We are all made of stardust. It sounds like a line from a poem, but there is some solid science behind this statement since almost every element on Earth was formed at the heart of a star. And a star is seen by its light.
Light plays a foundational role in creation. Many creation stories say that God created light before anything else. For example, in Genesis 1:3 that on the first day of creation: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Energy has fueled life on our planet. Earth’s ecosystem depends on light from the sun, as plants use sunlight to make food for themselves in their leaves, while animals and people higher up the food chain get energy from plants.
Light is often associated with wisdom. The word “enlighten” means to give knowledge or understanding (especially spiritual insights) to someone. When people are inspired by new creative ideas, they speak about a “light bulb” turning on for them. If they’ve gained a better perspective on a situation, they say that they can look at it “in a new light.”
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688--1772), a spiritualist pioneer, was quite renowned in his day for his contributions in various fields of natural science. Later in his life, he experienced a religious crisis and wrote of his experiences of being in communication with spiritual entities.
According to Swedenborg, “The understanding in man can be elevated into the light, that is, into the wisdom in which the angels of heaven are, according to the cultivation of his reason; and his will can be elevated in like manner into heat, that is, into love, according to the deeds of his life; but the love of the will is not elevated, except so far as man wills and does those things which the wisdom of the understanding teaches.”
Swedenborg asserts we’re both n the spiritual world and the physical world at the same time—and that’s how we receive light from both places. If we’re dual citizens of the spiritual and physical worlds, it’s easy to understand how the sun rising on earth is just like the sun rising in our soul when we become enlightened with a new level of understanding. Swedenborg is trying to say that God puts out the light and that light is translated through each individual person like a prism. The light from God can be transformed into various levels of light—all depending on how the individual chooses to project it into the world.
Spiritually speaking, Divine light is everywhere. We can best receive and project that light when we remain spiritually of a higher vibration of thought and character. The most insightful lesson is not that darkness won’t exist in our lives, but that darkness will never overcome light—and that’s a state of enlightenment everyone may experience. There is light in our minds. Not the kind of light that comes from the sun or lamps, because the cranium blocks those out. Swedenborg would say it’s the light of spiritual truth. In terms of knowing what’s spiritually good and true, it can often seem like we’re fumbling around in the dark on earth, but the ability to exist in a state of enlightenment is always possible for us right here and right now.