Letting it Be Light
Light Worker, Hope Merchant, Light working for the Dark
Lately the themes of light and dark have been surfacing for me..it feels fitting as we approach the Spring Equinox, the moment in the seasonal cycle when light and dark come into balance. For a brief time they meet as equals, harmonizing before the light gradually expands again. The word equinox itself comes from the Latin aequus and nox, meaning “equal night.” On this day, daylight and darkness are nearly equal across the earth. There is something deeply symbolic in that…a reminder that contrast itself has purpose!
I’ve been reflecting a lot on what it means to “make it all light.” Not in the sense of denying darkness or pretending it doesn’t exist, but in recognizing that what appears dark on the surface is often something simply asking for the infusion of heart-based awareness. What we label as bad, wrong, or even evil may in many cases be something caught in the thought-form of fear. And fear, when met with presence and love, can be illuminated. It can find its way back toward the light..toward love
The role of being what I sometimes call a hope merchant, or a light worker, is rooted in this kind of seeing. It is the practice of seeing the light in all things. Seeing the light in others, in situations, and in life itself..even when others cannot yet see it. Sometimes the most powerful solution or remedy is simply looking through unjudging, compassionate, OPEN eyes of love.
Because when we see others through the lens of judgment, blame, or resistance, we energetically hold them within that form. We reinforce the story of limitation. But when we choose to see someone as whole..complete, capable, and already connected to their own light..something different becomes possible. I was reminded of this in a meditation I practiced recently. The meditation invited us to see the inherent perfection and light in every life form. Not perfection in the sense of flawlessness, but perfection in the sense that life itself is unfolding exactly as it must for growth, awareness, and transformation.
It also reminded me that judgment often reveals something within myself that is asking for love. When I notice judgment arising, it becomes a signal pointing inward..toward a place where I am being invited to soften, to expand, or tend to myself more deeply. This shift in perception changes how we (I) meet others. Instead of seeing people through the lens of their problems or deficiencies, we can practice seeing them in their highest form. Seeing them in their potential, wholeness, actualization. When we see someone as already healed, already growing into what they intend, already carrying the light within them, we enter a state of receptivity and expansion in that relationship. Our belief becomes a kind of energetic support. In many ways, belief itself is a form of spiritual empowerment! When you truly believe in someone..when you hold the vision of their wholeness..you illuminate a path forward. Your belief becomes part of the field in which healing, growth, and realization become possible. How we choose to see others, and ourselves makes ripples.
This is part of the work of being a hope merchant. Not falling for the darkness that may be visible on the surface, but recognizing that there is always more present than the immediate story suggests.
In therapy trainings, spiritual programs, and books I’ve encountered over the years, there is often an emphasis on seeing yourself as the person you intend and desire to become. I have experimented with this in my own life and have found it to be powerful. When I set intentions for myself or for a client I am working with, I try not to limit my perception to only what is visible in the moment or what someone is telling me about their struggle. Instead, I hold space for the inherent possibility and wholeness that exists beneath the imbalance.
If I approach someone with a list of judgments or “shoulds,” I am energetically surrounding them with contraction. But belief is different. Belief expands. When we believe in the light within someone..when we hold that vision clearly..it can help illuminate a path toward them seeing that light within themselves.
This does not mean ignoring difficulty or pretending darkness doesn’t exist. Life still brings moments that feel heavy. A thought, a fear, a worry, or an external event can quickly create a spiral of negative momentum.
Someone might make a comment about how much I ate, and suddenly that small moment expands into a chain reaction: awareness of my belly, resentment toward the person, the avoidance of saying something, the shame of silence. The mind can create an entire emotional landscape from a single moment.
What I have been practicing in these moments is something much simpler.
Dropping in. Allowing myself to be with what is present without immediately trying to change it. Letting the darkness show me where love is needed. Sometimes that looks like placing a hand on my belly and breathing. Allowing myself to feel my body, to sense the safety and sovereignty that exists within my own skin. Letting the silence be quiet enough that I can feel my heartbeat again. Just letting it be. And strangely, when something is allowed to simply be, it often begins to lighten on its own. It becomes less entangled with fear and more connected to the simple presence of life itself.
I’m learning that darkness often appears first as fear..a contraction in the body or mind, a heavy thought pattern, a moment of stagnation or uncertainty. Sometimes it even feels like a kind of inner death.
But what if the darkness is not the problem? What if it is the signal? A signal from the soul saying: BRING LIGHT HERE!!!
When I approach those moments with curiosity rather than resistance, something shifts. Instead of pushing the experience away, I can gently illuminate it. I can ask what part of me feels small, scared, or unseen and bring that part into awareness.
Not forcing transformation. Not bypassing discomfort. Simply meeting what arises with kindness. Attention itself can be healing.
I was reminded of this idea recently while attending Mass. In the Gospel story, there was a blind man. At that time people believed illness or disability must be punishment for sin. They questioned what he or his family had done wrong. But Jesus corrected them. The story revealed something deeper..that through this man, the light of God could be seen. That moment stayed with me because it showed how easily judgment distorts our perception. When we assume darkness is evidence of failure or wrongdoing, we miss the deeper unfolding that may be taking place.
If we release judgment..toward ourselves, toward others, toward the experiences of life..another kind of seeing becomes possible. We begin to see the light that exists within all things, even within the places we once labeled dark.
This perspective reminds me of the children’s book The Little Soul and the Sun. The story carries a surprisingly profound message: there is no absolute good or bad, only love. In the story, one soul chooses to wear a cloak of darkness so another soul can experience forgiveness. The darkness becomes the contrast necessary for love to be recognized. Earth school.
“In a dark time, the eye begins to see,” wrote Theodore Roethke.
There was a time when I believed darkness was something fixed and separate from light. But through yoga, spirituality, relationships, mentors, and the quiet teachings of nature, that belief has softened.
Most of all, it softened through living. Because while you can read about these ideas, what truly teaches you is walking through your own contrast. The practice of transmutation..taking the moments life brings and allowing them to become light within your own heart. Life does not always FEEL light. Mine certainly does not. For a long time I searched for light outside myself, believing it existed in outcomes, conditions, or situations that needed to unfold in a certain way for me to feel okay. But when we condition our light on external circumstances, it becomes fragile. Now I feel called into something different. A commitment TO BE light.
To bring light into my body, into my cells, through daily practice, presence, and intention. To live that light not outside the world, but within it..in conversations, relationships, and the small ordinary moments that shape a life. Because life is shaped by the lens through which we see it. This does not mean denying what is difficult or frightening. It means remembering that even those experiences are not the final truth. Sometimes darkness simply needs the courage of the heart. The willingness to believe that you are light. The same light that has carried you to this moment continues guiding you forward..toward renewal, toward growth, toward something new.
Learning about the spiritual power of light has opened me to deeper faith. It has deepened my sense of connection to God, to the Divine, and to the living intelligence of nature that sustains life in every form.
More and more, I feel that part of my purpose is simply to serve the light. To walk into darkness without fear or confusion, trusting that even there something sacred is asking to be revealed. A world renewed in love. A world where each person remembers the light that they are. I feel this most clearly when I offer Reiki. When healing energy flows and someone reconnects with their own inner radiance. That moment..when someone remembers their light..is what fuels my passion!! It is what fuels my energy!!