During The Night of a Thousand Candles on a cold evening in December, I was immersed in awe and wonder. This was my introduction to Brookgreen Gardens and it was magical. 

Garden paths led to different wondrous spectacles of light. It was enchanting. After passing by the Alligator Bender there was the arrival at the back garden wall.

Outside the back garden wall, candles illuminated the darkness on a sloping hill. Each glass candleholder was placed atop a square platform. A thin black stake lifted each platform, and the stake height varied depending upon where the candle was placed on the hill.  (I don’t have a good photo. The only one is a fuzzy blur. Funny how that happens. ) Overhead, a few strings of lights illuminated heavy drapes of Spanish moss and live oak branches, but this was a hill of candlelight and it was captivating to me.

The energy of LIGHT! had suddenly transformed into the energy of subtlety. A gentle whisper. Flickering flames on a downward sloping hill on the dark winter night. It reminded me of All Souls Day—and remembrance—the candles representing the souls of the departed. 

Subtlety has its own power and presence.