Be the Lighthouse
In this edition of Soul Notes, we examine what it means to be a lighthouse; and as always, we do so by invoking and evoking ancient 
wisdom and principles where they may be of service to each of us living in today’s world, and particularly during this time of an evolving (albeit often challenging!) degree of consciousness.
Immersed in all that is, and all that changes, we seem to be facing extremely turbulent times. As individuals, and as a collective, we are navigating through massively swirling, deeply unsettled waters. Political, economic and societal systems are shifting, breaking loose in large chunks, and leaving behind for all of us thick layers of debris.
Some may say these are “dark times.” Others may contend that we are increasingly reaching the outer ridge of a precipice…teetering precariously close to the edge, as we peek over with hope, steadfast faith, and eagerness toward what may actually be a portal into a new age of even greater light and elevated consciousness. During the darkness of the new moon, as I write this, we each have an opportunity to slow down to take in these contrasts. And, we have a choice to make. The choice that we may make, and the one that I invite you to consider, is this: Be The Lighthouse.
To paraphrase Master Yogi Bhajan:
Sane is the person who deals with insanity and still keeps smiling;
Brave is the person who feels cowardice and still moves forward;
Rich is the person who faces poverty and still maintains a higher consciousness; and
Spiritual is the person who against all “devilish darkness” keeps the light burning.
Our job is to light the way – no more, no less
Lighthouses illuminate the land mass, the shoreline, to warn approaching ships and mariners. As with ships out at sea, navigating the ever shifting waters and weather conditions, each person of course still needs to steer her or his own ship. All of us are Captains on our own high spiritual seas.
Your serving as a beacon of light for another, beaming a light, holding a lantern, allows them to see what they may not otherwise see. Indeed. It does not, however, abdicate them from responsibility for charting their own path, traveling their own journey, navigating their own waters, and riding their own waves. (Oh my, watch out, we are getting awfully nautical here on the blog!)
Be on the look-out. Keep a watchful eye:
And, it remains all the more critical, and all the more needed — the more severe the weather, the stronger the storm!
The light beaming from the lighthouse is needed most during the nighttime and even during daytime storms, when the visibility is diminished. An enlightened lighthouse illuminates the darkness. It’s not really needed when the land upon which it stands is visible to all who may be approaching from offshore.
“There are times when the ocean is not the ocean– not blue, not even water, but some violent explosion of energy and danger: ferocity on a scale only gods can summon. It hurls itself at the island, sending spray right over the top of the lighthouse, biting pieces off the cliff. And the sound is a roaring of a beast whose anger knows no limits. Those are the nights the light is needed most.”
— M.L. Stedman – The Light Between Oceans
Keeper of the light(house)
In the early days, lighthouse keepers were critical in keeping the lighthouses functioning properly. Keepers trimmed wicks, replenished fuel, wound clockworks by hand, and cleaned lenses and windows.
As with other evolving areas of technology, recent “advances” (a qualitative term, admittedly) have meant that human keepers have more recently been replaced with automated processes, for the most part. The human element has been reduced, although not eradicated entirely.
You may be familiar with the term “light workers.” Or the well-heeled phrase: Be the light. Suffice it to say that it is no coincidence that LIGHT appears in so many contexts and various spheres when it comes to consciousness and spirituality.
As with the lighthouse, the electricity is housed within, and shines from within, outward and out-toward those all around it. “The body electric” (a phrase later made popular by Walt Whitman, and even later in a song in the musical “Fame” — a term that originally dates back to a research paper by Dr. Le Monnier during 1746) — comes from the world of medicine. Our own bodies are in fact electric. We have the light within us! I realize I’m mixing metaphors here. I ask that you stay with me on this, as I weave together these concepts, and bring forward their relevance to today’s world.
For anyone who feels called, being a spiritual lighthouse requires each person to be sure to take care to maintain her or his own lighthouse — To be her or his own keeper of the light. Especially during dark, turbulent, stormy times – our lighthouses are required. We are needed now more than ever.
If you’ve been a reader for awhile (or feel free to scan the archives available on this page), you’ll notice that throughout most of the editions of Soul Notes, we have explored ways to be and serve as lighthouses in a sometimes seemingly dark world.
And, may I offer here a gentle reminder for each of us to tend to our own lighthouses, so that we can continue to be of service to those around us.
Some ways to do that, you may ask?
- Take solace in nature.
- Attune yourself to nature’s rhythms.
- Get yourself close to or immersed in a body of water.
With great solemn appreciation, I make frequent trips to the Pacific Ocean, a few short miles from where I live. It refreshes my soul, and gives it a re-set. I take cleansing breaths as I sink my bare feet into the sand. I allow my eyes to take in the panorama, from the sea to the hillsides and back again. I look for sunsets and moonrises. I sit for long stretches and watch quietly as dozens of tiny sandpipers high-step in unison quickly back and forth in precise rhythm with the tide. You can, too. If not at the ocean, in some other way out in nature, in a way and form that is facile for you.
Not unlike how the old-style lighthouse keepers would with the intricate mechanisms of the clockworks, each of us can do our best to keep the lighthouse finely tuned, and well calibrated.
For your consideration:
As we close, I leave you with these words, from Yogi Bhajan:
“You are a lighthouse, so nobody else can wreck near you. That is the one thing in life you have to do. Spread the light. Be the lighthouse.”
Okay, your turn:
Where in your life, in your relations, in your community, are you beaming your light, and serving as the lighthouse? How much care are you devoting to maintaining yourself in tip-top shape as a lighthouse? In what ways are you being a good steward?
I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
As my kundalini yoga teacher says, just “making it to the mat” may be the most important step in any consistent yoga practice.
Why the early morning hours? Known as the ‘ambrosia hours,’ the early morning hours signify when the world is quiet and fluid.