Tonight to the west was a bright star, such a very big bright star. I'd not seen anything like it before. I wanted to run into the dining room and drag everybody out to see it. It was the most star like star I'd ever seen. It was just like pictures of the morning star. That's the one the Buddha saw at the time of his enlightenment. But I just stood and stargazed for awhile. And then later while walking back to my room after doing the washing-up, the star had gone. But where?
I'm not the only one looking to the sky. The moon has featured in a couple of blogs recently. In northern England where the moon is milky luminescent. In Alberta Canadawhere the word luculent was used. Wonderful word which can be used to describe language, as being 'transparently clear'. Something to aspire to while speaking out and speaking up.
There are probably more mentions of the full moon on the Internet, it certainly had a number of mentions here on the cloister. It was like a spot light, couldn't have missed it. Yes, and there it is still, with a white ring of cloud around it this evening.
The wish to share sights and sounds and smells must surely be part of the practice of generosity. Let me share a gift I received in an email this evening: "I went for a walk through the Chilterns today and saw hares boxing, herds of deer, red kites a plenty and buzzards, quite apart from the wild birds you'd expect to see or hear. It always pays to look up and out".
Yes indeed!
