The Future

When embarking on journeys of the sea one can choose to navigate by sight, following visible coastal landmarks. But for lengthy trans-oceanic voyages, when all that meets the eye is blue, celestial navigation becomes indispensable.

Clear skies are not always above or ahead, however. How can a vessel move forward, when visibility is low?

Nowadays, this is in most cases not an issue – sophisticated navigation instruments make it relatively easy to overcome challenging navigation conditions. When the Vikings found themselves in these circumstances, what they did – according to lore – was to rely on polarized light as seen through a form of doubly-refractive calcite.

At its core, navigation is about the future. What we do in our daily life is not that different – we often leave the known to embrace the unknown in pursuit of a goal. When and how we prospect possible futures, optimism can be our sólarsteinn – our sunstone – and help us chart our course even when the sun or the stars are hidden from sight, or our destination remains unclear.