They say the eyes are the windows to one’s soul. Look deeply into your own, or any other, and you will find encircled within the iris a dark center. Our “pupil”, the focal point for all our visions and the lens from which we see, the dark middle, a black whole.
So often we think of darkness opposing the light. Light in all its brilliance illuminates the path. It is a gift from the stars. We follow the light. We choose the light. We look at the bright side. We are guided by and towards the light. Yet, it is the light that casts our shadows. And let’s not forget where we come from.
In the darkness is where it all begins. Each new day begins with a light in the dark. And the fertile ground beneath us is a dark place for roots to grow. Yet, this is our foundation. We were once the seeds comforted in the darkness, in the unseen. It is here, in which all life has been nurtured and birthed. And so it is with all dreams and desires, arising from a seed of the unknown.
I’m not writing to shed light into the dark, but to reclaim the heart of darkness. It is within us. It is where rest and comfort await, where visions are born, where we let go, soften, surrender, and trust. When we “look inside,” we don’t see, we feel. We’ve all felt our way through the dark at some point, hands out like antennas, listening as we reach and step, reach and step, trusting along the way. Into the unseen, feeling our way, guided from within.
In the dark you find yourself, listening, with nothing to see, and everything to be. The breath, your heart, each thought wave coming in loud and clear, what is there to fear? How often do we allow ourselves to explore the darkness both inward and outside? It teaches us to slow down, pay attention, listen, question, feel and to trust ourselves. Yes, it’s nice to turn on the light, but you will never know your own depths without diving into the dark.
There is a heart in darkness, it is pure, and it is true. You can trust it, relax, and let those black nights soothe you. So love the light with all your might, but not more than the dark, for one could not exist without the other, like a soul with out a heart. Without the dark, light would not be. Without the light, the world could not see. So fear it not, and love it true, for in the end the darkness will hold you.