Light: a Journey from Physical Radiance to Spiritual Enlightenment

Introduction

So, I’ve been thinking about light. A lot. Perhaps it’s the seasons changing and the days getting shorter, or maybe it’s the backlash from the General Conference (bits and pieces of it anyway) that’s left me confounded. Either way, I’m taking a good hard look at what light truly means to me now. Without the scripted ‘Light of Christ’ narrative, I have resolved to look very purposefully at the sources of light in my everyday experience.

I have been thinking, as of late, how much I’m going to miss the sunshine.

Light as a Metaphor: A Journey of Spiritual Discovery

Don’t get me wrong; I recognize the gift of a warm, comfortable home in which I will wait out the long, bleak stretch of winter ahead. I will make homemade soup and bread, read good books, put extra quilts on the beds, and have a cup of tea by my side when it’s snowing outside. It will be oh-so-cozy and comfortable. I’ll catch up on indoor projects, binge-watch a new series, and make baked goods to share. But along with all the warmth, I will feel a void. I will ache to see and feel the radiant light of the sun.

One of my favorite television series of all time is Northern Exposure. One of the most profound episodes shows ‘Chris in the Morning’ (the local radio host on the show) talking to the townspeople of Cicely, Alaska, on the night of the Winter Solstice. That far north of the Arctic Circle, from mid-November to late January, the sun never rises. It went something like this…

‘Goethe’s final words: more light. Sunlight, torchlight, candlelight, neon, incandescent light to banish the darkness from our caves, to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators. Big floods for the night games at Soldier Field, little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we’re supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and footcandles; light is a metaphor. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet. Rage, rage against the dying of the light! Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, lead thou me on. The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead thou me on. Arise, shine, for thy light has come. Light is knowledge; light is life. Light is light.’

Conclusion

Like most life forms, we are almost magnetically attracted to the light, the force that nourishes and heals our biological, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects.Observing the physical properties of light can be exciting, but discovering the properties of spiritual light and truth is even more awe-inspiring and essential.

References

1. Wilber, Ken. “The Spectrum of Consciousness.” Quest Books, 1993.

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