Night sky and astronomy as spiritual practice

To lie on your back and look at the stars is to receive, without asking for it, a very efficient cure for excessive self-importance — and self-importance, Nasreddin would note, is the condition most in need of treatment in any village at any time. He looked up regularly and came away more cheerful than before, which is not the most common response to confronting the infinite but may be the wisest one. The universe is not indifferent; it is simply operating at a scale where your particular drama is not the headline.