Hawaiian shaman Hank Wesselman teaches that every child who is born into this world has a bowl of perfect light within him/her/them. If the child lives from their center and honors this light, then he/she grows in strength, ability, and wisdom. However, if they do things against their light’s true nature, or if they allow feelings like hate, fear, or judgement to rule them, then a metaphorical stone is dropped into their bowl of light. Every stone that is dropped into their bowl obscures some of the light in their bowl. If enough stones fall into that bowl, the light will eventually go out.
However, when the child is ready, all he or she needs to do is to practice Kalana, which means forgiveness of self and others. This practice (and it is a practice!) enables us to turn our bowls upside down and allow the stones to fall out, one by one (and sometimes all at once!).
In her book, Girls Rising, Urana Jackson says: In the course of a human life, some experiences and events will inevitably lead us away from our highest nature. It is important to remember, however, that the core essence of who we are is exquisite and whole; and, perhaps just knowing this is one of the essential ways of bringing us back to our light.
In the northern hemisphere when we experience the season of darkness, we are see less and less light until after the Solstice on December 21.
But any time of year is fitting for looking into our personal bowls of light and inquiring of ourselves what, if any, stones are in the way of our own intended light.
We could also think of this bowl of light as our SoulEssence. Each living being has this spark of the divine Source within them, including you. The practice of Kalana can help to remove any stones that hold judgement of others, or any stones that represent events we need to forgive in ourselves or others.
Putting It Into Practice:
Give yourself a restful five minutes today and listen to the song, Bowl of Light, performed by Trevor Hall.
In your journal, explore these questions, or any others that arise:
- Am I carrying stones in my own bowl of light?
- Can I name some of these stones right now?
- What would my life look like if I let go of some of these stones?
- What does my bowl of light look like?
Consider making a SoulCollage® card for your own bowl of light. Or make a card to honor one of the “stones” that you’ve let go of.
Beautiful.
I tried to use the follow it link but could not figure that out.
Hi! I just double-triple checked and the link is working for me. Try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uNQAig_RIc
Or go onto youtube and type “bowl of light” into the search bar. It should come right up!
I loved Hank Wesselman’s work, and that story is one of my favorites as well!
Dump out the stones!