Tag Archives: self-realization

Lighting the Darkness

Out of the profound sadness that haunted much of Vincent Van Gogh’s life emerged one of the most famous paintings of the world, “The Starry Night” (1889).

Vincent was one of those souls who lived a life that in the fullness of time proved to be famously inspiring to others. While he was alive, his most fervent wish for his art was that it would help people “to see”. During his own personal journey of darkness he created works that would help to light the world.

Not everyone will paint a world-famous picture or write a widely read novel that inspires others. However, each one of us CAN be a light in the world.

Please, endeavor today to do one small random act of kindness for another human being. Be the light, and watch it ripple outward.

Inspirational Quotes:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle

“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” ~ St. Francis Of Assisi

“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ~ Plato

Not a Blue Monday

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No Monday blues here. I’m bringing you some of Nature’s signature green to start your week feeling uplifted and rejuvenated. Think of it as a building block, a foundation for your day (and I hope) for your week. Build on it.

Pen onto your calendar, right now, something that will uplift you each and every day. Commit to those goals. They can be small, and they don’t have to cost money. Perhaps just a little extra time daily to take a walk, ride your bike, pick up that book you’ve been meaning to get to, or more time spent talking with members of your family, face-to-face. Make your well-being and happiness the most important item on your calendar this week.

You know the things that bring you personal happiness, that lift your heart. It is the focus upon and gratitude for all the seemingly small things that give life much of its delight.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” ~ John Muir

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” ~ John Muir

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ~ John Muir

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Photos courtesy Luis del Río Pexels, HoliHo Pexels, KANENORI Pixabay, Pixel2013 Pixabay, SplitShire Pexels, denizhosbas_, PIxabay

We are the Glue

Breaking the Spell

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“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~ W.B. Yeats

On the face of it, this quote by Yeats speaks immediately to me of honing our sensory processes so we can better enjoy the beauty of life. Perhaps it is because of the word “magic”, which I easily translate in my mind to “magical” – beautiful or delightful in a way that is removed from every day life.

However, in this duality dimension of opposites, there is unfortunately a dark flip side to magic. Just as Sleeping Beauty was cursed to sleep for 100 years by an evil fairy, so is part of humanity at the moment under a spell. The preoccupation with illness that is being purposely perpetuated in society (largely through media) is hypnotizing people into a sort of trance, dulling their senses and patterns of thought.

One of our defenses against this type of attack is to hone acute personal powers of observation. Without our own observations and critical thinking skills in use, we are vulnerable to manipulation. The real truth of anything is to be found in the spaces between what is said and not said, what is done and not done, the ongoing patterns and inconsistencies in any narrative.

Here is a a very good article on improving powers of observation, which goes hand-in-hand with critical thinking: Powers of Observation: 8 Analyzed Ways to Develop it

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Susan L Hart / Author