nature's zodiac

“Go get some socks on, they are in the bottom drawer on the right.”

Geo, my 5 year old, comes back minutes later. 

“Mommy, they were in the bottom left.”

After verifying where I had put his recent round of clean socks, a swell of pride and peace came over me. He is internalizing his sense of direction so well that he can accurately correct me. It may seem like a small thing, but certain basic orientation skills similar to this one elude many adults.

For instance, here is a question and see if you know for certain the answer: no matter what hemisphere one lives in, will the Sun always rise in the East and set in the West?

The answer is yes. It will always rise in the East and set in the West, for everyone on this planet. It has to do with the Earth’s rotation about its own axis. Earth is rotating about its own axis from West to East. When seen from the Earth, the Sun appears to rise in the East and set in the West.

I admit I did not know this answer for certain until recently. Here is another fun fact:

Did you know that when you point your right hand towards the Eastern rising Sun then you will always be facing North?

These very basic orientation tricks have served mankind for many centuries. When the GPS was a compass, True North was an actual place to be marveled at for its magnetic pull. The iron that spun inside glass made of the same substance that courses through the sailors blood.

The Sun always rises in the East. The absoluteness of this fact makes me want to think about it philosophically. What rises in us when we are lucky enough to see a sunrise? Is it a feeling of optimism? A sense of trust in our own abilities? A readiness to be active in the day ahead?

After all, we also rise: to the occasion, out of bed, to a good stretch, to celebrate.

What sets in us with the Sun? Is it a soothing reflection on the events of the day? Is it a deeper gaze and beholding of the colorful hues which make up life’s actuality? 

After all, we also set,: goals, standards, the table, and laws that help our lives run smoother.

East, West, North and South are not only outside us, they are also inside us. The East is a rising in us, the West, a setting. The North is an orientation on a quest to a future destination. The South is the full support of all that has come before, which includes the entire history of your own life, and all of life on earth. The biggest gift of the South is wonder. 

Space exploration has advanced in ways that people could hardly dream of a mere century before.  But is there yet another frontier of space, accessible to anyone and requiring no technology at all, that is largely unexplored? 

I wonder.