“One must have chaos in oneself in order to give birth to a dancing star.”
(Friedrich Nietzsche)
It all started the other day when I read this quote by Friedrich Nietzsche and posted it here. I got to the quote because my head was bubbling and, I suppose, you could say chaotic. That shortest of short posts settled me as blogging so often does.
But, when you started to comment, dear friends, I found myself moving from thoughts of chaos to dancing stars and all they might entail.
Yes, dancing stars like Michael Flatley spring to mind and all the other greats that I should know about but don’t (yet).
Dancing stars have evoked thoughts of many, many things over the last few days.
- Twinkling eyes
- Floating snowflakes
- The glistening teeth of Seve Ballesteros when I
sawlusted after him at The Irish Open in Mount Juliet some years back - Lying on my parent’s bed as a kid ‘helping’ my Mother to get ready to go out for an evening and running my fingers along her string of pearls
- Watching Richard Clayderman’s hands caressing the keys of a grand piano at the RDS in Dublin
- Star-gazing in the depths of February in 2009 when son Harry and I spent a week in a remote little cottage on the Burren in Co. Clare
- Playing mixed doubles at the St. Anne’s Open Tennis Week in Waterford and having an unexpected meeting with bright, bright stars when I failed to get out of the way of my partner’s brilliant first serve!
- This great quote from Oscar Wilde:
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars
Where do ‘dancing stars’ bring YOU?
SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland 
Love this, Jean!
Dancing Stars bring me camping with my family. The comfort of wordless company, gazing at the fire then up at the sky. Such peace could not be found elsewhere. I miss it so.
Dale, believe it or not, I’ve never been camping.
I can only imagine how much you must miss it. Hopefully one of these days you and the boys will take off again.
I do believe it – it’s not for everybody.
Nahhh. I sold the trailer because the boys said they no longer wished to go.
Oh I’d love to go but never seemed to find the right companion!
Never say never. They may change their minds …
No longer equipped so they’ll have to do the tent-thing with their friends! (I’m past the rent-thing!)😉
I strongly suspect that they will and I wouldn’t be writing you off yet either!!!
How about we camp out for a few nights when you come to Ireland?
Sounds like a plan!
Sure does! xx
What a wonderful post, Jean. I love your list 🙂
My dancing stars – Sunrise or moonrise over the sea. A morning star. Dappled sunlight in woodland mixed with bird song. The adoring bright eyes of a trusting canine companion.
Sarah, what a lovely list, especially the last one.
Here is my take.
https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/twinkle-twinkle-little-star/ and
https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/counting-stars/
Both lovely and inspiring! I listened to one of your stories/poems, too–Quiet Man. Very nice.
Hello glad you enjoyed The Quiet Man it is about my Dad, there is one about my Mum too called Gentle she was. They have both been dead for many years.
I love watching a harpist picking at the strings of a harp, and the sounds that are produced by the harp…The sunlight shining through a stained glass window and the shadow from the tree leaves as the wind billows through them casting their shadows on the wall..I love Kenny G playing the saxophone hitting the high notes and the lilting sound of the music…I love the click-clack of Irish Step dancers on a wooden floor as well as the Irish instruments keeping the beat going..
Joni, your ‘dancing stars’ are gorgeous too. I hope you’ve heard The Chieftains’ music. I think it beats them all in terms of Irish music.
I love the beautiful white flower in your photograph and Nietzchse words are indeed food for thought. Thank you for your lovely posts and again for the lovely photos. I look forward to opening up my in-box every morning:):) Olga
Ah thanks, Olga, You’re so very kind.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young
Bob Dylan
Robin, this is just perfect. I adore Bob Dylan!
Hi Jean,
What a picturesque post! For me, dancing stars represent little bursts of positive energy and light that can be found anywhere. We just have to know how to quiet our minds and look.
Nancy
Hi Nancy, I agree about the art of quietening the mind and how it can bring all sorts of wonders.
Yes I have heard them and you’re right ..I am a lover of most types of music only a few escape my attention as I don’t like a particular type as it grates my nerves, it’s perhaps that I don’t understand the concept…
Joni, delighted that the Chieftains have passed your test.
I agree about the issue of understanding the concept — or not!
Delightful photo and fun musings about dancing stars, Jean. I love Michael Flatley, I saw him live on stage when Lord of the Dance came here to my town, and it was amazing. 🙂
Thanks Jewels. MF is truly amazing!
Umm, dancing stars – I guess my initial reaction would be physical, real stars. When I trucked in northern Ontario there are stretches where there are no human habitation, or lights, for hundreds of miles. It gets bitter, bitter cold up there in the winter. One night I stopped for a nap at the road side – there are pull outs for trucks. When I awoke about 2 am, I jumped out to use the washroom without turning on any truck lights and it was bright. I looked up and the whole sky was full, full, full of stars. There wasn’t a square inch that wasn’t glowing with starlight. It was the most incredible sight I had ever seen – mind you it was about -30 C as well and there wasn’t another light for a hundred miles. I’ll never forget it and I haven’t seen such a sight again and perhaps never will. I’m a city boy you see, born and bred. That night I am sure I could see literally millions of stars. I’ve been in planetariums and they didn’t have that many stars.
That’s what popped to mind when you asked about dancing stars Jean. I know I’m a bit literal minded. 😀
Oh Paul, this is a wonderful memory. I can’t even begin to imagine -30 but it sounds like it was well worth it to see the stars like you did.
A boat in Turkey with darkest night and lots of shooting stars / a cabin in the forest with the stars twinkling above the trees.
It’s funny how the short posts and short quotations often linger in our minds for the longest times. I love that phrase, dancing stars. These late summer evenings, our garden fills with fireflies and they echo the night sky full of stars, but one could say that they are dancing stars as they are always in motion. I am forever captivated by them; they never lose their magic.