By Grace O’Leary
This colourful fire in the sky will grab anyone’s attention. It grabbed mine and never let go. Doing it’s own dance across the Northern sky, the Aurora Borealis moves across the stars in complete silence. Living under the lights has taught me to appreciate the beauty in silence. The beauty in the night. Beauty in the cold, dark and unforgiving Northwest Territory of Canada.
Living on the north arm of Great Slave Lake is something to be treasured. There are moments when the generator is not running, and it’s so quiet you can hear snow falling off of the trees. Moments in the middle of the night when you are running to the outhouse and the light from your headlamp reflects off the ice crystals making the poop house look like it’s dipped in diamonds. It could be the coldest night with a freezing penetrating wind that comes howling across the lake, rattling every glass panelled window in camp, blowing snow and shaking buildings but the Aurora is moving in slow motion. Not making a peep. Influenced by no one or nothing, the Aurora moves freely around the magnetic circle putting on an unforgettable display of colourful hues dancing in the night for those daring enough to live here.
Like many Canadians I grew up too far South and too deep into the suburbs to regularly see the Northern Lights, so there they stayed forever on my bucket list. It wasn’t until we moved to the Northwest Territories and lived under these dancing light curtains that I knew they would have a special place in my heart. A lot of people ask us if we ‘get bored of seeing the lights’ and I always respond the same way.. HELL NO!
Every night the lights appear differently showing their colourful rays in unpredictable movements making every experience a unique one. Making every night a new one. They appear East to West sometimes in a straight line, sometimes not at all. Some night they never appear to be moving meanwhile on other nights they are sprawl across the sky like lightening fire, lighting up the snow creating shadows underneath your feet. Expressing all sorts of colours from greens and golds to purple and pinks, the Northern Lights could disappear in a wink!
