REFRESH THE SOUL MEDITATIONS

A Healing Journey of Moving from Devastation and Darkness into the Light

Returning to the beauty of my inner self through creativity and community

Created in Canva by Nancy Blackman

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being. — Hafiz

This quote reminds me of my inherent worth and beauty in a world that seems to value physical beauty over inner beauty, which I had to learn the hard way. And, yes, even at my worst moments, I have learned that Light is still emanating within me and into the world.

I know… hard to believe.

In the darkest moments of life, we can all forget that we carry a certain amount of strength and Light. Maybe the Light gets dim in certain seasons. Maybe the electric bill for Love didn’t get paid, and the Light goes out, but it doesn’t really go out. That’s what I’ve learned.

In some of my darkest days, I have looked back and realized there was still a Light within me. I was too exhausted to recognize its worth and beauty, but it was there. Each day, as I said hello to darkness and allowed it to bathe me with loneliness and depression, my Light felt like it was being snuffed out.

I was also physically lying in darkness, not able to move. My body felt like lead. My brain was dead, and my spirit was quickly leaving every cell of my body. I later learned that the stress of life had become too much. My body was not able to process anymore. So, it did what most things do. It shut down.

Each day, I woke up in darkness, enveloped with dark thoughts. Each night, I went to sleep fighting depression.

One day, in a fit of frustration with my body and thoughts, I picked up my phone and downloaded the Instagram app. As an amateur photographer, I was intrigued by all the beautiful images I saw in their neat, tiny square boxes.

The entrepreneurial spirit rose up within me—a glimmer of Light shining through. Before I knew it, I found a large photography community called @jjcommunity, and I soon formed a regional group under their umbrella—@jj_losangeles, which…