27. XANADU

January 10, 2025

Fun is what I was after when I agreed to a roller disco session at Xanadu with my sister. Magic is what awaited me. “Lucky Star” on the radio upon my arrival at Starr Street—an amusing sign. The space-themed carpet inside…cosmic continuity. Fun was had. I could’ve left it at that. But a succession of synchronicities felt more promising.

I thought I had heard of Xanadu in a song—not in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, “Kubla Khan,” nor the musical Xanadu. It wasn’t what I had in mind, but the song “Magic,” from Xanadu, was all I needed to hear. I felt the promise in the air. The planets did align. The brilliance of Venus and Saturn that night led to the discovery of “wandering stars” and “fixed stars,” by me and those before me.

I learned that stars have a destination as well. This was illuminated by a stargazing app that highlighted the high proper motion star, Biham (Theta Pegasi). Belonging to the constellation Pegasus, the Winged Horse, it’s a star on the move—metaphorically and literally. ChatGPT interpreted this sighting as “a symbolic nudge from the universe to move forward with trust, even when progress feels invisible or slow.” Within the same frame, Fomalhaut was nearby. It’s not visible to the naked eye, so I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. Known as the “Watcher of the South,” it’s a star of great potential and spiritual inspiration, encouraging us to use our imagination and creativity to manifest our higher vision with integrity.

In the musical, nine muses—the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (goddess of memory)—are represented. Their inclusion reminds us that inspiration and insight are gifted to us. Coleridge’s famous poem may have been drug-induced, but he touched upon the heart of escapism. That is: we want to be amused. It helps us overcome the insurmountable with levity and grace.