Kerry Jehanne-Guadalupe
Light is an intrinsic force within us as well as a dynamic, transformative energy in action. It is the essence of our being, the energy that animates, connects, and sustains us. It is love, awareness, and truth, ever-present, even in moments when it feels distant. Light is the source of our joy, resilience, and expansion, weaving through our lives in subtle and profound ways. Our connection to light is what allows us to experience gratitude, inspiration, and deep presence. It is also the part of us that observes, understands, and illuminates.
Light in Action
Light in action is the conscious and/or unintentional expression of light in our lives. It is the way we embody and radiate our inner light through our choices, presence, and interactions. Light in action is when we uplift another, bring warmth to a space, transform pain into wisdom, or infuse creativity into the world. It is both subtle and profound—found in small acts of kindness, the resilience that arises from hardship, the courage to create the unusual, and the decision to respond with love rather than fear.
At times, light in action is about restoration—returning to the heart, resetting, and realigning with our essence. Other times, it is about expansion—using our light to inspire, guide, or create shifts in the world around us. Whether through healing, connection, expression, or simple presence, light in action is our participation in the dance of energy, continuously weaving the unseen into tangible form.
Light in action is a grounded, human experience—not an abstract or mystical concept. We experience it in everyday moments: when our hearts open, when a weight lifts from our shoulders, when our mood improves, when we gain insight, when we embrace a new idea, or when we feel a renewed sense of possibility. It's present in the reassurance of a stranger, in the act of forgiveness—both for ourselves and others—and in the deep sense of connectedness. Light in action is using laughter to promote wellness, as humor can generate more light in the body. Light in action is when Mr. Rogers placed his feet in the same kiddie pool as François Clemmons, quietly breaking barriers and embodying unity.
This is all light weaving its way through our realities.
Challenging Times Can Show Us What We Are Truly Made Of: Light
It is often said that challenging times can show us what we are made of–revealing the depth of our resilience, strength, and capacity for growth. When everything is easy, we may not recognize our inner power, but adversity pushes us to tap into hidden reserves of courage, adaptability, and wisdom. In moments of struggle, we can learn what fuels and sustains us and what we need to cultivate to move forward.
Sometimes, we surprise ourselves—we realize we are more capable, compassionate, and creative than we thought, and in that realization, we discover new possibilities for who we can become. Other times, we see where we retreat in fear or close our hearts – areas where we can grow.
Ultimately, challenging times can show us what we are truly made of–light!
We are all made of light. We are light beings with the capacity to create with light. Challenging times can sometimes bring us to our knees, strip away illusions, showing us who we are at our core.
Our light is a profound source of nourishment that sustains us and allows for evolution. When we encounter darkness, a catalyst for transformation, when we are met with the very opposite of what we want or long for, we can move through any shock or dismay with our light and, in doing so, increase our light. Ultimately, we can emerge from difficult experiences and find ourselves transformed—stronger, lighter, and more radiant than before.
Creating with Light
When it feels like the weight of the world is pressing against us, we have the opportunity to respond with actions of light. There is great power in creating with light, especially in difficult times. When the world is bleak, create. In darkness, dance—not to bypass, but to emerge.
Some people find their connection to light through movement and have trained themselves to access the power of their light in a way that fuels and sustains them – like pickleball. Others watch funny animal videos, write humorous poems, sing jingles, create art, walk in nature, bake a pie, go to an open mic, learn something new, bring ideas into the world, engage in acts of kindness, or say a quiet prayer as an ambulance drives by.
There are endless ways to bring light into the world, each one unique and deeply impactful.
Concerts or sports games can be a great way to collectively work with light. In such places, we can feel connected with others, and even something bigger than ourselves! Even with moments of poor sportsmanship or loud, roaring crowds, I have heard of people experiencing collective effervescence, the feeling of deep connection and unity that arises when people gather in a shared emotional experience, such as at concerts, sporting events, or spiritual ceremonies. In these moments, our individual identities seem to dissolve into a larger whole, creating a profound sense of oneness—both with those around us and with something greater than us.
This experience can feel transcendent or spiritual, as if tapping into a universal energy or shared human consciousness. People also describe it as a flow state in group settings, where emotions synchronize, barriers dissolve, and there’s an overwhelming sense of meaning, joy, or even euphoria. This is why large events can feel so powerful—music, movement, or shared passion amplifies the experience, making it deeply immersive and unifying.
Light as a Flight
For some, accessing their light during challenging times means fighting the fight. Standing up for truth, justice, and higher consciousness is an expression of light manifesting in the world. "Fight" is not always synonymous with aggression or destruction; it is also an active force for transformation—cutting through illusion, dismantling limiting systems, and protecting what is sacred.
