The Experiment: Day 91 ~ Learning To Light Up Your Own Life At The Winter Solstice…

“Now, near the Winter Solstice, it is good to light candles. All the nice meanings of bringing light to the world can be beautiful. But perhaps we are concentrating on lighting the world because we don’t know how to light up our own lives.”
Ralph Levy

Today has been the shortest day and tonight is the longest night of the year. It is the Winter Solstice and I don’t think I have ever spent it in a more meaningful way. I spent 2 1/2 hours this afternoon in the most beautiful circle of women led by our dear Amanda Grace in Sligo, Ireland. There were 15 women from around the world and we came together to have a beautiful time of setting our intentions for the coming year. We shared our stories, our hopes, our dreams, our fears, our sorrows and our joys, and so much more. We lit our candles making a circle around the world. It was one of the most exquisite gatherings I have ever been a part of.

And then this evening I found the above quote by Ralph Levy and his words caught me… “we don’t know how to light up our own lives.” And I caught my breath and just stared at those words. I thought of the things I’d just shared this afternoon about what my intentions and dreams are for 2018, and yes, I meant what I said, but on reading those words it struck me that maybe what we all should put as our first priority in 2018 is learning how to light up our own lives. You know that one lit candle can light a thousand. What if we concentrated on lighting up our own lives in 2018 so that we can light the other “candles” around us that have lost their glow. What if, in learning how to shine bright, we can light the way for another, even one other person? Could there possibly be a more beautiful thing that we could do? If you lit up your own life how many other’s candles could you light from your own in the coming year? It makes me joyous just to think about it.

And I want to share with you a beautiful site that I have been visiting for almost 20 years. People come from all over the world to “Light a candle.” It stays lit for 2 days, you can light one with special prayers at any time. I used to always keep it in the sidebar of my blog and I plan to put it there again. On a night when you feel lost and alone to go light a candle in a community of millions of people around the world lighting candles is a powerful thing. I can’t tell you how much peace this site has brought me. Click on the candles below to go to the site…

“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.”
Buddha

May the darkest night upon us now lead us to a world of light in the coming year. May all beings be blessed.

With gentleness and love…

 


The Experiment ~A 365 Day Search For Truth, Beauty &
Happiness: 
Day 1 ~ Introduction To The Project
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda

Comments

  1. Oh, but that’s not what you are planning for 2018. You are in the process of lighting up e.g. my life by lighting up your life and like the little blue lights I set up in my window yesterday the people around me might notice the new shine in others areas of my being. Might even be a wee sparkle 🙂
    This little light of mine…
    Like Christmas, the return of the light into a life. Some day I even might wake up anticipating something wonderful to come.
    Have a wonderful Christmas Time, dear fellow light.
    Yours Silke

    • Ah Silke, I can see you sparkling all the way across the ocean! If we all adopt this attitude of restoring the light we can be like little twinkly lights wrapped around the earth, joining each to each in a dazzling display of light. Isn’t that a beautiful thought. It’s as I always write, “Each one, reach one, and love, always love.” I may be just a small voice reaching out from this blog but if we each do what we can we can make the world go round!

      Shine on Bright Silke, you are a beautiful sight! 🙂

      Maitri

  2. Thank you for this very inspirational message Maitri. I like the idea of my primary focus in 2018 being to light up my own life, not in a selfish way, but to build up my inner strengths and resources more so that I do not feel drained by serving others. A time of replenishment, so to speak.
    <3

    • Yes dear Joan you are so right and thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. And the thing is we are not being selfish when we tend to our own inner flame and work toward lighting up our own life because you can’t give from an empty well. The lighter and brighter and more fulfilled you are the more you have to give. Here’s to shining bright in 2018 and being the flame that can light many candles. May 2018 be a beautiful year for you honey… <3

  3. Wonderful blog as usual Maitri 🙂 That sentence “we don’t know how to light up our own lives” gave me an inner jolt. Sometimes I can and sometimes I don’t. Interesting! Yes I do need to take care of myself. I am still discovering who I am and what I want after being married almost 60 years and vowing to be the “best wife I could be.”
    The candles are beautiful and hopefully others are inspired/helped by seeing them.
    Love, Jean

    • Oh thank you so much dear Jean, I’m very touched and pleased that the blog post meant so much to you and yes, it’s really something to think about, isn’t it? And I’m glad you enjoyed the candles, they’re really lovely, it’s a very calming, soothing thing to do, and I’ve put it there in the sidebar now so people can easily find it and go light a candle any time.

      I hope your holidays are going well and I hope you have a lovely Christmas… 🙂

      Love,

      Maitri

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