elcome 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
into the external world revealing things hidd-
en 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 anal-
ogy 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 some-
thing 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 intan-
gible 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 treas-
ure 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 talk-
ing 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, Enlighten-
ment 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 our-
selves to live a full and
fulfilling span upon this
evolutionary platform that we call ‘living.’
PLAIN TEXT • TOP OF PAGE

Sandy Hughes, Coffeehouse Culture’s newly appointed Astrology Consultant
and Metaphysical Commissioning Editor, is a new age visionary, mystic, meta-
physician, teacher, counsellor and communicator. A well-known and successful
astrologer with a worldwide clientele, Ms Hughes runs a popular astrology web
site (Soulscopes), the best new age site we have seen on the web (Aquarian
Zone), a site for vegetarians (Ms Veggie's Patch) and is the founder and web-
mistress of the Astrology’s Wisdom Web Ring. Her personal tribute to the art of
listening can be found at zenwwweb.
... With more than 20 years experience as an astrologer, in 1982 Sandy Hughes
co-founded Universal Search, the Main-land BC branch of the Fraternity for Can-
adian Astrologers and served as president for its first three years. In 1985 she
organised the FCA's first national astrology conference, Northern Lights, and has
rganised a number of conferences and symposia since. A penetrating and eru-
dite writer, Ms Hughes has been published in a number of astrology anthologies and has run telephone astrology sessions on both radio and TV. She is an acknowledged expert on the planet Chiron and a self-confessed ‘asteroid buff.’