The Body of Light
"I am the Light of the world"
Jesus speaks in one of the seven "I am" statements of John's Gospel, "I am the light of the world". By this he means that he lights the way, towards God the Father who sent him. In the Sermon on the Mount, he says to those present, "You are the light of the world," meaning that we too can become light if we immerse ourselves fully in the teachings of Jesus and thus become enlightened and ourselves a light for others. On the one hand, the language is to be understood symbolically, but at the same time we can actually perceive a radiance in people who have come very far on the path. The transmission of light finds expression in the office of the acolyte, who lights the candles in the church before the beginning of Mass. "I am the light of the world" is at the same time an affirmation that Christ gives us to awaken this awareness ourselves.
At the transfiguration on Mount Tabor, he shines with light (Tabor light). The mountain here stands for a state of contemplation, which can be reached, for example, through the Jesus Prayer. Hesychasm teaches that the Tabor light can be perceived by those who pray. The teaching that this light was not only seen by the three apostles, but is basically accessible to anyone praying in the right way, if they have purified their soul, belongs to the core of hesychastic beliefs.
On a physical level, one can indeed speak of our bodies being made of light, partly measurable and partly coagulated energy, which we call matter. On a metaphysical level, we are God's creatures, made in His image. We still carry some of that light within us. This light is buried in our entanglement with this world and the traumas, encrustations and darkenings of the heart that have resulted. We must set out to uncover the light of the heart again, so that it can shine brightly once more. Jesus speaks of this in the Sermon on the Mount when it says "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." To purify the heart is the prerequisite for contemplation and seeing God. This path is not always easy, because facing one's shadow can also be painful.
In Christianity we distinguish between the material body and the soul that dwells in it and leaves the body after its demise. This soul or spirit can be perceived by sensitive people as a luminous figure, i.e. as a body of light that can move independently of the material body when spirit and matter separate again. Some people speak of old souls becoming incarnate in a newborn child and of couples being able to attract old souls when they conceive a child.
In the prologue of the Gospel of John, life is equated with light. The light in this context can be understood as the life energy, which is called ruach, moving wind, in the Old Testament, and ki, chi, prana or nwyfre in other religions. By awakening the light body we increase the life energy within us. Isn't this a crazy and esoteric idea you might ask? In fact, scientific observations revealed that the spiritual attitude can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. People who have lost faith in life decline very quickly and die earlier. Conversely, a hopeful spirit awakens the will to live, health and life expectancy. Awakening the light ensures a longer life and if we believe the promises of Christianity, even eternal life.
Awakening the Light Body
As indicated earlier, there are various ways and methods of making the body shine, the most important of which are mentioned below.
- Every way of dealing with Christian spirituality creates the prerequisite for the light body to unfold. A rule of life such as that of the New Monasticism can be a valuable guide in this.
- In contact with a spiritual community, a spiritual teacher or soul friend (Anam Cara), the spiritual light can be transmitted and awakened.
- Develop a regular prayer and meditation practice. The (silent) Jesus Prayer saturates us like a cloth on which olive oil drips regularly and leads to contemplation and the perception of the Tabor Light.
- Development of self-knowledge is seen as the prerequisite for the vision of God. Self-observation and mindfulness meditation contribute to this.
- In the practice of the Jesus Prayer, i.e. Hesychasm, one contemplates the disturbing thoughts, which are called vices in this tradition. With the help of the teachings of the Desert Fathers and other methods, these obscurations can be removed.
- Various types of meditation and contemplation ensure that the body begins to glow and the mind enters into the vision of God and metaphorically climbs the mountain.
- Light body meditation (visualization) helps us to become directly aware of the light body.
- The affirmation "I am the light of the world" or a modified form can help one to move into the consciousness of the light body.
The Light Body Meditation
A gentle way to awaken the light body and purify the heart is light body meditation. In this meditation, one imagines that a light shines in the heart space and gently spreads over the whole body. To begin, you can speak the affirmation "I am the light of the world" or a similar statement in your mind. In this luminous body one comes to rest. When thoughts come, one lets them gently pass and comes back to the consciousness of the light body. One can imagine that all obscurations leave the body and are displaced by the light. This meditation can be done before prayer and after arriving at the inner sanctuary, the Sacred Hermitage. It is best to sit in a stable meditation seat on a meditation cushion or chair and align your spine as straight as possible. A short body scan, which we call inner pilgrimage in the Ancient Celtic church, can be done before the light body meditation. The exercise can take 5 to 15 minutes and be practised daily; ideally in the morning or evening.
Scripture sources for meditation
John 1:4-9 - Prologue of the Gospel of John.
"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. A man was sent from God, whose name was John. This man came to testify of the light, that they all might believe through him. He was not the light, but that he should bear witness of the light. This was the true light, which lighteth all men that come into this world."
John 8:12
"Then Jesus spake unto them again, saying: I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Matthew 5:14-16 - Sermon on the Mount
"You are the light of the world. There cannot be hidden the city that is on a mountain. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick: so let it shine unto all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
John 12:44-46
"But Jesus cried out, saying, He that believeth on me believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness."
Matthew 17:1-2, 5 - The Transfiguration of Jesus.
"1 And after six days Jesus took Peter and James and John his brother, and led them aside to a high mountain. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light."
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a light cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; to him you shall listen.
Matthew 5, 1 + 8 - Sermon on the Mount
"1 And when he saw the people, he went up into a mountain, and sat down; and his disciples came unto him, ... 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
1 John, 1, 5-7 - Life in the Light
"And this is the proclamation which we have heard from him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son makes us clean from all sin."
Luke 2, 29-32 - Song of praise of Simeon
Now, O Lord, you let your servant depart in peace, as you have said. For mine eyes have seen salvation, which thou hast prepared before all nations, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and glory to thy people Israel.
Luke 11, 33-36 - Figurative words about light
33 No one lights a candle and puts it in a secret place, nor under a bushel, but on the lampstand, so that whoever enters may see the light.
34 The eye is the light of the body. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body is light: but if thine eye be dim, thy body also is dark. 35 Take heed therefore that the light that is in thee be not darkness. 36 If therefore thy body be altogether light, that it have no part of darkness, it shall be altogether light, as when a light with a bright flash lighteth thee.
