What’s Wrong with the World

The men signed of the cross of Christ go gaily in the dark.

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What’s Wrong with the World is dedicated to the defense of what remains of Christendom, the civilization made by the men of the Cross of Christ. Athwart two hostile Powers we stand: the Jihad and Liberalism...read more

Praise Him, planet and moon!

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When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?

My colleague at another site, Skanderbeg, snapped this beauty of a photo last night up in Vermont. It is of Venus and the moon just after dark. But even a great photo does not do the heavenly spectacle justice. You gotta see it in person.

If the night is clear they will appear even closer together tonight. Look in the southern sky starting at dusk. I saw them at 5:30pm, well before it was dark. Venus is extremely high in the sky for an interior planet, and by far the brightest object in the sky (moon excluded of course). Well worth a look, even in bitter cold.

More images are available here.

Comments (16)

Yes -- one should take time to see the stars if one can. Check out Dale C. Allison's book The Silence of Angels, Chapter 1, Roger Scruton's News from Somewhere, p. ix, or even the passages in The Discarded Image in which C. S. Ledwis urges us to look at the night sky (pp. 98, 112, 118), etc.

Caught this spectacle last night on the way home from work. We've been enjoying the brilliance of Venus over the winter. A month or so ago, Jupiter was easily visible and identifiable next to Venus.

There are many things Wrong With the World that have been wrong for so long that I (at age 32) have to imagine what they were like when they were right. But one thing I can recollect myself is that we used to be able to see the Milky Way at night from my house here in Broomfield, Colorado. The Big Dipper was a beacon, not a dim scratching in gray paper; and the object of its pointing--the lodestar, Polaris, an anchor for every human generation until those that walk today, guide to pilgrims, companion of sailors and the rootless, the demonstrable center of man's universe--could still be seen, perhaps with a squint, but with confidence. We've traded Polaris for a halide light over an empty parking lot.

Every night during the summer and fall, my daughter looks out here south-facing window and sees the "Princess Star" (where, of course, the princesses live). It's about the only star easily visible in that whole swath of sky, and it is Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star anyone's ever seen. When it's gone--God forbid--we'll have generations who will respond to the Psalmist's song by asking "moon and what?"

What sad and wonderful comment, Chris. Yay progress!

I endorse without reservation Chris's observations, since this is a problem which has frustrated me since my youth; from my youth up, though raised in the suburbs, I have preferred the countryside, and this is but one reason among many. It has always seemed obvious to me that modes of living which blot out the beauties of the natural world are, well, unnatural and deserving of some scorn.

Maximos, what's doubly frustrating is that really nobody responds with scorn or enthusiasm for "The Blotting." There is nothing but inattention, apathy, and silence as the stars are put out.

Great post, and nicely put, all. This is one of those things about modernity that I have a real problem with, and it's nice to hear that others do too.

I can echo the suggested readings from Extollager noted above. Dr. Allison's book was reissued a couple years ago by Eerdmans under the new title 'The Luminous Dusk' if you're interested.

I would add a practical suggestion for northerners and moderate-sized city dwellers like myself: The autumn sky is your best bet for star-gazing. In the summer the daylight lingers so long that you nearly have to be going out at 11 p.m. to see stars. Winter and much of spring (until the days start getting long again) are cloudy. It isn't even just a matter of braving the cold and having hip-boots in which to wade through the snow in the back yard or a country field. The skies are just overcast most of the time. So autumn works best, especially right after DST ends.

That Dale Allison book looks fantasic. Thanks for mentioning it, folks.

Lydia -- winter is best in Georgia, in my experience. Clearest skies in January.

My son caught Venus in this picture at Christmas that I love. It's so nice living in a small town where we can stand on the front porch and see the beauty of the skies.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vesta_photography/3136071041/in/set-72157611233746469/

(don't know how to make a hot link here, sorry)

That is a very fine picture by your son, Mrs. Impson.

Thank you, Paul. He's a film major but does wonderful still photography as well. You might enjoy his moon pictures at the flikr site that one came from. I'm excited to see where his talent takes him.

Beth

Paul, I used to do some star-gazing in Nashville, believe it or not, when we lived there. No kids yet then, so we cd. go out at all hours and find a field somewhere. I think I recall its being as you say there in the winter. But the best, best, was out in Pullman, Washington. It was out in wheat country. Nothing but wheat as far as the eye could see. Not very inspiring during the day, and my eyes were tree-starved for deciduous forests, but the night sky came into its own. It is the only place I've ever lived where I could easily see the Milky Way.

Star-gazing cultivates humility, gratitude, awe of Mystery and desire for transcendence. Might explain why moderns seem intent to blot out the heavens with the detritus of industrialization.

Late addition here. Via InsideCatholic, I find these images which pretty much make one weep for what we've lost. Humbling is right.

The physical body and the devices used to investigate the sky are limited to the 3rd dimension. What about being able to investigate in the higher/lower dimensions (18 in total)? What about being able to travel to other planets of the solar system, the galaxy etc.?

We as spiritual beings can do that and more. We can develop our inner Essence to become Soul.

If you are interested ask for a free book at www.hercolubus.tv.

No groups to join, no money involved. The only catch is that you must do the work. No one else can it do for you, no even your spouse. Spouses can help each other, but in the end one is responsible for oneself alone. If you the work you will KNOW.

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