A few years back, when I came back to New York City after a two year hiatus at home in Arkansas, I began to recognize the light that is inside of me. You could call it energy, spirit, positivity, whatever, and although it’s always been there (just like it is in every person), I made this effort to make it grow and shine, with the purpose of making my life in NYC easier and happier. My boyfriend at the time was working as a waiter, as he had for many years, and he was becoming increasingly negatively affected by rude and angry customers at work. As I grew weary of hearing these negative stories every night, we decided there had to be a change. So he began meditating on making a shield of sorts, something that negativity could not penetrate, something that could keep him safe every time he went to work. It helped and it’s a fine idea and that’s what I started with when we made the move. But along the way I realized, I didn’t want to keep people out. I wanted connection and beyond that, I actually wanted to positively affect others. Energy is a real and tangible thing and as I walked around the city, cultivating my light, I could see its effect. More and more I saw positive reactions from those I passed on the street. (And as you can imagine, that’s a lot of people!) People began to smile or nod, or at the very least, not be quite so shut off, negative or rude. A lot of this is based on perception, but I felt as though I experienced less anger, violence, and negativity. This has only grown and grown since I made this a consciousness practice back in 2011. Now, I couldn’t be happier to realize, that the light just lives in me now, all the time. I don’t purposefully concentrate on it emitting it, it IS me. It radiates through my human body all the time. I live blissfully and blessed, in love with life and all things around me.

I recently stumbled across an amazing interview of an old friend of mine that spoke to this topic perfectly. Alright, he’s guy I used to date and I googled him to see what he’s been up to. And let me tell you, he is up to some incredible things! Read more about The Possibility Alliance & Peace and Permaculture University in Northwest Missouri that Mr. Adam Campbell is a part of HERE.

Now back to the amazing interview…Adam so concisely articulated exactly what I am talking about when it comes this light within us and the way it affects others. He said:

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this: “Wow, I wish I could do what you are doing.” But that’s not what they really mean, because if they really meant that, then they’d do it.

What they really mean is “I wish I had connection to what’s alive inside of you, which I know is inside of me, but I don’t have access to it right now. And by talking to you, it’s lighting it up inside of me and I am realizing that it’s there. And I feel constricted by the decisions that I’ve made in my life that aren’t allowing me to do it right now.”

I’m saying that completely without judgment. I just recognize that’s where they’re at. And by talking to me or other folks that are in this, they get lit up. And that’s the greatest gift you can give somebody. It doesn’t happen by talking out of your left-brain. It just doesn’t happen that way. It happens by being authentically vulnerable about what you’re doing in your life, and living into that. Living into that path in a way that’s visible to other people and then being open and honest about what you’re doing when it’s actually happening in a way that invites people in. Then they get excited. Then the possibilities start lighting up in their head. “Wow. I don’t have to be living the life that I’m living.”

I was so moved by this. I mean, I’m reading this on a computer thousands of miles away from him and I can see his light and I’m drawn to him! What a gift it is to realize that we all have this light within us and there are so many paths to gain access to it, if we feel disconnected from it. I recommend some meditation, a yoga practice, spending time in nature, surrounding yourself with people who have their light turned on, or any other activity that gives you a positive connection to your higher self.

We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light. 

~Evelyn Dunbar

Shine On,

CountryGal

To read Adam’s interview in it’s entirety, click here.