By Anita Neilson
Solstice Light
Lush green grass
Spun by nature’s wheel
Trembles in dawn’s eager light.
Solstice embers
Of days remembered
Fizzle out under dew’s
Watchful gaze.
The Sun God Ra flexes his limbs
Coursing rays of love
All over this land;
And like flowers releasing
Their night-borne scent,
The shadows of my heart
Unveil themselves,
Dispersing into ether
To be transmuted into light.
Everything is light:
The above poem came to me one bright, sunny day in late May as I sat on my favourite bench in the garden. The sun’s gentle rays seemed to permeate all life there as my senses delighted in the birdsong and flitting of wings, in the ethereal delicacy of the butterfly in flight and the drowsy drone of the bee, drunk on nectar and too heavy to fly. There was a definite scent in the air of summer approaching and I looked forward to days entranced by shimmering heat hazes blurring the edges of earth and sky.
I got to thinking about light and how it is the basis of everything on Earth. All the great Masters knew this. Jesus was often quoted in the Gospels as saying: “If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Matthew 6: 22-23), referring to the practice of focusing on the spiritual eye in the forehead during meditation. Similarly, in the Hindu scripture, The Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells spiritual seeker Arjuna: “Out of compassion for them, I, who dwell within their hearts, destroy the darkness born of ignorance, with the luminous lamp of knowledge.” (Chapter 10: verse 11).
Sharing our light with others:
The sun is our greatest source of light in the universe. It provides energy to allow plants to photosynthesize and grow; its heat and light ripen fruits and vegetables, providing us with endless food; we open our curtains to flood our homes with light each morning; we talk about being “enlightened” when we gain spiritual knowledge and practice. Light is detected in the pineal gland deep in the brain, which then controls our body clocks. Light also comes into our body through the eyes— the two physical eyes and the spiritual eye at the point between the brows.
In ancient times, the importance of the sun to all aspects of life was reflected in its deification in the form of the sun god Ra. As Ra shares his universal light with us this summer, let’s follow his example and share our individualised light (our gifts, love, time and so on) with others.
Summer is the perfect time to do this. It’s a time of plenty when the natural world offers infinite bounty: there are fruits ripening, vegetables ready to be harvested, warm sunshine raising our spirits. As we delight in this bounty, let’s remember the words of Christ and Krishna above, who showed us how to lead a better, kinder and more spiritual life, to bring us closer to God. We can all do this by giving of ourselves to help others. Let’s share our inner light under the following 3 categories—physically, emotionally and spiritually.
What is this inner light?
We each possess a vast amount of inherent Divine light which can be readily augmented by tapping into our inner silence. As we do this, we strengthen our link with its Source. For me, this happens best when I connect with God during meditation. Once we rediscover this light through the process of awakening, we can then share it with others.
Putting others first:
The benefits of putting others first, of selfless service with no thought of reward (i.e.. sharing our light) are bountiful. All the great ascended Masters and descended Avatars who have come to Earth to provide guidance on how to live a life pleasing to God—all of them—dedicated their time on this planet to serving others, in sharing their light: Jesus, Buddha, Mahavatar Babaji, and so on. When we serve in this way, not only are we awakening God’s light in others, we are also enhancing our own light: “Give and it shall be given unto you.”
Simple ways you can share your light with others:
- Physically:
Do you ever wonder why you have some gifts and not others? Why are some people good at math while others excel in languages? Why are some painfully shy and others ebullient and outgoing? Many of us carry gifts and attributes from previous incarnations into this life in order to learn a life lesson from them. Some are conditioned by family and environment. Some are attained in this life. Regardless of their origin, I believe it is our responsibility to use these gifts for the benefit of ourselves and others.
Try these five suggestions:
Use your gifts and give some of your time to local ‘skills-swap’ groups. There are many online sites (e.g. www.swapaskill.com) where you simply list the skill(s) you can offer and the skills/jobs you require). This could be anything from friendship, cleaning, pet care, translation, gardening, and so on.
Volunteer work (e.g. singing at a retirement home or teaching others how to fix appliances at a ‘skills cafe’ in your local community.)
Give a sincere compliment to someone (for a service they have done, or simply to give them a boost). This is sharing your love (your light) with another. By looking them directly in the eyes as you do this, you will amplify the effect. Imagine light streaming from your spiritual eye to theirs. It’s easy to share our love and light with family and friends, but it takes far more spiritual effort to share it with others from whom we feel ‘separate’ or different. Persevere though, as it will get easier and will bring you great benefits.
Share the warmth in your heart with others. A sincere smile to another, or holding a door open for them, are simple acts of love which can have a huge impact on their day.
