Sinew, Bone, and a Dash of Stardust

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Not limited to NASA, astronomers, astrologers, or sailors, stars have played significant roles in science, astrophysics, metaphysics, and many spiritual traditions since mankind first glimpsed the night sky and saw them strewn like winking diamonds across a black velvet canopy.

I took this photo from the upper level in Shakti — one of my favorite stores on State St. in Madison, WI. © Laurie Buchanan 2013

Physics tells us that every element in the periodic table—aside from hydrogen—is essentially stardust. Pivoting off that information, if we know how many hydrogen atoms are in the human body — 4.2×10 (to the 27th power) — then we can say the rest of the atoms —  2.8×10 (to the 27th power) — are stardust. Hence, the amount of stardust atoms in our body is 40%.

Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

If you could have three wishes granted—other than for yourself—what would they be?

Caveat: none of the wishes can be to have unlimited wishes…

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan

The Book—Discovering the Seven Selves
The Experience—Life Harmony

© Laurie Buchanan 2013

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75 thoughts on “Sinew, Bone, and a Dash of Stardust”

  2. Three wishes…I’d wish for world peace (I know, a little clichéd, but nevertheless), more people laughing, and that dogs lived forever. Interesting about the stardust. So, we are ALL stars. 🙂

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  4. That we would all work together to create a more sustainable agriculture. That mankind would forgo war in favor of determining peaceful resolutions to our energy crises. That we could celebrate our differences, recognizing the hand of the Creator in the beautiful tapestry He has designed.

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  5. I’m a star …fame at last .
    I wish for everyone to be accepted for who or what they are .
    I love the idea of dogs to live forever ..so that’s my second wish
    And I wish you and all the others out there a happy Christmas and peaceful New Year .
    Cherry x

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  6. I wish first that we could all live in harmony; second, would want all basic needs met as far as food, water, shelter and access to care when needed; third, that we would humanely and intelligently stop increasing the world’s population, so that all of the earth’s life and resources could have a chance. Happy Holidays to you, and thank you for this lovely post, in the spirit of the season!

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  7. Hum, three wishes…
    1. We are generous of spirit, easily satisfied and genuinely content.
    2. We are gentle and kind to our fellow human beings, animals and our natural environment.
    3. We take ourselves lightly, our purpose seriously and we are curious and willing to be surprised.

    Or another way to say this might be – Humanity is 1. At Peace 2. Living in harmony 3. Practicing purposeful detachment. I just wanted to be specific about how we might possibly go about fulfilling these wishes 😉

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  9. Such a lovely, inspiring post – Thank you! Wishing upon the first star I see tonight- An infinite number of additional wishes for all of your kind and passionate readers 🙂
    *All of our dreams are about to come true …*

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  10. That’s easy, Laurie. When our son was diagnosed with T1D/Type 1 Diabetes 28 years ago, I began wishing the same wish on my birthday candles, a star and/or a penny that I would thrown into a fountain. That wish and all three of my wishes is: A CURE FOR DIABETES!

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  11. 1. Painting, Poetry and Laurie’s Blog that capture the the wind in its rhythms.
    2. Happy beginnings for all this new year
    3. That we all force smiles each day until they become so.

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  12. Great post, Laurie. I too love the idea that we are all (partly) stardust. Your line about “starts strewn like winking diamonds across a black velvet canopy” is priceless.

    I’ll have to think about the 3 wishes, but I know one of them would be more kindness and generosity of spirit in the world like “creative potager” above.

    Laurie, I hope at least one of your wishes comes true . . . and soon! There is no lack of generosity in your soul, that’s for sure.

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  13. Oh I love knowing that I am full of stardust….I thought we were 98% energy in the form of water! Stardust sounds so much more twinkly

    1. Peace
    2. Respect and Kindness abounding
    3. Enough money for health needs and a new KINDLE as my first generation one can no longer be repaired and my eyes need easy read….very tangible here but very important for keeping on track and mission/purpose.

    I am going to share your post for our Christmas Eve discussion. I think it will provide some interesting thinking and ideas.

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    • Patricia – I’ll put my “umph” behind your wishes, too. And yes, I agree that asking people their wishes will definitely make for an interesting discussion on Christmas Eve. Blessings to you 🙂

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  14. Aahh Laurie, you did it again 🙂
    1. That basic needs be met for all (food, clothing, shelter)
    2. That people could hear the messages of their own heart and live from there.
    3. May each of us remember to feel and see ourselves reflected in the other so we all may be and feel connected.

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  15. 1. Have the joy of remembering who we are and how powerful we are
    2. Recognize we are all one connected to each other
    3. Restore the planet and all living things in and on it to Garden of Eden condition

    I still have my peace beads from the 60s.–

    Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young—“Woodstock” written by Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash
    Chorus:
    ‘We are stardust, we are golden, we are ten billion year old carbon and we got to get ourselves back to the garden.”

