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“…all things that are, are light.” - Ezra Pound

I tried to imagine the sensation… a day without sun; It just doesn’t seem possible. You’re probably wondering why I even thought of that. Well, What if I told you that the sun doesn’t always rise?

In some of the parts of the northern hemisphere, in towns like Tromsø, Norway, the sun doesn’t show up for months (The Polar Night). It’s truly fascinating how distinct and unique places on Earth can be. I’ve watched videos on the phenomenon, with the first being on Svalbard, also in Norway, (the sun doesn’t rise there from the end of October till mid February); the intrigue with all this never actually passed.

To the point (the sun and its symbolism): I’m telling you about this occurrence in Norway for a rather significant reason. If you think about the sun figuratively, what does it represent to you? Perhaps, you’d likely attribute it to joy, as in summer days, or positivity, as in brightness. A world without either is possibly not a world at all (in regards to life as we know it). It’s one of the principal things I thought about when learning about Tromsø and the Polar Night; the sun represents such optimistic things, things you probably can’t imagine living without, and in those parts of the world, the sun goes to sleep longer than usual. I think it’s even harder to process the sun not rising because not many are used to living in actual darkness for days on end. Despite this, (optimism remains) Norway is famously picturesque all year round, especially in the winter, with the aurora borealis or the northern lights. The sun’s omnipresence can’t be challenged as it shows itself in multiple ways; where do the northern lights come from? where does the moon light come from? Both are a result of the sun’s light beams, or particles. In a poetic way, you may remember this as hope or happiness always being present, even if you feel it isn’t, making the omnipresence of the sun, the omnipresence of joy, or anything else you wish the sun to represent for you.

(@chiomao_)

When the sun eventually shows up, there’s a joyous sensation in the atmosphere, according to the mini documentary I watched. I could easily tell something changed within the people - and this was without going out and seeing that sun had returned, like a metaphysical sensation. The people were so happy, singing songs, smiles everywhere, it was beautiful. It made me reflect on how sometimes we take everyday things like literal sunlight for granted because, the sun is pretty much always there during the day (shout out to little things). However, I guess the same logic works in reverse, when people crave summer when it’s winter, and wait desperately and sometimes, what feels like endlessly, for summer to come again.

As someone who absolutely loves winter, bet that there are days when I wish the sun’s heat was a tad more attainable, especially, while living in New York. Writing this makes me want to soak up every bit of sunlight before winter inevitably arrives again.

Another thing researching Norway’s dark winters accentuated for me was a renewed reverence for light. The word ‘light’, just like the sun,

is typically associated with good things, and with *good* reason, Light makes you see things… literally. Everything you can see is as a result of light. It embodies clarity.

It’s also impeccably and indisputably unique - get this: human beings invented something called a “commercial supersonic aircraft.” A type of plane you would expect to find in a sci-fi film or a video game, or something - planes faster than the speed of sound… - you don’t need to be extremely knowledgeable in physics to know that is a very, very awesome thing. If it still sounds unfamiliar to you, perhaps the word “Concorde” rings a bell? This machine could go as fast, even faster than sound; but nothing even the most innovative beings have made, absolutely nothing that exists, can travel at the speed of light.

It’s that distinctiveness that inspired this post. Reverence, love, peace and the magic light brings. In life, it may not always be sunshine and rainbows - I think that’s how the saying goes - but the sun is still there, showing its fierceness through the heat and its gorgeousness through the light.

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THANK YOU!