I Wonder

I was on a mountain in the Grampians National Park. This 1,672 square km park is in a region of Victoria, Australia and is known to the traditional custodians as Gariwerd.  The custodians are the Jardwadjali (“Jaadwa”) people. 

The sandstone of the Grampian ranges was formed from river sediment laid down over 415 million years ago. The sediment accumulated to a depth of seven kilometres before it was raised and tilted. The Gramps, as they are colloquially known, are part of the Great Dividing Range and this extends 4,000 km to the north along the east coast to Cape York Peninsula. The park has a rich Aboriginal heritage and the ranges are a sanctuary for many sacred sites. Native plants have adapted well to the low nutrient conditions and there is a rich diversity in the vegetation. The ecosystem has been shaped and nurtured by the custodians use of fire as a means of nurturing and replenishing the land.  One of the beneficial effects is that fire stimulates the opening of seed pods and helps to disperse the seeds across a wide area.

I was camping on a rock platform on the north eastern face of a high peak. The sandstone platform was relatively flat and roughly rectangular in shape. My campsite came with natural shelving and seating, thanks to aeons of artistic weathering by the wind and rain. Depressions in the rock held fresh rain water.

The surrounding woodland included banksia, gums, wattle and grass-trees. There was a thick carpet of moss around the water holes. My aching feet were thankful for this unexpected luxury. Orchids were growing in the crevasses and on the edge of the platform. They were not in flower though. Hopefully one day I will be blessed to see them in bloom.

The Grampians have a high annual rainfall and snowfalls are common. Fortunately today the weather was fine. It was just before first light. I was enjoying the period of calm that so often graces the pre-dawn hours. Orion had just risen and was shining brightly above the eastern horizon. The constellation’s stars were enthusiastically twinkling as if their light was playfully frolicking in a dance with the stirrings in the atmosphere brought on by the approaching sunrise.

I could even make out the Great Orion Nebula. Usually this was an indeterminate smudge at best. Tonight however, the sky was crystal clear. There was no light pollution and I could see some definition. There was enough contrast to light a spark of excitement in me. This was the first time I had been able to observe the nebula without the aid of a telescope or binoculars, and I was happily imagining that I could see a hint of its colossal structure.

I knew the shape and colour of the nebula well thanks to the wonderful photographs of David Malin and other astronomers; and now of course we have those breathtaking images from the Hubble space telescope.  The cavernous nebula is an astounding 24 light years across and its cloister like inner chamber, which is open to viewers from Earth, has been decorated with colourful impressionist artwork.  I could not see the wonderful colours that night of course, but to be able to see the nebula in the sky in front of me filled me with awe. It felt so close and I imagined myself standing inside the enormous cavern of light like a colossus, arms help high and wide, shouting for joy. I was feeling so excited and thrilled in the moment, and so, huge!

The fact that we can see the nebula from Earth gives a hint of its immense size. Our solar system’s planetary plane out to and including Pluto’s orbit, is roughly 12 light hours in diameter. Orion’s nebula is 17,520 times larger.

I smiled as it dawned on me that my fascination and delight at being able to observe the nebula in this magical setting, was somehow enhancing my observation powers, and very likely my imagination as well. Was I imagining that I was now seeing these new things? How wonderful it would be to be able to hone my powers of observation so that this clarity of vision and discernment could be available to me whenever I chose. Perhaps I had always had the ability and it was only now, when I was aided by the delight and wonder of the experience, that I was finding the right focus, and openness, to bring it into conscious perception.

What other heightened sensory awarenesses are awaiting a spark of wonder so that they too can come alive for me? Are their very essences lying dormant in my subconscious, waiting to be unlocked? Is wonder the essential ingredient I need to ignite them so that they can embark on their great leap out into my consciousness? The joyful possibilities were mind blowing. Is it so, that without the key of wonder innate abilities can sit silently outside of the field of my perception? Do they remain there in silence, totally uninspired by the myriad pieces of visual and other sensory information that are whizzing by every second?

Over to my left in the northern sky I could see the Pleiades. The seven sisters were bright but, as always, a bit hazy. This constellation too, holds a special place in my heart and it is always a joy to see it sailing across the night sky during those short months of the year when it rises above the northern horizon enough for it to be visible where I live.  This star cluster is within the Milky Way, about 410 light years away from Earth, and it contains about 800 stars. It feels closer than that though, like it is one of our near celestial neighbours, almost within hand holding range.

The Magellanic Clouds were clearly visible, as was the Celestial Emu. The Emu stretches from the Coalsack Nebula, located next to the Southern Cross, through Scorpius and Sagittarius. Its feet are in Ophiuchus and Aquila. The position of the Emu and the other constellations are important ecological signposts for the Aboriginal people of this and other lands.

Sirius was just rising and was already shining brightly. It warmed my heart to see it in the clear morning sky. To me Sirius has always felt like a beacon of some sort. I have always found the strength and colour of its light to be captivating. It felt like home to some part of me. Perhaps it is, its energy resonates so well with me.