In the week following Easter we continued to explore the significance of light and discovered some fascinating thoughts, fresh perspectives and continued our journey of growth together.
In this clip from Harry Potter, the phoenix burns and is reborn, and for thousands of years this mythical creature has represented resurrection and the rising of the sun each day after the darkness of the night, to bring rebirth and immortality.
Darkness is often perceived as negative and personified as an enemy to be fought and got rid of, but darkness is essential to our cycle of life, regulating our biological rhythms and inviting us to rest. Even in the blackest night, the moon is reflecting the sunlight and illuminating our darkness.
When Princess Poppy has lost her shine in the movie Trolls, Branch brings back her true colours by letting his light shine in the moment of darkness.
"You can't have a rainbow without having the sun and the dark."
"If you open your eyes and forget all the lies, you'll be surprised by what you'll find."
The idea of light and darkness isn't unique to one religion. Joel shares how many faiths have traditions and beliefs linked with light and darkness.
In this fascinating interview, Joel interviews Hannah, who shares the significance of light in her Jewish heritage.
Hannah speaks about how in the creation story of Genesis, God says "Let there be light!" This could also be translated as "It should become light." What if everything in creation, including us and the darkness that we experience, is in a process of becoming enlightened?
"Your essential self lies in an inseverable bond with the source of light which extends to illuminate the darkness."
Joel shares how the challenge of overcoming darkness may be less of a mandate to fight evil, and more of an invitation to be the light wherever we are.
"Darkness is not a thing or a force, it is simply the absence of light. Where light is, darkness is not."
When we each experience darkness and journey through the dark night of the soul, we can either grow towards the healing light or be crushed by the darkness. As Leaonard Cohen famously wrote
"There is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in."
This clip from the Disney movie, Moana, demonstrates the transformation that can happen when the light gets in and the heart is healed.
The beautiful goddess Te Fiti became the terrifying Te Ká, an expression of her dark-side, when she lost her heart.
It's easy for us to lose heart too, believing that the darkness that we find ourselves in is who we really are. However, the message from today is that we are the light and have an inseverable bond with the source of light, giving our life value, meaning and purpose as we live to spread that light wherever we go.
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