Raise your candle high

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine...
Let it shine, let it shine
I'm gonna let it shine
Oh yeah

If you've been following the blog this week, you've done a lot of work already. Good for you! We've used the Wicca Deck (Morningstar 2014) and the Old English Tarot (Kneen 1997) to consider taking action toward our goals and setting boundaries in our self-talk and relationships. This is HUGE work and not something that can be completed in one day! These are issues that we come back to again and again. Personal growth starts with our first breath and doesn't end until our last. That's the nature of the game.

The card is all about letting our little light shine. It's time we said good-bye to concealing or making little of our talents and ideas. That's what the Bible calls hiding our light under a bushel -- how long will a candle burn if a bushel basket is turned over it? Not only will the candle soon be snuffed out, but while it does burn, no one will be able to see the light, and so what purpose has it even served? The same is true of us. We all have talents and skills to offer to the world. Not to do so is to let ourselves go to waste. We are meant to show forth our talents and skills and ideas, to offer freely to the world all that we have to give it. Like the peacock in the card, we should not be afraid to offer our beauty and our radiance to the world.

Memento mori

In support of this oracle card, we've drawn the tarot card Death.  Usually we see this card as symbol of an ending, usually a painful ending, that ultimately leads to renewal. But there is another meaning to the Death card that is often overlooked: memento mori. It's a Latin phrase that means: 'Remember you will die.'

You've got a light inside you. You have so many beautiful talents and abilities, natural tendencies, propensity to help and love and nurture. Are you allowing those beautiful aspects of yourself shine out and bless the world? Why not? Why are you waiting? Each day you are less than your radiant beautiful self is one day gone from your life when you could have contributed to the happiness and joy and peace of others. Don't be shy! Don't be modest! Don't hold back! You can bask in your own warmth and radiance as well. The Death card reminds us -- we only get a finite number of days to enjoy this.

I just thought of a song. You know of course that the word 'Phildelphia' means 'Brotherly Love', right? Greek 'philia' means 'altruistic love' and 'adelphos' means 'brother, fellow, belonging to the same people, countryman'. Well, I just thought of the song 'Philadelphia Freedom' by Elton John --

Oh Philadelphia freedom, I love you, shine on me
Shine a light, shine a light
Shine a light, won't you shine a light
Philadelphia freedom - I love you , yes I do!

Hey, we are part of this big world of fellow human beings, and we all should be shining our lights for as long as they last, shine our lights for each other.

I remembered another one! Do you remember Melanie and a song called 'Lay Down (Candle in the Rain)'?

So raise your candles high!
Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night.
Oh, raise them higher again
Cause if you do we could stay dry against the rain! 

(Melanie says, 'I wasn't really a hippie. I was more of just an oddball.' LOL)

 How are you going to let your light shine today? It doesn't have to be something huge. Watch for it today. When you feel like saying or doing something but feel yourself holding back--don't hold back. Go on and shoot that ray of love out into the world.