It’s easy to draw a parallel between our cosmic journey through the universe and our spiritual journey through life. Many of us are unaware of both, yet both are very real.

The two most impressive aspects of our cosmic journey are the speed and great distances covered. Without markers to serve as reference points, we can hardly be blamed for being oblivious to our movement. But it’s different in our journey through life. Even primitive cultures observe the markers that indicate passage from one stage of life to another. While differing in details, rites celebrating birth, coming of age, marriage, parenthood, death are common to most societies. We can spot these markers much more easily than we can observe our journey through space.

In the non-material dimension, crises of the soul may be encountered with calm or struggle. Dealing with questions like "Who am I?" or "Why am I here?" or "What is life all about?" can make a profound impact on us. Of course, some souls seem to manage to get through life without ever even asking questions like those, let alone finding satisfying answers.

The important thing to recognize is that as surely as we are hurtling through space at thousands of kilometres a second, we are also hurtling through time.

For reflection:

• What are some of the markers in your physical/social life that you have celebrated? What made them significant to you?
• Have you dealt with any of the big questions of life? Why do you think it is important (or not) to engage them seriously?