Printed in the Fall 2023 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Keene, Douglas "Light: Visible and Invisible" Quest 111:4, pg 9 & 47
By Douglas Keene
National President
The concept of light may conjure up images of the sun returning after the dark days of winter, the broad daylight of midday, a glorious sunrise or sunlight sparkling on a mountain lake. Even during the nocturnal hours, planets glow, stars twinkle, and artificial illumination marches relentlessly through our intrusion into the natural world.
When we think of visible light, we may recall its physical properties: electromagnetic radiation within a specific frequency range that is perceptible to the human eye and brain. We may consider the wave versus particle theories, the spectrum of light that can be displayed through a prism, or even the speed of light, frequently used for astronomical measurement. Light can be valuable for aesthetic purposes, energy production, photosynthesis, and other essential roles.
However, light can also be used metaphorically when describing cognitive insight, increased awareness, emotional tranquility, and spiritual awakening. Annie Besant writes: “On the path of devotion the Soul is ever turned to the Light above, not that it may be enlightened, not that it may shine, but that it may serve as focus and channel for that Light, to pass it on to those who are in darkness. It longs for the Light above only to pass it on to those below” (Besant, Spiritual Life, 42). Is the concept of light used in metaphysics truly metaphorical, or might it be supersensory?
H.P. Blavatsky tells us in The Secret Doctrine: “The Root of Life was in every Drop of the Ocean of Immortality, and the Ocean was Radiant Light, which was Fire, and Heat, and Motion. Darkness vanished and was no more; it disappeared in its own Essence, the Body of Fire and Water, of Father and Mother” (Blavatsky, 69). Her expression—an “Ocean of Radiant Light”—which conjures up a distinct image that is perhaps slightly different for each of us. Most of us, at this stage, can only imagine this in our mind’s eye rather than experiencing it directly. Yet each of us can have some comprehension of the intention of the words.
The analogy of the human being as a mirror reflecting the light of divinity is often used to elucidate the concept of higher vibrations. We may be able to reflect that divinity only imperfectly. One traditional analogy is dust on the mirror, which interferes with the divine expression of our true nature. But we can increase the transparency of that reflection through the purification of our lower bodies. With the removal of each speck of dust, we assimilate a clearer conception of that which is beyond our senses. This is generally a very gradual process but can fluctuate, given our inconsistent behavior and insights. Sudden elevations (or clearing of a part of the mirror) can sometimes occur.
I.K. Taimni describes experiments using light in many of his explanations in Man, God, and the Universe. He explains why our true Self is so difficult to discern in our normal waking state, using the analogy of a light bulb and a tank of water:
Suppose we have a glass tank which is filled with clear water and there is an arrangement for churning the water with increasing speed. A high powered electric bulb is suspended in the centre of the tank and can illuminate the water. If the light is turned on, the electric bulb can be seen clearly through the still and transparent water. The water remains invisible as long as there is no motion. Now turn on the motor for churning the water. As soon as the churning starts the bulb appears in a distorted shape and the water can be seen owing to the refraction of light emanating from the bulb. (Taimni, 151‒52).
Here the water is the barrier to the accurate transmission of the light, distorted by this disturbance created by the “churning the water.” We can compare this with our own emotional natures and mental constitutions, stormy at times, but rarely tranquil and reflective. We need not discard or replace the “water,” but merely allow it to be still and transmit that which is already present.
In Light on the Path, Mabel Collins describes this light in various ways. Here the light illumines the path but is also the divine presence in each individual.
For within you is the light of the world—the only light that can be shed upon the path. If you are unable to perceive it within you, it is useless to look for it elsewhere. It is beyond you, because when you reach it you have lost yourself. It is unattainable, because it forever recedes. You will enter the light, but you will never touch the Flame. (Collins, 42)
Here light appears to represent the divine, the unity of consciousness, which we seek to experience. It cannot be quantified, for it is continuous, expanding in all directions and dimensions. Will this light be experienced visually or in some other fashion? Words are unlikely to capture the essence of such radiance.
Where do we stand in such an array of universal forces? How can we interact with this mystery? Annie Besant may have given us a clue in her pamphlet The Use of Evil. She notes there are “vast spaces of the mighty universe where there are no light reflecting bodies, themselves non-luminous; in the absence of these dark ones light cannot be thrown back, reflected” (Besant, Use of Evil, 7‒8).
We think of space as darkness, with the exception of an occasional celestial body that reflects the sun or some other light-giving orb. But if we place a new object in the vastness of space, it may become visible, depending on its reflective properties. Therefore, the space cannot be empty or inert, but contains radiation and light, undetected to our eye, unless there is an object on which it can fall. The visibility of such an object depends on its ability to reflect dully or vibrantly.
Perhaps we are these objects waiting, unaware of the divine light shining on and through us. How bright we shine will depend on the nature of the materials of which we are made. Can we, through purity and wisdom, create a reflective being? We do not need to generate our own luminosity, but merely reflect the universal radiation that falls on each of us. We can strive for understanding. We can become a clear mirror to the light of the universe.
Sources
Besant, Annie. The Spiritual Life. Wheaton: Quest, 1991.
———. The Use of Evil. Adyar Pamphlets no.166. Adyar: Theosophical Publishing House, 1932 [1910).
Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine, Volume 1. Pasadena, Calif.: Theosophical University Press, 1988.
Collins, Mabel. Light on the Path. Wheaton: Quest, 1970.
Taimni, I.K. Man, God, and the Universe. Adyar: Theosophical Publishing House, 1969.