Merry Meeet and Welcome to you beautiful souls!!!!
I have always been fascinated by certain natural phenomenon around the world and a few of my dreams include travelling to see them, like Uluru in Australia but earlier this year, I had the absolute experience of a lifetime when the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, were visible in areas further south than is usual and I was able to not only take photos but also see the waves with my own eyes!!!!
This happened because - and this is as simplified as I could make it - the Sun was experiencing a lot of strong solar storms that sent a larger than normal amount of particles towards the Earth. These extra particles caused the annulus (ring around the magnetic pole) to expand further out from the pole.
That's the science behind them but there are plenty of myths, legends and folklore around the world that surround the Auroras. Yes, there are two versions: Aurora Borealis which is visible around the North Pole, and the Aurora Australis which is visible around the South Pole.
Aurora comes from the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, whose Greek counterpart is Eos. Borealis is Latin for "northern" and Australis is Latin for "southern" but there is a similar word to "borealis" in Greek: "boreas" which means "winds". This means that "Aurora Borealis" has two translations: "Northern Lights" in Latin, and "Winds of Dawn/Sunrise" in Greek.
These names are interesting and lead into the myths, legends and folklore that surround them - I included Australia within my research into this. I'll list them to make it easier.
Aurora was sister to Helios and Seline, sun and moon respective. She raced across early morning sky in multi-coloured chariot to tell siblings of new day dawning
Romans – they associated the Northern Lights with a new day as they were believed to be the goddess of dawn, Aurora, who was the sister of Helios and Seline (the sun and moon respectively). Aurora would race across the early morning sky in a multi-coloured chariot to tell her siblings of the new day that was dawning.
France & Italy – it was a bad omen of an outbreak of something (from war to plague to death).
Scotland & England – over 200 years ago, the skies turned red before the French Revolution (1789-94) so they were seen as a sign of strife for their closest neighbour state.
China – they are very rare sightings, but it's possible that the Northern Lights are connected to the many early legends associated with dragons. In some of these, the Norther Lights were a celestial battle between good and evil dragons.
Japan – a child conceived under northern lights is apparently blessed with good looks, intellect and good fortune. There are many Japanese people who are fascinated with the Northern Lights.
Aboriginal Australians – they were/are seen as the gods dancing overhead.
Iceland – they are connected to childbirth just like in Japan, but they were meant to relieve the pain of delivery as long as the labouring mother didn't look at the Aurora while birthing.
Greenland – This is the sadddest one to me as they were the souls of stillborn babies or those who died (or were killed) at birth.
Finland – they are believed to be created by a firefox running over the snow so quickly that they cause sparks which is appropriate because the Finnish name is “revontulet” or “firefox”.
Sweden – they are seen as an omen of good news, a gift from benevolent gods giving warmth and light. To the fishermen, they were seen as a light reflection from large shoals of herring, a sign that a good harvest was coming.
Norse - they were believed to be the Bifrost bridge leading the gods (and the worthy dead) to the heavens/Valhalla. They were also believed to be the reflections or glow from the shields/armour of the Valkyrie.
Sami – here the Lights were seen as a powerful spiritual entity of its own. But the aurora are treated with the utmost respect, as making noise or being disrespectful while they are visible is bad luck.
Estonia – they are magnificent horse-drawn carriages carrying heavenly guests to spectacular wedding in the sky.
The many tribes of North America have their own beliefs and stories about the Lights so I've listed some here:
Cree – the Lights are life's circle, and at the same time they are the spirits of the dead staying in the sky but set apart and trying to communicate with the living.
Inuit tribes – they are the spirits of ancestors playing games or attempting to communicate with the living.
Algonquin – they are fires built by creator Nanahbozho to remind the world of his enduring love.
Makah – they are fires in the north made by a tribe of dwarves to boil whale blubber.
Mandan – they are fires used by great warriors to boil their enemies in huge cooking pots.
No matter where in the world, there is some kind of story, myth or legend surrounding the Auroras. But then again, we've been fascinated with them for millenia as we have an innate desire to give meaning to it. We also have a very human need for stories and an even deeper cativation with the natural world, especially given our reactions of awe and reverence.
Given all of the different myths and legends, it seems that the main themes of the Auroras are: ancestors, longing, change, and sublime. But on a personal level, I associate them with wonder, a sense of marvelling at the natural world. I genuinely marvelled at how I was able to get photos of the Aurora Borealis from my balcony but I was also able to see them dance across the sky with my own eyes!!!! Admittedly, it was only because I saw a distant "grey" movement that I was able to take these photos but I'm still grateful and continue to marvel at this experience.
