Breathing stars, inspiration and the labyrinth of correspondence
It is expected that in about 5 billion years our sun will die. Recently the Hubble Space Telescope, focused on the planetary nebula NGC 6210 some 6,500 light-years away, photographed a star, slightly less massive than our sun, suffering its last gasp.
A dying star forms a planetary nebula (actually just gas and dust, but looks like a planet when viewed from a great distance) when it sheds its outer layers. In its death throes, a star sheds multiple shells, including platinum and gold electrons, in irregular patterns. In what is known as the last gasp, it leaves behind a tiny, extremely hot remnant called a white dwarf.
In an unusual parallel, romance meets empiricism, giving rise to the poetically and scientifically correct image of gold as the last breath of a dying star, its final expiration fading away.
I don’t know if a star breathes like one, but the kids (and I guess teenagers) of the sixties fell prey to Joni Mitchell’s opinion. She sang: “We are stardust. We are gold.” Many didn’t know any better, but if the Children of the 1960s had been inspired to put into practice the prana insights from the yoga manuals of Ernest Wood and Richard Hittleman, they would at least have realized that they were breathing. The root of the word inspiration is “inhale” and this revealing connection unlocks its inner meaning and associations, as well as its potential to stimulate personal enlightenment in both the spiritual and knowing senses.
Because if inspiration, that mysterious essence that visits us in life and promotes enthusiasm, meaningful action and connects heaven with earth, is so common, ordinary, predictable and freely available, then why aren’t we all inspired? time, or at least as often as when we inhale?
As the ancient alchemists might have said, the Philosopher’s Stone of self-knowledge allows us to turn lead into gold, or our mundane humanity into our divine nature. In inner alchemy, for example, a key concept is the refinement of essential matter into life breath and spirit. Taoists practice breathing exercises, massage, and martial arts to this end with great commitment.
In New Age literature and current popular psychology, we are often warned that our attitude dictates our commitment to our learning potential. It manifests and expresses itself through our responses: glib, dismissive, doubtful, cynical, angry, resentful. Other ways to respond to statements of truth or guidance are: strangely sad, full of longing (a distant longing you can’t find words for), hesitant, hopeful, fearful, hurt, relentless, fixed, or unyielding.
Like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the nearly 1,000-page authoritative manual of diagnostic criteria used by mental health professionals and insurance companies, descriptions of illness trump descriptions of wellness . But discover the logic. Our attitude only produces a positive response when we become receptive, open and insightful. However, there are a plethora of ways to sabotage this response and find our way into negativity.
And the logic is this. I drive to London, England from York. The route is to take the A64 to the A1 and then the M1 to the end. This is the route because it will get me there quickly, safely and cheaper than any other route. However, if I take a wrong turn and take the M18 to Sheffield just past Doncaster, I will be detoured 20 miles or more, adding time, danger and expense to my journey. If I mistakenly take the M62 to Hull or follow the A64 to Leeds, the result is the same. In reality, there is only one efficient route.
In another uncharacteristic parallel, inner work corresponds to outer life by amplifying and reflecting the fact that one path is right, while there are a multitude of wrong paths. Is it any wonder so many are lost and looking for guidance?
“I don’t know who I am/But you know life is for learning,” Joni Mitchell sang on that golden/stardust song. Knowing who you are is the goal of personal enlightenment, as in “Who am I?” or “What is a human being?” The root meaning of enlightenment is wisdom, knowledge, and there is even some connection to feathers. The word “drive” has the curious German meaning of “push from behind”, reminiscent of the Taoist concept of “driving from below”.
In an ancient Taoist story, a man is filled with an irrational fear that the sky will fall and destroy his home and family. A friend advised him that the sky was everywhere and consisted of nothing but the air he walked and breathed in, so how could anyone fear the collapse of the sky?
The fearful man replied that if the heavens were accumulated air then there was no danger of the stars falling. The friend replied that the stars were simply illuminated bodies of air, to which the fearful man replied, “What if the earth sank beneath my feet?”
His friend replied that the earth was a solid mass that filled space. “It is everywhere,” he said, “because you can walk all day and night without coming to an end, so how can you be afraid that it will break under your feet?” Apparently, the fearful man felt great relief at the explanation and began to live with confidence.
We are approaching a breathing universe with the friend who identifies the planets as bodies of air and the earth leading from below. To link that correspondence, let’s say that the ancient Taoists who used to say, “Look neither left nor right,” got it right and went on without any distractions. According to an old story, every time they set foot on earth they refused to take for granted the fact that there was stability and matter around their feet, so inspired with gratitude were they for the blessing of all that they needed for their connection. to Earth. .
Perhaps they breathed in as often as they breathed out.
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