LIGHT OF SELF

"Man, therefore, on the plane of the contingent world is the most perfect being. By man is meant the perfect individual, who is like unto a mirror in which the divine perfections are manifested and reflected. But the sun doth not descend from the height of its sanctity to enter into the mirror, but when the latter is purified and turned towards the Sun of Truth, the perfections of this Sun, consisting of light and heat, are reflected and manifested in that mirror. These souls are the Divine Manifestations of God." ( 'Abdu'l-Baha, Selections From The Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 62)

LIGHT OF SELF
By Marcus Bach, Ph.D., D.D.
One of life's greatest discoveries is that you carry a light and that this light is seen by those who see you. This light is the true you. How you dress, what make-up you use, what you say, the life-style you develop may be reflections of the light, but the true light is deeper than all these. It is innate. You really can't see it the way you see yourself in a mirror. It is best seen by others. It is that which betrays and reveals the real you.Call it an aura, an emanation, an energy, radiance, spirit, charisma or what you will - you carry a light. The way you feel, think, believe, the mood you are in, the thoughts you harbor, the way you treat your physical body, the reach of your mind, the consciousness of your spiritual awareness, all reflect themselves in this light of self.The light is not only seen by others, it is felt. It is caught by an inner eye, recognized by something intuitive, triggered by something psychic, responds to something spiritual. Whatever it is, the more you walk in the light of honesty, truth, health and well-being, the greater is the reflection. The Galilean said", You are the light of the world" and those who understood Him knew that here was a Man who saw the commonly unseen and who knew that the deep things of life are never obvious. The outer self is often the make-believe, a masquerade. The real self is the light and the challenge is to live so that you show forth the Light, not righteously, but naturally...as naturally as the sun lights the world.....Seen through the eyes of religion or science, you carry a light and this light is seen by those who see you. Baha'u'llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith,... more than 100 years ago He made a statement worthy of an atomic physicist. He said, 'Split an atom and you will find the universe.' Baha'i literally means: a follower of the Light.In this connection I had an unforgetable experience several years ago in Australia when I attended a Baha'i meeting one Sunday afternoon. The speaker was a black from Nigeria, an official in the Baha'i movement named Enoch Olinga (Hand of the Cause of God). I was sitting in the auditorium among Baha'i followers. He was on the platform speaking when I gradually saw his aura, a golden-white emanation encircling his body. I am not an auric reader and there are only rare occasions I can attest to seeing these luminous manifestations. This one was so vivid and real that I moved from one part of the auditorium to another in order to assure myself it was not a matter of lights and shadows in the room or merely a reflection of some kind. Apparently it was real. Very real, and the luminosity ebbed and flowed with the passion of his speech.After the meeting I hesitated speaking to him because he was continually surrounded by his friends. At one point, however, our eyes met and we were involuntarily drawn to each other. As we shook hands, I said to him, 'May Itell you that I saw your aura this afternoon?' He put his arms around me and I instinctively put my arms around him as he whispered, 'I know, I know.'What does it mean to me? What does it mean to you? Simply this: we are living in a highly sensitized age in which we are being forced to add new dimensions and new perspectives to life. We are being compelled to live the life that we profess. The gap is closing between profession and practice, between faith and work, between science and religion. The real you eventually comes to light because it is the Light! The integrated, orderly life cannot be staged for long. It must be lived in order to endure. One thing good about science and religion is that both eventually come face toface with God's love and eventually brings everything to light.Let us learn to work from the center of that Light. Let us fix our mind on that Light. When things are dark in the world or in our mind, let us turn on that inner Light. Let us follow the Light and learn that we will not walk in darkness. ( The above is an excerpt from the article that appeared in Today's Chiropractic, March-April 1975, p. 26) _______________________