A Starry Night

A light shines in the dark night.
(Click picture for larger view)

"From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Truly, it is in the darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us." ~ Meister Johann Eckhart (1260 - 1327)

At first glance this might be a full moon on a clear, dark night with stars twinkling in the background; but see the gleam of the lamppost and the "moon" becomes a "lamp". Perhaps the picture of a lighted parkway path, but not in the big city; in a western town where the night stars can overcome the bright lights, where they gleam brightly and seem close enough to touch with my outstretched hand. Or maybe this is a street lamp lighting the deserted parking lot at a mountain top observatory; perhaps that is why the stars are so bright.

This is submitted for the Thursday Challenge topic "light". If you really want to know what this picture is then click "Read More" below; you know you do. Click the one with the arrows.

This picture was taken at the Yankee Candle Company in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was taken in broad daylight, inside. It is a wonderland of shops with a mainstreet from the 1800's; lamppost, street markers, sidewalk cafes and an arched roof with blue skies and wispy clouds. All the separate shopping areas open to this "town square". One shop is set up for Christmas... all year round. There are stuffed penguins, moose and a wooden bridge leading to the North Pole fantasy land. The room is dark, it's ceiling curved and painted black with thousands of these tiny sparks of light shining down as the sky would appear in the arctic. I simply stood under the lamp post and shot upward at an angle. (end of post)