Light in the Sky

Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3

Text Box: It was 3 a.m. Saturday morning, and I was standing outdoors on a deck overlooking the Ottawa River. I was drinking beer and playing dice games with some friends, and we stayed outside because it was so beautiful. The temperature was comfortable, the sky was clear, and a bright moon lit the sky. During a break in our game, one of my friends had walked down to the dock. He called us down to see a strange light in the sky. We looked down the river to the east, and just above the horizon was an incredibly bright light. We thought that it could be an airplane, or perhaps the spotlight of a helicopter. However, after a few moments we realized the light was stationary and could not be an aircraft. While considering whether the bright light on the horizon could be from a radio tower, we realized the light was rising. We were looking at a celestial object! It was as bright as the moon, though smaller. The light was so bright that eight points could be clearly seen extending from the middle. The points went away when I looked through binoculars and saw a round disk. The bright light in the sky was the planet Venus. I had never seen anything like it. As the night progressed, Venus rose in the sky and followed the moon. Though I have been aware of Venus in the city sky all summer, this view was unique. The sight of Venus in the sky has influenced mankind throughout history. Perhaps when the same event occurred 2000 years ago, three wise men followed the shining star of Bethlehem. For our religious prophetic story-telling species, every event can stimulate the creation of meaning. Venus and Earth orbit the sun in slightly different patterns. As a result, Venus is closest to Earth once every 584 days, just over a year and a half. It can been seen in both the morning and evening, and for some time the ancient Egyptians and Greeks thought there were two objects. The Babylonians named the planet Ishtar, after their goddess of womanhood. As the Roman civilization grew, the planet was named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and a symbol of femininity. Perhaps the approach of Venus represents a much-needed shift to feminine energy on this planet. The current state of imbalance on earth can be associated with overuse of male energy. War is the most obvious example. As Sally Fields stated during the recent Emmy Awards, ‘If mothers ruled the world there would be no more wars’. The contrast of yin and yang is a wonderful element of our existence. Balance is also important, and can be achieved at all levels. Individuals seek balance within themselves. Couples and families form their own balance. Companies and organizations seek balance, as do cities and countries. When energy becomes imbalanced, shifting often takes place. The masculine energy wants to build and grow and consume. Along with these traits comes harm to the planet. The feminine energy wants to nurture and heal, finding a comfortable balance with self and community. The challenge we face as a species is to integrate both masculine and feminine energy. Perhaps the arrival of Venus accelerates the shift that we require in order to survive. And the best part is that you only have to work on yourself. Everything else will fall into place. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2007 First Published October 1, 2007

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