Why do we love the horizon so much?
Why do we love the horizon so much?
Ahh… the horizon.
Is it the beauty of a fiery, pink-hued setting sun that draws us in? Or is it the gloriously glowing orb that rises to a new day that captivates us most?
In the sunset, we see accomplishment, a toning down, a calmness. In the sunrise, we see a newness, a cleaning of the slate, a gateway. Do we need to see the sun at all to be lulled and soothed, or made hopeful and energized, by the horizon? What about a starry skyscape melding into the shadows of the gently curving outline of our orbiting Earth?
What does a view of the horizon awaken in you?
The sight of the horizon makes us feel things. It rouses in us the pain or pleasure of embodying our emotions: a fluttering in the belly, a sighing release of breath, a rush of adrenaline to our fingertips, goosebumps, a welling of tears… and then, through awareness of such embodiment, the horizon has shown us a new way of being and learning.
The horizon is steadfast. We know it is always there, waiting, being… observing.
When we have a clear view of the horizon, through contemplation we might embody a heightening sense of abundance… a physical experience of limitlessness, of infinity…
such that we might lean forward into forgiveness,
self-compassion,
generosity, understanding,
… and in this, the creation of a wider perspective… an expansion… an opening in the fog… a wonder-inspiring awakening, a deepening inner revelation, a breathtaking, broadening of experience—
is the greatest potential for renewed connections, fresh outlooks, and new beginnings that we never have thought a possibility just moments before.
Oh, the horizon, how it makes us dream.
When we catch welcome glimpses of it… say, through the flickering openings shimmering white between a dense wall of tall trees or beyond the rolling contours of dark and majestic mountains… where, far away, is the teasing of a clear blue sky laid flush against the straight edge of a grassy meadow… or a deeper shade of charcoal-blue storm clouds blending into an endless plane of purply blue sea…
We
feel
alive.
We feel a part of something
big…
something
important…
something
we could sink our teeth into if only
we understood it better.
Ah well, no problem… we think.
We will keep staring at the horizon,
contemplating it…
painting it,
describing it with our earthbound words.
And, in this way, we will get closer to it, closer to its secrets… closer to the untouchable mysteries that lie beyond it. Maybe.
Oh, the mysteries of the horizon.
In them, there is wonder and awe.
And in awe,
when the horizon beckons us,
there is freedom.
Why do we love the horizon so much? You tell me.
