Festivals are usually a time to rejuvenate, to let go and wash off the negativities and to make way for the new year and for a new beginning. It’s a time to reflect and a time for soul cleaning. It’s about shedding the old skin of darkness and ignorance and wearing the new attire of knowledge and light. Lighting lamps on Diwali is symbolic of the light we carry within us and bring into this world. We are all spiritual beings – we all have the same questions, the same troubles, the same botherations, we are all looking for answers and, when the veil of ignorance lifts, we find that we all have the answers too.
Dispelling the darkness takes courage, discipline, and a strong willpower. Deepavali lamps are symbolic of that courage, discipline and willpower. It’s all there within us – the answers are there. We just need to delve into our souls deeper and look for the light within. Shed the old and don the new. This rejuvenation takes place with every harvest, every season, every festival, and every new year. Whether we consciously ask for it or not, there comes a time when old gives way to new. It’s the cycle of life, of time, of nature, the diurnal course, which is beyond our grasp, and something that cannot be easily fathomed. Holding the hand of spiritual masters and guides makes this spiritual journey easy for us, for we are looking for a path to follow.
It’s possible to hold a vision for a new world – a world of no suffering, a world of compassion, love, amity and brotherhood. That is the message the festival of lights Deepavali brings – spread light, love, happiness, and joy. Be the answer to someone’s prayers and someone’s troubles. Usher in a new era – the world waits hopefully for it with the onset of each new year and each new harvest and each new season.
Shubh Deepavali, Happy Diwali
