• The Autobiography of George Fox
• George Fox
But as all believe in the Light, and walk in the Light,—that Light with which Christ hath enlightened every man that cometh into the
world,—and become children of the Light, and of the day of Christ, all things, visible and invisible, are seen, by the divine Light of Christ, the spiritual heavenly man, by whom all things were created....
Now all that believe in the Light of Christ, as He commands, are in the election, and sit under the teaching of the grace of God, which brings their salvation. But such as turn this grace into wantonness, are in the reprobation; and such as hate the Light, are in the condemnation.
So I exhorted all the people to believe in the Light, as Christ commands, and to own the grace of God, their free teacher; and it would assuredly bring them their salvation; for it is sufficient.
• George Fox
• Christian Faith and Practice: London Yearly Meeting 1960 (section 163)
• The Inner Light Rising Website
Now the Lord hath opened to me His invisible power how that every man was enlightened by the Divine Light of Christ; and I saw it shine through all, and they that believed in it came out of condemnation and came into the Light of life, and became children of it, but they that hated it, and did not believe in it, were condemned by it, though they made a profession of Christ. This I saw in the pure openings of the Light, without the help of any man, neither did I know where to find it in the Scriptures, though afterwards, searching the Scriptures, I found it. For I saw in that Light and Spirit which was before Scripture was given forth, and which led the holy men of God to give them forth, that all must come to that Spirit, if they would know God or Christ or the Scriptures aright, which they that gave them forth were led and taught by.
• Samuel D. Caldwell
• Former General Secretary, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
• The Inner Light Rising Website
God gives to every human being who comes into the world – regardless of race, religion, gender, or station – a measure of the divine spirit as a living witness and an eternal Light to be inwardly guided by on a daily basis. That Inner Light is supernatural, personal, universal, saving, eternal, persistent, and pure. The chief end of religious life is to learn to listen to and act upon the promptings of this Light under the authority of God and within the bonds of human community. Those who learn to heed the promptings of this Light come to be “saved” – that is, they come into fullness and wholeness of life and right relationship with God, themselves, the universe and one another. Those who resist, ignore, or otherwise deny the workings of this pure spirit within them, though they profess themselves to be religious, are “condemned” – that is, they become alienated from God, from themselves, from the universe, and from one another.
That’s it. That’s the whole enchilada. There is no other requirement or belief that takes precedence over this core belief in the Religious Society of Friends.
• Friends and God
• Mary K. Blackmar
At the very center of the Quaker faith lies the doctrine of the Inner Light.
Briefly stated, the principle of the Inner Light is this: In every human soul there is implanted a certain element of God's own spirit and divine energy. This element, known to the early Friends as “that of God in everyone,” or the “seed,” or the “seed of
Christ,” or the “seed of Light,” means to them in the words of John “the Light that enlighteneth every man who comes into the world.”
The Quakers believe that no first hand knowledge of God is possible except through that which is experienced, or inwardly revealed to the individual human being through the working of God's quickening spirit. So George Fox, in his Journal, is repeatedly shown commending troubled questioners to the “teacher within.” In his long, anxious search for eternal life and peace, he found no help until he learned to listen to the inner
voice....
Broadly speaking, the office of the inner Light is twofold. First, it discerns between good and evil, revealing the presence of both in human beings and, through its guidance, offers the alternative of choice. Second, it opens to human consciousness the unity of all human beings.
• Words Attributed to Jesus
• John 12:36
• English Standard Version
• The Inner Light Rising Website
While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.
• The Spirit of the New Thought
• Horatio Willis Dresser
To let the inner light shine, to practice the word, lead the life – this is the one essential. The life shows whether or no we have found the kingdom. To seek it in absolute seriousness is to aspire to be perfect ....
• Aligning with the Cosmic Sacred Heart
• Celia Fenn
Beloved Ones, know that the primary energy of the Twin Flame of the Sacred Heart is within you. It is your own beautiful Heart that is the mirror of the Great Cosmic Heart of All That Is. Your Heart yearns to pulse in complete harmony with the Great Cosmic Heart of the One. And so, at this time, you are shifting your Inner Light into this realignment. And so, you are releasing all that is not a reflection of your inner God Light on Earth.