Remember the power contained in our words: speak respectfully to and of other people, and remind others to do this as well.
2. Emotionally:
- This first suggestion may appear childish in its simplicity: I share light each time we have a sunny day in Scotland by drawing a sun on the calendar and colouring it in yellow. This gives me—and others who see it—a psychological boost. It reminds us to stop and appreciate the gifts given to us. You could share a photograph of a sunny day on your social media page and add an uplifting message. Everyone has worries and this simple gesture can make a huge difference to their state of mind that day.
Alternatively, if you, or someone you know, suffer from low mood, draw a smiley face on the calendar for each day that you (or they) feel positive and happy. This is a useful feedback tool to look back on during days of low mood. In this way, we can remind ourselves that the good days far outweigh the bad. Try it and see!
- Practice listening without interrupting or nodding your head constantly thinking: ‘When can I interject and say what I want?’ Is that a conversation or a competition? Is giving our opinion more important than listening to the other person’s viewpoint? If so, perhaps this is an aspect of the little self (ego) that warrants exploration with a view to changing it to a more positive way of relating to others.
Try this instead: Sometimes all that is required is to listen without offering words of advice. The act of listening is an important act of kindness. By listening, we are giving our love, attention and time to another. This is especially important in this digital age when connecting with a person face-to-face is so beneficial to mental and emotional well-being.
However, do guard against allowing yourself to be an emotional dumping ground for others, as this will diminish your own inner light. Protect yourself before and after such a conversation; before, by erecting a sphere of protection around your auric field (I call on Archangel Michael to oblige); and afterwards by sweeping down each arm with the hands, physically ‘wiping away’ any negative emotional residue from shoulder to wrist, then flicking it away through the ends of the fingers. Do this 2 or 3 times on each arm, repeating out loud ‘I release this negative energy from others’.
- Spiritually:
For many years, I dismissed prayer and God, choosing instead the materialist path to life, thinking that this was the sure way to happiness. In retrospect, I can see that for me this was a selfish and lonely existence—filling each moment with activity, acquiring new possessions, seeking wealth above all else with no thought for others. There is a better way to be: we don’t always have to be human ‘doings’—human ‘beings’ is just fine! Try these ways to share your light spiritually with others:
Actively think of ways to be kind to everyone you meet (face-to-face, online or telephone). It may be easier to begin by not being negative or unkind. For example, change your learned behaviour of being bad-tempered with someone who is just doing their job (I’m thinking here of sales people). Instead, try being pleasant but firm; another example would be to give a few moments of your time to complete a customer feedback questionnaire. For small firms in particular, this can be especially important.
By doing these simple acts of kindness, you are sharing your love and light. You are giving freely of yourself. There are many who trust in the Law of Attraction which echoes the quote from Luke’s Gospel (“Give and it will be given unto you”). They believe that what you give out into the world by way of your thoughts, words and acts will be reciprocated in the way others treat you.
Start to pray for others. If you meditate, include it in your meditation. I ask God to heal “according to Thy will” the person I am praying for. I ask that they be given strength and courage to deal with life’s challenges. I pray for myself also and ask, “How may I serve?” When we pray, we are asking a question of God, and so we then have to be ready to listen out for the answer! This usually comes by way of intuition, or inner wisdom, a ‘feeling’ that a course of action is right for us; repetitive signals are also not to be ignored.
It’s over to you:
I hope this article has given you plenty of ideas on how to share your light with others—physically, emotionally and spiritually. As you do so, keep the image in your mind’s eye of the sun God Ra who “flexes his limbs coursing rays of love all over this land,” for this is what we do when we share our light with others. When we give our gifts, time and love, with no thought of reward, the shadows of our heart will unveil themselves and be transmuted into light. We are on Earth to learn from life’s challenges and enable our Soul to grow. We are here to rediscover that we are all interconnected, we are all One. So, use your gifts and skills not solely for material gain but for the good of others; nourish your inner compassion and use it to help those in need; choose to be kind at every moment; and re-establish your connection with the Creator in meditation and prayer.
Sharing our light is a wonderful way of being! Putting others first above ourselves takes a lot of practice, but persevere, as it will become second nature (or rather ‘true’ nature, for we are rediscovering our true selves in the process). So throw open the curtains on your heart, let in the light and start sharing it today!
About the Author:
Anita Neilson is an Author, Spiritual Poet, Blogger and acts of kindness devotee. A languages graduate and former teacher, she lives in the west of Scotland. Connect with Anita: http://anitaneilson.com and www.facebook.com/anitaneilson61
