At night, outside, I watch the constellations move across the curve of black sky. The Great Hand moves toward the horizon. This is the hand that offers help for the souls of the dead to step on the path commonly called the Milky Way, or the way of nurturance. This is where they begin their journey along this Path of Spirits to the world of souls. In Greek astronomy this hand would be a part of the constellation called Orion, but we have many different skies, all held with equal respect. I like the compassion offered by the Hand to the dead.

Indigenous astronomies vary for different indigenous nations. My Navajo sister, Nancy Mary Boy, uses a travelling planetarium to teach others the Navajo sky world. What is most fascinating to me in her stories of the night sky is the constellation called The Feather. When The Feather touches earth, lightning strikes. Lightning wakes the beetles, the bears, every sleeping creature dwelling inside their dens of winter earth. They emerge into the time of rising plants. Farther north, people say two constellations must come together to create this same lightning that opens the season of spring.