The Zenith

It’s our last day of NaPoWriMo (National /Global Poetry Writing Month) and the A-Z Challenge. We made it. Congratulations!!

Here we are at the zenith of our depth study. This is the culminating moment, the climactic and decisive point. Like depth, zenith both abstract and concrete meanings. The zenith is the point of the celestial sphere vertically overhead of the observer. The opposite of the zenith is the nadir, the point directly beneath the observer.

A Change of Perspective

When we lie on our backs and look up at the stars. The stars directly overhead are the zenith stars. When was the last time you took a blanket out to stare up at the stars long enough to observe their movement across the heavens?

Shadows are their shortest when the sun is at its zenith. How often do we observe the changing length of shadows?

When was the last time you watched the clouds, watched the birds circling overhead, stared up into the branches?

One thing I’ve learned about depth in my study so far is that depth is about slowing down, paying attention, and connecting present sensory information to our inner lives. Take a few minutes today to get down on the ground and look up. Observe the celestial zenith.

How to Reach Your Zenith

At HumanZenith.com they say that the human zenith is about optimizing Mind, Body, and Soul. They have products for sale in each area, and the emphasis appears to be on meditation and yoga, but they got me thinking: How can depth study help us optimize Mind, Body, and Soul to reach our zeniths? I’ve gone ahead and sorted each of this month’s posts into one of these three areas.

Mind
Abstract and Concrete Thinking
Depth of Cognitive Complexity
An Artist’s Date Drawing Depth Data
Depth Grammar
Deep Image
C. G. Jung and Depth Psychology
Depth of Knowledge
Depth of the Noosphere
Deep Questions
Depth is Recondite
Depth of the Unchanging One

Body
Depth’s Highs and Lows
Light Depth
Depth Through Mindfulness
Depth Perception
Sounding for Depth
Visuospatial Reasoning
The Weather Deepens
Seeing Depth with X-rays

Soul
Deep-seated Belief
Exploring Endless Depth
Depth of Our Fears
Depth of Mary Oliver’s Poetry
Transformation
The Depth of Yearning

That was a fun exercise. The posts were more balanced than I expected. Many of the posts have overlap that isn’t shown here. I think this was a great way to start thinking about the posts for my reflections post. In my future depth exploration this year, I think I want to explore how my topics deepen mind, body, and soul.

Today’s Poem

Crossing Boundaries

You are the music from my walls
the complete betrayal of the walls to keep me safe
from grayscale paperdolls with toothless slit mouths
chains and machinery to lift their monstrous weights
hammering the whole day banging
your voice on the wind is irresistible
breath circling round and around
always a hand in the sound
singing of fun to misbehave
you are the nest in my chair
the complete betrayal of the chair to hold my weight
you steal a little of the music from inside me
then tell me I’m running out of time
but music is everywhere
misbehaving music splashes in the pool
dream voices echo off the tiles
symphonic splatter on the walls
growing mindgames sing from shoulders
betrayal’s notes flow like calmes in colored glass

This poem was inspired by today’s prompts at NaPoWriMo and Writer’s Digest’s April Poem a Day (PAD) Challenge.

Thank you so much for coming by and reading my post. Any thoughts or questions about the zenith? Now it’s time to celebrate April’s end. I hope you’ll come back soon.