I Would Light A Candle...

... to chase away the darkness, and I would light your candle from mine.  Each of us can light another, tending the flame, helping the hopeless to see that each of us can make a difference if we really care. Yes, each of us can make a difference when we choose to share.  


One can light another, and two can share the brightness, and four can chase the darkness away, eight becomes a hundred, then a thousand or more, turning the night into day. A hundred thousand candles spreads a glorious light, an everlasting beacon on the stormiest night. 


Light the light! Share the vision. Show the world what one light can do. Be the one to set the brave example - maybe what the world needs is you.


You can be a beacon when hope lies in the shadows, a tiny light to light another's way. Keep the candles burning bright when trouble appears, turning the night into day. A candle loses nothing when it lights another flame, and any journey's possible when you can see the way.


Light the light! Share the vision. Show the world what one light can do. Be the one to set the brave example - maybe what the world needs is you.

These are the words of I Would Light A Candle, by Joyce Eilers, a song in the repertoire of Musique Magique, the vocal ensemble in which I sing tenor.  It speaks to me of both the Light of Solstice and the Light of Brighid.

This Friday, we settled in for a quiet evening at home, lit candles and incense, and had a glass of wine, letting the craziness of the week and the bustle of the season fall away.  It was peaceful, and we felt the presence of the Divine around us in a quiet, calming, comforting way - in the gift of a good dinner, a cool beverage, the warmth of touch, the companionship of our animal companions, the comfort of our home, and the ability to have "downtime" in a world that seems to be spinning far too fast some days.

Satuday was a day of doing - and there was some quiet carved into the late afternoon when we lit the 3ft red Brighid candle, and incense, and watched the sunlight fade from the sky as I prepared to pass the flame to Brighid Herself, that she might watch over us all.  There was stillness - a moment of absolute calmness - then I blew out the flame, and got on with my plans for the evening. Blessed be.

That would be my last shift as a flame keeper for 2009 - and I look forward to catching the flame again in 2010.  You can argue that the division of days by dates is a human construction - that the "new year" is our own way of imposing measurement on an eternal cycle.  Matters not.  We look, as a culture, to the shift in date as a new start, a new opportunity, a fresh page.

I have been somewhat faithful in the observing of my flame keeper shifts, but less faithful about posting the thoughts, transformations, and insights gained through this very important (to me) spiritual practice.  I am not alone in this delinquency.  In the new calendar year, I will endeavor to do better.

There are still shifts to be filled - and I would like to see more energy moving through this group - so to that end, I am creating a FaceBook page for this gathering to open it up to all those who would like to add their lights to honor Our Lady of the Well, Flame and Forge.  Spread the Word! Spread the Light.

Blessings of the Forge,
Susan