. I like to go out after dark on a clear night and look at the stars. Maybe Sirius is up…but any of the 1000’s of visible stars will do in a pinch. I stand still and look up at the stars…whose photons of light have been traveling for years, and some for billions of years, to hit the light receptors in my eyes at that exact moment. Light of all ages from across the universe is intersecting ME…reminding me of how I am connected to creation and never alone…even on the darkest of nights.

I remember one time when my daughter was on a trip in middle school, maybe her first big trip away from home. We were talking on the phone and either were outside or I asked her to go outside with me where we were…and we look up together to see the same star…Sirius. Sirius reminded us of how connected we were, and how connection is there across space and time. The same light shining on her was the same light shining on me. Sirius made us feel like we were standing right next to each other. I could feel the love…the connection.

Do you have a favorite star or constellation? It’s okay if you don’t know the name! Know that it is there for you…to reminded you that you are never alone…that you are woven into a wonderfully complex universe of gratitude, grace, and belonging.

Clear skies! Harold

I took the picture for this post in Glen Rose, Texas – a 6 minute time-lapse of star trails around Polaris, the North Pole star.