By Stephen Russell-Lacy
So, I’ve written before about this big, beautiful idea of love and light—as something deeper than just feel-good fluffy stuff, something transcendent. But lately, I’ve been wondering: how do we actually connect with it? What gets us in sync with that deeper awareness?
Mindfulness: A Back Door to Love & Light?
Let’s talk mindfulness meditation. It’s not flashy or dramatic—it’s more like quietly showing up for yourself. You sit, breathe, and try to notice what’s going on in your head and body without instantly forming judgments about what’s going on around you. Easier said than done, right?
But here’s the thing: over time, that simple act of noticing—without reacting—can shift things. It clears out the mental clutter and helps you see through the noise of stress, impatience, and grumpiness. People who stick with it often say they feel calmer, more tolerant, even kinder.
My wife Carole teaches mindfulness, and she sums it up perfectly:
“It helps me tune into what I’m really feeling—my thoughts, mood, and what’s going on around me. Once I get to know that inner landscape, I start spotting the habits that aren’t really helping me or anyone else. It makes me feel more connected—to others and to the bigger picture of life.”
Those Pesky Inner Gremlins
Now, let’s be real: we’ve all got our not-so-lovely tendencies lurking in the background—stuff like vanity, laziness, greed, or being a bit too into our own drama. The Buddhist tradition calls these “anusayas” (sounds fancy, but basically your mental bad habits waiting for the right moment to pop up). Swedenborg—yes, the 18th-century spiritual philosopher—talked about the same thing: inherited inner junk that gets in the way of love and light.
But here’s where mindfulness gets interesting. You’re not trying to force yourself to be more calm or kind. That usually backfires. Like trying to be happy—it just makes you more frustrated when you’re not.
Instead, mindfulness is more like creating the right conditions for the good stuff to grow. You just keep noticing what’s going on in your mind, letting it come and go. With practice, feelings like calm and balance sneak in on their own. They’re the by-product, not the goal.
And it’s catching on big time in the West. Why? Because it’s basically a way of saying “yes” to the light of insight. Even if you’re not into the religious angle, mindfulness is a spiritual sneak attack—quietly transforming you from the inside out.
Now, there are other ways to plug into love and light more directly.
Take metta meditation (aka loving-kindness). It’s about sending warm, fuzzy feelings to yourself first, then radiating them out to others. Sounds cheesy? Maybe. But it seriously ups your empathy and compassion game.
Then there’s Mindful Christianity—which is basically bringing full awareness to life while staying connected to the presence of Christ within. As it says in John 14:6,
“I am the way and the truth and the life.”
It’s about following that inner compass.
Confessional prayer fits here too—honestly owning your mess-ups, asking for help, and moving towards being your better self.
Why Is This So Hard to Keep Up?
Let’s be honest: all this inner work is hard. You need discipline, like learning an instrument. You can’t fake your way through it—you’ve got to show up regularly, even when it’s boring or uncomfortable or you’d rather scroll on your phone.
Meditation and prayer are both a bit like herding cats—your mind runs off, and you keep bringing it back. Again. And again.
And even if you’re super motivated at the start, life happens. You get sick. You lose a job. Something shifts and boom—your good habits are out the window.
When the Struggle Is Real
Sometimes life just piles on. Even when everything looks fine on the outside, you can feel lost or off-balance inside. Like something’s blocking your energy, or you’ve drifted from your centre.
Swedenborg called this kind of thing “spiritual temptation combats”—those inner tug-of-war moments between your better self and your, um… not-so-better self. Sometimes it’s loud and stressful. Other times it’s a slow, grey fog where you lose sight of your usual hopes.
Eventually, these moments force a turning point—a choice. Which way do you want to go?
The Myth of Doing It All Alone
Here’s a little secret I’ve had to learn the hard way: I can’t do this life thing all by myself. I’ve tried. I really have. But life throws curveballs. We fall down. We lose hope. And we can’t always “bootstrap” our way out of it.
That’s when you need something—or someone—bigger than yourself. A wise teacher. A supportive group. A powerful, quiet nudge from above.
Even the medieval alchemists got this. Sure, they were trying to turn lead into gold, but they also saw it as a metaphor for personal transformation—turning ego into compassion, envy into kindness. And they knew they needed help from a higher source.
The Deeper Discovery
It’s exactly here where contemplation gets truly mind-blowing. When you sit quietly and look inward, you start noticing that your thoughts, feelings, and ideas keep shifting. None of them last.
So… what’s the “you” that’s watching all that? What’s the part that notices the change? Maybe that’s your real Self. Maybe that’s the bit connected to something timeless—something radiant. Maybe that is love and light shining in your soul.
If that’s true, then maybe the real move is to turn toward that source. Ask for help. Let that deeper presence lead. Because as long as we’re caught up in appearances and ego, we miss the magic.
Many traditions—from Hinduism to Christianity—say the same thing: the ego’s version of reality is often a bit of a mess. It’s not that the world is fake, just that the way we see it can be off.
So, maybe the first step is realising we can’t fix ourselves all alone. Maybe we need to drop the illusion of control and reach for something bigger, brighter, and more loving.
Because let’s face it—we all need a little help sometimes
Copyright 2025 Stephen Russell-Lacy
Author of The Great Questions of Life
