Whoever said the best things in life are free wasn’t wrong. Looking up and contemplating on the night sky is stress-relieving, mind-expanding, and hugely beneficial for you and your family.
The perfect place to reflect and contemplate during this lockdown is under a clear night sky — Cometan, Founder of Astronism
If nothing else, the global pandemic of the Coronavirus has slowed the world down and in effect, our minds too. In our socially-distanced states, we are bound to be thinking more about what we are doing in our lives, where we are heading, and what our futures will entail, both collectively as a planet and as individuals.
But for me, as an Astronist, space is the source of not only my spirituality, but my existential purpose and life meaning. When I look up to the stars, my mind and soul is filled with wonder, faith, and purpose. I stand in the knowledge that what I lay my eyes upon resembles the truth of reality. The significance of humanity only to itself, but not to the astronomical world.
I mean, if we perished tomorrow as a species, our solar system and all the countless galaxies beyond would continue to exist as if we ourselves had never existed. With this pandemic, we have all had a lot of extra time to reflect on our lives and to contemplate where we are heading. I believe that stargazing is an excellent and unique healing practice that possesses the powerful capacity to invoke reflection, contemplation, mindfulness and best of all, stillness.
For Astronists, stargazing is a religious and spiritual practice. It involves the proximation of the self to the astronomical world and in turn, releases oneself from the noise and distractions from all that is human. For you, stargazing can be a deeply contemplative activity, or for the more light-hearted of us, it is a fun and educational experience perfect to children of all ages to keep them entertained during the lockdown.
In these peculiar times of lockdown, parents have to become teachers to ensure that their children stay engaged with learning. What better way to keep children learning than getting them away from technology for a time and introducing them to the wonders of the night sky?
Key things to remember about stargazing during Coronavirus lockdown:
Keep your stargazing to the back garden or your bedroom window in order to comply with the rules of lockdown and social distancing.
If you have a telescope already, great! But you don’t necessarily need one. With a clear night sky, all you need do is look up and you’ll see some beautiful astronomical wonders.
Be sure to wrap up warm, bring hot drinks outside into the back garden and plenty of snacks to keep everyone comfortable and settled.
If you have children, the parents should lead the stargazing session. Try and engage them by printing out activity sheets or by pointing out astronomical phenomena which they may not notice on their own. It is important that parents explain to children why stargazing is interesting and exciting.
If you are alone, try practicing astromeditation techniques in the garden during a clear night sky or simply look up to the night sky and contemplate what might be out there amongst The Cosmos.
In these times of social distancing and lockdown, it is crucial that we keep our mental health in check by keeping our minds active and engaged. There is no better way to adhere to the rules of lockdown and achieve this mental engagement by getting out into your back garden and looking up.
The great thing about stargazing is that it can be done anywhere! From your back garden or even from your bedroom window, it is the perfect healing activity during the Coronavirus lockdown.
When the material world we have created is in such disarray, it is important to turn our attention back to the natural world . For Astronists, this means maintaining our connection to The Cosmos is more important than ever before!
And so, in these times of uncertainty and instability in the economic world, turn your attention towards the astronomical world for the calmness, purity, reflection and stillness that we could all do with a piece of right now.
Written by Cometan,
Founder of Astronism and First Padron of the Astronist Institution