The sun of the great East, revered by the tantric traditions of the East and so many other cultures, is that of dawn. The one that brings with it the rebirth of a new day. The energy of what is to come. The setting sun reminds us that one day we must die. Probably, no one contemplates a sunset in this way, but as Eastern philosophies and especially Japanese Zen teach us, life is dying.
Every day the solar cycle reminds us of this condition. Everything is cyclical and the sun marks life on Earth with its radiance. The moon takes us to rest and to the mystery of darkness.
What we explain are clues on how to contemplate a sunset, with new perspectives. Without a doubt, it is beautiful to watch the sun go down in the company of a loved one or a group of friends, celebrating love and friendship. However, a sunset can be many more things. Among them, this understanding of the sunset as a threshold between light and darkness, doing and not doing, activity and pause.
Therefore, the first condition could be to remain for a while after the solar car has disappeared from the horizon. Almost always, we leave once the sun has set. If we stay, we will see the spectacle of the light graduation of those last rays that turn from red to purple, blue, gray, silver or even green.
Joseph Conrad, a great navigator as well as an immense writer, spoke of the line of shadow, something similar to the beautiful Scottish legend of the green ray. This refers to a phenomenon that rarely occurs, but that many sailors talked about, related to seeing a green beam at the last moment of a sunset. Some believe that it is a hallucinatory invention. Others think that if the atmospheric conditions are good, and you are lucky, the green ray appears.
According to legend, whoever observes it is a person truly in love. And if a couple sees it together, they seal their love for the rest of their lives. Maybe that’s where the popularity of sunsets as a romantic practice comes from.
When the sun sets, nature never stops surprising us, awakening our senses and internal emotions. The beauty of a sunset, in addition to tempering the mind, can open the door to the heart from contemplative ecstasy. The sky becomes a vibrating canvas and the imagination becomes active. Clouds, another of the important determinants of a sunset, may have a lot to do with this. They don’t always come to ruin the experience, but rather to provide light filters that attenuate the light or to generate that wonderful suspense of whether the sun will rise again, before hiding on the horizon. When it does, it dazzles us with tones and images that are not easy to describe.
Great romantic artists like Friedrich and Turner dedicated their lives to it. Watching a sunset is an art, a way of meditating, a romantic act and also something that can give us emotional balance. Witnessing the death of the day, the disappearance of what gives us light or the twilight of another day, takes us back to the immediacy of living and the need to let go.
Watching a sunset is an aesthetic pleasure and a great life lesson that we should not miss.
Watching the sunset individually can be an exercise in connecting with ourselves. Taking it as a long meditation is a good option. This begins when we leave the house, focused and silent. Whether we take the car or walk, the important thing is to be quiet, distancing ourselves from the usual mental noise. We pay attention to the thoughts that come to us and let them pass, without obsessing over them.
In the last section, we walk looking towards the ground, putting awareness in each step, slowly. While we put our ideas and the thoughts that surround us in order.
Once at the place where we have decided to see the sunset, we pay attention to our emotions. How I feel? What am I up to? Beyond worries, listen to your feelings and observe your mood. Do not enter into judgment and gaze intently at the great solar ball. Give yourself time. Without rushing, let yourself be hypnotized by the sun. Don’t move or change places. Focus and full attention, throughout the entire process.
When the sun falls below the horizon, give yourself a couple more minutes before leaving the meditation. Take stock of how you are and see if you have less anxiety, dullness, or brain fog. Maybe your heart is more open to emotions. Don’t demand yourself and integrate. Meditating before the sun requires practice and discipline.
This is one of the most everyday practices. Normally, we like the sea to share a sunset with the person we love, but there is no rule. This is a beautiful and unifying act for couples. It serves to unite ties, understanding that love is much more than words. Shared glances and silences. The ecstasy of beauty. Hold your hand when the sun thrills with its beauty and pulses our senses. Kiss. All of this is something that can happen when you watch the sunset as a romantic act.
We would not want to give very explicit instructions because each couple knows how to live this experience and has the right to be creative. However, it is good to be silent, not speak, look at the sun and be close to each other. Not like two strangers, in coldness but in communion. And when the sun sets. Share, look into each other’s eyes and return to the routine holding hands.
With friends or family, watching the sun set brings togetherness and celebration. Sharing a moment in which everyone enjoys the same experience strengthens the group. In this case it is more common to talk and not be so focused on the permanent observation of the sunset. This can accompany an atmosphere where there is music, relaxed conversations or a more festive atmosphere. Here the sun becomes a companion of party and celebration.
Music is usually a capital element in sunsets. The chill out culture of islands like the Balearic Islands or others, started from a type of music specially designed for the sunset. Sound environments with rhythmic bases that are not very strident or powerful percussions. Progressive and hypnotic rhythms that match the light show of the sun. Musical forms such as trip-hop, trance or coming out of electronics, the psychedelic rock of Pink Floyd. There are many musical styles that can accompany a sunset. The basis is to stimulate the senses, without the music taking over the solar car’s prominence.
Once the sun has set, the pace can increase. The celebration too. The night has arrived.
