The Light You Carry

Recently I was prompted to reflect upon something that I was passionate about as a child. The memory that immediately surfaced was a young one who loved to be outside in the warm summer sun cracking stones open.

I was endlessly fascinated by what was on the “inside”: what sparkled in the sunlight as I turned each stone this way and that in my small hands.

As I trace through the decades now I realize what has always mattered most to me is the light on the inside of us as well as what illuminates all life: what blocks it, what invites it, what nurtures it. Little did I know all those years ago that I was getting a glimpse into my life’s work!

Here’s what’s most important for you to know: In times of outer darkness, the light you carry, remains. It is always there, even when you think it isn’t.

Just like the sparkling flecks inside those warm stones, the light you carry is there inside you. The guidance of ancient wisdom texts says that the most important thing we can do right now is nurture our inner light: to disengage from what frustrates us and persevere.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, this inner awareness aligns with autumn and winter: the seasonal round of faith that the light will return, that spring will come once again.