LIGHT….Light up your Life!

 Sunday 19 Oct 2025.      Day 23318

The festival and celebration of Light! Deepavali!

"Lead, Kindly Light, Amid the encircling gloom" is a hymn with words written in 1833 by John Henry Newman as a poem titled "the Pillar of the Cloud", which was first published in the British Magazine in 1834, and republished in Lyra Apostolica in 1836.

It is a plea for divine guidance during times of uncertainty, confusion, and spiritual doubt. The "Kindly Light" represents a higher power, or God, and the speaker asks to be guided "one step at a time," not needing to see the distant future, only the immediate path forward. The poem reflects the human experience of vulnerability and the need for faith and trust in a higher power to navigate life's challenges.  

We seek Light in our LIFE and also have the tremendous ability to be the light in others lives too.

"Tamasoma jyotirgamaya" is a Sanskrit phrase meaning "Lead me from darkness to light". It is the second line of the Shanti Mantra from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and symbolizes the journey from ignorance to knowledge or from confusion to clarity.   

• Darkness (Tamas): Symbolizes ignorance, confusion, and the lack of knowledge or spiritual awareness.
• Light (Jyoti): Represents knowledge, truth, clarity, and spiritual enlightenment.
• Meaning: The phrase is a prayer for guidance to overcome inner darkness and achieve enlightened understanding.
• Context: It is often part of the full mantra, Asato ma sadgamaya, which includes the request to be led from untruth to truth and from death to immortality. 

As we navigate through our brief existence of around 33000 days in this lifetime, we seek guidance from the Grace and Abundance that is all around us. We seek to boldly walk forward, with the light showing us the next few steps. We boldly venture forward with belief and faith, exploring our life to the fullest.

For, all that we can really do is strive in this very moment. With amazement and wonder of the whole of creation around us, being very open and willing to face whatever comes up ahead.

May this Deepavali festival make us fully receptive to this divine light.

May we have the courage to plumb into our deepest inner selves and probe the darkness of every limiting belief. Burn away every lingering doubt.

May we also be a torch that burns itself bright and shine the light onto every piece of creation all around us.

May the light enable each of us to spread joy, love and laughter all around us.

Happy Deepavali.

Be at your brightest!

Live Life To The Maximum!