• Growth Online
• Roy Posner, Founder and Author
Life is a journey in the darkness of the night. Wake up to the inner light. (The Mother)
• GoddessLife
• Happy Winter Solstice
• Dolphina
Whether or not you are able to view the lunar eclipse, you can also take this extremely dark night as an opportunity as your own time to
“re-ignite your inner light”. This is what I like to do: I take a warm bubble bath to cleanse my mind and body. Then I write down on a piece of paper all the significant moments of the past year - achievements, regrets and blessings. I say a prayer of gratitude for each and every one and then discard this paper by burning or tossing in the garbage and release the past. Next, I contemplate the New Year and my dreams, aspirations and goals. Sometimes I find one word that captures all of these, other times I will write an entire list. Then, I light a candle to represent re-igniting my inner light. I take this moment to commit to living a life of freaking awesome gorgeous glory and radiating the Goddess I am supposed to be.
• A Life Lived Whole
• Yes! Magazine
• Parker J. Palmer
Afraid that our inner light will be extinguished, or our inner darkness exposed, we hide our true identities and become separated from our own souls. We end up leading divided lives, far removed from our birthright wholeness....
My knowledge of the divided life comes first from personal experience. A “still, small voice” speaks the truth about me, my work, or the world. I hear it and yet act as if I did not. I withhold a personal gift that might serve a good end or commit myself to a project that I do not really believe in. I keep silent on an issue I should address or actively break faith with one of my own convictions. I deny my inner darkness, giving it more power over me, or I project it onto other people, creating "enemies" where none exist.
• The Clearness Committee: A Communal Approach To Discernment
• Parker J. Palmer
... I want to describe a method invented by the Quakers, a method that protects individual identity and integrity while drawing on the wisdom of other people. It is called a “Clearness Committee.” If that name sounds like it is from the sixties, it is–the 1660’s! From their beginnings over three hundred years ago, Quakers needed a way to draw on both inner and communal resources to deal with personal problems because they had no clerical leaders to “solve” their problems for them. The Clearness Committee is testimony to the fact that there are no external authorities on life's deepest issues, not clergy or therapists or scholars; there is only the authority that lies within each of us waiting to be heard.
Behind the Clearness Committee is a simple but crucial conviction: each of us has an inner teacher, a voice of truth, that offers the guidance and power we need to deal with our problems. But that inner voice is often garbled by various kinds of inward and outward interference. The function of the Clearness Committee is not to give advice or “fix” people from the outside in but rather to help people remove the interference so that they can discover their own wisdom from the inside out. If we do not believe in the reality of inner wisdom, the Clearness Committee can become an opportunity for manipulation. But if we respect the power of the inner teacher, the Clearness Committee can be a remarkable way to help someone name and claim his or her deepest truth.
• Hildegard of Bingen: At the Center of The Sacred Circle
• Teri Degler
• Author
... [Look] into the life of the 12th century mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen. You’ll learn about what Hildegard called “the living
light”, how it was the source of her inspiration and the wellspring of one of the most phenomenal creative outpourings the world has ever seen.
While exploring how this light relates to the Divine Feminine, you’ll play with art materials in new and different ways and do experiential exercises in writing and visualization. In the process, you’ll discover how the divine flame that filled her life can bring you more closely in touch with the living light at your own creative core.
• Hildegard of Bingen: An Integrated Vision
• Barbara S. Oncay
Hildegard of Bingen–a twelfth-century Benedictine nun, theologian, musician, correspondent, and herbalist–is enjoying renewed popularity today through her theological-visionary writings, music, letters, and herbal remedies....
... Hildegard’s spiritual journey [was] to God, the Living Light. Since all life is lived in his presence, the journey to God is made with God, whom we can experience in this life only in shadows. At the journey’s end, we will be bathed in this Light. The Living Light speaks to Hildegard in visions, directing her to write and to speak; she responds in prose, poetry, music, and by ministering to the needs of the human heart and body. Hildegard says that the Living Light, her constant companion, has shown her the work she is to do.
• Hildegard – Scivias Synopsis
• Barbara Newman et al.
Somewhat illogically, this vision of the triune God follows that of the Redeemer, perhaps because the Trinity was first revealed to humankind through the incarnation. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are signified by a radiant light, a sapphire-hued figure and a glowing fire; the exposition stresses the unity and inseparability of the Persons. Hildegard, then introduces three similitudes from created things: a stone with its dampness, solidity and kindling power; a flame with its light, heat and color; and a word with its sound, breath and meaning. The analogies of the flame and the word are ancient, but they are developed here in original fashion. It is noteworthy that none of these analogues is gender-specific, and the naming of Father and Son is balanced by a reference to “the embrace of God's maternal love,” which is charity.
