“Remaining steady and constant, a lighthouse never moves for a ship; instead, it shines its eternal light, waiting for the ship in distress to arrive.”
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or another type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Metaphorically speaking, a lighthouse is a person, who by remaining steady and constant, has the ability to guide others during otherwise turbulent times. While much of the world is in turmoil, the human lighthouse provides the stability to weather the turbulent seas of life and lead others toward calm seas. All of this sounds wonderful and inspired but where would we find this person? Does this type of person even exist and if they do how were they able to become that steady light which acts as a beacon for those making their way through the darkness?
Be the Lighthouse:
The truth is that we all have the capacity to become the lighthouse. It takes effort and discipline, and it is most often through a robust spiritual practice that we can become the very lighthouse mentioned. The most divine part of all of this is that we need only to place our attention on our own meditation and yoga practice and as we elevate our own internal light and broadcast outward the “ships” will arrive will no additional effort on our part. How steady can we be when everything around us appears to be in tumult? How constant can we hold and emit our light to allow others to guide themselves to the shore of peace and equanimity?
Listen to David narrate this blog on Spotify:
When others are being drawn into the perceived chaos enveloping the world the most pressing question becomes—can we hold the light of love within us to create healing for anyone that enters our field? Before we answer any of these questions our first and foremost important task is to erect our own personal lighthouse. We must build the foundation of our lighthouse through important self-care that most effectively begins each morning before we enter out into the world.
Yogis rise before the sun in order to dedicate time in silence to themselves to activate their light for the world to see. This often isn’t a glamorous practice. It is done in complete solitude with no fanfare. The yogi does this practice with the only goal—self-improvement. There is no desire to change anyone else—simple self-enrichment is the goal. As we all know, a lighthouse isn’t built in a day.
When construction begins there are no ships waiting for it to be raised from the ground. However, when a lighthouse is needed, the captain of a ship most likely never considers the work that went into constructing the lighthouse, he only knows that he is grateful for the light coming off of the edifice to guide him to the shore. This is not unlike the human lighthouse.
Seldom do those in need consider the amount of work that was undertaken in order to illuminate the inner light; instead people are only grateful that the light exists and is able to help guide them. Building a physical lighthouse takes time and effort and so too does building a “human lighthouse.” Weeks, months and even years pass as the construction is undertaken with little to no fanfare. And not unlike breaking ground on the construction of a physical structure, we must only make the choice to begin the project of creating our own personal lighthouse.
We must break ground on ourselves by diving into a spiritual practice of yoga and meditation. This is the only way we can construct our lighthouse. We must begin building each day, brick by brick, until finally we have a structure that is capable of holding the light. This is done through the power of mantra, breath, mudra, and asanas—each a necessary brick in the construction of our yogic lighthouse.
When we combine these aspects of yogic disciplines, we activate the light within to shine for all to see. We become steady and constant. We shine our light eternally, waiting for those in distress to arrive. In the meantime, we shine our light no matter the circumstance, whether the seas are stormy or calm, our lighthouse shines and becomes the beacon on the horizon of life. We become the way. We become the lighthouse. We are the light that others seek. This is how we elevate the world. Be the lighthouse.
To listen to David narrate this podcast on Spotify click the link below:
