Soul-AH Activity

Last night, the sky did that thing it does occasionally. The thing that makes people stop what they’re doing, step outside in dressing gowns or bare feet, and look up.
A strong solar storm brushed against Earth’s magnetic field, and suddenly parts of the world were lit with colour: greens, purples, soft pinks, even deep reds... Shimmering in place of the usual darkness.

Auroras are born from invisible forces. Charged particles released by the sun travel millions of miles through space, collide with Earth’s magnetic field, and (under just the right conditions) become visible. Something unseen, long in motion, finally revealing itself as the beautiful light we see.

So much of our inner world works the same way. Thoughts we didn’t know were forming, from emotions that have been gathering for years. Old memories can be nudged awake by a conversation, a change in temperature or season, but they don’t arrive out of nowhere, even when they feel sudden. They’re responding to forces we weren’t consciously tracking.

We tend to treat these inner “storms” as problems to solve. Why am I feeling like this now?
But the aurora reminds us: not every eruption is a malfunction. Some are simply energy meeting conditions.

"The aurora reminds us: not every eruption is a malfunction. Some are simply energy meeting conditions"

Humans have always looked to the sky when life feels heavy. Long before science could explain solar winds and magnetic fields, people sensed that looking up has an effect on them. Awe has a way of softening the mind and loosening the grip of rumination. It can shrink our worries just enough to make room for a deep breath. We remember we’re part of something larger than our current thoughts.

That matters, especially in a world that keeps our attention pointed downwards. Screens; deadlines; metrics; endless self-monitoring. Moments like auroras interrupt that pattern. These events don’t demand productivity or insight, they just simply invite presence in the moment.

There’s also something important about how Earth handles the sun’s energy. Our planet doesn’t absorb it all. It’s protected by a magnetic field... A boundary that deflects what would otherwise be overwhelming. Without it, life here couldn’t exist... Does that sound relatable?

Many of us struggle not because we’re too sensitive, but because we’re absorbing more emotional charge than we were ever meant to hold. Other people’s moods, systems that don’t care how much they ask and a culture that rewards endurance over protection. Our shields are getting attacked from every angle, so sometimes they just can't keep the effects out.

Solar storms aren’t predictable in the way we’d like them to be. Neither are emotional ones. Grief comes in waves. Burnout creeps, then crashes. Insight appears in flashes. We’re often taught that wellbeing means staying calm, regulated, steady at all times — but nature doesn’t work that way. Neither do we.

Sometimes energy moves through us in visible ways. Tears. Restlessness. Sudden clarity. A deep need to stop. These moments don’t always need managing or fixing. Sometimes they need space. Witnessing. Safety while they pass.

You can’t summon an aurora. You can’t schedule it or demand it perform. You can only step outside when the conditions are right and see what appears.

Maybe our inner worlds are the same.

Not something to optimise endlessly, but something to tend to gently.

So, trust that unseen processes are doing what they do — even when we don’t yet understand the pattern.

And every so often, when the conditions align, something wonderful shows itself.

That, too, is soul-ah activity.

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