48. The Stars: Take inspiration from a night sky. Or, write about a time when “the stars aligned” in your horoscope.
I’ve never been good at finding constellations in the sky with ever being able to identify the big dipper and Orion. I had a BF in Saipan who would talk about the Southern Cross constellation so I was excited when I traveled to the southern hemisphere for the first time in 1991. Once I could identify the Southern Cross, I purposefully found it any time the night sky was clear.
The next time I was in the southern hemisphere with star viewing was high in the Bolivian Andes on the Altiplano in 2019. The temperature dipped below freezing but there was a natural hot spring 200 meters from our dorm. We bundled up to walk down to the spring, took off our warm clothes and sank in the blissful warmth. Overhead was a magnificent sky complete with the milky way and maybe even Magellanic Clouds. I felt comfort when seeing the Southern Cross after so many years.
In Australia, we have to be out of the city with no cloud cover to be able to see the Southern Cross but we did see it a few times over the past two years. The constellation is on the Australian flag but that doesn’t quite count. Plus the train station across from our current apartment is named Southern Cross. Definitely not the same thing.
