Fascinated by this phenomenon ever since school. Reading lit inspired by it. And one inevitably gets to Nordic writers. Knut Hamsun’s Pan –
“Night was coming on again; the sun just dipped into the sea and rose again, red, refreshed, as if it had been down to drink. I could feel more strangely on those nights than anyone would believe …”
Last night was speaking to someone about Northern Lights. Sitting by the lighthouse in Reykjavik, I remember the enthralling sight in a cold winter sky. It was a week of intense disquiet and fighting, in personal life, yet that sight was beholding. We were there, making memories of a lifetime, of that gorgeous natural phenomenon.
I have come to understand that nature and its ways help overcome all that human beings inflict on each other and on self. Nature isn’t just phenomenon or therapy or succor. It is a way of life, when one wakes up to it.
Next up is Arne Naess’ deep ecology. Reading this week.
Contested Realities 