Astronomy 101

In laying out on a clear, breezy night and allowing myself to free-fall into the infinite ebony nothing of the universe; I indulge in life’s endless mystery at my family’s ranch. There are countless lessons that the cosmos teach, and in sacrificing my consciousness to their tremendous knowledge, I learn.
I sway in the hammock next to the fire my dad and I just made and connect the dots between each glittering jewel that litters the sky. I am constantly reminded of the unimaginable amount of abyss surrounding me. In fact, there is so much pure space that I often feel the ground fall away beneath me, until I am engulfed entirely in the inky void above. With the passage of time, I will become utterly meaningless and, although it is terrifying to believe that I am completely unimportant, it is wonderfully calming as well. Understanding that Earth revolves around not only me, but everything, literally takes the weight of the world off my shoulders and allows my tired body to relax. My consciousness floats blissfully among the stars and Urania’s gentle caresses. I give myself up to pure weightlessness and it takes me.
To relax, I must expand my body and mind and allow dreams, thoughts, and emotions to flood my being. Each of my greatest trials, now just mere intangible wisps of smoke. They first permeating my clothes then passing through my translucent conscious, each eliciting another swell of emotion, but the wave ebbs quickly and the thought continues on as it should. Ideas and concepts now flow freely through my mind like a river; each individual thought a smooth stone for me to pick up and turn over and feel the texture of on my palm before tossing back into the currents. The stars teach me to open up my eyes to everything, be it good or bad, and truly examine it before releasing it back to the universe.
The stars’ beauty is not in their personal brilliance, but their ability to reveal the hidden beauty of all beings. An open mind is a mind capable of sadness and...