A Starry Sanctuary Perspective

This past week, I’ve been waking up early — earlier than I want to be waking up, in all honestly. But there’s been a lot on my mind. I have to give a speech at the annual gala for a non-profit organization where I sit on the board as the president. I have more projects at work than we’ve had in years. I am exploring major changes and growth in my design firm and with our Finding Sanctuary brand. All of these things are positive and even exciting. But there is an emotional charge to them. And it’s those humming energies of anticipation and fear, excitement and nervousness that have been waking me in the pre-dawn hours.

Maybe this happens to you.

How can we cope with our own turbulence as we navigate waters of change, growth and upward movement? How do we still find and create sanctuary for ourselves during times like these?

This week I tried something new. I stopped tossing and turning and harrumphing in my bed and just got up. I pulled on some clothes and went outside. Instantly I felt different. Better.

The stars.

Venus in all of her shining glory up in the sky.

Have you been outside before the sunrise recently? If not, do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s simply breathtaking.

But even more than the stunning display in the sky, there is a hush to these early morning hours. A quiet in the world which hasn’t quite woken up yet. And a perspective dawns in my own awareness that I am so very small. My worldly concerns seem suddenly to be a mere speck in the pantheon of lights dotting the dark sky.

If you are wondering why I find this comforting, it’s because I get so lost in the labyrinth of my own mind. I get caught up in my experience, my worries. That star-studded sky covers the world with a sacred blanket and I feel oddly safe and secure in that moment. I feel secure that I am part of something much bigger, greater and grander than myself. Safe in knowing that I am a thread in the tapestry of the world.

What a relief I find that perspective to be! It’s a form of sanctuary.

And then as I pause to watch the rosy glow in the eastern sky, and then the first spears of golden sunlight over the trees, the day is born. A new chance. A fresh start. And the reminder that this same dawning has been happening every day of my life. The sun just keeps coming up.

And today is another day we are surrounded by blessings.

Lisa