Have you experienced a time in your life when your absolute dedication to a higher path was required in order to transcend the your oppression and fear?
Have you experienced perhaps a dark night of the soul, when all seemed lost—a time of lonliness, despair or adversity? But you knew you had to find the spark of a sacred fire burning within you, and so you found it, and fed it with whatever hope and love you could gather together at the time?
It is a moment of great personal power!
After the Adversity—An Ancient Miracle Story
I love the historical story of the menorah I have heard told during Hanukkah. Because I love it so much, I share it nearly every year.
Imagine having faced oppression with great conviction, even risking your life to reclaim your temple in honor of your faith. Then as you go to light the menorah (symbolizing the Light of God) you discover you only have enough sacred oil for one day of burning, rather than eight, but you light the menorah anyway. To your surprise the meager amount of oil lasts eight days.
Have you ever experienced your version of this story
Have you faced the fears that oppress you? Then, after expending so much energy, you realized you needed to tend to the sacred fire within you?
Did you fear that after all you had done, you didn’t have enough energy to give—even to replenish yourself?
But when you replenished yourself as best you could, did you discover that what you had to give was somehow, miraculously, more than enough?
If you have been on this journey, you have embraced the spiritual calling. Any of us can simply put up with the oppression in our lives. It is quite another to face our fears—particularly with compassion—so that the fear can rest. And it is true spiritual commitment when after meeting our fears, we give whatever love we can to ourselves.
Our love is always enough, no matter how little or how much we think we have to give.
When we reach deeply to find love for ourselves, love is present and its presence naturally becomes love for others.
Arthur—A Modern Miracle Story
I’m reminded of the story about Arthur Boorman, a disabled veteran from the Gulf War, who was confined to a wheel chair when he returned from action. Though told he would never walk again… well, you can guess the end of this story… that’s right… he walked.
In fact he did more than that. He runs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIXOo8D9Qsc
Imagine the love he had to find within himself—how deeply he had to dig—to find his flame. Clearly, his love was enough to get him started, seek help, keep going when he was struggling, carry him through the setbacks and successes, until he fully claimed his choice to walk.
Our Season of Light
During this season, the darkest season of our year, and the traditional time for the holidays of Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, many of us will be celebrating with symbols of light.
We will light candles, menorahs, bonfires, and kinaras across the globe, and some of us will put lights around our homes and businesses. In that light, we will celebrate dedication, family, love, unity, birth, miracles, hope and new life.
We honor the light within ourselves and each other.
Isn’t it interesting how precious the light becomes to us when we are experiencing the very depths of darkness. Even the tiniest light and love is a reflection of our greatest intentions.
Our light is the reflection of our manifestations—bursting forth from the darkness. The dark is not our enemy. It is the womb in which we are reborn. It is here that we bring our burdens and lay them to rest, so that we can burst forth in the light and love that we again, remember we are.
Any flame must be fed. So as we enter this season when so many spiritual traditions use the flame to honor and awaken our potential to love, perhaps we can let the let the light inspire us to ask:
- “With what will I feed my flame? Will I feed it with my fears, anger and pain? Or will I feed it with love, truth and trust?”
- Am I willing to find new ways to honor the light within myself and within others?
- How do I choose to honor that light starting right now?
As you light your flame of your love and bravely step forward, you will naturally be sharing that light with whoever Spirit sends to you.
Know there are those of us in the world who are deeply grateful that you have brought forward your light and love to share with us all.
