Bible Parables S3E3: The Parable Of The Lamp Under A Basket

The Parable of the Lamp Under a Basket And the parable starts,

No one,

When he has lit a lamp,

Covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed,

But sets it on a lampstand,

That those who enter may see the light.

For nothing is secret that will not be revealed,

Nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

So going into the parable now,

Going into each sentence of the parable and trying to interpret it.

So the parable starts,

No one,

When he has lit a lamp,

Covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed.

So when something is lit,

When something is lit up,

When it carries illumination,

When it carries warmth,

When it carries clarity,

It's not meant to be hidden.

You are the lamp.

We are all the lamp.

Your awareness,

Your creativity,

Your compassion,

Your authenticity,

All these are your light.

When we cover our light or when do we tend to cover our light?

Sometimes we hide our truth to avoid rejection.

That's when we tend to cover our light.

Sometimes we diminish our gifts.

We play down our talents simply out of fear of being too much.

Sometimes we tend to suppress our intuition or we suppress our inner voice simply because we want to fit in.

For example,

You're in a meeting and you feel that strong intuitive nudge to speak or to ask a question,

But you hold back because sometimes there's that fear of being judged.

There's that fear of being criticized.

So you hold back.

You suppress that intuition.

You don't speak.

There may be times there are these creative ideas burning within but we can sometimes talk ourselves out of it.

We think that we are not qualified or we tell ourselves that we are not good enough.

Sometimes we are on this journey.

We are on this journey of healing.

We are on this journey of waking up.

We are on this journey of understanding.

We are on this journey of growing.

But when we are around others or when we are around a certain group of people who aren't there yet,

We tend to downplay our transformation.

All that is simply hiding our light.

It's putting our light under the bed.

It's covering our lamp with a basket.

In the morning,

You could ask yourself on waking up,

You could ask yourself,

Where are you hiding your light?

In which area of your life are you hiding your light?

And where can you show up more fully?

Where can you show up just as you are?

And in that day,

Try to make that one small brave move.

Speaking your truth in a conversation,

Posting your art,

Posting your idea,

Letting your voice be heard.

Saying no or saying yes in a way that affirms your authenticity.

The parable goes on.

But sets it on a lamp stand that those who enter may see the light.

So when we place our light on a stand,

We become a beacon for others.

It's important to remember that this is not ego.

This is not pride,

But this is service.

Living fully as yourself,

Living without apology is your way of offering permission to the world to do the same.

The light that we shine,

It doesn't only guide us.

The light that we shine also illuminates the path for others.

Some real world examples.

You speak about your mental health journey and someone who's listening,

They feel seen.

Or you share your art,

You share your story,

You share your talent and someone finds healing in that.

Or you choose joy even when it's vulnerable to do so,

Even when you feel vulnerable to do so.

And you sharing your joy makes space for others to share their joy.

And those are some ways we can share our light,

We can shine our light.

Some questions you can ask yourself today.

What does your light look like?

Is your light an expression of art?

Is your light writing poetry?

Is your light providing support to someone in need?

And you could also ask yourself who might be nourished simply by you being your real self today.

Simply by you being who you are,

Rather than putting on different masks in front of different people.

So even a smile,

Even a boundary,

Even a kind word can be a light which is put on a stand.

The parable goes on,

It says,

For nothing is secret that will not be revealed.

This is kind of the mystical law of consciousness.

Whatever is hidden must eventually rise up.

When we suppress our truth,

It creates pressure.

Gifts that lie buried,

These ache to be used.

Wounds that are depressed,

They seek healing.

This sentence isn't a threat.

This sentence is an invitation to honesty.

Because when we hide from ourselves,

Or when we hide from others,

That tension grows,

That frustration builds,

It grows until something must surface in some way.

In our day-to-day lives,

Sometimes we try to avoid those conversations because we don't want to cause that discomfort,

Or we don't want to put ourselves through that discomfort of that conversation that needs to be had.

And ultimately,

Our body carries the stress,

Our mind carries the stress,

And it starts to show on our body after some time.

Sometimes when we know our purpose,

But we keep ignoring it,

Life keeps nudging you,

Keeps nudging you,

And you experience this feeling of discontent in what you're doing.

When you're not living your purpose,

When you're ignoring your purpose,

There's always this discontent around everything around you.

Or you deny your sadness,

You suppress your sadness,

You suppress your frustration,

You suppress your anger.

Ultimately,

It shows up.

