Redefining the Misperception of Love and Light
I suppose that I should apologize for not being one of those kooky new age fluff bunnies who skulks around under random pieces of furniture collecting negative energies and dispelling them with love and light and a trilling song to small animals a’ la Snow White.
I’m sorry, but Snow White has always annoyed me to no end. Forget all of the quips about her living with seven men and still acting like she’s all sweet and innocent, it’s her voice (in the animated Disney version) that drives me absolutely batty; all high and squeaky. But more than that, it’s her naive attitude towards life in general that leaves me shaking my head. Come on already, who actually takes (and eats!) apples from withered old hags who appear at the door of your cottage; a cottage that is in the middle of nowhere nonetheless? Not to mention falling hopelessly in love with a man you’ve only met once!
I actually met Snow White once. Well okay, it wasn’t Snow White. It wasn’t even the actress that played Snow White (actually I think she died back in 1997). She didn’t even have a squeaking voice. Actually the woman I met had an attitude that reminded me of Snow White
I was visiting a New Age psychic fair with some friends and the woman was running a stall where she sold lovely little crystals that she had strung together with colorful beads to make “power prisms” that you could hang in your living room window. There was nothing wrong with her stall. The beads were very lovely and she seemed like a really nice person, but when she criticized me for “not being positive enough” when I mentioned a news article that I had recently read (and which tied in with the conversation we were having) I was, quite literally, flabbergasted.
“You really shouldn’t talk about things like that” she said, putting one hand over her heart. “You’re not going to get anywhere if you think about or mention negative things!”
I admit that I had to blink at her. There was really nothing to say. She was totally sincere in her reaction and seemed genuinely aghast that I could call myself a lightworker and still mention something negative.
What I wanted to tell her is that she clearly misunderstands the concept of a lightworker. There is nothing written anywhere that says that a lightworker has to be all light and love. There is not even anything that says that a lightworker has to be continually positive and upbeat. A lightworker is any being dedicated to the cultivation of inner presence as well as the elevation of awareness not only in yourself but in others as well.
Come to think of it, like so many others out there, she probably also misunderstands the concept of light.
Anyone who thinks of light as being all love and etheric gentleness has obviously been standing too long gazing at the moon and has probably never stood too close to an open fire when the sparks are flying or has gotten a serious sunburn while lying on the beach.
Think about it, what is the source of light (and life for that matter) on this planet? The sun of course; and the sun is no gentle etheric light that soothes and calms the soul. The sun is powerful. It brooks no argument. You can’t hide from it. It cuts through the darkness like a knife through butter and has the power to transform whatever it touches. There’s just one problem, the touch of the sun is not always gentle. In fact, while it can be soothing and nurturing, it can also be downright painful.
The caress of sunlight is what encourages a seed to crack itself open, put down roots and become a plant. Its gentle touch coaxes the leaves into unfurling and the flowers into bloom. But it can also destroy. When exposed to direct sunlight bacteria tend to die in hoards, as do many fungi, molds and mildews, and too much direct sunlight can turn a verdant meadow into a dry and barren place. In fact, our planet cannot handle true direct sunlight and still be hospitable to life.
Much of the sun’s power is filtered through our atmosphere where the dangerous rays such as X-Rays, UVC, UVB and UVA (all of which can be damaging to DNA) lose much of their destructive force as they pass through the ozone layer and atmosphere. But even these rays can be used discriminately to fight everything from the spread of skin fungi by using germicidal lamps to PUVA therapy for psoriasis. But then there are also lasers that concentrate light for precision work in eye surgeries and the treatment of cancers. You just have to know when it is the right time to use the light for gentle healing, and when it is more important to cut right down to the heart of the mater.
Have you ever seen a picture painted by an artist who didn’t use shadows? There is no depth, no perception, no way to gauge distance or to orient yourself in relation to your location in space and time. By using shade and shadow an artist breathes life into their work. It becomes alive. It is the balance you see that makes all the difference. Knowing when to use the light, and when to let the light speak for itself, and when to make room for the shade and shadows that will put it all into perspective.
You see, aside from the light, discernment is the true lightworker’s most important tool. You have to be able to understand just how much (and what kind) of light is needed. In order to understand this you also have to be able to discern the usefulness of shade and shadow (when appropriate), especially when it casts what the light illuminates into sharp relief or brings it into clearer focus. Without it the light would go unnoticed and unappreciated, and awareness, after all, is what being a lightworker it is all about.
©Stephanie S. Henry 2012