Starry Nights Inspire Van Gogh and the Great Questions of Life - Why?

"Don McLean wrote Vincent in 1971 after reading a book about the life of artist Vincent Van Gogh. In the 1970s, the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam played the song daily and a copy of the sheet music, together with a set of Van Gogh's paint brushes, is buried in a time capsule beneath the museum."

Starry, starry night Paint your palette blue and grey Look out on a summer's day With eyes that know the darkness in my soul Shadows on the hills Sketch the trees and daffodils Catch the breeze and the winter chills In colours on the snowy linen land http://www.goarticles.com/

Stars spark thoughts from deep in the mind or the spirit. Somehow, stepping out under the stars, on a clear night, takes away the fripperies of the day and presents the stargazer with a glimpse of the universe beyond earth; maybe a glimpse of infinity. Awe tumbles into questions; philosophical questions often neglected in the haste of living. Why and how does this happen?

Symbolically, as the stargazer steps out from the confines of home, domestic, work and even leisure chains are unlocked for awhiles. Routine performances are breathed away. Twinkling stars, scattered in a sea of midnight blue, seem to be a heavenly waiting stage, beyond earthly landscapes. The stage awaits for a higher level of self to converse with the soul; to share philosophical questions with others; even to open communication channels with a personal sense of Supreme Being.

Spending time beneath the stars awakens a sense of timelessness. For a moment, there is a window on the vastness of space. Does time have a beginning? An end? What does time mean?

The silver stars are like precious gems, multi-faceted precious gems. Is the universe a priceless treasure waiting to be discovered? Is there life, higher life forms beyond Earth?

Tiny stars gleam in huge, dark space. Just how vast is space beyond Earth? Is humanity just a small speck, a blink in the celestial heavens? Often, an overwhelming rush of feeling small and insignificant follows these philosophical questions.

As the questions evolve, the stargazer continues to look upward. It is as if the questions are carried up and beyond, for the Universe to answer? Someday? Somewhere?

Often, the stars awaken a sense of the divine, sacredness of all life; even in the most hardened heart. Is there a God? Who is God? There must be some Master Creator for all these worlds to be?

And for those who know their God, there is a priceless sense of closeness. Hear my prayer? Let me know you more? The philosophical questions are like words of a child, needing protection, reassurance.

Gently, the stars awaken old, dormant channels of the soul. The experience of voicing philosophical questions, in the form of an inner dialogue or actual conversation with others, is like a fresh draught through musky corridors. A beautiful sense of inner peace and oneness with the universe follows. Daily tensions seem smaller, just passing shadows in the scheme of things.

The stars above become the stars within.