There are many illusions on the way to truth. A spiritual journey can begin in many ways and for many reasons, but mine began with a desire to find what is real, what is true.
I had spent many successful years in the theatre, and the awareness that the stage is a dramatic and often beautiful space, decked with scenery and sets, and that the players are just playing a part, began to feel hollow. Behind the scenes, things are much different and my desire to find what is real and true could be likened to the feeling of hollowness I was beginning to feel with the theatre, reflecting life in general.
What I was demanding from life and the world, I discovered, was what I was wanting from myself. I needed illumination to be real and as the journey towards being fully authentic and alight began, many lights appeared on the path, showing me the way.
The inner journey to experiencing the light of consciousness, of being a conscient light, requires that I stay constantly lit, constantly aware.
It is in remaining aware that I can light the way for others, by seeing their goodness, their conscient spark of inner light.
There is a permanently constant conscient light, the Supreme Light, the Supreme Soul, and all I have to do is stay connected in thought to that being and I shine.
It is an awareness of the essence. The essence of a tree is the seed. If I stay preoccupied with the leaves or fixate on a branch, I will find myself out on a limb—with no sustenance.
It is not enough to talk about light or simply light a lamp or even just understand that I am light. To make the light real, I have to be it and sustain it through darkness, ignorance, heavy energy and fear. I must remain light in both senses of the word.
The Divine has no reservations in the light of love and understanding, He bestows; I just have to be still and see things as they really are.
Sister Elizabeth Padilla manages the retreat programmes at the Brahma Kumaris Anubhuti Meditation and Retreat Centre, California, USA.
