Light
the Candles
“Blessed
is the match consumed in kindling flame.
Blessed
is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.”
Hannah
Senesh
This
week, our Jewish sisters and brothers are celebrating Hanukkah, the
Festival of Lights. It is a festive, celebratory time of year
commemorating the retaking of the Holy Temple by the Maccabees in the
second century BCE. According to story, when the Jews retook the
temple from the Romans, one container of sacred oil was left
untainted—only enough to light the candles for one day.
Miraculously, they burned for eight days, which is how long it took
to press and make ready new oil. During Hanukkah, the candles are lit
daily at sunset, gifts are exchanged, and special food is eaten. My favorite is Potato Latkes with applesauce.
The
lighting of candles is a part of every spiritual tradition this time
of year because all religions associate light with the sacred. In
most Christian traditions, we light Advent candles—one each Sunday
leading up to Christmas. This is a time of preparation, of waiting,
listening and expecting the return of the light of Christ.
And,
of course, the Winter Solstice will occur next week on the 21st,
signaling the return of the sun's light in our physical world. The
days will slowly lengthen as Earth's northern hemispheres shift ever
so gradually toward the sun. There is something buried deep within
the human psyche that abhors darkness and loves light. All of nature
watches and waits. And so do we.
I
encourage each of you to observe in some way this special time of
expectancy. Light your own candles, create your own rituals, and most
importantly, be aware of the light and the darkness and what it
represents to you. I have friends who embrace the whole gamut from
the lighting of the menorah candles, to lighting the Advent candles,
to lighting of the Solstice bonfire. For all of us, this is a time of
sacred celebration. It is meaningful because of the essential nature
of light to every living thing.
Don't
just go to the mall and shop. Let the reason for the season sink in.
Regardless of your religious tradition, or lack thereof, it is a
season for celebrating the light in your own life.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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