If you take a mountain six miles high, six miles long and six miles wide, that’s the distance a bullock walks in a day. If a bird flies over that mountain once every hundred years with a silk scarf in its beak and brushes the top, the length of time it takes for the scarf to wear away the mountain is how long you and I have been doing this. ~Buddhist proverb~
Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, I was surviving one of my darkest days. I was in the depths of a personal crisis being pulled in a hundred different directions and exhausted to my breaking point. In the midst of the chaos, a beautiful woman was sent to me. I don’t mean in a cosmic sense…she was actually asked to come assist me with one of my countless duties that day. So there I was, completely haggard and scattered, unfit for a first impression…and there she was, a fresh faced glow in my haze. By the end of our meeting, she left me with a hug. An hour later, we realized our lives were intertwined.
Michelle is the founder of Be The Light, a clothing project here in Halifax. She recognized me after our meeting because we both are ambassadors of The Floatation Centre. (If you’re interested in that gem of a place, you may want to go here for an older post I did on them!) I know, I know…Halifax is a small city and the chance of our paths crossing is great…even if our initial encounter had absolutely nothing to do with the health/wellness/mindfulness community which we’re both a part of and love. Michelle captured my attention that day and, several weeks later at an event for TFC, we were able to have a proper visit. I had already owned one of her tanks and wanted to know more about her inspiration. So I asked.
“Michelle, tell me about Be The Light.”
Of course her response was of a deeply personal and meaningful story of inspiration which opened the way for a wonderfully connected and lengthy conversation and connection between us. What she admitted in our talk was that she still was a little bit unsure of what the message of Be The Light actually meant to her. And more interestingly, what it meant to others. It got me thinking….
Be The Light is a beautiful expression. And people are really drawn to it. But why? It’s quite fluid and has the capacity to convey all sorts of philosophies. But as I find myself in a huge point of transition, both in my personal and professional life, how does this message serve me? When I wear Michelle’s clothes, what am I subscribing to? The magnitude of the lessons that have been presented to me in the last year are almost too great to process. The simple message of Be The Light has stopped me in my tracks and caused a much needed pause. I had a revelation. And of course it was intricately woven with my most important awareness.
The beauty and mystery of connection.
It’s long been a fascination of mine. Intuition, instinct, sixth sense, or just plain biological pheromones…I don’t pretend to know what it is. When you meet someone and feel immediately interested in them…even if they’ve barely yet said a word. I don’t mean a romantic or lustful feeling. Not butterflies in the stomach but a throbbing in the sternum. There’s something about this person that makes you feel as if you want to know them more…as if you need to be close to them…as if you were placed in this exact moment just for them to find you…as if you both have done this before. Kismet. Serendipitous. A life teacher in your midst.
I believe I may have cultivated such connections on rare occasion. My world has within it the most beautiful and inspiring people who fill up my heart. Fulfill my interests. Stimulate my passions. Sustain my desires. They’ve been instrumental in keeping me upright on my life path and supporting me through moments when I didn’t know if I could take another step. Sometimes they’re aware of how important they are to me…and other times, they have unknowingly been a presence in passing who have maybe said the right thing, performed the right act, or appeared as an inspiring example. I ask myself daily what I’ve done to deserve such people in my life and often feel unworthy of some friendships. I’ve spent much time in reflection trying to understand the circumstances which brought them to me. Be The Light was my answer.
Be The Light, right now, is a way to authentic connection. When you seek your truth, when you are open and vulnerable, when you take the time to find yourself and you are grounded in who that is. When you stop seeking to impress, when you no longer place value in other’s judgments, when you clear your space of societal standards. When you get really, really quiet and really, really still…you find your unique light within. With an open heart and living in love, that’s able to shine through…and it becomes a beacon. A signal.
A guide for your soulmates to find you.
It’s a scary thing to be yourself…because first, you have to find out who that is…and who that is may continuously change and evolve. You have to deconstruct all the indoctrination of who you’ve been told you are. The labels and expectations placed on you. When we live in the roles which people have given us, our exposure to others we’re meant to learn from becomes limited. With faith and courage, our consciousness can expand and become open to more meaningful encounters. And that can only lead to a more enriched life. Why are we here? I have no clue. But I try to work hard to stay present and pay attention to the signs along the way. To those connections that are so rare but so important to explore.
In discussing the possibility of reincarnation with a dear friend, she said to me, “When we meet in the next lifetime, how will you know that it’s me?” And I said, “The same way I know that it’s you right now.” Because that’s how it feels…that maybe we’ve already done this a thousand times before. Or maybe we haven’t. But it’s a nice thought. That we carry a light within which draws us to each other for a greater purpose. For fulfillment…for knowledge…for advancement…for a better universal community.
Maybe Michelle was just a person I met that day. Or maybe she was meant to bring me this message. I’ll choose to believe the latter. Now go on and Be The Light. Do the whole “your vibe attracts your tribe” thing. Who knows what it will bring you.
In love…and light,
Alicia
*Interested in what’s going on in the photo above? That’s me with one of my karmic loves playing with triangle pose to make the Be The Light logo just before a great class at On The Mat. They also carry Be The Light apparel there! I would recommend heading over for some yoga and a Be The Light piece of your own.
thedestinationlesspracticeofmylife 