Ljuset vi bär/ The light we carry

Originally published on Novisali, December 2025

Ljuset vi bär / The Light We Carry is a reflective essay on carrying light through uncertainty — not as certainty, control, or resolution, but as a quiet, shared practice of presence and hope.

Key insights from the piece include:

• Light as practice, not certainty — The essay reframes light as something that does not eliminate darkness, but makes the next step possible. Not a floodlight, but a small flame carried with care.

• Lucia as a living metaphor — Drawing on the Lucia tradition, light is presented as a repeated human act: entering darkness willingly, early and quietly, to orient, accompany, and offer reassurance rather than spectacle.

• Hope is relational — Light is not carried alone. Like a Lucia procession, hope is created in rhythm — through showing up, listening, and small acts of care that say you are not alone.

• Walking instead of resolving — Life’s uncertainties are not problems to be solved quickly. The text invites a slower ethic: to walk together, step by step, trusting that presence itself is meaningful.

• Gentle courage in uncertain times — In a world that demands clarity and speed, carrying light becomes a form of courage: choosing tenderness, patience, and shared humanity over false certainty.

The message:
Light does not promise answers.
It offers companionship.
And sometimes, that is enough.

About Liselotte Engstam, Digoshen & Novisali

Liselotte Engstam is an explorer of perspectives, an adventurer of ideas, a pathfinder of meaning, and a guide of timeless transitions. She bridges the worlds of board leadership and art, helping organizations and individuals navigate disruption while nurturing creativity and reflection.

As founder of Digoshen, she works with boards and leaders to expand future insights and reduce digital and sustainability blindspots. Through research, networks, and executive programs, Digoshen supports responsible value creation in the digital and sustainable age, contributing thought leadership via books, articles, events, Digoshen Exploring Leaders podcast, and blogs.

She also serves as Chair of the Boards Impact Forum in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Climate Governance. The Forum convenes board members, thought leaders, and experts in dialogues, webinars, and collaborative events, accelerating action on climate, AI, and sustainability.

Through her artistic practice as Novisali, Liselotte explores creativity and meaning. Her watercolors, digitally reimagined, invite reflection and renewal, offering perspectives that connect head, heart, and hand, and complementing her work with leaders and boards.

→ Discover more at www.Digoshen.com
→ Learn more at www.BoardsImpactForum.com
→ Find more about Liselotte at www.liselotteengstam.com and her Google Scholar page
→ Explore Liselotte’s art and reflections at www.novisali.com and follow on Instagram @novisali_arts