The Light We Carry: A Diwali Reflection on Rising Through Darkness

Every year when Diwali arrives, I feel its meaning in a new way. This is not only a festival of lights for me. It is a mirror for the inner work I have had to do over the last decade and a reminder of how we rise through darkness with faith, courage, and grace.

When my parents came to America, they carried faith, education, and an unshakable belief that hard work could create opportunity. They had no certainty, but they had conviction. Their journey was built on resilience and trust in the light within them. That same belief has guided me through my own struggles, teaching me that the light we seek is already inside us.

There was a time when I questioned everything. My worth, my purpose, my future. When I lost everything, I thought my light had gone out. But each time I lit a diya, I remembered that light is not loud. It is steady. It lives in the pause, in the breath, in the small act of choosing faith over fear.

For me, Diwali became a ritual of reframing. It reminded me that darkness is not punishment. It is an invitation to rise. The real festival of lights begins when we face the hidden prisons that hold us back. Fear, guilt, shame, and perfectionism dim our spirit until we find the courage to name them. The moment we do, they lose their power.

Reframing the Hidden Prisons

We all build invisible walls around ourselves. Stories about who we think we need to be. Expectations about success, control, and worth. But when we begin to reframe those beliefs, we open the door to something greater. Diwali reminds us that light does not erase shadows. It teaches us how to walk through them.

The path to freedom begins with self-awareness. It requires humility and compassion for ourselves and for others. When we stop hiding from the discomfort and begin to illuminate it, we discover wisdom in the very places that once caused us pain.

A Challenge to Rise

This Diwali, take a moment to light your own diya. It could be a candle, a lamp, or simply a deep breath of stillness. Ask yourself:

• What darkness am I ready to release?
• What truth am I ready to honor?
• What part of me am I ready to forgive?

Write it down. Burn it. Let the flame mark a turning point within you. When you release what no longer serves you, you create space for your light to expand. That is how we rise.

Leadership and Light

True leadership begins when we lead from authenticity rather than authority. It is not about having all the answers. It is about standing in your truth and inviting others to do the same.

The most courageous leaders are not those who never fall, but those who rise again with honesty and humility. When we lead with compassion, we build connection. When we share our light, we help others discover their own.

A Moment of Illumination

This week’s breakthrough tool is simple: Illuminate, Do Not Escape.
When struggle appears, resist the urge to turn away. Stay with it. Ask what it is here to teach you. That moment of stillness becomes the space where resilience grows.

This Diwali, I am reflecting on my parents’ story and the courage it took for them to begin again in a new world. I see how their light continues to guide me in the way I parent, teach, speak, and serve.

Diwali is a reminder that every ending can become a beginning if we let it. The light within you has the power to rebuild what you thought was lost. Let it guide you home to yourself.

Wishing you growth, health, prosperity, and peace.
May your light always rise.

With love,

Rashmi