The Light

     When I was young, going to school was quite challenging for me.  So, my Mom took on the job of trying to make the mornings as cheerful as possible.  When I woke up, she would be really excited about the day.  I would eat breakfast.  As the time crept closer and closer for me to leave, I would feel this wave of anxiety come over me and I would start to cry.  That was when my Mom would break out in song.

     She would sing, "Oh, Let the Sunshine In."  A simple little song that has stuck with me my whole life.  In all honesty, I thought it was something that my Mom made up.  I only ever remember hearing the chorus.  After some research several years ago, I found out that it is indeed a real song.  However, to me it was a magical incantation that taught me to fight back the dread and fear that I felt every morning. 

"Oh, let the sunshine in

face it with a grin

smilers never loose

and frowners never win.

So, open up your heart

and let the sunshine in."

 That was the magic that got me started in the mornings.  I kind of joke about it now.  Yet, the truth is, from childhood to now, when I'm facing a daunting task or challenge, I return to this practice.  When, I'm stressing out about money, work, or just life changes, I find myself humming this tune. Over the years, it's almost become automatic.

     Moreover, the great thing about this little ditty is that it can be sung, chanted, or spoken like an affirmation.  After a little research, I learned that this song is actually a religious song.  It talks about how smiling and being happy keeps the "devil" away.  I, personally, don't believe in such a being.  However, I do believe that there is negativity.  I, also, believe that like attracts like.  So, when we get caught up in a negative pattern, it grows if left unchecked.  So, teaching me this song, was my Mom's way of teaching me to reign in that negativity.  Just that small portion that I knew seemed magical.  Obviously, my Mom had no idea the impact this one little song would have on my life.  

     However, it wasn't just about the song.  It was about how she taught me to stand up tall and talk to myself encouragingly.  Fortunately, I have always had a very active and powerful imagination.  So, as we performed our morning ritual, I would envision myself standing in the sunshine.  It would shine straight into my heart and spread throughout my body.  I never really told my Mom about what I was seeing in my head.  However, it worked and made the mornings a little more bearable.  Even now, when I start to sing the words or just say them in my head, my posture changes.  My attitude begins to shift and I just know that I can handle whatever needs to be handled at that moment.  It wasn't until later that I discovered that this little trick had a name.

     Furthermore, I discovered that it had several names--visualization, affirmations, visioning, and creative visualization just to name a few. No matter what you call it, to a six year old it was magic.  You see, all of those mornings spent singing and self-talking taught me about the Light.  Not just the light of the Sun, but the Light with a capital L.  More importantly, I learned how to call upon this Light--shifting my consciousness from fear and negativity to positive thoughts and empowerment.  You see, this Light was not just sunshine.  Yes, it came from the Sun.  However, it was powered by Divinity.  I really don't know if I figured that out on my own.  Maybe my Mom told me that.  Either way, somehow I knew.  I knew that it was not ordinary sunlight that I was standing experiencing.  More importantly, I knew that the Light was there to protect me and guide me.  I developed a trust in this Light.  To this day, that trust has never been broken.  There have been times when I have forgotten about it or not listened or just straight up ignored it.  Yet, when I return to it.  It's always there just as loving and protective as ever.

     Furthermore, this Light taught me that my fears were not founded in reality.  They were forged from doubt.  When you shine a light on something, things become clearer.  The shadows that plague us begin to disappear.  We can then see the truth of the situation.  Author and teacher, Richard Seaman uses the phrase, "Hold it up to the light."  A teaching I identified with while taking one of his classes.  He further explains this in his book, Spiritual Reliability. 

"For the purposes of my teachings, 

holding something up to the light means

to expose or reveal the truth about something

and to bring clarity to a situation."

This thought resonated with me very deeply.  It reminded me that I had been doing this my whole life.  What started off as a simple form of encouragement, turned into a life long technique of self-empowerment.  Since I had practiced this technique from childhood, I believe learning other forms of visualization came easily to me.  

     More importantly, it taught me that when you invoke the Light, you are connected to Divinity.  When you are connected to Divinity, you live an empowered life.  You pause, you breathe, you listen.  Then, when the Light has revealed all that you need to know, you act.