The reason for the season? Light.

The reason for the season? It is, literally, the tilt of the Earth in relation to the sun. And today, in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, when the Earth's North pole has reached its maximum tilt away from the Sun. We deck our halls with boughs of holly and bring in trees into our houses and decorate them and burn the Yule log, borrowing those traditions from earlier religions that honored the solstice. Much of the celebrations surrounding the Winter Solstice are about the hope and faith we have that the sun, the light will return. Whatever light you hope for, I have faith that it will return, in case you've been missing it.

The Glory of the James Webb Telescope

I hope you've been looking at all the photos from the James Webb Space Telescope. I hope you have been seeking out the photos and the commentary! The photos have already expanded our view of the universe and are already giving us further insight into the mysteries of the vast universe.

The experience of looking at the photos and reading the commentary about them is exciting, it's inspiring, it's beautiful and it's educational. It's revelations! And it gives me hope. 

Have a look:

The new science coming from the James Webb telescope has astronomers giddy (NPR).

James Webb Space Telescope's stunning 'Phantom Galaxy' picture looks like a wormhole (NPR).

Webb Images of Jupiter and More Now Available In Commissioning Data (NASA).

I look out at that vast universe and think of all the wonderful opportunities for learning. And all possibility. Dream it - it could be out there! 

We are under no obligation to praise the universe - it has no consciousness nor ears to hear such, and no ego that needs to be catered to. But I do feel reverence for the universe - its vastness, its complexity, its glorious majesty, its potential for endless learning. I want to celebrate it, I want to indulge this feeling of rapture - and so I do! 

We need psalms of celebration for these amazing photos and the knowledge that comes with them! 

And we also need to celebrate that we have a brain and a consciousness that allows us both to celebrate it and to wonder what it means.

Where's My Cape?

Sometimes, I wish there was an outfit - a habit - or some kind of headdress or scarf that people could adopt to say:

• I’m an atheist.
• I’m a humanist.
• I’m a learner.
• I’m committed to science.
• I am a perpetual student.

Just so we find each other... and witness for OUR values just by popping into the 7-11.

The Benefits of Awe

Awe “makes us curious rather than judgmental. It makes us collaborative. It makes us humble, sharing and altruistic. It quiets the ego so that you’re not thinking about yourself as much.” 

It also calms the brain’s default mode network and has been shown to reduce inflammation. In other words, don’t underestimate the power of goose bumps.

This article from the Washington Post about the power of "awe" is amazing. 

And here is the 2018 white paper prepared for the John Templeton Foundation by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley September 2018: The Science of Awe.