There is a fencepost that stands near my driveway. The fence itself is long gone, but the stout metal pole remains.
In the morning, when I drive by it, I find that the shadow of the fencepost is facing towards where the sun will set at the end of the day. When I return in the evening, I find that the fencepost shadow then faces towards the sunrise. If I venture home at noon, I find that the shadow does not seem to be easily found. It is short and unobtrusive. On cloudy days, I cannot see the shadow, and therefore don’t know the location of the rising or setting sun.
If I go to the fencepost at night, I find that it has many shadows. Sometimes, when the moonlight is strong, the shadow points into the night, tantalizingly random to temp my sense of adventure. Other times, the shadows arise from nearby streetlights and I find the directions proposed to be muddled and confusing.
