Is there really something to this concept that we all have a desire to get back into the womb? Is it one of those two-sides-of-a-coin things? Most, if not all, of us have an interest in our personal origins, and that interest sometimes morphs into a wider interest in the origin of the Cosmos. We might at times seek to re-enter the womb of our origins while we simultaneously want to understand our present relationship to the universe. We tie knowing our past to understanding our present.
Ever been in a cave? Been inside a lava tube? As a child did you ever make a tent or “cave” with a blanket draped over some chairs? Did you like to play hide-and-seek? Do you sleep under a cover on a warm night, as many do, to prevent a monster from grabbing a foot? Is it so universal a desire for security that other mammals, such as orphaned baby elephants in a Nairobi asylum devoted to their care, also like sleeping under blankets? Yeah, there’s probably something to this back-to-the-womb thing. And we probably carry it with us throughout our lives to some extent. We might even carry it throughout the Solar System as we emerge from womb-like spacecraft to explore surfaces beyond Earth.
Now we have some substantial evidence that the moon has a large underground system of cavities that might serve as home for future astronauts—moon people, as they will eventually come to be known. Japan’s SELENE space probe (nicknamed Kaguya) used a radar sounder system to look at underground hollows that open to the surface.* Apparently, the moon has its version of Mammoth Cave.
As one who has visited caverns and mines on our home planet, I confess that I have no desire to live underground permanently just so I can go out occasionally to explore the airless surface of the moon. A vampire lifestyle in Hotel Moon Cave would have to have amenities too numerous to mention to motivate me to vacation there. But, of course, there are some of us that would like the opportunity. I guess if I think about it, walking out of the cave for the first time to see distant Earth hanging in the sky would charge even the most jaded person with some strong emotions and with thoughts about life’s big picture.
But we don’t have to go to the moon to think about our origins and to attempt a return to the womb of personal creation. We do have caves, lava tubes, and blanket tents on Earth, and they could provide us with the setting for cosmic thinking. Go underground for a time in a cave, tube, mine, or chair tent. Emerging during the daylight hours to sunshine, noisy life, and expansive sky with a hanging moon can open up that cosmic perspective.
Are there some of us who might prefer the shelter over such openness? Sure. Maybe you are such a person, but I hope not. One of the problems of living in a cave, however, is that all lighting is artificial. The problem with artificial light is that those who live by it see only that which they choose to light. Remember that the next time you seek to return to the womb. Cosmic thinking is open thinking. It requires light from unexpected sources and a panoramic view not blocked by a ceiling of impenetrable rock or self-constructed blanket tent. You didn’t know anything about the wider world until you emerged from the womb you sometimes might desire to revisit because you believe it shields you from all that light and confusion on the surface of your present life.
At times, all of us choose to live in a personal cave or return to the perceived safety of a representative “womb.” We don’t have to live there permanently. We can emerge to see a panorama that inspires thinking about where we stand in relation to our past and how we fit into the vastness of our present.
*McCurry, Justin. “Discovery of 500km lunar cave raises hopes for human colonization of moon.” Tokyo, The Guardian, October 19, 2017, Online at https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/19/lunar-cave-discovery-raises-hopes-for-human-colonisation-of-moon
Ever been in a cave? Been inside a lava tube? As a child did you ever make a tent or “cave” with a blanket draped over some chairs? Did you like to play hide-and-seek? Do you sleep under a cover on a warm night, as many do, to prevent a monster from grabbing a foot? Is it so universal a desire for security that other mammals, such as orphaned baby elephants in a Nairobi asylum devoted to their care, also like sleeping under blankets? Yeah, there’s probably something to this back-to-the-womb thing. And we probably carry it with us throughout our lives to some extent. We might even carry it throughout the Solar System as we emerge from womb-like spacecraft to explore surfaces beyond Earth.
Now we have some substantial evidence that the moon has a large underground system of cavities that might serve as home for future astronauts—moon people, as they will eventually come to be known. Japan’s SELENE space probe (nicknamed Kaguya) used a radar sounder system to look at underground hollows that open to the surface.* Apparently, the moon has its version of Mammoth Cave.
As one who has visited caverns and mines on our home planet, I confess that I have no desire to live underground permanently just so I can go out occasionally to explore the airless surface of the moon. A vampire lifestyle in Hotel Moon Cave would have to have amenities too numerous to mention to motivate me to vacation there. But, of course, there are some of us that would like the opportunity. I guess if I think about it, walking out of the cave for the first time to see distant Earth hanging in the sky would charge even the most jaded person with some strong emotions and with thoughts about life’s big picture.
But we don’t have to go to the moon to think about our origins and to attempt a return to the womb of personal creation. We do have caves, lava tubes, and blanket tents on Earth, and they could provide us with the setting for cosmic thinking. Go underground for a time in a cave, tube, mine, or chair tent. Emerging during the daylight hours to sunshine, noisy life, and expansive sky with a hanging moon can open up that cosmic perspective.
Are there some of us who might prefer the shelter over such openness? Sure. Maybe you are such a person, but I hope not. One of the problems of living in a cave, however, is that all lighting is artificial. The problem with artificial light is that those who live by it see only that which they choose to light. Remember that the next time you seek to return to the womb. Cosmic thinking is open thinking. It requires light from unexpected sources and a panoramic view not blocked by a ceiling of impenetrable rock or self-constructed blanket tent. You didn’t know anything about the wider world until you emerged from the womb you sometimes might desire to revisit because you believe it shields you from all that light and confusion on the surface of your present life.
At times, all of us choose to live in a personal cave or return to the perceived safety of a representative “womb.” We don’t have to live there permanently. We can emerge to see a panorama that inspires thinking about where we stand in relation to our past and how we fit into the vastness of our present.
*McCurry, Justin. “Discovery of 500km lunar cave raises hopes for human colonization of moon.” Tokyo, The Guardian, October 19, 2017, Online at https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/19/lunar-cave-discovery-raises-hopes-for-human-colonisation-of-moon
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