lurkerwithout | Under the concept shared pain is lessened

From

shadesong's journal:

I last did this in 2003. Set up a poll much like this one.

Ended up lighting 236 candles. And it was not just me - people across the country lit candles.

Why?

A sort of alchemy. An attempt to exchange shared pain for peace. A way of reaching out across the dark and sharing love.

You are not alone. We are not alone. We are strong, even if it doesn't always feel that way. We are loved. We will survive this.

Why do I do this on the anniversary of my rape? Not to revisit the darkness. To honor the light. To remind myself that I emerged from that. To hold my flaming sword high.

I lived. More than that - I survived. And more even than that.

Let me light a candle for you. Let me hold you in my heart, if only for a moment - let me remind you that you made it through, too. That you're not alone.

And take whatever healing I can pass on.

If you feel comfortable talking about what happened to you, please do so here. Either way,please take the poll - I'll be buying candles (tealights, as that's what I can afford hundreds of) based on this headcount, and it's a good semi-anonymous way to disclose. Only I will ever see the results of this poll.

Please feel free to pass this on to any other survivors you know. And if you want to - light a candle with me the evening on June 6th.

Go here if you think it can help you by participating