One Light in the Darkness

I woke up in the middle of the night in my very dark bedroom with a sense of disorientation from a strange dream.  For a moment I could not get a sense of which direction my bed was facing, where the door was, or even where the lamp on my night table stood.  I just sat there and searched the darkness for one single glimpse of light- from under the door, from around the window shades, from my alarm clock.  I said to myself, “I only need to find the source of one light I can discern and it will lead me to all the rest.”

This late night epiphany seemed profound in the liminal space of dreaming and waking.  It reminds me of the quote by St. Francis of Assisi,

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one candle.”

For those of us heading into the Daylight Savings time change where many  will go to work in the morning and come home in the evening, both in darkness, it can be a time of slowing or stagnant energy.  It can be more exhausting than the usual daily grind already feels.  But I call us to remember that like the electrical systems all around us, flowing with the potential for light and heat, we are always surrounded with the the potential for light, productivity, creative process, and healing renewal.  It may not be as simple as flipping a light switch or setting a thermostat, which is why we must dedicate ourselves to daily preparation and maintenance of our energy systems.

What is energizing to you?

Enjoying good food, fun books, time out with friends, a phone call to a distant loved one, going to a spiritual event, helping at a service project, doing something silly, getting your crafty side going, taking a soothing bath, moving your body, getting a massage, going to bed earlier, meditating…

When our bodies are reluctant to keep up with time changes, and the transition of seasons, it is an invitation to give ourselves more positive attention.  A calling inside rather than the frenetic pace of Spring and Summer can be rejuvenative and caring.

What brings light and comfort to your life?

How and with whom can you imagine yourself opening spaces in your life to include these opportunities for joy, solace, and renewal?

You are worth it!

“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”

(see discussion on authorship: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/03/19/candle/ )

(Image from Astronomy picture of the day of the Witch’s Broom Nebula- Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Mount Lemmon SkyCenter, Univ. Arizona )