Some call such individuals warriors of light—those who fight not from anger but from clarity, love, and purpose. If they do fight with rage, they know how to work with the medicine of rage. They can transmute darkness and understand how challenges can be a necessary experience in dissolving deception and fear. They understand inner battles as sacred work, overcoming inner limitations, egoic patterns, and illusions as an act of light in motion. They know, regardless of inner or outer work, that light requires movement, engagement, and action to effect real change. Such souls are not passive.
These warriors manifest in many forms: boycotting, protesting, resisting, opposing, diverging, defying, boldly challenging the system… They creatively tweak workplace structures and build new systems that sustain and amplify light. They are the ones loudly calling out injustice—whether on a global stage or at a high school basketball game when two boys are unfairly placed on the opposing girls' team.
Regardless of the form, they take action and face a challenge, struggle, or cause with determination and courage. They embody persistence in overcoming obstacles, whether personal, societal, or spiritual. They carry a sense of purpose and resilience, urging one to stand up for something meaningful.
The List of Light
There are many ways to connect with our light, both individually and collectively. Sometimes, having a long list of different actions that help us connect with our light can be helpful—especially because not all techniques will feel appropriate at any given moment. Some days, pickleball might not be the answer, but painting is. Other times, dancing or simply sitting in stillness might be what we need.
The more we connect with our light, the more natural it becomes. Like any habit, consciously connecting may take practice, yet, our light itself can help us build this habit—it can even guide us in discovering the activities that bring us back to it.
When we find ourselves in a contracted state, where joy feels distant or unfamiliar, engaging in activities on our list can help us reconnect with our light—a moment of laughter, a creative spark, a gentle movement. In turn, our light can create a shift, gradually helping us emerge from contraction.
Additionally, we can look to the world around us for inspiration. Mr. Fred Rogers once shared a lesson from his mother: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’" This is a beautiful reminder to seek out light—to notice kindness, compassion, and goodness, even in difficult times. It is always there.
The more we name it, recognize it, define it for ourselves, and describe how we experience it, the more it can grow in our awareness and become a greater part of our reality. Connecting to light cultivates more light. This is possible because light is our home—where we came from and where a part of us always exists.
Illuminaries
An illuminary is often defined as someone who embodies light and radiates wisdom and inspiration—helping to guide others toward greater understanding, awareness, and truth. Though the term is typically applied to spiritual teachers or visionaries who uplift others, we are all, in our essence, light and illuminaries. Sure, we can grow in our connection to our light, but we are light, and that spark counts.
At times, our inner light may feel distant, overshadowed by both internal and external experiences. Yet, light is always present—within and around us. When we struggle to find it within, it’s okay to seek it in uplifting people and energies that help us reconnect. Spending time with supportive friends can remind us of our own light—not by taking from theirs, but by allowing their brightness to illuminate what already exists within us.
Every meaningful exchange that uplifts, expands, or inspires leaves a positive energetic imprint. These interactions not only nourish and elevate us but also contribute to both the collective and our soul’s evolution—contributing to the greater tapestry of human consciousness, weaving a deeper sense of unity into the fabric of our shared existence. These interactions serve as illuminations, rippling beyond what the eye can see.
Ensouled
As humans, we not only have the innate ability to help each other access and increase our light, we can also ensoul places. When a place is ensouled, it possesses a deep, living presence—something beyond its physical attributes. It carries an energy, a spirit, or an essence that resonates with life, meaning, and connection.
An ensouled place often feels alive, imbued with history, emotion, or a sense of sacredness. It might be a natural landscape, an ancient site, a beloved home, or any space where people have poured intention, love, or ritual over time. Some describe it as a place that “speaks” to them, holds memory, or evokes a profound sense of belonging and presence.
An ensouled place is one where the material and immaterial blend, where energy and matter coexist in a way that touches the soul. We can consciously create such places on earth, in our homes, and in our communities, and when feeling down, we can go to places others have ensouled, places where people have played, prayed, meditated, or expressed joy. Ensouling a place and allowing an ensouled place to uplift us are examples of light in action.
Friendships as Light
Friendship is a form of light in action. It is more than companionship—it is an active force of connection, healing, and transformation. True friendship is a living expression of light, one that uplifts, strengthens, and illuminates.
When one friend holds space for another, offering presence without judgment, truly witnessing another—without needing to fix—is an act of profound light. It affirms the other's existence, their struggles, and their becoming. It is light in action when friends call us higher, calling us to be more of ourselves, rise into our truth, and dismantle our illusions. Friendship is both a refuge and a catalyst. It offers a place to grieve, rage, and heal—transmuting sorrow through presence.
