I once dreamt I was standing on a peak overlooking a large field surrounded by forest. People populated the whole of the field and among the people were various individuals talking and espousing a particular belief or way of life. As they spoke, a mist came from their mouths and encompassed some of those listening. This mist had an atmosphere and economy of its own. Those who breathed the mist became enchanted by it so that their very identity and meaning was made of the stuff of this mist. The mist became their life breath. The leaders spoke in loud clamoring voices to gather as many as they could to their outward structures and practices.

Often, leaders would fight against each other and their followers would come to their aid and great battles manifested on the field of forms. No one person or gathering of people, enchanted by the outward incantations of their leaders, could tolerate the existence of others who did not embrace the particular misty environment their leaders created ... so identified they were with the words and structures of their respective leaders.

As I continued to watch the pageant play out on the field of forms I noticed first one, then a few, then every person, on the meadow showed a candling in the midst of their breast that was overshadowed by the coveted mist that surrounded them and that they breathed.  Then, there were some who began to see the candling glowing from within others and looking upon and within themselves they observed they too had this candling. The more they looked upon the candling within, the stronger the glow became so that the misty form surrounding some dissipated a bit in the immediate proximity of certain individuals.  These individuals set about coughing as they breathed free of misty forms in the glow of their inward candling. 

Some leaders took note of those manifesting a glow from within them that dissipated the power of their outward incantations and they conspired with other leaders to castigate and put down those who were turned to the candling. These conspiring leaders asked after those of the candling who was their leader causing this disruption and disunity against those gathered to the various mists. The answer was:

"I am."

 And the candling glowed ever stronger. And the leaders persecuted and punished those of the Candling for not knowing their place and making themselves into leaders. But those of the Candling knew the outward leader did not understand because they were enchanted in the mists of their own making. The leaders told their followers to take no heed of those with the candling upon and within them and to adhere to the outward mists of their incantations. Yet the followers where confounded because they now could see the subtle candling within themselves. And there was great confusion on the field of forms. 

The glow of the candling within each individual further dissipated the mists of form and then some leaders turned their focus on the candling within themselves and the field was further confounded as people gathered together in the candling itself and the glow further consumed the mists so that precious pockets of glowing freedom, wherein the candling itself was the rule, free of outward misty incantations, manifested on the field ... and there was even more confusion on the field of forms. 

Postscript - 

I am in all things and in all events. I am not of a particular secular or religious form or persuasion. I am not of a particular practice, tradition, ideology, theology, etc. ... I am.

It is such a blessing to live in the candling itself and to anchor personal identity in I am itself. So that, personal identity is not in being a naturalist, teacher, husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, male, female, rich, poor, quaker, evangelical, universalist, environmentalist, republican, democrat, socialist, or capitalist. To be unpredicated even as I am living is the power of the inward candling.

Being, which is gathered to the candling itself, knows a life and conscious that is anchored in "I am."