From Invisible to Luminous: 5 Ways We Dim Our Light

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” But what does it mean to let your light shine? 

I believe it is referring to the light that shines deep within us. The true essence of who we are, our truth, our soul, the divine spark that shines from within, the reason we are here and who we are meant to be.   

One of my practices at the start of each new year is to choose a word or two that will inspire me for the year to come. One of my words this year is “Luminous”. To me, being luminous is embodying the light within me, and allowing it to fill me and radiate out in all that I do. In order for this to happen I need to uncover my light. 

Harry Potter had an invisibility cloak that allowed him to go anywhere without being seen. My invisibility cloak is shame, unworthiness and fear, and it has effectively kept me hidden, not only from others but from myself. This cloak was created to keep me safe, to protect me from being vulnerable so that I wouldn’t be hurt, but it has also hidden my light. 

5 Ways We Dim Our Light 

1. Wallflower.Stick to the background, the sidelines, don’t engage in conversation, don’t do anything that draws attention. I hid behind my “shyness” for years, using that as an excuse not to step out or take a risk. Out of sight, out of mind.

2. Conformity.Hiding is not always being completely out of sight, often it is in conforming to what is expected of us by those around us, our families, and society. Allowing others to shape us into who they want us to be keeps our light hidden, and never lets our true beauty shine out. It keeps us trapped in a closed box, even ifit seems like we are completely out there. 

3. Showman.Like actors who put on a show with flashy personality, dramatic flair, or aggressive fights, the showman hides behind a persona to keep others from seeing what is underneath. We all have masks we hide behind for every different occasion or circumstance. Though the masks hide our vulnerability, they also hide our light. What masks do you use?

4. Labels.Society likes to put names and labels on everything. These labels can be easy to hide behind. We begin to identify with the label and think of it as who we are. Victim, trauma, cancer, depression, over-weight, divorced. Or even the more acceptable ones, mother, wife,entrepreneur, teacher. We hide behind the label, allowing others to believe that this is who we are. What labels do you accept, and how could you expand from them? 

5. Beliefs.You can hide behind beliefs of all kinds. They can be religious or political beliefs. Or even beliefs about ourselves. For 25 years I hid behind the belief that I was a terrible writer, until my soul pushed meto step outside my comfort zone and try writing. Now I am an author and writing is one of my passions. What beliefs do you hold about yourself that may not be true, but get in your way and keep you hidden? 

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” ~ Brene Brown 

Invisibility is not the amazing superpower that you imagine it to be. In fact, it keeps you from your true superpowers, the unique gifts you have and what you are here to do. Time to come out of hiding and let your light shine! 

4 Steps to Shed the Cloak of Invisibility 

1. Awareness

The first step is becoming aware of what your cloak is and why it was created. What is its purpose? Dig deep and tune into the feelings at the source of the cloak. For me it is shame and fear. What are the underlying beliefs that you have consciously or unconsciously held?  These can be from events that happened long ago, things others told you, beliefs of your parents or society. For example: I loved writing when I was younger and dreamed of being a writer. One writing class in college brutally ripped apart everything I wrote and convinced me that I couldn’t write. I took this belief deep inside me and believed it was true. One off-hand remark can have the power to shut us down for years, even if it wasn’t intended the way it was received. Once you are aware of why you are hiding, you have the power and the ability to heal it and make a change. You can decide if you want to continue hiding or try a new way of being.  

2. Healing

Ask for help. As you tune in to your deeper emotions, old issues will likely come up. These can be overwhelming. There is a reason you stuffed them down and hid them away, because they were too painful to deal with. Now is the time to get help to deal with them and allow them to finally heal. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help, but a sign of strength. You are now strong enough to take the necessary steps to heal and move forward in your life. You can do this! 

3. Perspective

It is often difficult to see yourself clearly, because you are blinded by your own judgements and beliefs. Looking at yourself from a different perspective can be helpful to see your truth. Connect to your higher power, the divine, angels, whatever you believe in outside of yourself. Ask to see yourself through the eyes of your higher power. How do they see you? Look at each of the beliefs you have held, ask your higher power to show you the truth of this belief. The answers may come in different ways, maybe a vision, a word in your mind, a feeling, or a knowing of what is true. And the answer may come to you later as you go about your day. Trust whatever comes to you. 

3. Choice

Make a conscious choice to embrace your light and your gifts and to share them with others. There is a Cherokee story that says we each have two wolves battling within us, a dark one and a light one. Which one will win? The one that you feed. Are you feeding the fear and shame, or are you feeding love, compassion, and goodness?  Make a choice to feed your light by cultivating self-love. Choose to only speak positively about yourself, even when talking to yourself. Treat yourself as your best friend. As you feed the light, it continues to grow and brighten. 

4. Recognize and embrace your gifts

Be honest with yourself about what your gifts really are. Don’t downplay them or dismiss them. What are you good at? What are your best qualities? What makes you light up when you do it or even talk about it? What brings you joy? Make a list of all these and find ways to incorporate it in your life.  

As Marianne Williamson said, “Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so others won’t feel insecure around you. As you let your light shine, you indirectly give others permission to do the same.” 

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!