Reflections on Light

When we meet another soul, human or animal, it is often the light that beams from their eyes that connects with our heart. I’m sure you all know that feeling, when you look into the eyes of a child, a lover, a dog, a friend and something touches you deep inside, some recognition or reciprocity, an inner knowing, a shade of love. The light within us is connecting with the light in another being.

I believe that light is who we truly are, it is the light of the soul and it shines in everything. We delight in all its manifestations—the glory of sunrise, the cooling glow of the moon, the glistening of dew on leaves, the iridescence of flower petals, the glimmering dance of sunlight on water, the radiance of a joyful smile, the glossy coat of our favourite animal, the sparkle of stars in the night sky.

What are some of the ways that you delight in light?

There are two words in the Sanskrit language which I have been contemplating for many years: prakasha and vimarsha. Prakasha is the light that dwells in everything, the inner radiance. Vimarsha is the light of awareness in each of us, the awareness that perceives that light in all. I love the play of these two concepts, the light, prakasha, is always present, it demands nothing from us, it simply is. The light of our awareness, vimarsha, requires engagement from us, we need to ‘tune in,’ open our minds, our ‘inner eye’ to perceive it, sometimes actively search for it, and become still enough in ourselves to observe it. A divine conversation, a dance of light.

Light is the very essence of life. The light of the sun is the source of life, and plants synthesise that light to create oxygen, the breath of life. John O’Donohue writes:

Ultimately, light is the mother of life. Where there is no light, there can be no life…Light is the secret presence of the divine. It keeps life awake. Light is a nurturing presence, which calls forth warmth and colour in nature. The soul awakens and lives in light.

Anam Cara p4

Everything in nature responds to the presence of light: birds sing as the sun rises over the eastern horizon, and wing homeward at sunset; flowers open and bloom, some even rotate to face the sun as it travels across the sky. We also revel in light, on a sunny day we smile at one another, move more freely, feel the joy of being alive. In the ancient city of Granada many people make a daily pilgrimage to the Mirador de San Nicolas to enjoy sunset over the Alhambra and listen to flamenco guitar players. On western facing beaches, and in beautiful places the world over people gather to see the sun sink below the horizon, and enjoy nature’s miraculous daily light show.

And then there is dark, the opposite of light. The Celtic year begins in the dark season, when life withdraws into the earth, to rest and renew. Life begins in darkness, the tender formative stage of an embryo in the womb or a seed in soil. Darkness is also where the building blocks of life are broken down, ready to be used again: the layers of humus on a forest floor, the depths of a decaying tree, the subsoil where transformation occurs. The I Ching states that all movement is accomplished in six stages, and the seventh brings return. (Hexagram 24: Fu/Return.) Light and dark are two side of the same coin. We need the dark times to rest and renew.

I am fascinated by the fact that light is also the opposite of heavy, and I have been reflecting on this for some time. How do I step upon our earth? Are my footsteps light and conscious or heavy and thoughtless? What about my thoughts? How do they make me feel? Light and joyful or heavy and mournful? I realise that I have a choice in each moment: Do I nurture the light in my life or feed the dark? Do I bring lightness to the people in my life or heaviness?

And light also means to ignite. We light a fire. We spark up a conversation. Words can ignite a situation, as we see so often these days with fake news spreading like wildfire on social media and causing untold damage. And words can heal, calm and inspire, they can bring the light of knowledge and illumine truth.

Every myth and fable, every story arc is essentially about the battle between light and dark, good and evil. Within each of us the same battle rages. Some of us struggle to overcome our ‘darker’ impulses, some don’t. Every day we are faced with choices: do we make the effort to praise a friend who has succeeded where we have failed, or wallow in our resentment and envy? Do we keep feeding our sense of unworthiness with negative self-criticism, or do we congratulate ourselves for our achievements and acknowledge that we are doing our best?

I believe that we, both individually and collectively, are constantly walking a tightrope between light and dark, and that the more effort each of us makes to nurture the force of light within us and our world, the stronger that light will grow. This is the essence of living a spiritual life, constantly believing in and nourishing goodness and light, and turning away from darkness, yet in the lightest, most joyful and unjudgmental way.  Not easy. But essential.

            Our world is at a turning point, and at times it can seem as if everything is getting darker. It is all too easy to be swept away by the tide of bad news and negativity. Yet there is always light and there is always hope. We can be beacons of light, wellsprings of love, champions of positivity.

One of the ways that I nurture light within me is my daily meditation practice. I started meditating in 1982, and at first my mind was full of thoughts: reliving past conversations, planning the activities of the day, going over a movie I’d just seen. I had no idea what meditation really meant, but I persevered and sat for ten minutes each morning, watching my breath flow in and out and repeating a mantra. One day the thoughts melted away and I became aware of a deep, soothing stillness that felt comforting and deeply familiar, like I had been wrapped in a soft shawl and everything in me felt right. I had reached a timeless space of silence and peace that felt like home. When I opened my eyes, I felt fresh and restored, as if I had touched something deep and nourishing within me.

            I have meditated almost every day since then, and meditation is as important to me as eating and sleeping. More so really, as the regular connection to the light and stillness at the core of my being has supported my life in countless ways: I am able to focus more than I could before; I have an inner strength and resilience which has sustained me through some extremely challenging situations; I am more ‘tuned in’ to my intuition, and have learned to trust the messages, inspiration and ideas that the universe sends me; I am comfortable with who I am and where I’m at, and confident to speak my truth; and I have the courage to examine my ‘darker’ impulses and thoughts and work toward aligning myself with light and positivity. It is, and always will be, a work in progress, however it is the adventure of a lifetime and full of discovery.

Another way I experience, and relish, light is through nature, in all her myriad forms. The first thing I do each morning is open my curtains and greet the light of day. Every aspect of nature uplifts me: the elegant flight of the Red Kite as it soars over the field behind our house, the play of light and shade in the sky, the dance of the wind in the trees, the everchanging seasons. Whatever mood I am in, if I go for a walk, or sit in my garden, I am uplifted, and my perspective shifts.

I met my spiritual teacher in India in 1983, and she is a beacon of light and wisdom. She gave me the spiritual name Rashmi in 1986. Rashmi means ray of light, and in those days, I identified more with my shortcomings and insecurities. But one day I realised that to fully accept the truth that the light of consciousness does actually live in me, with all my ‘stuff.’ I had to simply drop my conditioned attachment to lack and unworthiness and go for the light. I had to both accept and own my name, identify with and nurture light in everything I do.

             Joseph Campbell asks in The Power of Myth:

What am I? Am I the bulb that carries the light?

Or am I the light of which the bulb is a vehicle?

            It’s great question. What are your thoughts?

I will leave you with these words from the poet Hafiz:

My Brilliant Image

One day the sun admitted,

I am just a shadow

I wish I could show you

The Infinite Candescence

That has cast my brilliant image!

I wish I could show you,

When you are lonely or in darkness,

The Astonishing Light

Of your own Being!

from I Heard God Laughing

Renderings of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky

Thanks for reading Nurturing the Light.

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