Sometimes, we can forget our own light. A true friend carries the torch for us until we can remember again. Friendship is love that acts—it checks in, listens deeply, forgives, defends, and shows up. It is not theoretical love; it is embodied love, love that moves through time, space, and challenge.
In a world that often seeks to divide and isolate, friendship is a quiet but powerful revolution, an act of defiance. It is love that moves, love that engages, love that persists. Like all warriors of light, true friends are not passive; they show up again and again.
And sometimes, old friends show up out of the blue and shine a light—intentionally or unintentionally—on our wounds or habits.
A short story that inspired this article: One day, an old college friend left a comment on a social media post saying that I had shown her kindness and love back in the day. Her short and simple comment touched my heart deeply and unexpectedly touched some patterns I did not know existed. It was as if her words carried a kind of medicine I hadn’t realized I needed.
We knew each other during a challenging time in my life. When she commented I had shown her kindness and love, my mind immediately resisted: What? She remembers my kindness and love? Did I even have kindness and love back then? I had always seen myself as a burden to her, someone who was probably a drag to be around.
Her words cracked something open. They made me realize that I had been carrying a narrow, distorted view of myself—one where I only saw myself as a burden. I had forgotten the other parts of me that existed then, the parts that could still love and be kind. Within a few days of her comment, a bigger awareness arose: I have done the same thing for other challenging times—shrinking my perception of myself to only my pain and assuming others saw me the same way. To me, her words were love in action, illuminating a self-limiting habit tucked into the recesses of my mind. Without this awareness, I could not have broken this pattern. Thank you, old friend!
Recreating Ourselves with Light
Light heals. Even when our light feels dim and distant, our light plays a significant role in our healing. In fact, the very dimness that feels uncomfortable is often necessary for transformation—it allows us to access and alchemize our struggles. We may not always be able to reach the deeper layers of pain that need attention when immersed in expansive emotions.
By turning toward these more contracted places within us—where our light seems faint—we are navigating through a necessary process. We are clearing out the aspects of ourselves that have been holding our energy from opening more. As we move through the denser, more contracted parts of ourselves, we are actually working to expand our capacity for light. This isn't about bypassing difficult emotions but about using the power of our hearts to feel them fully—without getting stuck in them or the stories they create.
If we have become so contracted that we feel unable to receive light, we can call upon our light to gently guide us out—slowly but surely. We may or may not be able to spring out of contraction in a jiffy, but we can inch our way back, millimeter our way back to a more expanded state of being, with the support of light—whether from within or from others.
The light in our hearts has the power to alchemize and transform. The more we practice this—learning to open our hearts and allow healing energy to flow—the more easily we can transmute past suffering and navigate present challenges. Every time we alchemize is an example of the power of our light in action. It is light that enables the reset, allows for expansion, deepens our connection, and more.
Our light is the part of us that observes. Even when we engage in behaviors that don't feel light or supportive, simply being aware of them is our light in action. The conscious part of us—our light—enables this awareness, allowing us to witness our behaviors. From this awareness, we can recreate ourselves with our light, as our light is both the observer and the energy for transformation. When we transform, we change with the power of light – using our light to help us align to the frequency of what we desire.
If we feel disconnected from states like joy, abundance, or gratitude at the personality level, our light always remembers. It always knows these frequencies and can reconnect us with them. Through our light, we can create new ways of being—forming new neural pathways, habits, and connections. By allowing the light to work through our hearts, we can cultivate feelings of peace, joy, and delight, gradually shifting our emotional baseline. Ultimately, the power of our light can have a profound transformative influence on our lives when we connect to it.
The Art of Working with Light
When the world feels like it is being tossed in the waves of an emotional storm or shaken in a galaxy-sized snow globe, it becomes a powerful opportunity to keep resetting ourselves—again and again. Each reset strengthens our ability to come back into alignment. The more we practice, the better we become at returning to center. And, good golly, these times certainly provide an abundance of opportunities to be thrown off—and to find our way back.
What better time to develop more of a knack for creating with light than when the world feels especially bleak? I see this as an actual skill—one that, in my ideal world, would be listed on every resume: how we each bring light into our workplaces in our unique ways. Like any other skill, recognizing and cultivating light is something we can develop, gaining proficiency and deeper understanding over time. We can grasp this and develop adeptness because we are built for this.
The more we practice utilizing our light and witnessing others' light in action, the more we cultivate with light and experience a lightness of being. This helps us to navigate experiences, relationships, and environments with greater ease and openness. As we deepen our ability to work with light, we also expand our awareness of our true nature as light and our capacity to function as multidimensional beings.
