Inner Kingdom

A king who was asked by an outsider how he was able to run his kingdom so peacefully and efficaciously. The king then invited him to tour his kingdom. As the young man set off, the king pronounced a condition. He gave the young man a burning candle and told him that no matter what, the candle should not blow out.

At the end of the day (and end of the tour) the tired man returned. The king asked how his day had been and what he had seen. The man exclaimed, “Nothing”!
“But why is that?” answered the king?
“Well, I was too busy ensuring the candle would not blow out,” replied the man.
“Aahh,” said the king. “And that is the secret to running my own kingdom. I am so busy ensuring my inner light does not extinguish that I am not entangled in the beauty of my surroundings.”

The king’s secret was he ensured the light of his consciousness did not extinguish; this allowed him to stay unaffected by the many scenes ‘outside’. He revealed that while he sees everything he sees nothing, thus he does not get caught up or too engrossed in mundane duties! In this way he is able to give more of his positive self and so his people are happy and this harmony is the oil that helps the smooth running of his kingdom.

The method of meditation is quite similar. We need not try pushing away the outer world, just as it is impossible to push out the darkness, but we can certainly focus on staying calm and peaceful, in other words, ensuring that our inner light does not blow out or ‘blow up’ as the case may be!

For a person on a spiritual path the daily practice of ‘soul consciousness’ is a must. Spiritual beings focus on soul matters, meaning, they care more about what goes on inside their spirit than the outer shell. They take pride in their inner beauty as they have learnt it’s the inner that will affect and take care of the outer.

Because they are respectful towards themselves, they are to those around them also. Because they have self-love, they have an abundance to share with all. They are considerate of the environment also and less caught up in joining the Jones’ next door.

Soul consciousness means to be in the light. Light is a vibrant energy, a profound wisdom, and a graceful, easy spirit. ‘Enlightenment’ is the realization that everything around us is a vibrating energy. The world is a physical energy; our consciousness is a subtle one and the inter-play between them is an interesting weave.

Life can also be likened to light; the living light. When the light goes off, the spirit flies off and the body has no sparkle to it. It is deemed dead, yet it is the body that is dead, not the light. Light does not die.

Virtue lightens up the soul; absence of virtue is absence of light and it is then that darkness takes over in the form of vice. Coming into the light means stepping out of the shadow of illusion; fear, ego, blame, guilt and sorrow and stepping into the eternal moment of virtue.

When we learn to master thoughts and feelings, we become in-charge of the voltage, the current, of our inner light. Joy, peace and love radiate a powerful and positive energy and we realize in that moment that we have the power to influence everything around us, like the sun. We become light-workers, spreading light into the world.

Coming into the light means connecting with the Divine, the Supreme Light, in a realm of light beyond time, space, theories and philosophies. This is our timeless Home of Light.

It’s time… to practice running our inner kingdom with our soul fully illuminated. A kingdom without light is no kingdom at all! Step into the light of virtue. Become a light-worker, spreading light all around. Return to soul conscious throughout the day and you will radiate a different light – the inner bulb!

Contributed by
Mrs Shruti Chaabra