Have You Seen the Light?

Phil Milgrom, The Centered Place

This is the season of light. The traditional holidays of this time of the year all celebrate light in some way. Though the Winter Solstice on December 21st is the beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year, it’s also a day that brings hope. It is a turning point. Soon the days begin to grow longer. We will see more sunlight day by day. You might notice other indications of a turning point, of darkness turning to light. They are there.

But light is not something that comes and goes with the season. Darkness can come and go but not light. Light persists. You can remove darkness with light, but you cannot remove light with darkness. You can only block the light. Even when blocked, light persists.

So, how do you see the light? If you are not seeing the light, you are not looking in the right place. It’s not outside. It’s inside. Look within. That’s the main teaching of yoga in a nutshell. Inside that shell of your body you won’t find a nut: you will find the light! You ARE the light. The source of that light is your own Self, a shining, splendorous Being.

It’s not something you just see. It’s something you will know, experience and feel, and when you do, you know and feel love. This is one of the main (and many) points of this month’s teaching article from Swami Nirmalananda. In that article, titled Love Is an Answer, she writes:

“This is the foundation of love. When you look in someone’s eyes and see the light of consciousness shining within them, you love them. How sweet and precious this experience is. Yet everyone’s eyes have the light of consciousness shining through. All you have to do is learn how to see. Then your love expands to all, for they all shine with the light of Consciousness. You are that light, embodied in your body, living your life, seeing that light, embodied in their body, living their life.”

Then you experience the true spirit of this holiday season. At this time, with the winter cold and shorter days, and amidst the pandemic, it’s easy to lose that spirit. It’s easy to fall into depression and despair. Don’t go there! Do more yoga and meditation. Rise to the occasion rather than falling into the dumps. Open your heart rather than listening to your mind. Swami writes:

“Yoga takes you inward, deeper than your mind and emotions to your essence, your inherent Godness…You’re developing your ability to feel, an easy continuing awareness that extends inward through the multiple dimensions of your own existence. You feel your way inward. As you get deeper inside, your awareness becomes more subtle and more powerful. You feel deeply and are rooted in an unshakeable inner expanse that makes you able to live with your heart open.”

Find the light and love that’s within you. Keep your heart open and let it shine!