Why “Becoming Light?”
(from the Introduction to the eBook, "Becoming Light: An Extra-Traditional Journey From Black Friday to December 24") 
 

Wait.

Watch.

Hope.

Trust.

Prepare.

Persevere.

Believe.

For years upon years, this litany was my Advent mantra.

I grew up as the firstborn of the fifth generation on my family dairy farm in Northeast Ohio, in what I like to refer to as “the thriving metropolis of Rome, Ohio.” It’s a township, a beautiful place made of fields, farms, a volunteer fire department—it reminds me, always, of Grover’s Corners, right out of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.

My dad’s family (the farmers) stood rooted in tradition, nature, and small-town, white-painted Protestant churches with handmade and homemade rituals, traditions, songs and prayers that all reminded me of the pilgrims, somehow. We worked hard, shared what we had and knew well the cycles and circles of life.

Mom—a teacher and a Catholic—blended a root of Catholicity into the family tree—though I knew nothing of the uniqueness of that at the time, of course. (Kids just know what they know, without the sense of uproar and political astuteness that grownups possess! Being able to take things for granted is an extraordinary gift of childhood, I think.) She steeped us in mystery and metaphor, arts and expression.

And in both cases, there was a lot to be said for waiting, watching, hoping, trusting, preparing, persevering and believing.

The days grew shorter; the nights lengthened. We waited for messiahs all the time, in a whole bunch of ways—so it was easy to tune into the Advent traditions of churches. How I’ve always loved the Advent wreath, marking the centuries of the Israelites waiting for their Messiah, and marking our waiting for our celebration of Christmas, lighting more candles each week!
 

As an adult, like everyone else, I’ve worked to keep the season meaningful even while preparing, shopping, decorating, card-makingcraftingbakingwrappingworkingcleaning—wait! Did I forget anyone? Cripe, I forgot to factor STAMPS into the card-budget! Does anyone still send cards? Why can’t I find a box of cards I actually LIKE at this store? Will anyone notice if I just Swiffer the kitchen floor instead of mopping before the party, since it’s gonna get messy from their muddy shoes anyway? Have I spent the exact same amount on both kids’ presents? What the heck do I get for Dad, who has everything he wants or needs? Where is the ornament box? Is there a string of lights out on that tree? Do I have to spend time with HER? Willanyonenoticeifiskipthatoneparty? What’s on MY list?

There are better questions than these.

There are better ways to live this season.

It’s a season of light.

And we don’t have to wait for it: we can become it.

Because whether or not you’re a fan (or follower) of Jesus of Nazareth, whether or not you know where you fit in the religious-spiritual-secular spectrum of things-contemporary, this is a time of year when it’s too easy to get caught up in darkness and lose track of the light.

So here we are.

We’re Becoming Light.

Becoming.
 

What a word!

“Becoming” means transformation.

“Becoming” means change.

 

“Becoming” means growing into something new.

 

“Becoming” means journey and process.

“Becoming” means flattering, enhancing, beautifying.

 

In Aristotlean philosophy, “Becoming” means any change from the lower level of potentiality to the higher level of actuality.
 

In Sanskrit, “Becoming” is literally developing, cultivating or producing—in the sense of calling into existence.

A Buddhist friend has explained to me that “Becoming” in his vocabulary is “a musty, rich, earthy concept. It suggests nature, and down-to-earthiness, and hope. Like, no matter how overused and damaged a garden has become, it can still be nurtured back to life with caring cultivation, presence, enrichment and development, to produce anew. That’s my ‘becoming’.”

 

Becoming Light.

What a different season we can have this year if we consider ourselves Becoming Light!

 

 

Wait: becoming WHAT?

Becoming LIGHT?!?

 

Becoming LIGHT.

Becoming Light.

And you thought “Becoming” was a great word?!?

 

I dare you to go look it up in a dictionary and ponder on the implications. I mean after this, some day. Because otherwise you might get lost in the dictionary and miss out on the rest of this book and our reflections together, and we wouldn’t want that, right? So here are a few little starters:
 

“Light” means not-heavy.

 

“Light” means without-burdens that drag us down.

 

“Light” means graceful or agile. ( “She’s so light on her feet!”)

 

“Light” means “visible radiation electromagnetic radiation that is capable of causing a visual sensation and has wavelengths from about 380 to about 780 nanometres.”( Okay, well, that’s a little bit complicated for our purposes. Let’s be, ahem, light-hearted about this whole thing, right?)

“Light” means to set-out.

 

“Light” means to land gently.

 

“Light” means to ignite or kindle.

“Light” means dispelling darkness.

“Light” means illumination.

“Light” means to shine.

Stop a second and breathe THAT in, wouldja?

Becoming Light.

 

We are Becoming Light.

 

(Shhh: whisper it aloud. I dare you. Maybe even say it in full voice. Or sing it out loudly, maybe while in the car by yourself. WOW, right?)

What are the implications of pouring all of THOSE ideas together into one bowl and stirring it up a bit?

Well, that’s what we’re here to do.

This book, Becoming Light, is a little recipe for a new, expansive experience of these days that stretch and dance and seduce and carry us from the day after Thanksgiving through till December 24.

 

Whether you’re a religious person looking to enrich your experience, a secular person wanting to find some meaning in these days, a tired person just wanting something to newly energize your sense of the season or whoever YOU are, you’re living these days and you’re reading these pages and perhaps if you’ll take the dare and try out some of the day-to-day mantras, intentions, reflections and activities, this season  you’ll find a spark of light growing in your life, too…..and you’ll become light.

Getting Started: What You Need to Know
 

Now look: we know you’re busy.

 

So we’re gonna make this easy for you:

 

Each week has a theme. It’ll be explained at the outset of the week, on the first day. The themes grow out of the traditional themes and readings that have been part of the Judeo-Christian tradition for a few centuries, give or take, now—and that were, in some part, historically, correlated to this time of year in relation to even older spiritual traditions among the tribes and peoples of the Earth for many, many centuries.

 

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

 

Set aside a time each day to get to the right page. (This is literal, not metaphoric, just to be clear.) We’ve tried to make doing so easy by organizing the whole book by date, specific to this year (2013.) There’s one reflection for each day from the day after Thanksgiving till the day before Christmas. (Seriously, could this be easier?)

On each day, you’ll find four little sparks to fan into flame in your own life:

 

1. Today’s Spotlight—an intention or a mantra to frame the day

 

1. Today’s Lamplight—a brief reflection offered to inspire deeper thinking on the Spotlight

 

1. Today’s Inner Light—a question (sometimes a few questions!) for you to carry into your self, intended to bring the focus home and help you figure out where this fits into YOUR journey of Becoming Light. (You may want to get a notebook or use an online tool to journal about these questions!)

 

1. Today’s Starlight—a creative action geared toward shining today’s light into the world around you

 

 

And you know what else? We’re a little like those famous WisePeople, the three who set out with a star in sight, looking to the skies, open to the journey without any real idea where it would lead them.

So it’s okay if you fall behind a little bit, and need to make up time the next day; or if you move a little ahead of the pace so that you can rest up a bit later when you really need it. (I’ve been known to take good long naps in the middle of a trip, trusting that I’ll be exactly where I’m supposed to be when I wake up again—though not while driving. Please do not take this as literal advice for driving a car. That’s a whole different book, and I think you can pick it up for free at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.)

It’s time now.

Let’s go.