The Hermit’s Light

By Marcia Bender

Happy New Year! There are two schools of thought as to when the Age of Aquarius, the Golden Age of Peace and Enlightenment began. Many thought it was the new millennium in 2000, while others looked to 2013 because it is was the first year following the end of the 26,000-year procession of the equinoxes cycle—and the year after we survived the predictions of “doomsday” on December 21, 2012. In January 2014, we are now in agreement once again, and I wish to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a joyous, healthy and happy New Year, with all of your wishes fulfilled and all of your dreams and miracles coming true.

When the New Year begins, it is as if life is giving us another chance, a new page to be written on, a chance to reformat and redefine our ideas and our lives. We hear people speak of New Year’s resolutions and we know that most of these intentions, no matter how well meaning, are generally broken before the end of January. I believe that as more and more people become spiritually enlightened, they will be led to understand more about self and the connection of self to a Higher Power and a Higher Consciousness. There have been many cliché phrases in and out of popularity over the years. Many are very profound when we stop to think about and analyze them. The one that most often comes to my mind is, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” This is very true, and I request that you take a minute right now to think about this.

If, for example, you are reading this on January 3, 2014, then you must stop and think, realizing that January 3, 2014 will never be again. The choices are to live today, knowing that it can never be recaptured or relived, or to waste it worrying about what happened yesterday, what you WISH was happening today, or agonizing over what will happen tomorrow. The choice is ours. If I can give you one gift to begin this year, let it be carpe diem, seize the day!

People ask me why I end all of my columns, letters, cards, and even my answering machine message with the phrase, “Walk in the Light.” Some call this the Christ Light. As a student of the Tarot, I see it as the Hermit’s Light. The Hermit is Major Arcana card number nine, and it is the card that represents God and the highest of all protective forces that surround us. The Hermit tells us to, “Ask and it shall be given. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. Look up and see the light, for it is always there.”

The symbol is a bearded ancient, high on a mountain top, looking down at those of us who are seeking guidance and trying to find the way to enlightenment. He holds out a lantern, called the Lamp of Truth, which is said to hold the answers that we seek, but the Hermit is not coming down the mountain. He will patiently wait until we, the Seekers, find the way to the Light. The guidance and help are there for all who seek it, but the ultimate responsibility of reaching enlightenment is ours individually, an inner journey to discover higher aspects of self. As we struggle to find self, we realize that it takes faith and courage to emerge from the spiritual darkness and Walk in the Light. We also realize that as we begin the journey into Higher Consciousness, the rewards are bountiful.

It is my belief that as humans strive to self-analyze, attempt to find meaning for their lives and existence, indeed decide to make each day of their lives meaningful and significant, they have to learn to understand that they are not a physical being have a spiritual experience, but a spiritual being having a physical experience! It is very difficult to detach from the physical reality of our lives, as we are physical beings, in physical bodies and dealing with a myriad of physical reality experiences, and often those experiences are anything but pleasant. It is easier to intellectualize our circumstances and not take responsibility for trying to understand why we are experiencing the changes taking place in our lives.

Change is a constant and the only thing that we can be really certain of in a lifetime. The changes in life are always the most difficult and frightening of experiences. It is easier to remain stagnant, fearfully resisting change, than to realize that the dreaded changes were necessary and important in our life’s progress. I can guarantee you that it is much easier to deal with life’s changes when spiritually connected. I can also assure you that it takes effort to become spiritually connected. I use this quotation on my business card:

“To search for truth is to unveil knowledge of self.To know is to understand the task that lies ahead. To never know…is infinite agony” — Craig Junjulas

Please take some time, in this first month of 2014, to go deep within, to let the White Light of Protection and Spirituality surround you, to surrender your intellect and submit to allowing your Higher Consciousness to allow you to catch a glimpse of things that are beyond your physical reality. When this is accomplished, you will understand what it means when I say, “Walk in the Light.”

Until next month, remember Knowledge is the Greatest Power, so Walk in the Light.

Marcia began her career as a school teacher, working with preschool through inner city high school students. She has worked with all aspects of Metaphysics for over 40 years and specializes in Tarot and Numerology. Marcia’s clients and students are in every state and throughout Europe. Marcia has taught over 400 students to “read” the Tarot for the purpose of self-guidance and to use the powerful symbolism of the Tarot to reach higher levels of spirituality. Her column, Spiritually Speaking, originally ran for 8 years in Attitudes Magazine. Email marlou2000@aol.com

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