Monday, September 27, 2010

Chasing sunrise


Daily dose of Lucas County: 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 27. 2010, at the marsh again. Clear skies obscured down here near the water by fog, chilly, a few geese flying noisily over, crows speaking in the woods along the river.

Sunrise came here officially at 7:06 a.m. today now that we are past the autumn equinox and light begins to diminish in proportion to darkness. Did you miss the equinox? It came officially at 10:13 p.m. (central time) last Wednesday, accompanied by the rising of a full harvest moon. I got here at 6:45 today for this post-equinox spectacle.

But the rise came a little later down here by the water, where cool overnight air met water warmed by yesterday's sunshine to create fog. First a pool of glowing light above the treeline ever so slightly south of due east that edged clouds in pink, then finally about 7:30 the sun itself --- first in dazzling increments mediated by limbs and leaves, then explosive light. No wonder our ancestors worshipped it. Try to look old Sol in the eye and he'll blind you.

All is in harmony down here this morning and so am I --- momentarily. The central stalk of life for traditional Navajo is expressed in a term anglicized as "hozho." Living hozho involves recognizing the harmony of creation, nurturing it, being attentive to it and working to restore it when disharmony creeps in. We all need to do more of that --- personally and collectively.


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