‘You are the sky. The clouds are what happens, what comes and goes’ – Eckhart Tolle
Of all my personal observations that have fascinated me during this phase, watching the clouds has been a very joyous and highly reflective experience. They seem like accessories that adorn the sky. As though the sky wakes up each day, to see what its accessory is for that day, or for that time of the day. After all, it’s not permanent. That is what an accessory is.
Spiritually and philosophically, many masters have always compared the clouds to different things – our thoughts, our emotions, our problems, to help us understand the temporary nature of it all. The nature of clouds. That it shall pass, that it shall move on, that it shall change/disappear.
Curious to learn more about them, I began to dig a little into their story, and I share it with you very briefly first, before I share my reflections:
The cloudy background:
Clouds were first studied by Luke Howard. A daydreamer even as a child, who spent his classroom hours peeping out of the window and observing clouds, it later was a brilliant contribution to the field of meteorology, as he pursued this interest and added so much to its science, that it not only allowed for a deeper understanding of the weather and climate, but has also inspired poets, writers, and so many artists.
He named three fundamental types of clouds depending on their shape and the altitude at which they form – at the highest level is ‘Cirrus’ (latin for tendril/hair); at the mid-level is ‘Cumulus’ (heap or pile) and at the lower level is ‘Stratus’ (layer or sheet). But since the very nature of clouds is to change shapes, drift, move around, they further got classified into ten types. (last image enclosed)
Here is what I have been reflecting upon, with clouds in my sky:
- Emotions/thoughts are clouds: Each day, the emotions I feel are like the clouds. They are happening that time of the day, or that day, or that moment. I can observe them, watch them change, shift, form into new patterns before they drift or disappear. What I feel that day or that moment, is not permanent, and neither is it the real me.
- My feelings have different altitudes & shapes too: Like the clouds that have different altitudes, so too do my feelings. Sometimes I am on Cloud Nine (scientifically this cloud is called Cumulonimbus, the towering cloud, the thunder clouds) that sit right on top of the world, and that’s how I feel too. And then the very next day, I am the Stratus or the Cirrus or a combination like Cirrocumulus, or Altostratus. You get the drift?
- Clouds are my work: They are showing me the work I still need to do. What patterns are showing up again and again? What needs work? What are drifting, what are heavy, what is soon going to create a thunderstorm? One of my mirrors.
- Finally, I need to remember, I am the Sky: The presence of the clouds, helps us understand the sky. Only because of the clouds, I am reminded that my true nature is of the Sky. Clouds show that we are all humans, we are here and we have work to do. Sky is our North star, which is coming back to the real me. As I keep tuning to the sky, there will be clear days too.
I invite you during this phase to watch the sky, to watch the clouds, to know that they are both there. The clouds are a gentle reminder, that this too shall pass. On some days, it might feel heavy like a lump, other days, they might be thin & silky like Cirrus, or gloomy grey and endless like Altostratus, doesn’t matter. What matters is we see them, we work through them, and we also know the sky is right behind.
And as a joyful experience, I invite you to watch, read and discover the clouds in your skies like I am. Maybe we can start giving names to our emotions inspired by cloud names. Maybe we will then believe they have a beauty and function, and when that’s served, they shall pass.
I haven’t shared links for reading, as I wish for you to have the joy of discovering them on your own.
Please do explore, and share which cloud you are sitting on today, yesterday, tomorrow, or for some time.