I was born in the flurry of an emergency. My mother who had pre-eclampsia when carrying me, was given Pethadine for the pain of childbirth. It just so happened that she was allergic to that…and so my birth became dramatic. My mum’s memories were hazy, but she did tell me it was very late in the afternoon that I was born. Later on, an astrologer friend did a birth time rectification on my natal chart and established I was born at 6.50pm. Our birthdate and place gives us which planets are in what signs of the zodiac, but a birth time gives us our Ascendant and places those planets in their signs in the zodiac’s Houses. This additional information tells us about the major themes (Houses) we are likely to encounter in our lives, and our Ascendant tells us how we present to the world.
Around 6pm in the summer months…I was born in December in the Australia…the sun is low in the sky. I have always been drawn to sunsets, perhaps because that is when I came into this world. Sunsets mark the end of a day. Metaphorically, they are about cycles drawing to a close.
I always find peace in a sunset. A stillness as activity winds down. I use this time to ride my ebike and I enjoy the gentle rays of the sun and the quietness in nature. As I was riding, literally into the sunset, the other day, I came across a ‘murder’ of crows. About 20-30 of them perched on the huge light pole of the oval I was riding around. All was quiet and I realised they were watching the sunset…and me…from their lofty perch. As I headed for home, they suddenly took flight and flew with me to a nearby tree. The crow is my spiritual totem. I paid my respects to them, and rode home as night fell.
Whether it is riding a bike, or taking a walk, the opportunity to become one with your natural surroundings deepens reflection and allows you to be in the ‘flow’ of the experience. You will never find this consuming media in your lounge room just before a sunset.
Sunsets are a gift.