I’ve been thinking about what it takes to bring a little light to an increasingly dark world. Fires, floods, fertility flops, and famines have become more frequent and more severe. The world seems to be shifting to the right fueled by populist rage based on false information.
These rapidly changing trends are personal. We have friends whose house burned to the ground in California. They had just moved in two weeks ago and lost everything. In a moment’s notice, they had to pack up their two young children and evacuate.
We have friends whose houses were flooded by the hurricanes in Florida. We work in a food pantry that distributes food to people who are food insecure. We are about to witness a convicted and sentenced felon return to the White House. We are overwhelmed with breaking news every day on events that range from the heinous to the horrifying. It’s no wonder we find it difficult to find and bring light.
The question is, what can we do to help ourselves and others get through these seemingly endless crises? We can’t wave a magic wand and create global harmony. We can’t change hundreds of years of exploitation and extraction that caused the climate changes, predicted and ignored for all those years. We can’t change the composition of global governments overwhelmingly ruled by men. My simplistic solution is to focus on local issues and try to bring more of myself to more meaningful moments. Easier said than done. Philosophers, prophets and poets have been struggling with this question throughout history.
David Brooks, perhaps inspired by the eulogies of Jimmy Carter, suggests that we focus on character building. He discusses seven actions we might take to strengthen our character: join counter cultural institutions, honor moral traditions, develop moral skills, read deeply, look in the mirror, pay for public service. While he only skimmed the surface on several possibilities, he brought to our attention the challenges we face. In essence, he implores us strengthen our hearts, minds, and wills in order to build a society in which it is easier to be good.
His article made me wonder how we might gauge our progress on such a herculean endeavor. What occurred to me is that it all begins with developing and projecting an internal radiance that comes from listening to our better angels. So, I went to my usual sources to see if I could find illumination. I came across some real pearls from brainy quotes I will share here:
“God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason.” Dad Hammarskjold
“Learning how to be still, to really be still and let this life happen – that stillness becomes a radiance.” Morgan Freeman
“Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance overflowing upon the outward world.” Nathanial Hawthorne
“Beauty is an internal light, a spiritual radiance that all women have, but most women hide – unconsciously denying its existence. What we do not claim, remains invisible.” Marianne Williamson
“Everything which originates from pure love is lit with the radiance of beauty.” Simone Weil
“Your radiance shines in every atom of creation yet our petty desires keep it hidden.” Rumi
“Just as the ocean has waves or the sun has rays, so the mind’s own radiance is its thoughts and emotions.” Rinpoche
“When you understand who and what you are, your radiance projects into the universal radiance and everything around you becomes creative and full of opportunity.” Harbhajan Singh Yogi
“The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, within our reach is joy. There is radiance and glory in the darkness could we but see – and to see we have only to look.” Giovanni Giocondo
“When you no longer are compelled by desire and fear – when you see the radiance in eternity from all forms of time – when you follow your bliss, doors will open where you would not have thought there were doors, and the world will step in and help.” Joseph Campbell
Hmm! Not a bad list of quotes on which to reflect. It seems to me any one of them could inspire us for a lifetime, but I needed to search a little more deeply for the sources of many of these ideas. So, I turned to my handy personal assistant, Google Gemini. My prompt: “Write an essay on the importance of radiance in mystical texts. Search the literature on Sufism, Gnosticism, Kabbalism, Hinduism and Buddhism to find references to the idea of radiating. The goal is to demonstrate how radiating is the desired outcome of transcendence and high level evolvement.” Here is a lightly edited response:
The Luminous Goal: Radiance as a Mark of Transcendence in Mystical Traditions
Across diverse mystical traditions, the concept of radiance emerges as a potent symbol of spiritual attainment and the culmination of inner transformation. From the incandescent aura of enlightened beings to the effulgent light of divine revelation, radiance signifies the profound shift in consciousness that accompanies transcendence. By exploring the literature of Sufism, Gnosticism, Kabbalism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, we can illuminate how radiating light is the desired outcome of high-level evolution and union with the divine.
Sufism: In Sufi mysticism, the concept of nur (light) holds a central position. The Quran itself describes God as “Light upon Light” (24:35), and Sufis see this divine light as the source of all creation and the ultimate reality. Through practices like dhikr (remembrance of God) and contemplation, Sufis aim to purify their hearts and attain a state of fana (annihilation in God), where they become vessels for the divine light to shine through them. The luminous figures of Sufi saints, often depicted with radiant halos, exemplify this state of spiritual illumination.
Gnosticism: Gnostics viewed the material world as a realm of darkness and ignorance, while the divine realm was characterized by radiant light. The goal of Gnostic practice was to awaken the divine spark within, known as the pneuma, and escape the confines of the material world to reunite with the source of light. Gnostic texts often employ imagery of light and darkness to symbolize this spiritual journey, with the radiant figure of Christ representing the path to salvation.
Kabbalism: In Kabbalistic thought, the Ein Sof (the infinite God) is the source of all light and emanates divine energy throughout the universe through a series of ten sefirot (emanations). These sefirot are often depicted as vessels of light, and the goal of Kabbalistic practice is to achieve a state of devekut (cleaving to God) and become a channel for divine light to flow into the world. The Zohar, a central Kabbalistic text, describes the righteous as “lamps that illuminate the world.”
Hinduism: The concept of radiance is deeply ingrained in Hindu traditions. Deities like Vishnu and Shiva are often depicted with radiant auras, symbolizing their divine power and enlightenment. The Upanishads describe the Atman (the individual soul) as a spark of the divine Brahman, which is the source of all light and consciousness. Through practices like yoga and meditation, individuals can realize their true nature as Atman and attain a state of moksha (liberation), where they merge with the radiant light of Brahman.
Buddhism: In Buddhism, the concept of enlightenment is often associated with radiance. The Buddha himself is depicted with a radiant halo, symbolizing his attainment of perfect wisdom and compassion. The goal of Buddhist practice is to achieve Nirvana, a state of liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth. This state is often described as a state of luminous clarity and peace, where the individual’s true nature shines forth like a radiant light.
In conclusion, the concept of radiance holds profound significance across diverse mystical traditions. It represents the culmination of spiritual practice, the transcendence of limitations, and the union with the divine source. By purifying their hearts and minds, mystics aim to become vessels for the divine light to shine through them, illuminating the world with their wisdom and compassion. The radiant figures of enlightened beings serve as beacons, inspiring others to embark on the path of spiritual transformation and strive for the luminous goal of transcendence.
Thanks Gemini. Once I had a better sense of luminaries and their possible sources, I decided I needed a little poetry to balance the prose. And, not surprisingly, I found this poem by Maya Angelou.
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.”
What a wonderful poem to wrap up this post. It struck me how appropriate the last stanza was for the week in which we just celebrated the life of Jimmy Carter – a great soul from whom peace may bloom. Carter gave me hope that we can make a difference no matter what our station in life – peanut farmer or President. And I’m determined to hold onto hope in spite of our daunting challenges. Specifically, paraphrasing Maya Angelou, I’m hoping our spaces will fill with a soothing vibration, that our senses well be restored, that our souls can whisper to us: “Be and be better.” May it be so.
Also published on Medium.
May it be so indeed my friend-thank you!