From the rather abstract language of Hildegard’s text the artist has conceived another mandala-image. “Light” and “fire” become concentric circles glimmering with gold and silver leaf, and quivering lines suggest the vitality and energy of the living God.
• We are All Buddhās
If you were able to go inward right now and waken your sleeping Buddhā, what would you find? Tibetan Buddhism says that at the heart of you, me,
every single person, and all other creatures great and small, is an inner radiance that reflects our essential nature, which is always utterly positive.
Tibetans refer to this inner light as pure radiance or innate luminosity; in fact, they call it ground luminosity because it is the “bottom line.” There is nothing after this, and nothing before this. This luminosity is birthless and deathless. It is a luminescent emptiness, called “clear light,” and it is endowed with the heart of unconditional compassion and love.
• Vāhigurū
• Punjābī for “Wonderful Enlightener” (Gu, darkness,
and rū, light)
• The Sikh Encyclopedia
VĀHIGŪRU ... is the distinctive name of the Supreme Being in the Sikh dispensation ....
Vāh is wonder at the Divine might; gu is spiritual darkness while rū is illumination brought to eliminate this darkness.
• Atenism
• Aten, Ancient Egyptian God of the Sun (Light)
• Akhenaten Fellowship
Today’s Atenism is about bringing out the God within each one of us. This Solar Aspect is a potential we all have but few have expressed this in their lives. We are all gods in a sense if we embrace the Godhood of the One. When we embrace Aten In our lives and dedicate ourselves to His service we become as God knowing good and evil and receive the guidance of the infallible Lord of all. As an Atenist I am God in the flesh as you too as well are God in the flesh if you are willing to receive Him. Thus we become as little gods with that Golden Light and Solar Aspect. We become as Light reflects off the water glistening in the Sun. Those who do not embrace the Light are in darkness and are lost for without the Light in our lives how can we be saved in this life and the next. In darkness one cannot see. In the Light all things are visible. Thus as Atenists we bathe ourselves in the Light washing away all our sins and ignorance. We cloak ourselves in the Light which keeps us warm. The Light shines ever before us guiding our steps so that we may not stumble. This Light which is in the Disk and emanates there from is the true God. As Atenists we worship the Light so that we may become as the Light! The ancients worshipped different gods with solar aspects. The moderns worship not only the One God which is the Light, but we also worship ourselves and our Godlike potential. Thus we are replacing the gods of the heathen made of stone, wood or precious metals with living Gods, ourselves in fact we are the gods of the future. The is the true Gnosis.
• The Inner Light
• Homage Unto Ahura Mazda
• M. N. Dhalla, M.A, Ph.D. (Columbia)
• Zoroastrianism
Thou art eternal light, Ahura Mazda. Thy very nature is light. Be thou my light, O Lord of light. I grope in the dark; scatter the darkness. Shed thy guiding light on my darkened path and lead me onward on my way to thy abode of eternal light. Let thy radiance fall upon me that I may live in thy light.
Like the owl that shuns the light, the sinner sees not thy light and, seeing not thy light, he sees not thee. Man veils his eyes when he looks in the face of the brilliant sun. Immeasurably brighter is thy spiritual light than the physical light of the sun. As the rose unfolds its petals to the light of the sun, so help me, Ahura Mazda, to unfold my heart to thy light by my faithful adherence to Asha's righteousness.
On the deep dark ocean of life is the barque of my life moving. Be thou by my side at the helm, I pray. Keep watch over it and guide me to steer the vessel on the waves of thy divine light to land me secure on the yonder shores of the heavenly regions.
The light that burns within the temple of my heart flickers and burns low through my carelessness. Forgive my negligence and let it not fade from my soul. Replenish it in thy unfailing kindness and inspire me to tend it with devoted care. Let thy physical light shine over me from above and let thy light spiritual dart into my soul and illumine it from within. May thy light flood my mind and my heart and inspire me to live by thy inner light, O Thou that livest in those lights highest of the high, Ahura Mazda.
• Temple of Apollo
• Kyrene, website owner
He [Apollo] is a god of sunlight ....
For rituals honoring Apollo, it need not be elaborate or fancy. Honoring him at the time you wake up and/or bedtime would be appropriate. Some
“affirmations,” or phrases to honor the god at the time could be as follows:
Waking up: Kalimera (good morning) Apollon! May your light shine upon me as I rise for the day.
Bedtime: Kalinichta (good night) Apollon! May your light inspire me even as I dream.
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