It shows up as burnout,

It shows up as irritability,

Or sometimes it just shows up as rage.

So it's good to remember that whatever we bury,

It's not gone.

Whatever we bury is waiting to be seen.

And more importantly,

Whatever we bury is waiting to be healed.

So what is that part of us that we are pretending not to know?

Because there are these parts of us,

And we know,

We know that we behave in a certain way,

In certain circumstances,

But sometimes we pretend not to know.

And what truth of yours are you ready to bring to the light?

Important to know that you're bringing this truth to the light,

Not for shame,

But to heal it.

And this is simply the beginning of integration.

Letting,

Letting it surface.

Letting it surface for it to be healed.

And the parable goes on.

Know anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

And similar to the previous sentence,

This is spiritual law.

Illumination is inevitable.

Everything seeks to return to wholeness.

Our buried creativity,

It longs to express itself.

That's why it's always there at the back of your mind.

The pain that we suppress,

It longs to be seen and alchemized.

It longs to be seen and healed.

Because we suppress the pain.

We think we are suppressing the pain,

But we all know that it's there.

And we experience that pain.

We experience that pain in our mind.

We experience that pain in our body.

It shows up as stress.

It shows up as sadness.

It shows up as the inability to live our life to our maximum potential.

Our sacred longing that we suppress,

It longs to guide us home.

It's good to remember that the universe,

Your soul,

Life itself is always working for you.

It's always working in the direction of revealing our light.

And this is not punishment.

It's simply the promise of healing.

If you could relate,

Sometimes maybe you get these signs to change your career path or to change the direction of your life.

And this could be simply because your deeper truth wants to express itself.

Or you meet someone who sees you for who you are,

Who sees you just as you are.

Something in you softens,

You're able to connect,

You're able to let go.

And when you journal,

When you meditate,

When you pray,

You feel that shift.

You feel that shift that something old is coming up.

Something old is coming into the light.

And this is a very common experience for people who are on the path of growth.

Because when we start on this path of self-discovery,

On this journey of growth,

A lot of things start coming up.

And sometimes because of the way those feelings,

Those emotions,

Those thoughts come up,

Fear also comes up along with it.

And many people tend to abandon that path of growth.

They get scared.

But let what is coming,

Come up.

It's there.

It's coming up because it wants to be dealt with.

It wants to be released.

It wants to be let go off or it wants to be expressed.

So how do I live this parable?

How can we embody the teaching of this parable?

When you wake up in the morning,

As part of your journaling or as part of your morning routine,

You can reflect on what is your unique light.

All of us have a gift,

Have a talent that is unique to us.

For some,

It may be a singing voice.

For some,

It may be a speaking voice.

Some of us may write well.

Some of us may act well.

Some of us may teach well.

Some of us may learn well.

Some of us may paint well.

So what is your unique light?

And where are you tempted to hide it?

In what circumstances you feel that you should not be showing your light?

And that's something that you could do in the morning.

Towards midday,

You could do a check-in.

At 12 in the afternoon,

Do a check-in.

Ask yourself,

Did you dim your light to avoid discomfort?

It's a very powerful question to ask yourself.

Did you dim your light to avoid discomfort?

And what would being the lamp on the stand what would that person do?

The lamp on the stand person do at this moment?

What change would they make?

What behavior or how would they behave differently?

Towards evening,

Ask yourself what came up today?

What came up that needs your compassion,

That needs your light,

That needs your healing?

And just to add in that element of fun,

As a weekly ritual,

You could simply sit in silence with a candle.

You take a candle,

You light the candle,

You sit in silence with the candle for a few minutes,

Two minutes,

Five minutes.

And you can ask yourself or you can whisper to the flame,

I am willing to be seen.

I am ready to shine.

I place my light on the stand.

Simple few affirmations.

I am willing to be seen.

I am ready to shine.

I place my light on the stand.

So that's my interpretation of the message in this parable.

So we will now go into the guided meditation based on this parable.

For this guided meditation,

If you have a candle nearby,

Light that candle.

It will add that additional element of serenity to this meditation.

So if you have a candle,

Bring it out,

Light it.

And we will now go into the guided meditation.

And I've titled this guided meditation,

Let your light be seen.

And this meditation is inspired by the parable of the lamp under the basket.

And it's a sacred journey into your inner sanctuary to awaken the light to carry,

To dissolve the coverings that dim it and to move into radiant self-expression.

