BLACKOUTS

Do you remember the Great North America Blackout of 2003? You know, the one where more than 50 million North Americans found themselves without power in the dead heat of August?

I remember it vividly and with great fondness, actually. What stood out for me most was how everyone in my neighbourhood, once left without distracting electrical devices, did the unthinkable en masse. We exited our homes and—gasp!—actually talked to one another.

We made human-to-human connection. Got caught up on each other’s lives. Learned the names and stories of neighbours we’d only ever previously half-smiled at when crossing paths.

The blackout spoke to me in a deeply meaningful way for another reason. It reminded me of the blackness of our true nature. Our true nature is a blackness that is so black it is luminous. That sheen is the clear light of awareness, which is how we know that our true nature is an infinite field of shimmering black consciousness.

Just as the deep, inky velvet canvas of the night sky that allows the stars to appear as sharp, brilliant diamonds only becomes visible when the city lights fail, our inner essence often only becomes apparent when the noise of our lives is dimmed. We spend so much time focused on what the light reveals that we forget the profound, silent source from which that light emerges.

Lately, I’ve been using a simple physical act to ground myself in this realization. Every time I enter or leave a room, I treat the light switch as a sacred reminder:

When I flip the switch ON, I acknowledge that the light of my awareness which illuminates the world arises out of the mystery of consciousness at the heart of everything in existence.

When I flip the switch OFF, I settle into the same reminder as the light returns to the darkness. I honor the emptiness of my true nature, the quiet wellspring of pure potential that is always there and remains when the activity of the day ceases.

We don't need another massive power failure to find this connection again. We just need to remember that every time we reach for the switch, we take a breath and recognize the clear light of awareness when we turn the lights on, and honor the darkness of consciousness when we turn them off.

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Some reminders…

I’m leading an online meditation and teaching event with Open Circle next Sunday, May 17th. Please join us for this unique opportunity to connect with me and others in a virtual setting. You can learn more and RSVP on Open Circle’s website.

A private session with me is a wonderful way to get back on the path and start living from your true nature again. Click the Book Now link below to learn more and schedule an appointment.

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