Let There Be Light
Most, if not all, religious and spiritual scripture reference light. But what does this symbolise? Many perceive it to mean purity, wisdom and divinity. But is that all there is to it?
Religious References
Of course, light is referenced many times throughout each text; I relay the following as examples:
In John 8:12 (Christian New Testament), Jesus applies the title to himself while debating with the Jews and states: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’
In the Quaran 2:257, we see – ‘He brings them out of darkness into the light’.
In the Zohar, of Jewish mystical scripture – “My Child, strive to see supernal light, for I have brought you into a vast ocean. Be careful! Keep your soul from gazing and your mind from conceiving, lest you drown. Strive to see, yet escape drowning.”
In the Bhagavad Gita (10:11) – ‘From within them I light the lamp of wisdom and dispel all darkness from their lives. Out of compassion, I destroy the darkness of their ignorance.’
In Buddhism, we see many references to pure light and the luminous mind.
‘Let there be light’ is also used in the creation myths – light being the beginning of all creation.
Science
Science has concluded that light is the ultimate store of information potentiality. All potential resides within the photon with matter being just condensed light. This is a good article on light within the scientific community.
The best book I have come across studying the nature of light for both the scientist and the spiritual seeker is ‘The Secret of Light’ by Walter Russell.
Lights Properties
Illumination
Light can illuminate. It can light up a room and symbolically light up the mind with knowledge and wisdom. In spiritual circles, you’d expect this illumination to attune an individual’s soul to the heavenly realms of divinity. This is the luminous mind of Buddhism.
Blinding
Light can blind – it can mask reality by blinding you in its brightness. This is perhaps where ‘Lucifer’ (The bringer of light) gets its reputation. Symbolically this blinding represents good vs evil and not being able to discern between Truth and falsehood.
False Light
Also, be wary of people pushing ‘false light’. Information that separates you and inverts Truth. This false light gives you a quick high but is unsustainable. The personal development industry is an excellent example of this.