Where The Light Enters You

The wound is the place

where the light enters you.

Rumi

When I make presentations to various women's groups, I have them take a sheet of paper and draw a line horizontally across the page, from left to right.  Then I have them draw vertical lines pointing up from that base line, for each happy moment in their lives, such as life celebrations (graduations, marriage, birth, anniversaries, retirement).

This task finished, I instruct the women to draw vertical lines down from the base line, for each difficult moment in their lives, such as life challenges (death, divorce, moves). 

With these directions being completed, I then ask the ladies to go back and place a star at every turning point in their lives.  Slowly, chatter begins to build with interesting insights.

All of the stars symbolizing turning points are discovered to be placed in life's challenges and not in life's celebrations.  It is through our struggles that we learn and gain wisdom.  It is from here that we alter our course and change directions.

Harshness can crack life wide open, leaving the sense that nothing will ever be the same again; but when the challenge is faced allowing light to enter the wound, healing and empowerment follow.