My dearest, cherished reader,
today, I would like to begin our conversation by turning our gaze toward the heavens.
I am quite certain that all of you, being the bright and wonderful beings that you are, have heard of the North Star, also scientifically known as the ‘Polaris’ before?
You may be surprised to learn that the North Star is actually not the most radiant, luminous star to be found in our night sky, when in truth, it is only the forty-eighth.
However, it possesses a quality far more important than light: because it aligns so precisely with the Earth’s rotational axis, it remains nearly stationary – the only fixed point in the sky while the rest of the celestial court is forced to rotate around in chaos.
This star has been a faithful companion to travellers and sailors throughout the ages, allowing them to find their ‘Due North’ when all other landmarks had vanished.
How, you may wonder? One of the methods is known as ‘The Celestial Map’.
Since Polaris is not the brightest star but rather a shy queen, sailors learned to seek the Big Dipper first. The two stars at the edge of its ‘basin’ are known as the Pointers. Those form a straight, unwavering line that aims directly at the North Star. There, Polaris can be found sitting in its humble throne at the very tip of the Little Dipper’s handle, the one point of the sky that refuses to move.
Today, however, I do not wish to speak to you merely of science and astronomy. Instead, I invite you to view the North Star not just as celestial body, but as a metaphor for something higher – the direction we seek in our own lives.
To understand its worth, we must first turn our attention to the ‘celebrity’, the brightest star in our night sky: Sirius. It is flashy, glamorous and demands our gaze. It seems to be of great significance. Yet, Sirius is deceptive. It is constantly shifting and therefore lacking the steady soul of a true guide.
Granted, we are but human. We are easily distracted and often find ourselves chasing fleeting stars such as fame, quick wealth or momentary passions, forgetting that our own North Star must not necessarily be the loudest or most glamorous luminary in our Universe.
Often, it is but a silent, enduring conviction rather than a shooting star that illuminates our sky for a breathless second of light. When our world is in upheaval, the North Star is the only one that stays with us, refusing to join the spinning chaos. In a way, it serves as our ‘Anchor of the Soul’.
What matters most is the realization that we do, indeed, require something to strive toward to. It serves as our own private lighthouse – a sentinel that guards our ‘why’.
Without a North Star, we spend our days in a state of aimless drifting; not entirely meaningless, but hollow. It creates a certain void within us, an ‘unbearable lightness’ of having no true direction. Every path bears no fruit, every wave is simply another distraction because there is no ‘Due North’. A life without a goal or a desire to move toward to is like a ship with a working engine and a full crew, but no map.
We are in motion, but we aren’t going anywhere. It is, quite simply, the slow wasting away of the soul.
I also wish to offer a different perspective that is, in this modern age, almost frowned upon.
We live in a world obsessed with hyper-independence, where the mere thought of another soul serving as one’s North Star seems to be outdated and even sneered at. I can almost picture you rolling your eyes at my words this very moment.
Yet, let us agree to disagree.
In a world that demands we be entirely whole on our own, is there not a radical, almost rebellious beauty in admitting that another soul can be the very axis of our equilibrium?
In ages past, lovers used to cast their eyes toward the night sky, seeking out the North Star as a bridge to their soulmates when separated by a dreadful distance. It reminds us that the most powerful anchor can, indeed, be a person. I do not speak of possession or of ‘owning’ another, but of a rare soul whose presence finally makes the map of our existence make sense. In moments when the world turns cold and dark, this star is the only light that remains when everything else around us has extinguished. It is the reason we continue to sail, even when the horizon offers no glimpse of the shore.
For those of us still searching for our own Polaris in a crowded sky, let me share some advice. I have given this specific task much thought and gathered a few ideas on how we might find a goal, desire or purpose worthy of our devotion.
Finding our ‘why’ is an art in itself, and I have prepared these thoughts to serve as pointers to our own hidden stars.
Let us begin with what I have named the Blackout-Test. Although it is a simple concept, it is a potent one.
Imagine, if you will, when everything else is stripped away and every single flame has extinguished, what remains in the quiet that comes with the darkness? What is the one thing that still makes our hearts quicken with life? What is it that draws a smile to our lips, ever so lightly? In total silence of the soul, what is the one thought that refuses to be silenced? It is in this void that we may find the essence of our own light.
I would also like to introduce the method of the Pointers to our search.
As mentioned before, sailors once used the ‘Big Dipper’ to locate the North Star – we may apply the same wisdom to our lives by looking for our own pointers , our interests.
They appear as small, persistent themes or curiosities that always seem to lead our hearts toward a certain feeling or direction. It is important that we play close attention to where our minds drift whenever they are finally freed from the world’s demands.
It is equally important for us to understand that sometimes, a period of Trial & Error is often a necessary part of this journey. At times, we must move toward Sirius simply to realize that it is shifting. The very frustration we feel when that very star moves once again is what eventually sharpens our sight, guiding us away from the distractions and toward our true North of the Heart.
Should our paths ever cross, my dear reader, rest assured that I always carry a part of my own North Star upon me.
In our journey through life, we may require a tangible reminder of what matters most, thus, we may find it to be of benefit to carry a talisman. Whatever that object may be is a choice for the individual alone, but a talisman serves, in its way, as the Anchor of the Soul. It is not a weight that holds us back, but a gravity that prevents us from being dragged away by the tide. Where others see a mere object, we see a guide. There is a quiet strength in holding a source of direction that requires no explanation to the world – a private lighthouse, and we alone know how to follow its light.
And should we ever feel the tide rising to wash us away or pull us under, let us remember that our North Star is always there, a constant force of guidance and protection.
Every day spent without a North Star is a day where the ocean of this world claims a little more of our identity, until we are left with nothing but the empty vessel.
Therefore, I implore those of us still drifting to wait no longer, to set their sails and seek their own ‘Due North’.
Until next time,
the realm must be ruled.