The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth

In gathering these pieces together into themes or movements, stars naturally came to the surface. What surprised me though was what an active part stars play in our songs. Stars don't just look beautiful to us but rather they are looking for themselves. They are proclaiming, lending, beholding, guiding. I wonder if, in our post-enlightenment world, it is good to remember the closeness and personality of stars: they are full of myth and story. What if they aren’t mere ornaments but rather active participants? What if stars, like shepherds and angels don’t just shine, but look, adore, sing, and draw near? As heaven and earth collide in the incarnation the heavens – the Star of Bethlehem and all the stars of the heavens – seem to be close, participating in the touching of heaven and earth.

“'In our world,' said Eustace, 'a star is a huge ball of flaming gas. ' 'Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of'"
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis