An Encounter with the Light of Heaven
The awakening essay
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| Written by Lisa Natoli | |
| Thursday, 08 July 2010 | |
An Encounter with the Light of HeavenBy Lisa NatoliI was never one of those people who had a “light episode” and I wasted many years waiting for one to happen to me. I had read many stories of people “seeing the light” and “going through a tunnel” and “disappearing” and “entering into the light” and I thought it would only be a matter of time before something dramatic occurred for me. So I waited, and waited and waited. I figured I was either a very slow learner, doing something completely wrong or just incredibly dense because everyone around me was having a “light episode.” I was so embarrassed to not be having a light episode that I pretended I was having them all the time – which makes me wonder how many other people are pretending! I had no idea what anyone was talking about when they talked about “the light” and when I tried to ask questions, the answer was always the same: “it’s not describable. But you’ll know when it happens.” ?? All could think was: “It must be describable if you’re experiencing it” but still everyone said the same thing: You’ll know when it happens. So I kept waiting and wondering about what I was missing. Meanwhile, I was having light episodes every single second of every single day! But because I was waiting for something else to occur – I was expecting bright sunshine in my head or white light before my eyes – I kept missing all the magnificent light-filled moments that were given to me on a daily ongoing basis. I think a lot of people are “waiting” for an “experience” and this holds them back from realizing that every moment is an experience. My first “light episode” was when I realized that I’m having light episodes all the time, because everything I see is reflected light from my thoughts. That was an amazing moment – to realize that everything that my body’s eyes see is reflected light from my internal thoughts and projected outward like a mirror or a movie screen. A light episode can be a creative idea like a light bulb going off in your head. It can be when you are led out of darkness when you follow the “light” of a lesson of A Course in Miracles. It can be when you realize that the guy outside of you – both your enemy and your friend - is only a mirror reflection of your own thoughts. It is the recognition that there is nothing outside of you and that this world is a dream of your own making and does not exist. A light episode is when someone smiles at you, or looks you in the eyes, or holds your hand, or yells their head off at you in anger. It’s a whisper and it’s a shout. Everything is light! Sometimes it’s intense and frightening like lightening and sometimes its gentle and soothing like the morning sun. To me, a light episode is a realization. It is when I am seeing with Christ vision, where I see that everyone and everything is connected. It’s when I’m trusting that everything is going to be okay. It’s when I know that Jesus is walking with me, and the Holy Spirit is removing all the rocks from the path and opening all the doors I need to walk through. The path never looks the way I think it’s supposed to look, but where the light is shining, that’s where I walk. My first encounter with God as a personal power that was available to me was in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 2000. At the time I said a quick prayer that I wanted my life to be used for a greater purpose. What I specifically said was: God, if you are there, I want to work for you now. I want you to be my new boss.” I didn’t think much of it. I thought maybe I would do extra volunteer work in my spare time while continuing to work in the marketing department of the publishing company where I had worked for 10 years, where I was best known as the office darling who could do no wrong. But six days later on July 10, 2000, I lost my job. Looking back, I’d have to say that was my first “light episode.” At the time, it was just me losing my job and being excited about it instead of afraid. In my own mind, I’d been hired by God. I was ecstatic! No one around me could understand how I could be so happy in such a devastating moment. I was single and unemployed, with no savings account, in the most expensive city on the planet. People thought I should be freaking out or at least a little bit nervous, but I was jumping for joy that God had heard my prayer and answered. It was my first encounter that something larger and more powerful than me was at work in my life. I decided to not get a job after losing the marketing job, which was an unusual decision for a Manhattan career girl. I decided that I was working for God. I wanted to see where the path led. It like someone was shining a flashlight for me and all I had to do was keep putting one foot in front of the other. To me, that’s a light episode, when you trust in something you can’t see. There’s a light there even if your physical eyes can’t see it, but “YOU” (who is Spirit) can see it. I saw something there even though I never witnessed it with my human eyes. But I knew that I would be fine. I knew that I would be taken care of. I knew my needs would be fulfilled. I knew I was okay. That’s a dramatic light episode. At the time, I called it courageous, adventurous and stupid. It didn’t look like a light episode. It just looked like someone who was making a decision to not get another job and to live off unemployment for six months. Following the Light is when you start to trust in the invisible realm. The whole time I felt absolutely great. I never worried about money and every need was taken care of for me. Since then, and to this day, I follow the light, which means that I keep my eyes on the Kingdom of Heaven. I keep my mind on thoughts like Love, and Joy and Appreciation. When your eyes are on the light, you can’t see the darkness. I think about Light and what it does and what it is. It just shines and it shines forever. Take the sun for example: its only function is to shine because LIGHT is what it is. It doesn’t do anything else. It doesn’t hold grievances. It doesn’t resolve conflict. It doesn’t make plans. It doesn’t wonder why people are acting a certain way. It rises in the morning and it does the One Thing it is designed to do: Shine. So it is with me and so it is with you. I am the Light of the world. I have one function – to remember the truth about myself. I am the Light of the world. Knowing this, I do the only thing I’m designed to do: shine and shine forever. That’s my own personal definition of a light episode: one continuous glorious never-ending light episode that shines away all darkness. I love you. Lisa My mission is to provoke, inspire and encourage you to know yourself as God created you ... perfect. |
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