Seeking Light
Sunrise over Iona, Scotland 4:20 a.m.
Dear Soul Friends,
At the end of July, my twenty-one month old grandson, Henry, came to visit for the weekend. When he arrived, I took him down the hall to the bedroom he would sleep in to show him the crib and unpack his clothes. We put his favorite blanket and stuffed animal into the crib and placed a few books next to a chair that I would read to him at bedtime. As we left the room, Henry looked up at the light in the hallway and said, “off.” I nodded. He looked at the light switch on the wall and said, “on.” I went to the wall and turned on the light. Henry said, “no, me!” I picked him up so he could reach the switch but he repeated, “no, me!” I realized he wanted to turn the switch on by himself so I placed a step stool on the floor and watched as he stood on it, turned the switch, looked up at the light and said, “on.” Then he turned the switch and looked at the light and said, “off.” And off he went, on, off, on, off …
It was fascinating to watch him consider the mechanics that enabled the light switch to turn the light off and on. I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as I watched him turn the switch on and off announcing each time, “On. Off.” I decided to wait to see how long he would ponder this discovery.
It suddenly occurred to me as I stood there that this was the perfect metaphor for the spiritual journey. There are times when we are lit up with soul energy and there are times when it is turned off. There are times of light and times of darkness.
Because I miss soul energy when I feel separated from it, I have spent a good deal of time looking for the switches that will enable me to reconnect with my soul. Sometimes it is a simple process of pausing for a few minutes to take a deep breath and refocus my attention. Sometimes it takes a bit longer so I take a quiet walk by myself and allow my thoughts to unfold. Walking has a way of sorting things out. If the darkness lasts a long time, I wait. I have learned that waiting is a spiritual practice. I waited nine months for each of my babies to be born. I wait each year for the first hints of spring. I wait with myself as I remember the light even in grief and darkness. I know soul energy will return.
Trust. Wait. Be still. Breathe.
May you be wrapped in the gift of your soul’s light.
Deep peace to you,
Susan
