Prende Las Velas and Cast Your Light!
Prende Las Velas! Cast Your Light!
Velas. Candelas. Candles. However you say it in your native tongue, candles—those long, tapered cylinders placed on a formal dining room table or the short, stout, glass enclosed objects like those found in a church or temple, have been a consistent part of my life. You see, I am a born Catholic turned Jewish convert; mixed heritage; spiritual advisor & mentor; medical intuitive; multifaceted, multidimensional energy healer; Reiki master teacher; yoga teacher; oracle card reader; medium; and lightworker. That’s a mouthful and yet even all that doesn’t fully encompass the I AM that I am. But I add that as context when I say that, to me, candles are not just about those sweet, alluring fragrances you light to help your house smell pretty or for decoration on a mantle. They create a special place for healing, remembering a dearly departed loved one, mourning, hope, love, abundance and prosperity, celebration of another year of life, gratitude, self-love, self-help, welcoming a new era, honoring our past, reliving traditions and our history, saying goodbye to the week and welcoming in a new one surrounded by family and friends. Truth is, a candle lighting ceremony has been a part of my existence for as long as I can remember, long before the beautiful practice of the rich Jewish traditions.
Lighting candles has been ingrained into my very essence as a near daily ritual and practice to G-d, angels, spirits, guides, and/or qualities I wish to invite more of into my life or in the lives of those with whom I work. I have fond memories of my Catholic mom buying plain white candles or ones with a picture and prayer to a specific Saint to help with whatever the specific important matter was at the time. She would close her eyes, quiet herself and repeat a prayer before placing the candle on the shower floor, where it would remain until it was moved for daily showers and then returned until it burnt out on its own. Just as soon as the flame from one candle would extinguish, a new bright flame would emerge from a new one. Her intentions, her prayers, and her energy could be felt so strongly and warmly from my curious, petite self by her side. Sometimes I would be a foot away (or more) gazing intently on what seemed like pure magic to me, her and her prayers with her holy candles.
I recently asked my mom who taught her how to light candles, and her response surprised me. No one ever taught her how to light candles (or at least she can’t recall, she says). She’s been practicing this ritual for as long as she can remember because “it works.” It was from my mom that I learned how to light candles, how to create a sacred ceremony with candles, how to strengthen my prayers with these incredible lights of hope, how to always believe in and hold hope in my heart. From my mom, I have inherited her rituals and transformed them into my own loving practice today. I have been able to gracefully weave candles into the practices of my work (like lighting several before a client or student arrives) to the magic and mystery held within our faith’s traditions (such as our weekly Shabbat or at Chanukah or Yartzeit of a dearly departed). Naturally, it is my hope to pass down the beautiful, multilayered tradition of candle lighting to our daughters. It is my wish that they too can remember with similar nostalgia the lighting of candles every week at Shabbat surrounded by our family, reciting prayers in Hebrew and singing fun songs. That they will be reminded of the hope our Jewish ancestors had from oil that burned for 8 bright nights. That they will come to see and feel the hope from lighting a candle to their guides, to G-d, to the angels when they are grown and going through challenges and in need of light from the higher vibrations all around us. That they will light a candle every year to remember their loved ones who have passed on and to connect with these familiar spirits and all the insights they have to offer.
My hope is that my legacy will in fact be one of just that, hope. That no matter how hard things get, hope is always there. Whenever darkness befalls our mind, our spirit or our bodies, there is still light within our being. But if the darkness feels stronger than the light we feel inside, fortunately we have these precious pillars of light to get us through the dark times and to be the beacon guiding us and returning us to our own great light.
When you start to feel like you need hope, remember to light your candles and cast your light.
And, in the spirit of candle lighting this season, I wish a very Happy Chanukah to all our tribe members who celebrate!
Xo,
D