Poetry, Spirituality, Photography

The Breath of Stardust

Transcendent light

I am the breath of stardust and the fire in the heavens.

I am the light that fills you even though you might not see.

Who am I?

You tell me.

For some, I am the Goddess, painting the earth with feathered brooks and daisies, nodding in the breeze, and also the diversity of life — urchins and lemurs and sparks of flashing fins beneath the skins of waters congealing under an abalone sky.

I am born of wombs and eggs and heat and I live in all beings and also in the air, and in the despair of man, when he seeks me but is blinded by rigidity.

Who am I?

You tell me.

Can you see me in the flap of wing each evening when the parrots pass across the blush of the dying day?

Or in the eye of the newborn babe, still unable to discern which flesh is theirs and which is that which has surrounded them for eternity, and which still pulses through that soon-to-be-severed cord.

Or in the sun’s inferno? Or the subtle taste of moonlight?

I run without feet and hold without hands and see without eyes and hear without ears.

Do you know me now?

I animate you and you allow me to perceive the fullness of reality.

We breathe together and die and are birthed so that we may learn all there is to know about these mortal and immortal coils.

Who am I?

Can you see it now?

You tell me.

The ancient Chāndogya Upaniṣad (8th to 6th century B.C.E.) from India tells us:

“Like the wind, like clouds, like thunder and lightning, which rise from space without physical shape and reach the transcendent light in their own form, those who rise above body-consciousness ascend to the transcendent light in their real form, the Self.” (12.2)

The Upaniṣads, most of which were compiled between 800 and 200 B.C.E. speak of unity and also of diversity. Most schools of Eastern thought emerged from these ancient texts. The conceptualization which really has spoken to me the most is from the Srividya sect of Kashmiri Shaivism, which presents the idea that the “creator,” whatever that may mean to you, continues to learn and expand and evolve by being embodied in the world.

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed my musings, poetry and photo. You might also like:

Photos and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.