The true meaning of the phrase

We all have triggers, things that set us off and bring us to a place of unbalance or discord. Things that cause us to react from a place of raw emotion, a place devoid of logic. The use of the phrase “love and light” was long one of those triggers for me. The majority of times I would hear this phrase, something would kick me right in my feelers and initiate the “fuck you” response. I know that language is offensive but there is no other way to phrase it and do the feeling justice. We all know that feeling, even if we avoid that word; so please, try to not get too upset with me over that arrangement of those seven letters.

Why did this term offend me so? On the surface, it is just three words, two of which should be positive in nature. The trouble is, all too often this term is a mask for condescending or pretentious intentions. It is used as the end cap of conversations and statements made by “spiritual” people; only it has never positively resonated with me when I have encountered it like this. There have been only a handful of times I have heard this phrase spoken and it held any level of genuine energy. Most of the time when “love and light” finds its way to the end of a statement, what I hear is “I am done talking”. Sometimes it is a passive-aggressive way to say the above-mentioned seven-letter phrase, other times it is an attempt at displaying some kind of superiority, or a showcase of how enlightened the person making the statement is. This is why this triggers me, (less now than it used to) but still, words of a disingenuous nature might always rub me the wrong way.

People say what they don’t mean all the time. Everyone does it so why does this phrase bother me more than the rest? I think it is because I expect more from the people who use it. I expect “spiritual people” to be better, more thoughtful -genuine, and that is my faulty logic. People are just people. We are all flawed and that is where the bulk of our beauty is found. That being said, when I started walking the more “spiritual” path, I found myself doing so due to a terror there are no real words to articulate. I found the people who shout love and light and thought “These must be the people who can help me.” They were full of tips and tricks and as it turns out, they were also full of empty words and false hope; when those all ran out, they left me alone in the dark with the “I am done talking” phrase – ‘Love and Light’. It triggers me because the phrase should have a meaning, it should carry weight, it should never feel empty. This phrase should carry with it all the love one can harness and more, it should feel like hope every time it is spoken.

This phrase is more than just words.

Love and light is not a casual statement, it is an affirmation that dispatches the notion that we are one, we are strong, and we are loved. Love and light isn’t a thing ‘of the light’, and it is not a phrase you exchange as a declaration of your spirituality. It is a mantra that bonds us and inspires hope. It is an energy we send, not just some words we say.

Love and light comes from the dark – not from the light. It is a statement that conveys the fact that you know what it is to be lost in the darkest of voids. It says you have felt the despair of standing face to face with the most horrific terrors, but you KNOW that there is a good to match and surpass it all. It is seeing all that is the opposition of light and choosing to still find the way to goodness and positivity. It is feeling the worst the world has to offer and still searching for the beauty all around us; that should be the energy exchange of the phrase “love and light”.

This phrase triggers me when it is empty, because love and light should be something we all feel when that phrase is spoken. We should feel peace and our weight temporarily lifted. That is the light we are talking about here. Not delusional bright white light but rather the opposite of heavy. We should feel hope and unity. Just as there is no denying the energy and influence of sunshine, there should be no denying the strength of this phrase. I feel that the time should never come when it is spoken, and hope is not the prevailing energy.

I am not writing this to offend anyone who unknowingly uses this term in a way that is lacking. I understand that maybe some people don’t really think about what the phrase could mean to others, or how badly someone could be in need of the energy this phrase should carry. I get that some people just like to say it and that is okay, this isn’t for those people. I am writing this for the ‘me’ out there who is in need of “love and light” like I was. The person who only seems to find the empty words instead of the hope they need to borrow.

That hope you need is a real thing, even when it is hard to find – everyone does hold it.

Please KNOW that I hold it for you now.

Love and Light