In his famous, Pale Blue Dot speech, Carl Sagan laments that the “Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena”. He discusses our self-importance and the multitude of machinations we go through to project our will on some secluded “pixel” or “fraction of a dot” on this “mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam”. Though I don’t see eye to eye with much of Carl Sagan’s ideologies, I have always admired this particular speech for its ability to cut-through the human ego and bring perspective to where we truly are in the vastness of time and space.
You can hear the speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupToqz1e2g
And so, it is here, that we make our stand. Taking Carl’s analysis, a step further, I wish to advance his observations. While here on this majestic planet, more often than not, we dwell in tiny bubbles. It would be helpful to break down what a bubble really is. Chemistry describes a bubble as a thin film of soapy water. Most of the bubbles that you see are filled with air, but you can make a bubble using other gasses such as carbon dioxide. The film that makes the bubble has three layers...no matter what shape a bubble has initially, it will try to become a sphere.
This mystical bubble sphere has become synonymous with the experiences we have on the human journey. Within these various sized, enclosed or isolated spheres of experience, the viscosity of our bubble has an overwhelming impact. Viscosity can be likened to our associations with like-minded people and homogenous communities who confirm or reinforce our opinions or views. It’s literally the circle we exist in. We are this political party or that one, this religion or a different one, pro this or that-you know what I’m talking about.
Ultimately, each of these bubbles ends up processing light. Think of light in this instance as “source”, the universal life force, the great mystery. Of supreme significance is the fact all light begins as “white light”, the pigment that represents the absence of color yet contains them all. As white light meets the surface of a bubble, it refracts. Some of the light immediately reflecting off the surface and some penetrating the bubble, but once inside, it too reflects light back to the surface. This reflected light emanates a spectrum of colors toward the outer surface. Some colors bright, some muted.
It is my conviction that it is the aforementioned viscosity of our tiny bubbles that dictates how we receive this light and, subsequently, what array of colors we project back into the world. We are all bathing in this same luminous energy yet it is the texture of our bubbles that processes that light into a myriad of manifestations. Some of us undoubtedly have formed spheres that are severely hindering our ability to process it; most of it reflecting off the surface and very little entering inside. By opening our spheres and being more receptive to a greater array of thoughts, opinions, and ways of being, we access a superior level of chromaticity that the white light has to offer. In the famed words of poet and singer Leonard Cohen from his song “Anthem”:
Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in
I do not find it coincidental that two of the ideologies that make up part of my bubble, astrology and shamanism, give great reverence to the sphere (read circle). The sacred circle dates back to the art of Paleolithic times. Our ancestors painted spirals and sun wheels upon cave walls. Over time the sacred circle has become known as a symbol of the unity of all who dwell on the earth. It is the symbol of eternity, no beginning or end. Literally all that exists on the circle is connected and equal. It is said that the infamous King Arthur adopted the circle as the design for his Round Table because it had no head seat—all were equals.
Much like Carl Sagan’s description of what earth looks like from a distance, I propose that if you could see the tiny bubbles that we each inhabit respectively it would appear on the order of an ocean full of billions of bubbles; very tiny bubbles. And from that vantage point you would realize they are all connected in a miraculous sparkling network. Each bubble impacting another, and another. A fascinating fact about bubbles is that when they meet, their walls merge in order to minimize their surface area. Further based on their size, equal sized bubbles form a flat wall between each other; if different sizes, the smaller bubble will bulge into the larger one. If you ponder that a moment, isn’t this comparable to what we observe in our human experiences?
In conclusion, we need to all acknowledge and recognize the bubbles we are living in. There is no shame in doing so as it seems we are divinely destined that we do so. These bubbles help us to find meaning and to feel protected in what at times can be a seemingly harsh and difficult journey. What we must also do, however, is acknowledge our bubble isn’t the only bubble, the ultimate bubble, or the supreme bubble. It is merely another bubble sloshing back and forth in a vast sea of souls. Each trying our best to receive the beautiful white light and transmute it into a colorful palette that elevates us to the highest version of ourselves as well as all others within our tiny bubble sphere. If we do this, that light will jump from our bubble to the next and to the next… until the seven seas of earth glisten with glorious harmony.
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