BACK TO PAGE SIXTEEN
COFFEEHOUSE CULTURE -- Issue 2

Welcome to the Inner Light, the bit of Coffeehouse Culture that explores the ‘other side of life,’ the side that makes all the rest meaningful. The Inner Light is, of course, much more than merely a few pages in Coffeehouse Culture. It is a real thing, a thing that exists. Whether or not we know it the Inner Light shines within all of us. Deep within, at the very place where we and everything starts, the light is radiant, white and pure. Whether we are aware of it or not, whether we can feel and experience its effects or not, whether we acknowledge its presence or not, the Inner Light shines on.
....Life, however, is a different experience for all of us. For some, the Inner Light is a constant beacon (or is that ‘bacon’?) that not only lights up the inside but also flashes out nto the external world revealing things hidden in the shadows that would not otherwise be seen. And for some, there is no light at all. But whether one is aware of it or not, it is the Light of life. Of the life within us. And it is the Light that propels us through life and from life to life. Although it is within, it’s relationship to the individual is as the sun’s to the earth -- without it life simply withers away. The analogy is a good one for, like the sun, when the Inner Light is hidden behind the clouds (of delusion, illusion or ego) life becomes a dim, shadowy and depressing experience. So it is for the majority of the people of the world. But, as everyone knows, when the clouds disperse-- if the clouds disperse -- the world will be bathed in a golden light that will make it sparkle and
gleam.
....Although it is the external light sources that give the world its colours and shapes, that create its materiality, what we see around us is only that -- what we see around us. It is not the world as we see it, merely the world as our eyes see it. Our real world vision is based on something much bigger, more expansive and more inclusive than that. How we see the world is a matter of how we relate to the external stuff, how we respond to it, understand it and assimilate it. And it is in those intangible areas of life that the Inner Light has a part to play. For all our responses are based on the amount of light that we can cast upon the world that surrounds us. The more light we can use to illuminate our world, the brighter things appear. With more light radiating out of us, the world becomes a much clearer and more sharply defined experience. And with enough light it becomes a radiant, sparkling, iridescent treasure chest of pleasures.
....So, you may be asking, what exactly is the Inner Light? But if you think you’ve got us cornered asking for a definition of this ineffable, intangible, abstract and, perhaps, conjectural phenomenon, think again. For we can tell you exactly what it is. Consciousness.
....Yes, surprise, surprise, the Inner Light is the Light of Consciousness. And that must give hope to us all. For, as we all know, consciousness is infinitely flexible and easily expandable. And, knowing that we are talking about the Light of Consciousness brings us closer to a crucial understanding of the development of consciousness and the concept of Enlightenment. Although it is seen as an abstract concept, Enlightenment is much more than that. “Enlightenment’ has come to mean so much but taking the word down to its simplest level, it means what it says. Enlightenment is literally that. It is the amount of the Inner Light that shines upon the world.
....Like the sun the Inner Light is always there. But like the sun it may be swathed in clouds or hidden behind a hazy miasma. It is, however, for us to sweep our skies clear of clouds, to reveal the blue behind with the glorious sun at its centre. Only thus can we reveal the true nature of life and the world and enable ourselves to live a full and fulfilling span upon this evolutionary platform that we call ‘living.’