it's so beautiful

NGC 3603, a prominent star-forming region in the Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way about 20,000 light-years away, image reveals stages in the life cycle of stars. (from NASA image of the day)

There are times when I look at images such as this and can't believe it could possibly exist. How can that exist? From here on Earth we see so little, especially now that I live in Seattle with all its clouds and light pollution. And then I remember a night in New Zealand heading for the bathroom at oh-dark-stupid. I gasped at what I saw, and I wept at what I and countless other people never see-- the brilliance of billions of tiny points of light.

There are also times when I know I am connected with something larger than myself, larger than this planet... I feel the pulsing and dancing of the stars. They call to me and I remember how far the web of everything stretches, and I feel as if I can breathe again as I expand across the universe. May you dance with the universe reminding others to let go and dance with you.

“You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.” Nietzsche