The creator and Creation

MASSIVE BLOG POST - from my adventures at EARTH SONG event!

Sometimes it feels like I grew up in a different era - oh wait I did! - when chalkboards where the medium for teaching, if you needed to research for a project to the encyclopedias in the library you go. For an individual seeking answers a love of reading was a hugh requirement; as you had to filter through all the information just to answer the question without been detoured by other interesting knowledge. Plus not to mention that a book is often just one persons perspective, learning therefore you had to read a couple or more books to get different insights. There is value to this however at the same time just think now you can obtain that in a second in today's age… information at your fingers, 24/7... How times have changed! 

I heard the other day that we gain 80% of all information through our eyes. And even then I wonder how reliable are our eyes. Each morning I wake to this blur world view, where modern technology has enable me to see 95% when contacts are placed in. What a gift, each morning I thank the Lord for the gift of sight and pray that we all get to use more of our sight to see - actually see the world. The past weekend took this 'actually see the world' to a different level!

The weekend just gone I was very fortunate in joining the sisters to Earth Song annual Symposium which had the theme of celebrating the Wonders of Light. 

What a celebration it was!

It began on Friday evening with a ritual celebration of winter solstice - my understanding is the celebration of when the high point of darkness meets the light in the southern hemisphere! The end of long dark nights and more light days... It was a 'different' experience for me, however positive different! There was a balance between ritual organic music, heartfelt tones of singing and thanks to the earth for its beauty that God has gifted us. 

Then Saturday was the big highlight of the weekend! 

We meet together in the morning, I got to meet more inspiring people who are from religious orders, walks of life who all have a great spirituality; talking and sharing with them over a cuppa. Sometimes its hard not to stand back and just be inspired by the person that is standing in front of you!

We saw apart of an ABC program that was on light and animals. A beautiful way of showing what limited light we see and process that shapes our world. Humans tend to measure our sight abilities on reading, seeing pictures on paper. However animals, insects, they the opposite, their sight is survival for most, from a little dragonfly, to a rain-deer, cheetah or even birds. The cheetah has vision that is wide horizontal, allowing it to see on the horizons in order to see prey. The raindeer see in the voilet light tone which means that when the snow reflects up objects that absorb the light it shows up black in their sight - this is normally an indication that there is a predator like a wolf present; as the wolf fur coat absorbs the light to allow it to combine in with its environment this pure reason that the sight of its prey can see their shadows and body, with the light not reflecting off them. 

Or when a hawk descends in flight at 300km often it has the accuracy down to the millermeter of where it is going to land based on its sight… Or a dragonfly can catch pray in less than 0.5 of a second which is amazing, the human eye can not even see this. This is due to the light, due to its processing rate that can tell if something is prey or just an object, processing I think it was 200 times more faster than humans… I think…. 

From this amazing discovery about these animals my mind was racing…The beauty of colors, of light, the importance it has on so many levels…  I have travelled a lot, seen many animals, interacted with them often in 'human made' environment, had some wonderful experiences with them from pandas, dolphins, sharks, lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants, camels, seals, insects (after all I lived in nz) and many many more yet in all my experiences I never once thought about how they see the world. How creation, their environments, are created to work in unity with them, to enable them to live freely and use their gifts for their intended purpose - little like humans in some elements. Naivity on my part possibly, or possibly just not fully aware of the complexity of what was before me. 

A beautiful gift of new sight has started to be formed!!

After this we went on an adventure, when the sisters are driving there is always an adventure!! Maps are useful, as too is patience, and from the back seat it sometimes feel like a comedy show with laughter, wrong turns made right with left turns followed by more laughter which makes any adventure enjoyable!

Anyhow, we ended up safely at the planetarium. Oh what a hidden world, the wonders of creation opened up before us in an interactive way. 

We attend a light show - been the International year of light - it was interesting, not too much my thing blowing things up, using different gases to create colors etc. The presenter was very Australia in his word choose and tone, pronunciation - not that its a bad thing - he was extremely overally happy making me wonder what he was really like, who was he!! Yet the show went on with my mind back on science! Learning that when gas and different minerals are added creates different colors, along with - if you are in a lighting storm under a bus shelter then please have a metal chain that the power from the lightening can go down the chain so you stay protected!! (just incase your in a storm - lets hope not!!) 

After this show we walked through an 'information lane', it was divided into parts, there was sound section full of information how society has developed especially in terms of media music playback. Got to play an electric harp - I hope music does not go this way as it will be a great lost, as playing a harp for anyone who has played is like creating a love tale letting your fingers guide over strings that magically produce tones to the ear that sink to the heart. The beautiful combination of physical elegance of the harp itself along with the touching, hearing - oh what an experience - compared to the electric harp that is soulless, detached …. anyhow so I left that section of discover to move to environment, learning about the change in apples from 1800s to now and also where I learnt that -

In Australia pet cats eat 33,500 tones of seafood per year. This is a fact, I wrote it down to remember... and brrr to pet owners, seriously, this can only have an effect on the fish and marine environments as I don't think that the ocean can produce that rate for just one country - or the world!!  Not to even start on what cats do to the other insects, environment… oh humans, humans, humans what are we thinking!! (Sense a deep concern for our fish! I should become a voice for the fish, I would do an amazing job;o) ) 

Then there was a science sport area which I didn't get too much look into, as it was interactive and a lot of children there. I did learn all the cricket gear players wear. Boy Guptill sure does have nearly the small human weight in safety gear to add another element to the physical demands of the sport, yet their gear has changed fabric, shape, durability over the years so he is better off now than even 50 years ago… another aspect of the game, more I learn the more I am amazed - apart from our score against the English yet that is another conversation!! - 

Then the fun began, at the end of the lane was a dome where they had a show titled 'sky notes' For a person like myself where science was never very big, It is a subject I dropped as soon as I was able to as I never could get my mind around it nor get A's, never read science books, have anything to do with science in my upbringing until recently when I was taught that science is a major MAJOR element of very day living and having basic science knowledge can only benefit this… so I started to chip away and this show was like a life lesson rolled into one hour presentation. 

This show was beautifully designed, it gave an insight into a star explaining about the engery turning into matter - atom formation. The solar system formation, what plants are in the solar system and also when looking up at night where to look to see what. That is extreme summary I wish I could show you all the show. It starts with the narrator saying 'when I was young I was afraid of the dark…. yet I realized that when I looked up to the sky there was light all around and no need to be afraid'' … it is like there is another world out there that if you don't look up you will miss, not see and miss out on the most beautiful reflection of our Lord Creator. 

One major thing that stood out that was a WOW moment, when all the build up of elements in a star are exactly the same as humans! I mean seriously how truly amazing is Our Creator, to use what is around us, invisible to our sight, yet present to make us!! Brings new meaning to be the reflection of our maker - Then to go from there we use what the creation produces - fruit, veg - and meat - that continue to take those minerals and give to our holy temples - which is another science amazement! There are no words to explain the realization, a kind of humbleness and tininess while at the same time a sense of the significance of all the creator n creation put together… 

I only have a small dot of knowledge yet been visually impaired for so long can only lead to discoveries and joyous beauty which also brings me great great sadness to see what humans are doing with our creations. 

To a point living in a country like New Zealand it is so easy to be blinded by Creation beauty, to not see it and take for granted as it is right there on our front door steps. I continue to pray that we will not be saying sorry to future generations for they won't be able to see this creation, one of color, freshness, purity, reflection of Our Creator not of human actions!!! 

There is a lot more learning and discovery to be done … not just for me yet for us all…. Thank you to 'my family' for giving me the insight to science while I lived with you, what a wondrous world we are created in!!