"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." - James Keller
Everyone has a fascination with candles... it is probably one of the most unifying of symbols for people of all cultures and faiths... Everyone uses candles to create an atmosphere ... a sanctuary to pray... a zen garden to meditate... a dinner to woo someone... a bath to relax... an air freshener for the house... as decoration for a cake to make wishes upon... or even to fill a room and cast spells on people...lol.. (which I hope none of you are doing) ... we love candles because the burning flame brings peace, consolation, inspiration and hope...
In religion, the practice of lighting candles goes back to the Old Testament where God required the Israelites to maintain lamps burning before the Holy of Holies... The Jewish people light 2 candles every Friday night.. one to "remember the Sabbath" and the other to "Observe the Sabbath" as commanded by God. Some families light additional candles for each child in the home, while other families light 7 candles for each day of the week.
For the Catholics, "light" stands for Christ, so the burning of candles, has naturally come to symbolize Christ in a special way. A candle must burn perpetually before the Real Presence in the Eucharist, therefore, as it did before the Presence in the Temple. It can also stand for the people, present before the Lord, even if physically absent. Additionally, candles are used in each of the 7 Sacraments.... Baptism, Confession, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick...
The Buddha said "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." Candles are an age old traditional part of Buddhist rituals as well.. they are placed in front of Buddhist shrines or statues and images of the Buddha as a mark of respect. The light of the burning candle flame represents the light of the Buddha's teachings.
And I can go on and on researching different religions and their symbolic uses for candles, but I think you get the message... the light of a candle is what fuels our spiritual life... and we need that fire to burn even if it is a small flicker in the dark... for it is with the light that we can overcome all the darkness in the world and become the blessed people God intends us to be...
With that factual and practical lesson given, it's time for my "way out" interpretation of the quote... I think that we are just like candles... if our light is always burning brightly, it is easy for us to light someone else's wick by simply loving them ... giving our light to others does not take our light away; it increases it... this phenomenon can be witnessed through all the "sharing" of positive quotes and sayings and pictures on Facebook... my homepage is full of pages with names such as "Embody Peace & Love" , "Sensitive Hearts" , "Gr8quotes" , "Beyond the Veil Where Angels Ascend" , etc... I follow so many pages that sometimes I miss out on what my friends are up to.. lol... anyway, so I "share" their posts and then a friend of mine will "share" and so on and so on... just like candles being lit by another candle... nothing is lost.. with every "share" the flame keeps on going... and our hearts are ablaze with all the love that is circulated by the light of the one candle who shared their light in the first place...
So... Light a candle... meditate on the flickering flame... offer this prayer affirmation:
I am like a candle. My light can never be extinguished so long as I am lighting another's light from my flame. I share my light because I am loved beyond measure and I am a cherished blessing to the world. My light will shine perpetually until all of the world's people are spiritually on fire with love for one another. I am like a candle.
May you be blessed,
With love,
Elena
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