Lectio Universum is a spiritual practice of this century.

It has only been in the last fifty years that we have been able to look back at the earth from space and see far into the depths of the universe.  The universe is astounding, amazing, truly awesome in every sense of the world. Contemplating the vastness of this mystery which surrounds us helps us place our own lives in proportion.  There is something both humbling and inspiring in being reminded of our relation to one another and the planet.

This video begins with the image of the earth – a pale blue dot – taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft as it left our solar system in 1990.  Astronomer Carl Sagan asked that this image be taken, his reflections on the image narrate the video. Sagan’s words have inspired several videos, this is the simple one from his official site.

Take some time to sit in silence, breathing deeply, both before and after watching this video.