No matter how many rainbows we see, they never stop being amazing. It’s almost impossible not to turn to whoever’s next to you, even a stranger on the bus, and share in the fleeting wonder of a sky awash with red and green, blue and orange, yellow and violet. Natural phenomenas kindle our sense of wonder and remind us of our humble place in the world. Volcanic eruptions, natural light shows, ice circles; very often, it’s the communality of the experience that is as affecting as the sight itself. Back in April, millions of people witnessed the ethereal spectacle of a total solar eclipse as it swept across North America. As I walked home from my studio that day, I felt a surreal connection with all the many people gathering in clusters under the darkening sky. There’s nothing like a natural phenomena to bring a city to standstill and to turn our attention to the sky, to each other, and to ourselves. Even ones as everyday as sunsets feel like an invitation from the universe to pause and pay attention. It was in this spirit that I joined the worldwide group meditation yesterday in honour of filmmaker, David Lynch’s legacy and 79th birthday. “Let us come together, wherever we are, to honor his legacy by spreading peace and love across the world,” wrote his children in a tribute on social media. “Please take this time to meditate, reflect, and send positivity into the universe.” I suck at meditating. And I’ve not watched any Lynch films. But he seemed like a celestial guy. And God knows the world could use a huge embrace right now. And I love the feeling of connectivity that emerges through communal experience. So I rolled out my mat, settled into lotus pose and for a few minutes turned my face towards the sun. A globe-wide mediation, much like the two minutes of silence observed on Remembrance Day, can encourage emotions not so dissimilar to ones we feel when we see a rainbow or a sunset. Gratitude. Awe. Hope. Humility. Connection. Even if there’s no one sitting beside you, you know that someone, somewhere is sharing in this moment, too.
