Divine Light
“You are a Divine being of light. Let yours shine.”
There are some people who shine their light so bright, without trying, you cannot miss them. How many of us look into the eyes of Mother Teresa and can see her soul? This humble, scrappy little woman had a light that was so bright it was seen by all she served and all who admired her. Her kindness and generosity were obvious even to the most veiled eyes. She never let her shine get dull. She never even thought about it. She approached life from the heart, from a place of love and never let all those fears that we focus on take over.
As an observer of life, notice those who shine and those who do not. Those who shine are not always the religious zealot or even the religious person who attends ceremonies each week. Do not get me wrong, some are, but many go and believe and pray but still allow their fears to dull that shine. Some people identify themselves as realists and therefore they don’t let their light shine through because they always have to be practical, arguing for what they believe is right. Some are downright the opposite of shine, looking at the negative, always stating something out of fear. Let us all observe especially ourselves.
How do you let your light shine? What is it that allows that light of divinity to shine through? Pondering this question brought up a few things for me. Living life from a place of love, not fear, of course was first. Approaching life from an open heart, non-judgment and care for self and others may let our light shine. Generosity and kindness were next, the kind that shows up all of the time, not just once in a while. The generosity of always giving, not materially, but in general practice. Things like allowing cars in front of you in a merge, allowing someone ahead of you in a line, a smile, holding a door, giving someone your time even when you are busy, your patience when someone needs you. Checking in on those you love, forgiving without even worrying about yourself. Kindness of sharing, of hoping, of being a place of safety and gratitude for others. The generosity of giving of yourself for someone else and the greater good. When you don’t think about it from a place of “what’s in it for me,” but from a place of “I want to help.” Kindness in your words no matter how you feel, kindness in your tone, kindness in your actions.
The biggest way this came through for me though was in being true to real you. We have layers upon layers of stories about us in our mind and our body. These stories have been built over a lifetime, starting with beliefs from childhood, whether that is caused by circumstances or ideals and validated over and over again. Labels of who we are and how we behave, what filters we look through and what energy we show up with. What behaviors did we see and then model? By peeling those layers back and getting to our purest self, we begin to shine that dull. We get to stand in the power of who we are, of what we truly stand for, of our voice and thus our shine. For at that core, is the best version of ourselves.
For me, that meant stripping away the ideals and beliefs that I didn’t need anyone, I was strong enough to do everything on my own. It meant understanding that I was worthy of being loved for me, fully for me. It meant no longer judging my body and thinking that was my worth. It meant no longer judging my decisions when I was younger and punishing myself for them. It meant no longer being a victim of myself, others, circumstances. It meant no longer comparing my life with others but focusing on making me better, be that better version of myself each day. By stripping away these stories, these filters and these beliefs I began to feel whole. I began to feel true. And in that truth, my light began to shine. My faith in something bigger and in being guided became the fuel by which I could shine.
Each year I come up with a word to use as a guide for me. For 2020, my word was shine. Shine from the inside out. Shine in my work to help others. Shine my adventurous side to take chances. Shine as a beacon of love. 2020 was of course a year that we did not expect and changed life for many of us. Shining wasn’t always top of mind. As we wind down this tumultuous year, I have begun to take some stock in the year and found that I did shine when I could. I did allow some of my intentions around shining my light manifest. I continue to think of ways to shine my light as a beacon of love, and when I falter, I forgive myself far more quickly. I observe myself and ask myself questions to move myself forward. I continue to work to let go of things that no longer serve. This work never ends, and as we continue to grow and learn, we continue to shed layers and stories and find a new way to live, from our purest, truest self of love.
We are all being asked to find a new way to live, where our community is as important as ourselves. Where the greater good is right smack in front of us. Instead of fighting, instead of approaching it from a place of anger and frustration (based in fear) let us approach from a place of love. Let us move into the next year focused on growing and learning and approaching life from a place of love, kindness and generosity.
You are a Divine being of light. Let yours shine.