Have you ever seen The Glory?
I have.
Tonight I walked out into the dark night. Where I am at this time, there are no lights, no street or road near bye. I am in the middle of a forest, in the deepest part of Devon and there is no such thing as light pollution. There is simply the night sky and the glory.
Stars sparkle with an extra keen brightness, planets twinkle away with a luminosity beyond anything I would see from a city or town. The sky itself is deepest black and every single tiny star shines like so much diamond looking as if they have been powered by a couple of million watt L.E.D. lights helping it along. It really is that stark a contrast, that brilliant a display. It fills me with awe.
Staring upwards, my ears attuned to the Owls screech or hoot, the soughing of the wind, the trees leaves are turning into the shades autumn creates, drying out, rustling and drifting in falling scattered black shapes against the moonlights beams. It is a magical. mystical moment.
All thought seems suspended in this night scape, the clamour of television, the almost angry shrill of telephone land line or mobile, is absent. No voices other than the small wild creatures of the night make themselves heard. I can hear my own footsteps as I cross the rough stoned drive, crunch, crunch, as I make my way to a small circular clearing at the top of the drive. It is surrounded by old, ancient trees. Mostly Oak, several I would call 'mighty' standing with the gnarled branches and thick , almost comforting in size, trunks.
Sentinels of the land, they stand in black shadowed majesty pointing towards the sky, and when I look upwards, the trees branches are closing overhead in a circle of silhouetted twigs, leaves and branches. Natures own picture frame gives me a perfect capture of the nights sky and the brilliance of stars scattered across the sky canvas makes me almost breathless. It is truly beautiful.
Vast, majestic,it is inspiring thoughtful contemplation and I feel small, and insignificant in the great pattern of the Universe. I find perspective in that enromous array. I find my place in the world, in the scheme of things. I am not the centre of the Universe, part of it, but not the centre and the issues hauntng me at this time, will not matter at all in ten, fifteen, twenty years time. They will not be of importance and the scale of time I use, is nothing but the blink of the Universal eye in reality.
I love the Glory, the times when every single star seems to be almost within reach, when the Milky Way is sharp and bright and snaking its way across my vision with come hither glitter, begging my adventurous soul to find a way to come, see, touch, the stars.
I am never going to truly travel through those stars, my heart longs to sail in alien ships through skies of uncharted beauty, my eyes long to see for themselves, not through the lens of a telescope, the grandeur, the magnificence of those galaxies and those amazing clouds and planets, the Rings of Moons, of planets. it will not be, not in this life time.
I content myself, that one day perhaps one of my descendents will. It is a comforting thought. My travelling gene passed on and fulfilled in some distant time. I like the idea, and content myself with seeing tonight, the stars glittering and shining , twinkling and pulsing and think how glorious our sky is.
Finding peace in simple veiws of a canvas that changes nightly and gives a lasting memory.
Tonight I saw the glory, it was............breathtaking.
