Somewhere In The Stars

"There was a star riding through clouds one night,

and I said to the star,

'Consume me'."

Virginia Woolf

                                                                       THE WAVE   

The very first object of wonderment we may experience as a child is a star in the sky.  An awareness of a star is reinforced by the nursery rhyme "Star Light, Star Bright, First Star I see tonight" or the song, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."   We can probably remember staring at the dark night sky making a wish upon a star, throughout all stages of life.

A dark cloudless night emphasizes the twinkle in a star and shows how each one is dancing to its own rhythm.  Although stars mesmerized me throughout my childhood and teen years, I did not see a falling star until I was a senior in high school.  I was spell bound by the sight of light free falling to the earth.  My feet were firmly planted on the earth, my heart beat was racing, and in awe, I was speechless.  I captured this magic moment in my mind never to be forgotten.

Stars were always symbols to me, but I am not so certain why they were so alluring.  They seemed to be waiting for me as a connection to the  the heavens above.  Some people found an unearthly connection with angels, but for me, it was always the stars.

When my youngest son was healing from the death of his favorite uncle, I found him awake in his bed staring out at the stars.  I snuggled under the covers with him, sliding my arm around his shoulders and pulled him towards me.  We just sat together staring out the window without a word, just the comfort of silence.  Then right before I untangled my self from him, he mumbled in a sleepy voice, "Mom, I know the stars have meaning for me and the meaning  is important, but I am afraid I am starting to forget."  I have always wondered if the stars didn't have special meaning, but as many things fade in time, I believe we simply forget the magic always present in our world.

There is much to be read about the possibilities of the stars above.  Some say they are a portal to other worlds and other beings having energy of their own.  I must admit I have given deep thought to the existence of our brightly shining lights above. 

One night I found myself outside in the country, looking up at the stars and singling one out in particular.  I remember thinking, "If I could beam myself up to you right now, I could stay for a long time and when I returned to earth, my absence would have been just a blink of an eye."  I continued to stare at this singled out star, wishing to somehow beam my self up, when the star suddenly began to fall from the sky directly towards me.  I stood frozen in place watching the star spiral to the ground in a great flash.  I knew it would not hit me and I was not afraid even though I seemed to be directly in its path.  When it grew closer to the ground, I ran into the house and out the opposite door in time to watch it pass over my head and hit the earth several miles away.

Stars continue to ignite my imagination and I meditate with them more, not less.  Like others who have traveled to this earth, I have forgotten the star's original meaning, but it remains an unknown symbol to me.  I find it easy to commune with these sparklers in the sky, and as a star child, I know some day I will return to my home somewhere in the stars.