Daily Light: Reflections for Holy Times - From One Light, Many

From One Light, Many

"You are the candle that lights the whole world

and I am an empty vessel for your light."
-Rumi

Rumi, a Persian poet and Sufi mystic, wrote extensively about Light and love. Sufism teaches that the student deepens the Spirit and gains transcendence through the transmission of Divine Light, from the heart of the teacher to the heart of the student. Today, heartbroken in a shattered world, Rumi gifts us with comfort, wisdom, and a pathway back into Light.

“You are the candle. . . .”

Within each of us, there is the capacity for Light, whether we remember it or not. Some of us shine brightly, others bring a gentle warmth, and a sad few merely flutter in the darkness. Our Light may flash like a comet, roar like a bonfire, hiss like a match, or glow like an ember. And just like Rumi’s lamps, while the quality of our Light may be different, the essence of our Light is the same. We are all children of Divine Light endowed with equal worth and dignity in the eyes of the Beloved.

Some of us take care to tend our Light, others wax and wane. Those who most need our compassion have let their Light dwindle to a flicker or been forced to hide their Light in service of survival. Perhaps these beloved children have even forgotten that they, too, are the candle endowed with Divine Light. Let us not judge them but offer them hope and sustenance. Let us lend our Light to rekindle their flame without fear, judgment, or conceit. This is one lesson of Jesus in the manger. What a bright and enduring candle was birthed in humble beginnings, His light shining through the millennia.

“. . . . that lights the whole world. . . .”

Regardless of the quality of our Light or its intensity, Light begets Light. Hanukkah candles, the kinara of Kwanzaa, or a Christmas tree may brighten a room. Light grounding us in the importance of history and home, family and love. Hundreds of hearts keeping vigil, candles in paper cups, flood the block. Light reminding us of the fallen with prayers for peace and healing. Cities and small towns, illuminated for the holidays, shining like constellations when seen from space. Light proclaiming the steadfast power of Oneness. Stars and galaxies, trillions of years old, returning the blessing across space and time. Light evoking the mystery and the eternity that transcends the impermanence that is being human.

The Buddha reassures us, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, And the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” In this season of Light that arrived in a year of abiding darkness, let your Divine Light shine. Share it and let Light beget Light. Etch the memory of the power of your Light into your heart and Soul so that, no matter the challenge, together we vanquish despair and re-emerge stronger from this long dark night of the Soul.

“. . . .and I am an empty vessel for your light.”

So often, we mistake emptiness for spaciousness. In this time of pandemic, we feel drained, emptied out, worn to a raveling, to steal a phrase from Beatrix Potter. And perhaps that is true. But might it not be equally true that we have, unexpectedly and suddenly, been given the gift of spaciousness? Unlike emptiness, spaciousness is filled with possibility and potential.

Advent, by definition, marks the arrival of an important person, thing, or event. Like Mary and Joseph or the Maccabees of Jerusalem, many of us are under-resourced, weary from the journey, and uncertain about the future. We struggle to manage a seemingly endless chapter of life which has brought incalculable disruption, consistent unpredictability, and profound losses. And, yet, out of adversity and spaciousness come blessings.

Jesus, born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, grew into one of the world’s most important and cherished wisdom teachers. Perhaps it was his own adversity that nurtured in Him the Light of deep compassion and unconditional love for all of humanity. The Maccabees rededicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem with a single flask of oil which miraculously burned for eight nights. Out of this adversity, the Light of Hanukkah candles reminds the Jewish people of their individual and collective ability to overcome.

In this time of pervasive adversity, so, too, we are learning the depth of our strength, the measure of our resilience, and the power to be the candle no matter how dark the night. We are rediscovering the true meaning of family, friendship, community, and compassion. And the odyssey holds the promise of rare gifts that might otherwise be unavailable.

So, in this season of Light, be the candle and the spacious vessel. Let your Divine Light shine. Share it generously. And be open to miracles sent from the Beloved.

Gretchen Martens
Interfaith Spiritual Companion and Energy Healer
Author and Wisdom Teacher