Light Customs

This last weekend we had to turn our clocks back one hour for daylight savings time.  It just so happens the same day was also Diwali in India, the Hindu celebration about light.  By the end of the month on the same day of Thanksgiving, we will also be celebrating the first night of Hanukkah, yet another celebration of light.  A few days after that will begin the reflective waiting for the Light of the World with the season of Advent.

Here’s a little run down on these holidays that focus on light (excerpts taken from Wikipedia and other sources):
 
Diwali (di wa li) – also called Divali, Deepavali or the “festival of lights” the most significant spiritual meaning behind it is “the awareness of the inner light”.  Central to Hindu philosophy is the belief that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the “victory of good over evil” refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks one’s true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings ananda  (joy or peace). Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light.
 
Hanukkah (ha nə kə) – also known as the Festival of Lights and Feast of Dedication, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greeks of the 2nd century BC.  Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
 
Advent (æd vent) – is a season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming”.  One of the best known Advent customs is the lighting of the candles in an Advent wreath.  The wreath itself represents the never-ending circle of God’s love.  The light of the candles is a reminder that Jesus is the Light of the World, that his birth represented the coming of the light into darkness, and that Christians are called to reflect that light in their lives.
 
Everyone wants to embrace light.  I don’t think it is a coincidence that right when the days start getting shorter and we enjoy less sunlight our spiritual lives start focusing in on bringing in the light.  Even our clocks are compensating for the decreased amount of natural light.  As spiritual seekers, we want to be illuminated and value light.

I really like this time of year.  Naturally, everything seems to slow down a bit.  We are indoors more and go to bed a bit earlier.  I know I’m not in the majority here, but I actually like the snow and cold.  I enjoy the peace and quiet of it all.

In a few weeks, my blog posts will start focusing in on light during the season of Advent.  What do you do in your spiritual practice to bring in light?

You can read more of Beth's blog on www.theroadtofaith.com or follow her on facebook at www.facebook.com/theroadtofaith