“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
- Carl Sagan, Cosmos
“Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear
Being a city girl, I don't often get a chance to see the full vastness of the night sky. One time during a Justseeds retreat in the Oregon countryside, I snuck away from the fire. Looking up, hands behind head, I marvelled at the beauty and the depth that I was experiencing. I looked for so long that I saw the direction of the movement of the stars relative to the tree line, and felt for a moment that incredible surge of power as the Earth spun, hurtling through space at 1,000 miles an hour. The greatness of space, the smallness of our own existence could be diminishing, but what I pictured was our spark reflecting back. A young Octavia Butler, an impression floating on a sea of stars. That great mind made from the carbon of a whirling mass of energy and flames. In this brilliance, able to visualize the fabric of the universe and notice it's flexibility; to embrace change as the only truth.
But you - can you see it? Because you are made of the same stuff, after all. You are made of magic, light and stardust. You are a beautiful expression of the infinite possibilities of the changing universe. You also are here, temporarily, to breathe life into some idea, some meaning. Together, we must not lose hope, even as we feel the surge of the Earth's spin more acutely. Even as we feel we've lost our balance, remember that change is our destiny as citizens of the galaxy. Remember the stars; those beacons that are lightyears away, and those vibrating particles inside us that continue to proclaim that everything is still possible.
These are extra prints from our 2020 Community Supported Art editions. Proceeds from sales of these prints support our cooperative projects.
Printed by Ocelot printshop in Detroit, MI
