What Is A Lightworker? Learn All About These 'Illuminated' Humans

Scroll through Instagram, and you’ll likely see a ton of influencers proclaiming to be “lightworkers” pop up. These people are often ethereal beings who talk about being connected to the source energy of the universe. They might proclaim to share insight and wisdom gleaned from a cosmic plane (interestingly, many of them reside in Bali and Costa Rica). While it might be easy to write off lightworkers as tie-dyeing hippies or boho Burning Man groupies, that’s far from the actual truth. A lightworker can be anyone — a writer, actor, chef, teacher, cleaner — who is here on earth for a specific reason: to bring light to the world.

You can probably think of at least one person in your life who fits that description, right? Someone who always manages to make you feel happy? But you may also be wondering if perhaps you could be a lightworker. Well, here’s what you need to know about these illuminated humans.

What does a lightworker do?

Quite simply, a lightworker is someone who is here to help transmute the darkness into light. They’re often people who have endured some hardship and/or trauma in their lives and have come to understand that challenges are not meant to break them. Rather, they view such hardships as an opportunity for insight and healing — allowing them to pass their wisdom and experience onto others.

As their title signifies, lightworkers shine bright and work the light in their lives in every way. They show up in the world as a beacon of hope and guidance, especially in dark times. These dark times don’t have to be huge crises, like the pandemic, although they can. Sometimes it can be the loss of a job or a relationship or anything that might cause someone to cast blame or play it safe too much in their lives.

In the energy world, “darkness” isn’t necessarily sinister or evil — dark energy often refers to thoughts and actions rooted in ego, fear, and scarcity mindset, like settling for an unfulfilling job or relationship because you’re too scared to go towards what you truly want in life. Dark energy promotes competition and separateness, dividing us from one another. It leads us further away from our authentic selves, pushing us to rely on fear rather than love as our guide. (Enter: shadow work.)

What is the meaning of lightworker?

The meaning of a lightworker is, therefore, the opposite. A lightworker is someone committed to living life lit up from their soul. They embrace authenticity and joyfulness. Life for them is expansive — full of fun and love. They are not in competition with anyone. Lightworkers typically have endured some type of spiritual awakening that spurred them to live a soulful and purposeful life of service. Often empathic and naturally spiritual and intuitive, these individuals constantly dig deep into their own self-awareness to better understand themselves and their journey.

Are there types of lightworkers?

There are many types of lightworkers who cleanse different energies and emit various healing vibes. Here are a few you should know, based on the support you need.

• Gatekeeping: This is a group of lightworkers who help you access higher levels of light and love by exploring your heart.
• Healers: Healers are very sensitive to people’s energies because they’re empaths. They offer emotional, physical, and spiritual healing.
• Messengers: Messengers are very in tune with spirit guides, angels, and ancestors and even receive messages from them to help you through problems.

So, are lightworkers legit?

Unlike other professions or callings, it can be tricky to “qualify” what makes a person a lightworker. In the early ’80s, author and teacher Michael Mirdad coined the term to describe those who feel driven to make the world a better place. In some circles, the word does carry more of a New Age weight — referring to a spiritual person who believes they were placed on the Earth to raise the planet’s vibration.

However, at the heart of the lightworker definition is this: an inner knowing that their life’s work isn’t just about themselves. These people have an intuitive understanding that they are here on the planet to help serve in a meaningful way. So, if you choose to look at it that way, it’s not a stretch to say lightworkers are absolutely a thing (even if you think it sounds like a bunch of New Age, woo-woo hooey).

Remember what Mr. Rogers said? “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” It’s kind of the same idea. Lightworkers are the helpers.

Now, if those lightworkers all over the ‘gram start asking you for money, you can probably safely assume the only thing they’re trying to ascend to is a higher tax bracket.

What are some lightworker quotes that embody these ideals?

Need more lightworker inspiration? Here are some quotes to help light up your life.

• “If we are serious about dreaming our awakening into being and creating a peaceful, loving earth in which the heart, spirit, and soul are the only true leaders, we must continue to keep our focus on thoughts of unity and all that truly brings us together.” — Diane Hall
• “A man who can do everything fully consciously becomes a luminous phenomenon. He is all light, and his whole life is full of fragrance and flowers. The mechanical man lives in dark holes, dirty holes. He does not know the world of light; he is like a blind man. The man of watchfulness is really the man who has eyes.” — Osho
• “Empaths and Lightworkers did not arrive on this planet to lead a cheerful carnival parade into a perfect New Earth paradise. There is much work to be done before anyone will ever enter that promised land.” — Anthon St. Maarten
• “As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” — Carl Jung
• “What if awakening your light body was as simple as seeing the light within yourself, ceasing your identification with your pain and suffering, and appreciating the beautiful soul you really are?” — Catherine Carrigan
• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “Don’t dim magic because there are nonbelievers; let it shine out of you and they won’t know how to look away.” — Nikki Rowe
• “Sometimes the universe turns off all the lights so we have no choice but to find our own.” — Rebecca Campbell