Being In The Light

You have heard the expression, “Her smile lit up the whole room.” Or “He lit up.” What is this light that lights us up or can light up the environment around us? That is the light of Consciousness expressing itself through us. The nature of Consciousness or the Self is described as Truth, light and absolute bliss. When we are aligned to our true nature, that light which is one of its attributes, illuminates our entire being and can be experienced on a deep cellular level in our bodies. It manifests as clarity in thinking and intuition. This luminosity is a palpable quality that is experienced in the presence of those who have mastered spiritual truths and we use the term, “enlightened,” to describe them. We too can be aware of this light even though we are not constantly established in that state of luminosity.

I used to observe my daughter when she would skip instead of walk. She skipped a lot even as a young teenager. I used to think that she was so joyful that her feet couldn’t stay on the ground. I know someone who is in his middle years and still skips around our house when he thinks no one is watching. What I observed is that as they skip, their whole bodies are lit up, as if every cell is dancing. I mentioned to the older person recently, that he could use his episodes of skipping as spiritual practice. He could focus on the feeling inside, notice the joy bubbling up from within. He can notice the feeling of lightness and to follow that feeling of lightness to the source of light, which can be felt like little explosions of light on the cellular level, and then to expand into that feeling.

You can practice this whenever you are eating pizza, ice cream or doing anything that brings you joy. The joy is not dependent on the pizza; you can access this joy by focusing within, which is a form of meditation. Any activity can become a meditation practice. Right at this moment, as you are reading, you can bring part of your awareness to your breath, which connects to your own presence where luminosity resides. When you practice meditation in a more focused way, you can be aware of the luminosity when your mind becomes quiet.

In Chinese Medicine school one of my teachers used to say about acupuncture point location, “ If you cannot feel it, imagine it.” Here is an exercise in visualization to help you get in touch with your inner light: In a comfortable seated position, allow yourself to relax deeply by taking a few deep breaths. Imagine yourself next to a lake and assign the quality of divinity to the water in the lake. See the shimmering light dancing on the water. Imagine that as you breathe in, you are absorbing the light and it fills every cell of your body. Keep doing this until you feel full and complete and bask in the feeling of illumination.

image credit: Hamed Masoumi