Ode to a lighthouse

'Finding our own light and shining it for others' is Louise Hay's definition of enlightenment. I rather like it. Because for me, it is only when we have found the light within - and we no longer need to look for inspiration or confirmation outside ourselves - that we can really begin to live out our potential and enjoy life as it is to be enjoyed. We cease to be distracted by the constant flow of propaganda fed to us by the external world and realise that we have an internal sense of right and wrong - a kind of inner compass - that will guide us in the most unpredictable of life's storms.And of course this is precisely what we will need to navigate some of the turbulence that many sense we will face in coming years. It doesn't take much intelligence to deduce that many of the Earth's resources are dwindling, the global economy is becoming increasingly unstable and the delicate balance of nature is shifting before our eyes. The one thing we can rely on is that many of the structures that we have built our societies upon are likely to go through upheaval and change. And guess what? It is in finding and learning to navigate by this inner compass - the light within - not any 'miracle' scientific discovery or spiritual guru out there - that is likely to help guide us through this change. And as I see it this individual-level shift in consciousness also holds the key to resolving many of the issues that face humanity at the moment. It is not by being told by a 'big brother' government, or the media, for instance, that we will become more 'sustainable' as a species; rather, it will be the inward evolution in each of us that will produce an internal environment from which we will naturally begin to live more lightly on the earth, develop compassion for Earth and its creatures - and become truly - and authentically - sustainable.As I see it, it is our natural path to unfold and evolve - we have simply allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked into believing that we are less than we infact are. If we want to fulfil this divine birthright, we need to begin to re-educate ourselves to open to our own magnificence.I think the following verse, commonly attributed to Gautama the Buddha - himself acknowledged to have reached a state of enlightenment (in Louise Hay's and many others' definitions of the word) - sums it up rather well:'Be a lamp unto yourselfDon't search for light anywhere else;the light is already there, the fire is already there.Just probe a little deeper into your being, enquire.Maybe much ash has gathered around the fire...Just probe deep inside and you will find the spark again.And once you have found a single spark inside you,you will become a flame, soon you will be a fire...a fire that purifies, a fire that transforms,a fire that gives you a new birth and a new being.Be a lamp unto yourself'Our Finding Our Inner Light 21-day online course begins Friday December 2nd. Join us! Or buy the e-workbook here and you can follow the programme in the comfort of your own home!