Why the Best Way to Steer Is by Starlight

Unique Perspectives: Why the Best Way to Steer Is by Starlight

By Kim Stevens

Despite the billions and billions of people on this Earth, it turns out we’re all made from the very same thing: stardust.

Scientists believe every part of the human body – from the molecules in our lungs to the blood flowing through our veins – came from a star. Discarded by stellar winds and emitted by massive explosions of supernovas, these tiny stardust particles traveled far across the universe to become … well … us.

I absolutely love this idea. An everyone-is-stardust ideology means there’s a way to navigate life that is innate and natural. In religious terms, it’s the Star of Bethlehem leading the three wise men. In metaphorical terms, it’s following your North Star to find a higher calling and a greater purpose in life.

I read Martha Beck’s “Steering by Starlight,” which articulated the concept so well. Beck says the “follow your North Star” method isn’t easy but it’s necessary for inner peace and outward gains.

Imagine I’m looking through a telescope at an observatory. When I’m in the observatory, I can clearly see my North Star but the minute I leave the observatory, my North Star gets obscured by the “mind clouds” of old habits, and I immediately resort back to my long-established, familiar routine.

But to that way of living Beck says: “Nope.”

And so do I.

When I steer by starlight, I claim the life I was meant to live, and it’s an entirely internal process that ensures me I will innately know my path forward. How exactly does that happen? By paying attention to the things that excite me or thrill me or make me feel alive. I take note of every magical moment when I’m almost buoyant, floating above conventionality and heading straight for the stars. Then, I use those feelings as guideposts for my path, steering through the shadows of obscurity with the bright starlight they provide.

Steering by starlight is about finding my right life no matter what, because when I follow that feeling, I always know the right way to go.