When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious
privilege it is to be alive – to breath, to think…
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Molly said, “Before you get started this morning, come out
here and look at the moon. It’s humongous!"
She was right, for this is the season of the super
moon...the time when it is the largest it
will be in the sky all year. While it
is, no doubt impressive at night, it is equally so in the early morning
hours. The ‘show’ is a little more
dramatic this time of year, because the elliptical motion of the moon brings it
closer to the earth, making it by some estimates 14 percent brighter. That may not exactly be ‘super,’ but if you
take the time to look at it – it is beautiful!
Any morning – any day…
There is something about the morning sky, as the rhythm of
the earth begins to shift in the early hours of the day. Watching the darkened sky making transition
to light brings a sense of renewal, rebirth, revelation of that which has been
in darkness finding its way into light.
One has a greater appreciation for the richly poetic language of the
opening chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1:2-5):
“And
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light and there was
light. And God saw the light, that it
was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the
darkness he called night. And the
evening and the morning were the first day.”
“…the evening and the morning were the first day.” This is the language that follows the
creative process of each day in this seminal chapter of the first book of the
Judeo-Christian spiritual text. It is
always the evening first, suggesting that darkness precedes light…or one might
argue as a metaphor for our lives, we begin all things ‘in darkness,’ and
become ‘enlightened’ as we encounter and process the ‘new’ or unknown.
A little less –
possibly more whimsy…
Our little home in Oro Valley faces west. This means, the cactus filled back yard faces
east providing, as the sun trudges unrelentingly toward us in the early morning
hours, subtle shifting from darkness to light.
Being outside while it is dark kindles a quietly energetic
anticipation as the surrounding hills become alive “…with the [sights and]
sound(s) of music…” Sitting on the patio, in the early hours when there has
been no moon…when there appears to be nothing but a void, brings revelation as morning
magic reveals the unseen.
As old Sol pushes the darkness away, the distant peaks, of
the Catalina Mountains become framed on the Eastern horizon. Slowly, the back yard presents itself alive
as the Yuccas, Barrel Cacti, Texas Ranger, Mexican Bird of Paradise and
miniature grapefruit trees begin to appear…at first grey and shapeless forms looking
for all the world like ghostly apparitions in the dreamy landscape. It isn’t long, however, before they take
shape…crisp and colorful images in their now brightly lit glory.
I never tire of experiencing the unrelenting cycle of the earth’s
movement around the sun, and the cycle of light that begins in darkness.
There is something self-renewing about meeting the day as it
gets itself ready. It is nice to feel
that while I am shaking off the cobwebs of a good night’s sleep, the earth is
doing the same. As I become more fully
awake, with a cup of Molly’s strong coffee, I feel as though I am part of the
same cycle of renewal as that of the earth, and in some ways, not fully grasped…the
rhythmic of replenishment of the universe.
- ted
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