Sunday, October 13, 2013

Darkness Shining Brightly

Dove Arthur Dark Abstraction 1917

As part of Magaly Guerrero's "All Hallow’s Grim 2013… So Good, So Dark", I offer you some of my thoughts on Light and Dark...

 Just the words 'Dark' or 'Darkness' can elicit a wide range of emotions. Feelings of mystery, covert operations, fear, curiosity, uncertainty, sensuality, bondage, depression, death, dying, introspect, a Stephen King novel, Lydia from Beetlejuice, or any of the Addams Family just to name a few.

Darkness, for witches and pagans, simply means an absence of light. Nothing evil there. We understand that without darkness there cannot be light. And vice versa. Each lends balance to the other. Except for clowns. Apparently clowns scare the beejezus out of a lot of people... but that's a post for a different day. ;-)

Night time offers peace and solitude. It can be a time where your mind is able to be quiet, or where you are able to delve into thoughts you had throughout the day that you could not fully concentrate on because of the daytime external noise. Jobs, family, running errands, etc.


Photo: Alexander Binder
We all have a shadow self; a "dark side" if you will. Finding the light within the darkness is an exercise in self-exploration and self-acceptance. Our ability to face and embrace this aspect of ourselves is what can keep us mentally and emotionally healthy throughout our lives.

The beauty about darkness is that it offers us an opportunity to see that which is hidden. We can learn to overcome fears... or have a blast being scared out of our wits. After all, isn't that why horror and spooky movies make the big bucks? ;-) From Bela Lugosi to Stephen King and Freddy Kruger, the successes of horror stories and films make for a fascinating study in the Human Fear Factor.


Meet Dexter!
Are you a person who is uncomfortable in the darkness of your mind? Do you sleep with a light on? Do you pull the covers over your head if you hear a bump in the middle of the night? Take a moment to delve into that brightly lit imagination you have, the one that exists in the dripping-with-fear darkness in your mind. Visualize something of beauty, a rich color that you favor, or a kitten!

Look at Dexter over there to the left. He was a lost little kitten who found his way to our front porch. Scared and lonely, crying in the dark. And a ball of black and white cuteness. Of course, he is named after the lead character in the Showtime series "Dexter". We were so sad that the series had come to an end. And 3 days after the last episode, this little sweetheart showed up. As kittens will do, he is living up to his name - exhibiting an ornery dark side along with a bit heaping helping of Too Cute

See? There really is Beauty in the Darkness.


Darkly yours ;-)


21 comments:

  1. Thank you for your thoughts and celebrating!

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  2. Please come by and enter the party giveaway on my blog. I would love to have you visit: http://www.sanctispirituscoaching.com/2013/10/the-dark-art-of-unfolding-rock-your-art.html

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    1. Thank you for the invite! I will pop over there in the morning. :-)

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  3. I embrace the darkness inside, and I love the night and everything dark. But all my life I have had to struggle with society and the people around me for the right to shine my dark light.
    Love Dexter (both the show and the cutie pie!)

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    1. Thank you! : ) I say, let others be the ones who struggle. Just spend your energy being your own beautifully bright dark self. ;-)

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  4. I enjoyed your thoughts on darkness and light. And what's not to enjoy with Dexter. He obviously knew he would be appreciated at your home. What a darling fur baby.
    I hope that you will come by and ready my entry in Ms. Magaly's All Hallow's Grim at: http://lindaomasoldebaggsnstuftshirts.blogspot.com/2013/10/so-goodso-dark-entry.html
    Oma Linda

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    1. Thank you Oma Linda! I am working on getting over to all the blog posters as we speak. :-)

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  5. I think we all have a bit of "Dexter/Lost Kitty" within us. :)

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  6. Ohh great post! It was really thought provoking and BTW love the name (& series) of your new cat :)

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    1. I like to provoke... thoughts, that is. :D Thank you 'Shelle!

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  7. Great post, I've been to that dark place within myself and learned to embrace it as part of me. Being afraid of the dark is being afraid of the unknown but it's in the unknowns that our imaginations play. That Dexter is so cute.

    J x

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  8. Thought provoking. A great post!

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  9. It's taken me a while to learn to sleep in the dark. I couldn't borrow that kitten to help me, could I? :)

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    1. Rhissanna... lol. We're pretty attached to him :D

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  10. This post touches me deeply, Snowy, for the universe knows that my brightest bits shine stronger in the darkness. I'm happy because I welcome that knowledge with arms wide open, and because I surround myself with friends whose light is so bright that they make my darkness complete.

    I LOVE this post!

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    1. Magaly, I'm so glad you liked it. <3 You are my dark inspiration. :-)

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  11. Beautifully well balanced post. It is so refreshing to find so many others who are able to accept the dark as well as the light in their lives :D XXX

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  12. Meeeoooow! What a lovely little kitty. I'll bet he's be great friends with the Cowardly Lion? Well, maybe not in my contribution to Shadow of Oz. Be sure to stop by Magician of Oz and read all about it.

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