Notes on Light

  The aesthetic of straight, sleek lines is highly praised. Smooth edges, a clean visual experience. But, what of the crooked, the offset, the off-kilter? Is there not beauty and gracefulness in the experience of that which is misaligned and tilted? Think about the leaning tower of Pisa, and how boring it would be just standing upright in its perfect 90 degree angle. So, what about our rough edges, our tilted experiences? The smooth and clean is pleasant for us, it makes life bearable. Times of calm and tranquility give us space to breathe and reflect, to appreciate and rejoice. But, the crooked patches, with their difficult-to-navigate periods give us tough lessons, opportunities to grow, fuel for survival. When we experience difficulties, we swear at them and damn them to hell. Much later (perhaps years later), we reflect on them as pivotal periods of growth and understanding. Let us celebrate the offset, the crooked, the off-kilter in our lives. Very well-disguised blessings pre...

Just as the light penetrates the window, so it penetrates us. If we remain open to the light, our curtains drawn out of the way, it can enter and provide luminance to our inner world. The dark room, which is our internal hiding place, gets brought out into view. As light floods our being, we can be both healed and made aware of what was tucked away, out of conscious perception. As in the photograph, when the sun is at the correct angle, the window becomes a conduit for the inflow of beautiful light. So it is with us...when we are ready to receive the light, it can embrace us with its soft, warm glow. Its rays beaming and piercing every fiber of our being, transforming shadow to light, heavy to light.  It's a gift available to all, yet not accepted by many.