Progressus Angelorum

I often wonder what Gillian is thinking when she is ruminating about the sconces in the dining room. Or the ones in the bedroom...or, even the recessed lights in the living room. She seems so intrigued, as if she is waiting for secret messages from the great beyond. Entranced, really. At first I was alarmed, wondering if this was a sign of emotional or intellectual vacancy, until I had the good fortune of hearing one, then many, other moms say that their infant, too, had a fixation with lights. Turns out, after many hours of observing my infant and her obsession, I have a theory.

If you are a spiritual being, consider this (if you're not, a pity, but read on just for kicks). Hypothesis: wherever we come from, we return to once life ends. Whether you think babies drop off clouds after selecting the perfect family (I personally don't subscribe to this theory, because why would any child go to a war ravaged, poverty-stricken, or barren country or to deadbeat or otherwise addled parents?), or that souls are captured into a child the minute he takes his first breath (or anything in between, which there is plenty), this much is certain: the younger we are or the older we are, the closer we are to The Source. If you'll recall, many folks who have Near Death Experiences recall seeing a tunnel with a light at the end...or being bathed in a white light once they get there. (Now, before you scientific minded people rain on my philosophical parade, Yes I AM AWARE that science postulates that the tunnel effect is a lack of oxygen in the brain, but bear with me, please.) So, no one can interview an infant to see what his experience is as his soul enters his body or when his body enters this world. But I am betting it involved a bright place of peace. The Source itself, if you will. So, my theory is that babies love lights because it was a recent condition of their spirit...and that their souls derive from The Source (the giant heart or soul of the universe), which is beauty, peace, purity, and light. Anyone who has had a brand new baby can tell you that they are the purist innocence, and that living changes that some as they age...but if you have ever had the occasion to chat with a very old person, some of that childish innocence, shaded with a heavy dose of wisdom, smacks of the beauty of a brand new soul, as they prepare to return to The Source (kind of like how a raindrop returns to the ocean).