“The Dancer of Light” (1985)

This is a story adapted from an old Sufi Tale, as was told by Dev Luthra after attending the first Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade.

“The Dancer of Light”

Dev Luthra, 1985

In the beginning there was the dancer of Light. 

And she danced across the Universe, hopping from star to star, leaping from galaxy to galaxy. She was filled with light, shining her light across the sky.

Then, one day, she saw a house, a tiny house.

And, peeking through the window, she saw room upon room upon room filled with the most delightful things: beautiful rugs, shining jewels, trees and rivers, mountains, rainbows and animals… And She thought. “I have danced all over the sky, and have never rested my head.”

She wanted to enter this house and rest there, but she was too big.

But, then, she leapt through the crystal door of the house and shattered and split herself into hundred thousand rainbow creatures.

And they went scampering joyfully, discovering the wonderful things in the room upon room upon room. And slowly and surely they forgot that they had all come from the one Dancer, and they started to quarrel: 

“You can’t come in here!” they said to each other.”You are an evil spirit. Go away. Go away.”

Yes, indeed, they forgot they were all brothers and sisters from the one Mother.

And yet, a few had a vague memory of the joy that was, and a yearning for the sharing they had done in the past….

So they decided to parade through this enormous house holding lanterns, so all their brothers and sisters could remember the beauty of the whole world and the Light of the one great Dancer.