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 ;-)