While I didn't get a chance to do a reading at the time of seeing the Aurora Borealis, I spent some time creating a spread just for this experience. I used the rune Dagaz as inspiration for a 5-part spread that I can use with runes, oracle cards, Ogham staves or tarot. I chose Dagaz because it's connected to the dawn and breakthroughs.
1 Where does wonder already exist in my life?
Strength and Resilience
With this card, I feel like I'm being told that I can wonder at how I've managed to get to this point in my life.
I've had the inner strength to keep going, regardless of all the storms that life has thrown at me. Occasionally I may have been blown off-course by a strong wind but at the same time, I've just had the mental attitude to treat that as a bit of a detour instead of destruction. Admittedly, this is something that I've had to leaarn but I can still wonder at just how much I've learned throughout my life.
Something else I can wonder at is how I've learned to be resilient. I hadn't really thought that I was resilient but it's something I will wonder at always.
2 How have I already experienced wonder in my life?
Affirmation for Acceptance
This card wasn't what I expected or even thought might appear for this part. I've always wanted to be accepted for who I am but others have struggled to do this as comparisons are made to the living and the dead.
I do my best to accept others and I strive to treat everyone as an individual. But through my spiritual journey plus all the healing I've been trying to do and implement, I'm a lot more accepting of myself and now others feel more comfortable with accepting me because of this change of attitude.
When it comes to acceptance though, it's also about reality and how I can't change anything without accepting how things are.
3 What past wonders have I forgotten about?
Learn from Life, Listening to Wisdom
Initially I wasn't going to include both cards as one jumped out and landed face-up while the other was face-down. But, to be honest, they both seem to have the same energy and message and that's why I ultimately decided to include them both.
Life always holds lessons within the various experiences we have.
There's always something about life that we can learn from but sometimes we can get so fixated on learning from other people that we forget that life also means cats, dogs, birds, trees, plants, dolphins, whales, and even fish.
We forget to listen to what everything can teach us, that we can wonder about certain aspects of their lives that we can then learn from and implement in our own.
For many years, I didn't listen to the wisdom my cats could have taught me but I marvel and wonder at their lives so often now that it's as easy as breathing to me. I marvel at how efficient they are with their energy levels, their ability to love and care for other animals but especially humans.
I think it's interesting that the sky in the background of "Listening to Wisdom" looks similar to the Aurora Borealis as this reading feels like a very cohesive and connected series of extremely personal messages and even reminders.
4 What area of my life needs more wonder in it?
Transformation and Change
Transformation has been a recurring theme of certain experiences I've had since I saw the Aurora Borealis so I'm thinking I should pay more attention to just how much my life has changed.
Because my life has changed: I have more stability. I have a place that not only do I call it home but my soul feels at peace here. I have two feline mentors that help me to unlearn what doesn't work while learning what can. I have a purpose that I never really thought would be a real thing or that I'd even be able to figure out. I have confidence in what I can do.
Not only that but the biggest change within my life is that I am surrounded by support and love - the opposite of my childhood.
5 How can I bring more wonder into my life?
Affirmation for Positive Change
This card is a confirmation of "Transformation and Change" but it really makes me think that there are times when I have needed to shed who I used to be and become an evolved-version of that self.
I may not know my destination, where/what I will end up exploring but that doesn't mean I can't learn more about myself (and the world, of course) along the way. It doesn't mean that I can't have fun and look towards the future filled with positivity and optimism.
But the first step towards this is turning away from the familiar, from who and what I know to be steady within my life.
To mis-quote Peter Pan: "Change is but the next great adventure!"
Well, I think those cards are full of positivity and encouragement to keep going and trying to marvel at the natural world around me. I also feel like my ancestors are helping to empower me and celebrating me, even from the Otherworld. I know now that I can always find wonder in every experience, in everything that I see and hear if I am only willing to truly witness and listen.
I hope this experience holds a message for you that fills you with wonder and a desire to learn from anything and everything around you. It can be hard to see the positives and good in our lives when we're enveloped by darkness but the stars are only visible at night, so the good can truly be seen in those dark experiences.
My diary and inbox are open for anyone who may feel like life needs more wonder or assistance with transformation.
Peace and love to all!!!!
Commentaires