At this dark time of year, in these seemingly dark days, I’ve adopted a simple spiritual practice, Sensitive Soul. You might call it, Look for the Light. For me, it entails celebrating the joy of being in a warm climate in a body where nothing hurts when I ride my bicycle around the busy streets and shady lanes of Coconut Grove, Miami. I toss out friendly hellos and queen waves like confetti. A baby-faced construction worker with twinkling eyes and a deep voice returns my greeting with a dimpled smile. A trim mustachioed janitor pushing his utility cart pauses, bows at the waist and says Buenos Dias, Senora. A fit-walking mom with a bouncing ponytail waves back jauntily when I ring my bell and greet her two small children riding along in the stroller. I savor this. I allow it to penetrate, to sink in and fill me. Doing this connects me with Infinite Love and the love that I am.
I believe that it is Infinite Love that shines back at me through the light in their eyes. I believe that it is Infinite Love that vibrates my heartstrings when I hear their voices greet me. I believe that it is Infinite Love that binds me to them and is revealed in our brief encounter.
Soul-nourishing social bonds got shredded when we were forbidden to lay eyes on those we love during nearly two years of coronamania. Meeting, greeting, worshiping, hugging, handshaking and hanging out were all sharply curtailed, leaving people feeling isolated and anxious. That ugly rift in our human fabric needs repair now, human spirit to human spirit. It’s up to each of us to stitch together a new future. Seeing light in those we love (or randomly meet) strengthens the power of our light, and reflects the truth that each of us is fashioning a section of the human tapestry right here, right now. By weaving light into your creative expression, you empower a more beautiful vision of what is to become of us when this too, shall pass, Sensitive Soul.
By the musical finale in the production of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Miserables, the characters Fantine, Valjean and Eponine had each experienced God’s love through an encounter with another person. Loving another person had revealed to them the face of God:
Take my hand and lead me to salvation
Take my love, for love is everlasting
And remember the truth that once was spoken:
To love another person is to see the face of God.
At the time of the Solstice on December 21, when the Sun appears to stand still in the sky, we in the Northern Hemisphere experience the longest night of the year. Ancient cultures celebrated this time as the return of the light; each new day brings a little more sunlight as we move toward the renewal of spring. Let your Solstice spiritual practice remind you of the Infinite Love that you are, Sensitive Soul. Allow your light to spark your connection to Infinite Love and the web of life on the planet. Look for the light in every encounter, and you will see the face of God.
This is just beautiful, Katie. Thank you. It definitely brought a smile to my face as I pictured you riding your bike, saying hello and giving those "queen waves" to all those you encountered. It was a lovely image, one I'll hold on to, because it makes me smile.
Light is really important for me. I can't stand being in a dark room. Luckily, living in NM we have lots of sunshine and we have a passive solar wall of 4'x6' windows which are always beaming the light in. It helps to maintain a positive perspective, especially in these times of "coronamania". I love that word.
I keep praying for light to be shed on the truths behind our situation, so that we can all be set free to return to our natural selves, being with each other in those "soul-nourishing" ways that we used to do instinctively.