Sailing stones in Death Valley. Image via Tahoenathan/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Mystery is Alright with Me
By Nita Gilger
July 20, 2024
Neil Armstrong famously said, "Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand."
This morning, as I began my first walk of the day, the sun was just rising. It seemed mystical to me. I can't explain the depth of my feelings, really. Closeness to God and creation. Absorbing its energy and reassurance of a new day. Simply breathing in beauty. I always find myself marveling at the gifts of nature. It is like a shot of adrenaline that infuses curiosity and hope in me.
There is a kind of hopeful sustenance that bubbles up in me when I avail myself to mystery. No matter what is going on in the world around me, I can almost always find a sense of renewal in the sun's rays and the gifts of nature. As I walked this morning, one of my roadrunner friends joined in the mystery. He ran back and forth; cocked his head at me from side-to-side; hopped and then flew as if to say, "Welcome to my world. I hope you find what you need."
Anne Lamott said, "I do not understand the mystery of grace--only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us."
I actually like to live in mystery--not knowing exactly what is happening or will happen. That leaves the door open for possibilities and a deeper kind of searching and wonder. I really don't need an explanation for everything. I love mystery and do not feel the need to change it or make it unmysterious. That spoils curiosity and learning for me. Now, don't get me wrong. I love to research, acquire knowledge, and learn. I am a voracious reader and searcher. But I like to leave room for mystery.
Take the mystery of the "sailing rocks" of Death Valley. These rocks of all sizes travel across the sands of that desolate place and leave trails that remain and are fascinating. The rocks drift across the desert landscape, seemingly propelled by no power other than their own with no gravitational pull. The rocks vary from a few ounces to hundreds of pounds. Some of the trails are as long as 1,500 feet.
For eons this mystery has not been understood. The surface is flat, brutally hot, and the movement seems inexplicable in the Racetrack Playa. Finally, scientists figured out a way to understand something of this strange phenomenon. In 2014, they set up time lapse cameras. They were able to capture the movement of the stones for the first time. The results strongly suggest that the sailing stones are the result of a perfect balance of ice, water, and wind. In the winter of 2014, the time lapse photography showed that rain formed a small pond that froze overnight and thawed the next day, creating a vast sheet of ice that was reduced by midday to a very thin layer. Then, driven by a light wind, this sheet of ice began to break-up and accumulated behind the stones, slowly pushing them forward. Wow! Wondrous indeed! I like the scientific explanation but I also like to fill-in with some imaginary, mystical stories in my mind. Perhaps what I seek is balance just like the ingredients it takes to move the rocks. They need the perfect balance of ice, water, wind, and sun. I need the perfect balance of wonder, mystery, hope, faith, imagination, and curiosity. That keeps me alive, searching, and longing for the best, most intriguing possibilities of the Divine.
Sunrises, roadrunners, sailing stones, and the start of a new day. What wonders are you willing to see and embrace today? We don't have to travel to Death Valley to discover and breathe in mystery, do we? It can be in the smile of a baby or a welcomed wagging tail of our dogs, music that lifts our souls, the gentle tickling of our toes in the flowing current of a river, or in the delicate artistry of a flower. I invite you to look for wonder and mystery wherever it is for you.
Prayer: Mysterious God, fill my heart with wonder and my life with endless possibilities for hope. Amen.