It rained all day, but thankfully, the night sky was clear, bejeweled with stars. The moon was smiling. It was precious. Alluring. Novalunosis.

I grew up in a place where there was a usual power outage. It may sound burdensome for a modern world, but not to me - I did not grow up in a modern world. I was an old soul in a slow-paced barrio; where you wake up with the chirping of birds and not of roaring busy vehicles. Where morning dews adorn the swaying leaves in a morning breeze. Where the first sun rays of the day are sweet. Where life is serene. Where life is surrounded with nature, and is mesmerizing. Where everything makes you grateful. Where life just is. Calm.

One destined night, the power was out. I got out of our house at about eight in the evening because Hypnos has not visited me yet. No light illuminated the surroundings. Even the moon was only shyly smiling; not quite luminous but he was there. A familiar figure excitedly ran beside me. It was my dog, wagging his tail while jumping up and down. Even in the dark, his energy was oozing; it was hard not to smile. We were walking side by side around the house while my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I was looking but did not quite know what I wanted to find. But just then, a few meters away, where the coconuts were, a firefly was lazily strolling. It has been a while since I saw a firefly. I savored the moment and breathed the cold evening wind. Then I heard a rustling on our roof, it must be the stray cat again, I thought. I was not expecting to see anything due to the dimness of everything, but I still looked up. And I was right, but boy, was I also wrong! I might not have seen what caused the rustle, but I did see the night sky. Bare. Raw. Luminous. Hypnotic.

It was the night sky studded with thousands, if not millions, of stars as seen by the naked eye. I gasped, and I swear I felt my lungs hold the wind inside it mindful not to ruin what I was witnessing. The next sigh was a deep one, it was like the longing a person has for something he did not even know existed. Sehnsucht. Bittersweet. I hurriedly got a chair, and I sat under the stars aware of the cold and thankful for the darkness. Even my dog sat beside me and slumped his body. He knew we’ll be outside for a long time. It was not my birthday, but the sky felt like a gift. Like the world showing me all the jewels I have and I did not even need to possess & hold them. Looking at the night sky was more than enough. It was so beautiful it hurt.

There is no proper word to describe what that moment felt like. It was like seeing the night sky with every sense. The eyes see the wonder of how stars twinkle, and how they seem to multiply with every passing second. Their various colors look beautiful, some brighter than others. The skin feels the coolness of the wind, but you know that the goosebumps were not from it, but from the beauty and the surrealness of the moment. The nose smells the distinct unique aroma of the wet earth and the clean air. The ears hear the calmness of everything. The soft whispers of the rustling leaves. The quiet chirping of sleepy birds. And the occasional silence of the world, so still and so tranquil. The earth, supporting your whole person so you can witness the beauty it created for you to behold and treasure. It was not even a question of whether it was beautiful. Because it was more than that. It was more of when it would end. Because you don’t want beautiful things to end. I didn’t want it to end.

I don’t know if it was the rhythmic pounding of my heart during that moment or the stillness of everything. Or having my beloved dog with me watching the stars just being themselves. All I knew was how special that night was. Like what you need and want was all before your eyes. Big dreams did not matter. The need to achieve anything felt light years away. I was just being myself. Vulnerable. Awed by how the universe could be so stunning. Humbled with every passing minute, realizing how honored I was to see all the stars and the moon, having someone to share the moment with, and admitting how life could be surprising. I was not looking for anything when I went out because of the power outage. But I found the night sky, and I would not want it any other way.

Maybe the cosmos knew I needed that moment to focus on the more important aspects of life. Simplicity and contentment. There may have been a power outage, but the power of that moment recharged my soul. The world’s stillness showed me how even the earth needed a breather; a rest from everything going on. Being there without the need to present any accomplishments to be respected felt bizarre, but good. Very good. Feeling the silent but overwhelming energy of the clear studded sky convinced me that you don’t always need warm and sunny days. Sometimes, you need the dark moonless night to see specks in your life you did not know would twinkle in the face of emptiness. When life gets overwhelmingly fast and life feels too much to cope with, maybe you need the slow and hushed pace of the night. To realize that you don’t need to have it all figured out. Because when your mind and eyes get clearer and adjusted, everything will unfold before your eyes. Like how the stars seem to multiply with every passing minute. Just how life is supposed to be. You only need to accept that you are just where you are supposed to be, and life will surprise you with so many wonders it will leave you wanting for more. Like how I was not looking for anything but found millions of stars. I was not looking, but I found and experienced novalunosis. It was so beautiful it’s a shame it has to end. So beautiful I’m thankful for every moment.