L is for Ljus

Here in Scandinavia ljus – light – is an important part of people’s everyday lives. In the depth of winter, when light is scarce, we long for it. We light candles in our homes to remind us that the light is always there. As the darkness lightens we rejoice at it, stand in it, sit in it, work in it and enjoy being ‘in the light’.

The light is important for Quakers too. In our Meetings for Worship in Scandinavia we always have a lighted candle at the centre of the circle. Early Friends were called ‘Children of the Light’. We talk about the inner light, the light within, the inward light and about being enlightened. We hold people in the light. We encourage people to let their lights shine. We wait in the light. We mind the light. We let the light guide us.

In his Journal, George Fox wrote: “I saw, also, that there was an ocean of darkness and death; but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. In that also I saw the infinite love of God, and I had great openings.” Much later, in 1904, Rufus Jones wrote: “The Inner Light is the doctrine that there is something Divine, ‘Something of God’ in the human soul.”

Let us walk in the light. Let it illuminate the darkness. Let it reveal our innermost truths.