    YouTube:

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  16. What a nice post! I love stars because of the name, the dreams the keep, the beauty only your imagination set the limit for the meaning they bring you. I want to just point out that because I use my cellohone a lot ehen I read posts, I have by mistake marked the blogs I read from follow to unfollow by mistake , when I’m trying to change”page” on the iphone. So annoying. I just didn’t understand why no more posts were announced. Now I’n careful with my thumb.

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      • :-). That was the correct name of the button. I’m sad because the blogs who this has happened to is the blogs I love and are so eager to read ( that’s where my tumb comes in the picture, I read and read and move the page and read and don’t notice that I press the little itty -bitty button).
        Thank you for your kind answer!

  18. Laurie, I love your thoughts about stardust. My three wishes would be for my grandchildren. May they forgive us for the messes we have left for them to clean up; may they be granted extra measures of love, creativity, and resilience; may they join us in a starry future where we are all “winking diamonds across a black velvet canopy.”

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    • Shirley – I love the wishes for your grandchildren. So much so, that if I’m ever blessed with becoming a grandmother, I’m going to wish for the very same things. I was just over at your blog and I know you’re getting ready to head out. Have a wonderful time!

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    • Hi Sam
      From my own experience, it seems that a vegan diet, high dose vitamin C (at least 5g twice daily of pure L-Ascorbic acid), and removal of stress response, will allow most people to have their own immune system deal with most cancers (no guarantees with anything when it comes to biological systems, and it certainly puts the probabilities in your favour).

      I’m still here, 3 years and 7 months after being told I had less than a 50% chance of living 6 months – and no trace of the cancer that was rife in my body.

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      • Thanks so much for that response Ted, and I applaud your health triumph! With my wife and I it is always the weight issues, though I do eat blueberries, salmon, broccoli and some nuts in abundance. The problem is to avert pasta, bread, rice and sugar. But great suggestion with the sustained intake of Vitamin C my friend. Your personal story needless to say is inspiring to us all.

      • Ted and Sam, this is a great discussion and I have a feeling that Laurie will find a way to celebrate this idea in her Tuesdays With Laurie posts, what do you think? 😉

        I too take large doses of Vit C and eat vegan to keep myself cancer free. I am now celebrating 21 years of cancer freedom after my 3 major bouts of cancer. I also only eat organic foods. I must exercise 3 hours a day 5 days a week to keep my Adrenal system not at high stress levels. Meditate several times a day and control blood pressure via biofeedback. Life is good!

  20. Hi Laurie

    Like many others here:
    security and abundance for all;
    freedom of action and travel for all (within the needs above and the awareness below);
    high level awareness of our relatedness to each other, and all other living systems, and our need to have our technologies compatible with all life.

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    • Ted – I love your global perspective. You’ve used the word “all” a number of times which means you’re INclusive rather than EXclusive. That’s just one of the many things I oh-so-appreciate about YOU! 🙂

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  21. I wish that people would be more giving/forgiving,
    I wish people to be less oriented towards material things
    I wish above all we realise what is important.

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  24. Immediately 3 spirits I have lost came to mind–so that. I could go on to say more transcendental stuff, but the gut said: bring ’em back.

    Always thought provoking, Laurie. Congratulations on your Viewbug award for your picture. It is lovely! 🙂

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  25. Happiness for all who have not experienced it
    Love to surround and seep within those who haven’t felt it
    and for everyone to pause in a walk through the woods to feel Nature in all Her Glory….
    Take Care…You Matter…
    )0(
    maryrose

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  26. Hey Laurie, you’re honestly one of my favorite people in the blogging world, and one of my longest followers. I love your blog and I appreciate your readership! You deserve this: I’ve awarded you the Blog of the Year Award 2013! (Forgive me if I’ve awarded you before and you declined, it’s hard to keep track of). There’s no obligation to accept, I understand completely if you don’t. Anyway, thanks for liking posts on my blog “The Journal of Wall Grimm.” I appreciate your coming by. For details about the award, please see my post http://wp.me/p41c99-oB Happy Holidays and have a peaceful and prosperous New Year! Sage

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  27. Laurie, with all those zeros on the numbers, I think you have been spending a lot of time reading my husband’s blog. Let me tell you how often when we are driving along together, I put my hand against his pocket, and feel your quartz, always in it’s place and I give thanks for you. My wishes – 1) that people get to feel that they are enough – that they are surrounded by gentleness and peace. 2) That each person gets to experience the environment as a precious friend. 3) That everyone on this planet has a wonderful friend.

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  28. Laurie, this was a lovely blog. I read it twice earlier in the week but couldn’t think of three wishes for others. It would have been easy to wish for peace, love, to end hunger…but my truest wish is that every single being on the planet could listen to their innermost heart and follow it back into themselves. When we follow our heart back into ourselves I believe that we are one with others, and that there is no separation between a prayer for self and a prayer for the other…

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