(Center yourself in a quiet place. Light a candle or ring a bell to signal the beginning of your mini-retreat.)
Invocation
"O God! Grant me Light in my heart, Light in my grave,
Light in front of me, Light behind me,
Light to my right, Light to my left,
Light above me, Light below me,
Light in my ears, Light in my eyes,
Light on my skin, Light in my hair,
Light within my flesh, Light in my blood, Light in my bones.
O God! Increase my Light everywhere.
O God! Grant me Light in my heart,
Light on my tongue, Light in my eyes, Light in my ears,
Light to my right, Light to my left,
Light above me, Light below me,
Light in front of me, Light behind me,
and Light within my self; increase my Light.
— "Light Prayer" by Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi from The Mevlevi Wird
Read and Reflect
(Read these short quotes aloud. Choose one or more of them to copy into your journal. Reflect upon and write about how you can apply it to your own experiences.)
"Everyone is wrapped in a holy light, which shines brightest in our hour of love."
— Rabbi Levi Yitzchk of Berditechev
"I have often felt myself to be a point of light, connected to everyone I have ever loved or mattered to, each also being a point of light, in turn connected to those they love, so that somehow we are all part of a vast web of twinkling lights."
— Jean Shinoda Bolen in Crossing to Avalon
"There is a light, hidden deep within our cells, lending its brightness and power to the small affair we call our life. So much has risen up to block this light. But the light, the luminous God, disguised and unseen, prevails.
In an unceasing gesture of love, this light continuously imparts itself to us in the form of instinct, passion, and love. Walking in light is much more than finding oneself in the circle of God's aura. Walking in the light is to experience that very light emerging within,"
— Paula D'Arcy in Seeking with All My Heart
"British mystic George Fox, who founded the Quaker religion, used the term 'inner light' to describe our ability to personally experience God within ourselves. He himself had such an experience, which left him with the lifelong conviction that everyone can hear God's voice."
— Lama Surya Das in Awakening to the Sacred
"There is a wick within you that is waiting to become the light of your soul. When this inner flame burns brightly, you will feel a magnificent awakening of your life."
— Bradford Keeney in Everyday Soul
"An infinite light is hidden in every good deed."
— Rabbi Shneur Zalaman of Lia
"Our job is to transform ourselves and all creation into a vessel that is specious and transparent enough to contain the light and love of the Infinite."
— Estelle Frankel in Sacred Therapy
Practice
(Work with light today.)
"Look at your light. . . . Take time to look. Observe your surroundings. Cast your gaze on the furniture, the pictures, the knickknacks, and all the various objects around you. What do you notice? Why does this or that capture your eye?"
— J. Brent Bill in Mind the Light
"Practice sending light from your heart to the heart of every human soul you meet, and also, to the spirit of whatever you come into contact with: animals, trees, plants, flowers, stones, etc. This awakens and expands the Light in you."
— Jamal Rahman in The Fragrance of Faith
Closing Words
"We have come from the Light and we will go back to the Light."
- Yogi Pashupatinath in Dialogues with a Modern Mystic by Andrew Harvey and Mark Matousek
(Blow out the candle or ring a bell to signal the end of your mini-retreat.)