connecting with inner light

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-14414-Columbus-Interfaith-Spirituality-Examiner~y2010m6d22-Spirituality-Solstice-and-Nature-Religions-101

continued from my examiner column . . .

In a unique way of accessing 'inner light' as a way to connect with the ground of our being, transpersonal psychologist A.H. Almaas in his book, 'The Unfolding Now' talks of the light of true nature. Essentially his spiritual inquiry method is to open up one's experience of the divine so 'you can see more-as if there were more light available. This is referred to as the light of awareness. It is the penetration of the light of your True Nature into your experience.

When you see the truth, when you have insight about what is happening, it is as though a light had broken through. That is what it means to have insight: insight brings enlightenment. . . You see ignorance and shadow clearning away and brightness coming through into your experience. What is the light that does this? It is the light of your nature. It is the light of who and what you are. p 15 (ie. 'children of God') This method of inquiry is about learning to be in the moment and questioning our experience as a way of deepening recognition of our true nature, to arrive at greater authenticity.

So many of the world's religious/spiritual traditions seek to make us aware of our inner light in many ways.

You can probably think of countless quotes from your own and other scriptural traditions. What's remarkable to me as a highly visual person is what photography teaches: 'understand the quality of the light'. The light in the South of France has a unique warm quality. The light in North Germany or Denmark is cool; has clarity. The light in Cabo San Lucas Mexico shines off the Pacific and renders color in a remarkable profusion of hues. Tentative light in November showcases brown tree branches, dying leaves and gray skies as late birds fly south. In February, brilliant sun hurts our eyes on the frozen snow.

Light is energy. The Oracle ThinkQuest site says this, 'Albert Einstein came up with the quantum theory of light in the early twentieth century. He proposed that light was made of up of small tightly knit packs of energy, called photons or quanta (singular, quantum). A quantum's frequency is determined by the amount of energy it contains. Einstein's studies paralleled those of German theoretical physicist Max Planck. Twenty years earlier, Planck had discovered quanta, but had been very confused by it, since the idea of quanta went against all the theories of light as a wave. Today, a combination of the wave theory and the quantum theory are accepted as correct. It still has yet to be determined which is correct, though there is evidence that either could be.'

For me, metaphorically speaking, the quality of light might be indicative of the quality of our Spirit and spirtual practice. Sometimes, everything is clear, bright and even- almost 'picture post card'. Sometimes, our spiritual connection is like a sunrise of promise or a sunset of sweet memories of experiences past. Sometimes, its barely a small candle glow in a dark room of forms and big shadows. Sometimes its reduced to a visual memory and our only fragile connection-human touch and voice. Sometimes . . . its spiritual light seen with the eyes of our soul beyond what can be explained, accompanied by rushing wind, halos of light, bliss, sounds of praise from all that is, emitting energy back in a dance of . . . Life.

Wherever you are this moment, may the Light/(light) find you at peace and in loving awareness. Its all remarkable.