So if you're sitting,

Get yourself comfortable in your seat.

If you are relaxing on your bed,

Feel your bed support you.

Come to stillness.

Make yourself still.

For the duration of this meditation,

Let the whole world fall away.

If you were lighting the candle,

You can light that candle now.

And just take a moment to feel that warmth of that flame.

Place your hand on your heart.

You can place them one over the other.

And feel the rise and fall of your breath.

The rise and fall of your breath like waves meeting the shore.

If it is safe to do so,

You can close your eyes.

If you're not comfortable closing your eyes,

You can simply lower your gaze toward the floor.

Inhale deeply.

And exhale slowly.

Breathe in peace.

And breathe out everything that you don't need.

Let your breath rock you into presence.

And let silence be your cocoon.

And now see it.

A flickering flame.

A flickering flame in the center of your chest.

Ancient.

Eternal.

Undeniably yours.

This flickering flame,

This light,

Is your truth,

Your intuition,

Your brilliance,

Your love.

This light has never gone out.

It only waited for your attention.

Inhale and see it grow.

Exhale and feel it expand.

Ask yourself,

What have I always known about who I am?

What does my soul long to express?

Let the feelings,

Let the images,

Let the memories surface.

Let them surface like sacred whispers from your inner temple.

Now imagine the coverings.

The baskets woven from fear.

The blankets stitched from old stories.

The soft places where your light has curled up,

Hidden,

Waiting.

Maybe you hid to stay safe,

To be loved.

Maybe you hid simply to survive.

And one by one let them appear.

A time when you silenced your truth.

A gift that you buried.

A part of you that you felt was too much or that you felt was not enough.

Let them appear.

Feel the weight of them.

And then speak gently.

I honour the part of me that hid.

I thank it.

I survived.

But I am no longer in hiding.

I am safe now.

To be seen.

And breathe into the release.

Let the feelings arise.

Let the tears come.

And if they do,

Let them wash the hiding away.

And now imagine lifting that golden flame from your chest upward.

Past your truth.

Clearing your voice.

Past your third eye,

Awakening your vision.

Up and out.

Until it rests gently on a luminous stand above the crown of your head.

It shines,

Not harshly but wholly.

It lights the space around you.

Feel your posture shift.

You are no longer curled inward.

You are luminous.

See people entering the field of your light.

Noticing.

Not because you seek attention.

But because you radiate authenticity.

Ask yourself.

Who becomes free when I am fully me?

What becomes possible when I stop shrinking?

There is no secret that won't come to light.

But light does not judge.

It reveals to heal.

Let your inner gaze turn to what still hides in the shadows of your being.

An old story.

An old memory.

A belief that once protected you.

Let the lamp illuminate it.

No shame.

No resistance.

Whisper.

Remember.

Even this part of me is worthy of love.

What has been hidden is ready to be held.

I do not abandon myself.

I bring myself into the light.

Let your body soften.

Let your breath deepen.

Let your heart open.

Bask in your own glow.

Let it wrap around you like silk.

You are not here to dim.

You are here to shine.

Gently.

Truthfully.

Powerfully.

Feel your body.

Feel your breath.

Let your awareness gently return to the space around you.

Wiggle your fingers.

Roll your shoulders.

Smile softly.

Whisper to yourself.

I am the lamp.

I am no longer hidden.

My light blesses all it touches.

Including me.

And when you are ready,

You can open your eyes.

So a call to action.

Based on the parable.

Let the light in and let the light out.

You are the lamp.

We are all lamps.

And our light is not meant to be hidden.

Our talents are not meant to be hidden.

Our expression is not meant to be hidden.

We need to stop hiding behind fear.

We need to stop hiding behind shame.

We need to stop hiding behind those old stories.

Because those don't define us anymore.

So this week.

This moment in fact.

Stay in that awareness of that light within you.

Think about a truth that you haven't spoken.

A gift that you have been holding back.

A desire that you are ready to honour.

Something that you have always wanted to do.

But you have avoided doing it.

For whatever reason.

And do one act that reveals your light.

This act could look like speaking honestly in a relationship.

Sharing your creativity without apology.

Saying yes to what aligns.

Saying no to what does not align.

Or you could simply journal through your shadows.

Till they start to soften.

I guess something that we need to remind ourselves.

Is that the world needs more of us.

Not less.

Thank you everyone for being here at today's event.

Keep your light shining.

Love.

Light.

Blessings.

Namaste.