This article first appeared in my newsletter December 15, 2016.  Click here to sign up to receive my online newsletter.

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An early morning vision

Last evening I hosted a complimentary webcast called “Just Send Light.” During a guided visualization, we imagined a spark of light in our hearts, then imagined the spark expanding to fill our bodies and the layers of energy around our bodies, and moving outward into whatever situation in our lives or in the world was attracting our attention.

Early this morning, another vision popped into my mind. In the vision, each of us was like a candle. As we thought of situations in our own lives or in the world to which we wanted to “just send light,” others involved in those situations were “lit up.” And as each of those people lit up, they in turn lit up others by their presence.

And it was exponential. For example, when 25 “candles” each lit up 3 other candles, that became 100 lit candles (the original 25 plus 75 others). Each of those lit up 3 more candles, so that became 400 candles (100 plus 300 more), which became 1600 candles, and so on and so on. The cool thing was, in the vision all the candles were eternal flames. They all continued to spread light. From a vantage point out in space looking back at the earth, those points of light began to increase all over the globe.

That vision was a pretty good start to this day!

So does it make a difference?

For me, the idea of “just send light” grew out of my own distress by events in the world (or sometimes in my own life) where I could think of no way to be of service to make a dreadful situation any better. One day when I was on the edge of black despair, it occurred to me that, if I couldn’t do anything concrete, at least I could imagine sending light into dark situations, and I could ask a higher power to intervene in some way that would be for the highest good.

The first few times I did this, I immediately noticed that I felt much better. I decided that was a good enough reason! If I felt better, I’d be a more positive presence. And besides, it felt better to feel better!

Over time, I noticed something else. With all the dark situations in which I did this – in my own life and later in the lives of organizations with whom I was consulting – not only did I feel better, but usually within a week or two, something changed that I could not have predicted that did indeed make the situation better. I began to think perhaps it was not a coincidence.

Later I learned that I was by no means the first person to try this. Indeed, there were communities and traditions in which some version of sending positive energy had been going on for centuries or perhaps millennia. (Okay, so I wasn’t cutting edge!)

By now, a growing body of research provides concrete evidence that practices such as shared meditation or prayer or distance healing do make a difference. A book I’m currently reading, Subtle Activism by David Nicol, is chock full of examples. Find out more from Amazon.

But sometimes, even with the best of intentions and the desire to be a positive presence, we’re just not there. What then?

If there are people or situations about which your emotions and thoughts are angry, judgmental, frightened or sad, you probably don’t want to add those heavy energies to an already dark situation. And – whether you like it or not, you feel what you feel and think what you think. That’s how you are at this moment. So be it.

Here’s what you can do, to honour yourself, at a minimum do no harm, and at best to make some kind of positive contribution.

1. Invite in the “energy of unconditional love” and “highest good” for yourself exactly as you are feeling and thinking. Be compassionate of yourself, exactly as you are. Sit with that.
2. State your intention (aloud or in your mind) that any of your energy that goes to the situation be in service of the highest good.
3. Let it go.

And finally…

I love the idea that I can do good in the world just sitting in my comfy meditation chair. Beats going out on a cold December day!