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| Heceta Head lighthouse before sunset in all her beauty!! |
I was mesmerized by the deep symbolism and parallel that lighthouses have to motherhood. So much, that I couldn't stop thinking about it! Here are a few thoughts from inside my head....
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| Heceta Head Lighthouse |
Lighthouses stand on the shores and coasts of our world, and their purpose is timeless and constant. They know who they are there and why they are on this planet.
They are on the shores as leaders, who lead with strength, not uncertainty, and they are a guide to ships out at sea, trying to get to shore safely.
Their light shines 24/7 consistently through calm still waters, or through turbulent storms.
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| Heceta Head Lighthouse |
See the symbolism?!
In my lighthouse touring...(if you want to call it that)...I learned a lot! I was like a sponge soaking up all the history, work, and duties of the lighthouses and the light house keepers. and busy applying it to my role as mother.
- The ocean is so powerful in itself. I compare that to the world around us. The lighthouse keepers have no control over what the sea does. We have no control over what the world does. or other people do for that matter. We have to stand strong in who we are and what our purpose is. We just have to be ready to weather the storms that come. We can never leave our post as mother.
Every lighthouse emits light from lamps and lenses that are prism like, and used as an aid for navigation. Do you see the symbolism to motherhood? The lighthouse keepers main job is to make sure that lighthouse light NEVER goes out. In the early 1900s and before, that meant carrying a container of oil (usually whale oil) up the spiral staircase to the very top.
During a storm, the wind can blow as high as 100 mph and rocks sometimes fly up and break the glass of the lighthouse light and windows.
- It was the job of the lighthouse worker to climb up, during the storm and repair the glass immediately. The lighthouse light had to be working at all times so as to be a navigational aid, especially during storms. The lighthouse keepers sacrificed a lot to keep the light going 24/7.
- Lighthouses come in all heights. The reason that some are tall and some are shorter has everything to do with their purpose and nothing to do with the designer. Every lighthouse light must be at the height of the horizon as each one spans the distance of 21 miles (at least where we were in Oregon). The 21 miles in the distance where the earth bends and that is as far as each lighthouse light will shine. Interesting information. A lot of technology and math equations have gone into making each lighthouse an effective guide and light to those trying to navigate the ocean. Sometimes a lot of thinking and prayer need to go into making sure our efforts as mothers has the farthest reaching effects upon our children.
- Along the coasts of the world, there is a network of lighthouses that work together. Each lighthouse has its own Morris code of blinking lights that is specific to that lighthouse. The ships know where they are, when they see the different patterns of light. I really loved this information and once again made me think of a network of mothers we all have in our lives from our own mothers, to mother-in-laws, to even strong wise women who in our network of friends in our lives. All these women make a strong united front in strengthening those around us.
Are YOU like a lighthouse?
