Since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated by Space: Space exploration, Space theories, Space geography.  You name it, if there’s news of a newly discovered moon or planet or solar system or black hole theory, you can pretty much guarantee that I’ll be transformed into a panting puppy dog when reading the articles; absolutely enamoured and delighted.

I’ve been like this since I was first able to comprehend the concept of Space.  When I was about 9, I heard an Astro-physicist interviewed on an Australian current affairs program and although I had no idea what an Astro-physicist actually did, I immediately started telling everyone that I wanted to become one because I was intoxicated by the sort of realm they studied.

To this day, I don’t really know what an Astro-physicist does (I clearly wasn’t clairvoyant at 9!) but Space.com explains that they study “a branch of space science that applies the laws of physics and chemistry to explain the birth, life and death of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae and other objects in the universe.”

Birth, life and death… now that sounds very yogic in nature to me (Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara). No wonder I’m interested.

In truth though, it was probably more Cosmology that I was drawn to rather than Astrophysics; the bigger picture stuff.  After all, I’ve never really done anything in halves.  I’m an all-or-nothing gal.  Age and wisdom have tempered this somewhat but it will always be in my theatrical nature and today I’m grateful for this passionate experience of life.

I’ve just always loved the unfathomable enormity of Space and its structures and patterns and symmetry that went on ad infinitum like a bejewelled pandora’s box bestowed upon us by the Gods.

As I’ve aged, the synchronicity between the ever expanding universe as a whole, and that of the microcosmos that exists within each of us (complete with patterns and galaxies of cells and structures that seem to directly mirror those of the macrocosmos of Space) has been like a great divine joke that I’ve finally been let in on.  I’ve discovered that going deep within is like launching a rocket into outer space (although less expensive!).

You can imagine my glee, then, at hearing of space probe Cassini‘s embarkation on a series of deep dives between the rings of Saturn and the planet itself.  Cassini was launched by NASA in 1997 and arrived at Saturn in 2004 to feedback data to all of us little microcosms here on Earth about that amazing planet and its moons (particularly Titan) which may possess the sorts of environments which could harbour life.  From 26 April, Cassini started a series of 22 weekly dives between the rings and planet that have never before been performed, and will eventually lead to a kamikaze crash into Saturn’s atmosphere on 15 September.  Talk about the ultimate HEAD ON experience!

What’s so beautiful about this adventure is not just it’s longevity and epically tragic ending, but the deep probing of areas of Space yet unseen: those mythically famous rings of water ice and rocky material, and their fiery, stormy Lord up close and personal.

This got me thinking.  Since our egos would have us all be the Lords of our own worlds, what are the sorts of protective rings we wear as unenlightened beings which keep us orbiting in our lives, keep us upright?  What sort of shields and outer layers do we possess?  What crowns do we unwittingly bestow on ourselves which keep us separate from others, or locked into our own repetitive patterns, twirling and twirling around the same fires without the ability to truly experience our own real light and power which emanate from our divine inner being?  And how can we get a little more up-close-and-personal with these to really know ourselves?  Are these emotional shields and beliefs really solid and impervious, or are they merely an illusion of our egoic selves, ready to be traversed and conquered?

Cassini is literally offering itself up for this delving and revealing enquiry which is apt because the roman God of Saturn is often symbolic of death, but perhaps us humans don’t need such a dramatic experience for our own self-searching enquiry.  When we take a twisting pose in life or in a yoga practise, we get the rare opportunity to take a peak at our own backs and behinds, the sorts of surfaces we don’t often look out upon or consider in our daily lives.  We are almost always consciously observing the front side of our bodies: our faces, eyes, chest, stomach, thighs and calves etc, but we rarely get a reflection of the backside, or more appropriately the underside, of ourselves which is synonymous with our subconscious mind, beliefs and being.  Our truth.

The funny thing is that the people around us, even strangers, get a glimpse of our backs all the time!  They can often see our truth more effortlessly than we can, which is why community, a shared orbit, is so important.

So how are you going to deep-dive into your own truest self today?

What will you discover, traverse and conquer?

What can you embrace about your deepest, darkest self, even if you only catch a fleeting glimpse of it and what will you ultimately be able to let go of?

And who will you be reporting back to?

Take flight and enjoy the journey, my friends.