By Jo Mooy
“The Blue Marble” opened my horizons to endless “what ifs.”
Up against enormous public and political opposition, John F. Kennedy forged ahead and dreamed space exploration into the national consciousness. He said, “Space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war…There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again.”
Dreamers and visionaries have always led the march into the unknown. When Neil Armstrong went to the moon in 1969, I watched along with millions around the world. We were glued to our 13-inch black and white TVs, holding our collective breaths as he stepped off the lunar module onto the moon’s surface. It was one small step for mankind. Three years later, in 1972, a photo of the Earth, taken from Apollo 17, caught the attention of the world again; the Earth was suspended like a small blue marble in the blackness of space. It enchanted me.
So, I had a poster-sized enlargement of “The Blue Marble” put up on my office wall, where it remained for 30 years. It also affected everyone who came into my office; they often stared dreamily at the photo. It opened my horizons to endless “what ifs.” What if we all could experience Earth from that distance? What if doing that changed how we behaved on Earth? What if we treated this fragile blue pearl more sacredly? What if…?
On another July day, 52 years later, another launch captivated me. I planted myself in front of a much larger TV screen and watched Sir Richard Branson’s trip to suborbital space on Virgin Galactic’s Unity space plane. His vision began as a 19-year-old, when he watched Neil Armstrong’s moon walk and was “instantly convinced he would go to space himself.” As Unity’s engine’s ignited, the pilots called out, “mach 1, mach 2, mach 3.” The altimeter readings on the right side of the TV screen increased to 282,733 feet. The four passengers inside, beaming with ecstatic smiles, became weightless.
A billionaire dreamer was taking ordinary people into space. It would no longer be restricted to trained astronauts. In time, the costs would come down, and he wanted people to see The Blue Marble, and appreciate this delicate place we call home. He said that, from space, you can see the “wonderfulness of Earth. From that vantage point perhaps petty squabbles that mean nothing will disappear and you’ll realize how precious it is to all of us.”
Yes, this dreamer is a billionaire. He’s been vilified and widely criticized both before and after the launch for taking a “joyride” into space instead of using money that many felt could feed the hungry. Most don’t realize he’d already given $3 billion to charities that are united in positive world views that include sustainability, climate change, and human rights.
He did something else not usually done by government agencies: He respected the visionaries of the Native American people of New Mexico. He put the Zia Sun symbol on the tail of the space plane. The sacred symbol represents the four seasons of life—childhood, youth, middle age, and old age. It also represents the four cardinal directions, the four seasons of the year, and the four periods of each day—morning, noon, evening, and night.
Dreamers and visionaries see things and say, “Why not?” When they dream, the impossible becomes inevitable. They speak their visions and inspire thousands who are magnetized with the same “can-do” fervor. When dreamers dream, the small steps of mankind become impressive leaps of accomplishment.
Visionaries and dreamers are a rarity in our species. Still, somewhere on the planet a young child watched the Unity space plane and dreamed of one day traveling the galaxy. Somewhere on the planet, an adult will get their wish to go to space. Somewhere on the planet, an ordinary person will see the earth with different eyes. Somewhere on the planet people will encourage each other with what ifs instead of nots. And the impossible dreams of thousands will one day propel the rest of us into a new world.
Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.