Esther – The Inner Mystery of Glowing in the Dark

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Introduction

"Yeah Team- Purim is coming!"

As Purim is upon us once again and we celebrate with laughter, a festive Purim party, (mishteh) and lots of goodies we remember Esther and listen to her story, both at night and during the day.

We must remember Esther in our deepest darkness as well as in the times of our greatest light.

The word Esther means hidden. Esther hides inside of the English word “mystery.” If you remove the first and the last letter you get Yster/Esther.

We are all intrigued by the mysterious depth rather than the superficial which is outwardly flaunted. This is the secret of true femininity. Just as our soul is hidden within our body, so is modesty the spiritual quality of womanhood. Getting dressed up as someone/something else is a way to celebrate our mystical hidden essence.

The more we hide the external side of ourselves the more we allow our true internal qualities to shine forth. It is only the ego which craves external gratification, yet the highest way to give is without getting outwardly credit. Performing a hidden good deed without anyone knowing recharges the light of our soul. This is true healing, to contain and recharge our inner light.

Many people get sick because they disperse their light to those undeserving, who lustfully eat up the energy streaming out of their uncovered bodies. Beautiful layers of velvet, silk and cotton, colorful artistically crafted wrappings are the armors of the feminine souls.

Everyone is looking for protection in this unpredictable terrifying world of today. They escape into the horrid darkness of the color of black, not realizing that there are ways to glow in the dark.

Glowing in the Dark
Esther is the name of a Persian Jewish princess who glowed in the dark period of the Persian exile almost 2500 years ago. Her name is connected with the Persian word for "star," ستاره setareh, because Esther was as beautiful as the Morning Star. Esther’s star shone when the sky was darkest, just before the dawn of redemption from the constraining exile. Her character of mysterious hiddenness – not telling anyone who she was – allowed all of her light to be contained inside. This is the secret of her mysterious power, bringing light and healing into the world.

Burning Away the Thorns of Evil
Esther was the last of the modest Biblical heroines whose power to concentrate their light inwardly allowed them to glow in the dark. This hidden power can be compared to the concentration of the rays of the sun under a magnifying glass which produces fire. Women’s mysterious coverings allow us to focus – focus our inner light to have the power to glow and burn when needed. Esther burned away the evil thorns of Haman the villain who threatened to generate the most gruesome holocaust.

In Touch with the Creator of Her Inner Light
What was the spiritual makeup of Esther’s tremendous power? In her mysterious hidden self, beyond the external trappings of ego, she was in touch with the place within every person that interfaces with our Higher Power. From the depths of this space she was able to call out from the outer darkness of exile to the creator of her inner light.

Revealing the Light of Her Sparkling Soul
Esther’s soulful cries of intensified prayer broke through all barriers that blocked the Feminine In-dwelling Divine Presence from revealing herself in the world. After having reached inward first and revealed this Higher Power within herself, she was able to draw out the light of her sparkling soul into the world.

Accessing the Inner Star of our Heart
Every woman has a shining star of spiritual wealth within her heart. When our lives are dark and we feel low, the unbearable pain draws us out of our comfort zone to reach beyond the barriers of our challenge. This way, our darkness helps us to break through spiritual blocks, which hides the inner star of our heart, giving us the strength to go on.

Leaving the Comfort of the Darkness Behind
Esther empowers every woman to see the light at the end of the tunnel grow, and choose to move towards it, leaving the darkness of the well-known and the comfortable behind. When we have courage to ignore the outer glittering temptations, and turn inwards to face our true selves, our hearts will open and the radiance of our inner star will softly glow to engender light and healing to the world.

May we learn from Esther to focus our light transforming our darkened world to the most exquisite colorful sunrise! Purim Sameach!