Every year at this time I am really overwhelmed by the cultural richness here in the Bay Area. Within this richness I see a common thread of behavior derived from our unbreakable relation to the nature. But, how amazing it is to see (after delving just a bit into our history) that our own truth has a sister, brother and actually, entire families and peoples.
We are all (whether aware of it or not) celebrating the light in the darkness and we all have specific customs how to disperse this lack of colors (and warmth), called darkness.
I love Hanuka! and I love the idea of lighting up the interior and exterior of the house for 8 days. This year, after all the Hanuka celebrations I might celebrate Xmas with friends as well. That should be an interesting experience for me since I never celebrated Xmas. If all of us would just choose to use our religions as bridges and as opportunities, or even excuses to connect with our surroundings, that will probably be a big leap towards world peace.
I am not a big fan of the biblical story, the way it is presented by most of the scholars. I am a big fan of practicing and understanding the true nature of the holidays and the wisdom behind them, the way some did, and still are, advocating for. I have many reasons for not being a big fan of the common books, which have been practiced and developed upon each other, sometimes with profound and dangerous misunderstandings, for the last 2,300 years or so. The first and far most negative one for me is the enslavement of humans, animals and the eco-system in general, for the sake of a small group of beneficiaries or even just one person in some cases. Hence, I choose the positive alternatives when I celebrate my holidays, the ones I found to fit me most.
What does it mean "dispersing the darkness" ? Well, I have been talking a lot about the choices that humans have to take every day and every minute in their lives. I was saying that these choices are completely ours and not someone else's. We can choose what to choose only if we are aware to this natural (mostly hidden from us) mind set and opportunity. This opportunity is always here and the Holidays of Lights, as if "pushing" us to get to this realization.
So, bringing the light ON, beyond lighting candles and decorating cities with lights, is a metaphor for looking at the positiveness of things. It's simple: cold, snowy and dark, will become opportunities to do the things that have to be done within. Inside the community, your family and, naturally, with yourself. When everything dies out it makes space for the new generation of life to emerge.
The lights in our windows can be seen as a call for others to get a glimpse of us. It is literally a window to our inner place and an opportunity to connect.
Human history seems, in retrospective, to be an endless process of enlightening moments and creation. I believe that today, as always, is a good day to take advantage of the priceless understandings and awareness we came to and use it to sustain our lives and the lives of the coming generations.
The Holidays of Lights season would be the best time to use our knowledge and awareness to decide, on our own and together, how we make things to work better in a way more sustainable manner. Plant a seed of positive thought in your mind now, watch it grow in the spring and enjoy its fruit forever after. Remember that thoughts create reality and dreams come true.
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