Lightworkers

Who Are They? Why Should We Care? Could You Be A Lightworker?

A Lightworker is a person who shines light into darkness, calls out lies, manipulation, and BS. Lightworkers offer unconditional love, courage, honesty, laughter, and authenticity as tools for richer relationships of depth to heal humanity.

Who are Lightworkers?

Let’s take a moment to think about someone we might know who we’d call a lightworker (an angel, a sage, a beacon of light). Is it a mother? An Auntie? A teacher? A friend? Who are they and what do they do? They’re that person who believes in us before anyone else does. They see our talents and encourage them. They’re our cheerleaders for life, always reminding us to never give up, never let go of our dreams. They don’t just cheer for us, they cheer for people who will never know they are cheering for them—from babies taking their first steps to surfers riding that wave all the way to the shore. In their quiet moments alone, they visualize our success to help manifest our dreams. Just as a bee pollinates, a lightworker spreads light and good intent. They are not codependent, but rather interdependent “connectors,” because once they know our dreams or goals, they look for opportunities to support us, to introduce us to contacts who might be able to help us. Being supportive, nurturing, and encouraging is natural for them, it’s part of their DNA, their spiritual makeup, it’s just who they are. There’s nothing intrinsically “in it” for them. They simply have a light and plethora of love that explodes within them and shines unto others; but so too is their ability to call out the truth when they see someone manipulating, gaslighting, or taking advantage of another. In this way, they can be a provocateur, a nonconforming rebel, pushing others to challenge their limiting beliefs and change their behavior for the better.

Beacons of Light

Lightworkers beam an endless supply of unconditional love, which they simply cannot keep hidden or to themselves. They “ooh” and “ahh” over lovely flowers, beautiful sunsets and inspiring works of art. They have a deep awe for the majesty of nature, the wonder of life. They walk through this world with an excited expectation for joy, often smiling, singing, humming, or whistling as they march to the beat of their own drum. They give out compliments, comfort and encouragement to random strangers, family, and friends alike.

Leaders

They don’t cancel, they call into right action. While they are kind, they are not pushovers. They don’t do everything for everyone at their own expense. When someone comes to them for a want or need, they galvanize those around them to make it happen. They lead by delegation and bring the community together so that each person’s needs and wants get met, no one gets excluded or left behind, and no one person is doing all the work to provide for everyone else. They’re the ones who gently push us to be our best, who empower us by setting examples for us on how to set boundaries, keep our word, and stand in our courage, integrity, and truth.

Healers

They know that the best way to love someone is to show them that they are seen and heard. They remember and celebrate everyone’s birthday and accomplishments, they bring us soup when we’re sick, boxes of tissue when someone dies, and a tray of brownies when a relationship ends. They send us funny memes to cheer us up and inspirational quotes to keep us going. They remind us to get out into the sunshine, to take our vitamins, drink water, and have a day of rest when needed. They share the books they read and dance with us in public when the music moves them. They are not hoarders of happiness; they are jettisons of joy.

Playful and Present

Lightworkers enjoy living and have a hearty laugh that comes from deep within the soul, and they’re willing to jump in and be playful and not take themselves too seriously. They’re not afraid to speak their minds, take a risk on a joke, or stand in the fire with you to be present for big emotions. They feel things deeply and cry easily from a place of profound compassion and empathy. They’re not perfect; but they’re self-aware, and they know how to incorporate constructive criticism and work on their character flaws to be and do better. They apologize, take accountability, and offer repair when they’ve made a mistake; and they expect others to do the same.

Warriors

Lightworkers are not martyrs, they are warriors. They are changing the world through kindness and instructing by example. They are teachers, healers, loving caregivers, and artists. Their presence is a magnet to animals, babies, children, and the elderly; but their personality can be polarizing to the rest because they have the courage to speak up and speak out when others stay in the comfort of silence. They tell the truth, and not everyone can handle the truth. They love big but take no crap. They call out disrespect and injustice. They’re the kind of person who will rise up to bullies and spit truth to power. They stand next to you for what you believe in and fight for the rights of others. They are not afraid to stand alone in their truth, for that is the power of integrity. They have a gentle strength, an exquisite sensitivity, and an immense amount of compassion. They’re not fragile, but they do deserve to be treated with care.

Honest

Lightworkers are honest. We always know where we stand with them because they refuse to tell polite lies. If we ask them, “Does this outfit make me look fat,” and it does, they will say, “I know an outfit of yours that looks much better.” They’re opinionated but not judgmental. Lightworkers don’t love us so that we will love them in return—they love us because they were born to love. They came into this world as love and light; and they’re going to shine whether we’re in their life or not, because spreading love and shining their light is what they were put on this planet to do.

Supportive

Coworkers call them, “sunshine in a bottle.” Lightworkers want nothing more for us than to support us in being fully and authentically who we are. They give the best hugs of comfort and words of wisdom when asked. They know how to be present in silence with an open heart and big ears, when we just need someone to listen. They are loyal, loving, devoted, caring, thoughtful, considerate, and kind. They show up for their families, communities, friends, and especially for themselves. Their own dreams and aspirations are built on peace, compassion, empathy, and oneness.

Burning Bridges

Lightworkers love unconditionally and forgive endlessly. As a result, they can be taken advantage of if they don’t have strong boundaries over who has a bridge of access to the warmth that radiates from their light within which nourishes their gentle soul. Rather than make their giving spirits more guarded (dimming their light) in order to be less vulnerable, they make their space safe for themselves to continue loving big through communicating with radical candor—caring personally and challenging directly (shining bright).  When they see that a bridge to their love is not being used to reciprocate but rather to cause harm to them or to a loved one, they will burn that bridge with decisive confidence and clear a space with humility for something beautiful to grow that serves the highest good of all concerned. They carry matches to ignite the light that’s gone out in others. They carry matches to burn bridges that lead to nowhere.

Who Takes Care of the Lightworker?

Lightworkers deserve to be loved, to be protected, and taken care of, because the Lightworker has something of value that others want and need: they help model ways in which we all can take better care of each other. Lightworkers are loved into being and nourished by other Lightworkers. When we respect the offerings of the Lightworker we find the glow within so that we may shine without.

Please share this post with a Lightworker in your life and a note of appreciation. We thank members of the military for their service to our country in fighting wars. Perhaps we should thank Lightworkers for their service to this planet in preserving peace.

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Sage Justice is an award-winning playwright and critically acclaimed performing artist who has appeared on stages from Madison Square Garden in New York City, to The Comedy Store in Hollywood, California. Ms. Justice is the author of Sage Words FREEDOM Book One, an activist, a member of the Screen Actors Guild and an alumna Artist-In-Residence of Chateau Orquevaux, France. She is a co-founder of The Unity Project which fuses activism with art, to educate and inspire, with a special emphasis on community engagement to end homelessness. She has a series of short reels about living with the rare genetic disorder, Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that you can find in a highlight reel on her Instagram page @SageWords2027.

Photo by Margot Hartford

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