The Star
—Ann Taylor and Jane Taylor

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are !
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the trav’ller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often thro’ my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

‘Tis your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the trav’ller in the dark :
Tho’ I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

[This image shows the star Alnilam lighting up the star NGC 1990. The photo was taken by Glen Youman of the website astrophotos.net. The photographer writes: “NGC 1990 surrounds the belt star Epsilon Orionis. This reflection nebula is of such low magnitude as to be invisible in all but the larger scopes. There are two very faint detached reflection nebulae in the lower left of the photo, my star charts do not identify these nebulae.” Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1348675]

Reading List
—Violette Taylor

I have stopped waiting for
divine intervention, so
now I search for counsel
on highway signs and
in the underlined passages of used books.

About the author: Violette Taylor writes to make her favorite tiny moments big enough for others to see.

The Hearth
—Henry van Dyke

When the logs are burning free,
Then the fire is full of glee:
When each heart gives out its best,
Then the talk is full of zest:
Light your fire and never fear,
Life was made for love and cheer.

[Image description: A table with a basket of bread, a plate of cheeses and fruits, two wineglasses filled with red wine, two bottles of wine, and two more empty glasses stands in front of a merrily burning fire in a stone fireplace.]

The Weekly Insight from the Oracles for February 15, 2021 is live on my Patreon!

Many thanks to my wonderful Patrons!

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[Image description: A teaser screenshot of this week’s Insight from the Oracles, with just a hint of the cards and runes showing.]

I am pleased that eating cake is not only gratifying, it is also an act which honors the ancestors.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to honor my ancestors.

(This is today’s Candorville comic, by artist Darrin Bell.)

[Image description: A four-panel comic, featuring a woman and a man leaning forward against a wall as they speak.
Panel one: The man says, “We’re a whole generation of ingrates.”
Panel two: The man says, “Take preservatives, for instance. We whine and moan about how bad they are for us.”
Panel three: The man continues speaking, “But tell that to the 300 thousand generations of humans who starved to death during our first 2.5 million years on Earth. I bet they’d have thought preservatives were worth the risk.”
Panel four: The woman says, “I still don’t think you should eat that cake you left out last night.” The man replies, “It would be an insult to our ancestors if I didn’t!”
End description.]