What is hope? We often think of hope (or the lack thereof) as a feeling we experience as we move toward a desired outcome. Valentin Tomberg, a French mystic, scholar and hermeticist, asserts that hope is not nearly that limited. In his view, it is more like “a light-force which radiates objectively and which directs creative evolution toward the world’s future.” It is the force that actually directs spiritual evolution.
Hope is not connected to outcome. It is not external. Hope is not a resource that can ever truly be depleted. Hope comes from the deepest part of our souls, and it is a well that can never run dry.
Our modern lexicon frames hope as future-oriented, but mostly from the perspective of the individual’s personal wants and desires. That’s why many use the words hope and wish interchangeably. Perhaps that’s why many are beholden to the idea that hope can be “gained” or “lost.”
Broadening our definition of hope, we begin to see it is divine energy flowing freely as if from a conduit. If we keep the conduit clear, divine hope not only moves through us, but it actually works through us.
Cynthia Bourgeault says, “the nature of hope is to move forward. It moves toward the future, carrying both itself and us toward a deeper and more authentic manifestation.” She also notes that “as we let ourselves yield and go with it, it will open us toward the authentic unfolding of our being. The opposite is also just as true: any form of resistance, be it nostalgia, clinging, bitterness, self-pity, or self-justification, will make it impossible to find that current of hope, impossible for hope to carry us to our true becoming.”
When you feel hope is lost, there is comfort to be found within. Visualize hope as vividly as the brightest light imaginable, entering through the crown of your head and moving all the way through your feet to the earth you stand on. Hope will not use a lot of words. It would rather show you the way.
If you happen to find this wellspring of light and radiance on your journey even once, know that you may always return. It is always waiting to sustain and energize you on the path of your soul’s most beautiful unfolding.
—Jessica Lien, Prairiewoods development coordinator