Self is functioning every day, ... That self is the whole universe: ... That's why the kitchen pantry is light. Even toilet paper is light of the self. Through using toilet paper with a warm heart, you can return to zero and learn who you really are.
*Dainin Katagiri. The Light That Shines through Infinity: Zen and the Energy of Life.
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In the 2004 movie "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, Warner Brothers)," all have returned to Hogwarts for the start of a new school year. After the students are seated, Professor Dumbledore begins announcements. He introduces new faculty members. He, then, turns to a serious topic concerning safety. He says, "On advice of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban, until such a time as Sirius Black [who was perceived to be a dangerous foe] is captured. The Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds."
The Dementors are frightening beings, and Dumbledore says they will not disrupt the school. He warns, however, "Dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you - give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving. But, you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
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In the Christian Gospels, the Pharisees (lit., holy, or pious, ones), one of the two chief religio-political parties, function as an archetype. The Pharisee is a chief opponent of Jesus, and the Pharisee's delusion is seen in denying the darkness that captivates his attention, a darkness that could not see itself as darkness. Hence, only Light could expose the darkness as darkness. Yet, one Pharisee, Nicodemus, realizing the Light of Christ, came to Jesus "by night" - here "night" can be read as signifying spiritual ignorance, or delusion, as well as Nicodemus' meeting with Jesus secretly (Gospel of John 3.1ff). Later, Nicodemus defended, before his fellow Pharisees, Jesus' right to a fair trial (Gospel of John 7.45ff). Later, he assisted Joseph of Arimethea in taking Jesus’ body off the cross and in the burial (Gospel of John 19.48ff). Furthermore, he brought the ointment to apply to Jesus' body. Nicodemus is a sign of the transformation of darkness by Light, the conversion of what is harmful into what is benevolent, of delusion into wisdom, of prioritizing dogma to prioritizing compassion.
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Spiritually, what does the light signify for you? What does it mean for you to turn the light on? In what intentional ways do you turn the light on or keep it on? Are you and the light separate, or not? What signs appear that remind you the light is off, so to turn it back on? What are signs showing you have the light on? What are the social implications of the light shining?
*Use of photography is allowed accompanied by credit given to Brian K. Wilcox and notation of title and place of the photograph.
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse.
