Meteor Showers

According to National Geographic, there is a "celestial traffic jam" up there this week with two meteor showers combining forces on Friday.

Apparently meteor showers are annual events that, with some degree of certainty, can be timed in their occurrence. The Delta Aquarid meteor shower has been going on for a few days and is set to peak this Friday, July 29th. This occurs at the same time as the Perseid meteor shower gets started and this shower lasts until August 12th or 13th.

This peak period, when the two showers are occurring at the same time, corresponds with a New Moon. That's good news if you want to see a meteor shower because the sky will be pretty dark. When the Perseid shower peaks on the 12th or 13th it will be a full moon cycle and therefore harder to see the shower.

Meteor showers happen when the the earth's atmosphere slams into clouds of grain-size particles that are shed by orbiting comets. They have nothing to do with stars although they are named for the celestial bodies from which they appear to originate. When these particles enter the earth's atmosphere they are traveling at 150,000 kilometers and hour and they burn up in a fleeting streak of light. Unlike the great distance between us and the stars, these meteors are only a few hundred miles up.

All that sounds like a lot of powerful energy to me. I wonder what people thought was happening before they could google the Internet and get a scientific explanation. I wonder if they felt fear, or just a sense of wonderment.

I also wonder if that kind of "slamming around up there" doesn't affect us in some way that we may not be able to define. I figure there may be both positive and negative effects depending on your perspective.

If you're feeling a little "off" these days in ways you can't explain, maybe the showers are affecting you. If your sense of peace is disrupted and you have inexplicable anxiety or a sense of foreboding, you might want to consider a few drops of the Bach Flower essence Aspen. Aspen is helpful for fears of unknown origin and it can help balance that curious apprehension that might be following you around.

Walnut might also be helpful during "unsettled" periods in your life. Walnut is the Bach Flower essence that is indicated for people that feel overly sensitive to atmospheric influences. And having comet debris slamming into our atmosphere certainly seems to qualify as an "atmospheric influence". Walnut is considered the essence for change. It can help you feel protected from outside influences either human-induced or nature-induced.

I think the best "prescription" for feeling the effects of a meteor shower would be this:

Locate your most comfortable, fluffy blanket that you don't mind getting a bit of grass or dirt on. Wait until dark. Spread out your blanket on a peaceful spot that feels right to you. Lay back on the blanket and watch the show. Repeat as necessary between now and August 13th.

If you feel so inclined, you might consider sharing your blanket with a comfortable friend that feels as awed by the Universe as you do.

Enjoy!