03/22/2020
What is the fear of the dark?
It’s something some people never grow out of. We all remember being little kids and imagining the things lurking in the corner of the room at night were all sorts of ghouls, goblins or nightmarish creatures just waiting on us to close our eyes so they can make their move. I’m sure we’ve all had times where we just couldn’t take the fear and had to get up and shine a light only to reveal that what our mind told us was a scary monster was actually just a jacket draped over the closet door or something else completely harmless. This is how quickly the light of our awareness can transmute fear into understanding. Our mind will sometimes place things in the shadows or label it as a monster, or something that’s bad or profane based on our own judgements, insecurities, aversions, painful experiences, traumas, etc. However, when we shine our little flashlights of truth and awareness on them we can see them for what they really are. We can use the darkness to sharpen our focus, to dilate the pupils of our eyes so that we can see a broader perspective, to cleanse the lens of our minds eye by taking a break from all of the sensory input and to guide us deeper into our being where our own truth and wisdom are always waiting on us to tune in and listen.
Darkness represents the unknown and from an indigenous perspective it represents our ignorance as well as the womb. It is both the birthplace of all life, and the formless from which all form comes forth. It is the seed that contains the potential energy of all creation. The darkness is only scary if you’re under the illusion that you are in control. It beckons you to let go, to surrender, to accept that you do not know everything and that you don’t have to have an answer for everything. The darkness can be like a blank canvas for the imagination to paint. If you sit in sensory deprivation long enough you’ll see what I mean. Sometimes it takes being completely surrounded by darkness to truly feel the strength of your own inner light and to understand your untapped potential for creativity.
As humans we are all creators, inventors, alchemists. We are always shifting, moving, transforming, but we are not always conscious of the consequences of our actions or what we are shifting towards. We feel this innate need to apply our own meaning to everything (and then we argue about whose fabrication is correct) We feel compelled to impose our will on the universe instead of just allowing life to unfold and trusting in the natural process. Being in the flow is about letting go and allowing yourself to stay open to whatever opportunities life presents you with. It’s about knowing when to say YES to the things you want more of and when to say NO when you’ve had enough. It’s about understanding light and dark and knowing that we are all both simultaneously and that both are a necessary part of the balance of existence. I challenge you to find the middle way. To walk in a way that allows you to be honest with yourself and others about both your triumphs and your set backs. To lead with your heart and not with your head. To realize the tricks our mind plays on us and understand that by shining the light of our awareness on that which is hidden we are literally transmuting monsters into something that can be understood and something that can teach us even more about ourselves.
The word apocalypse means bringing to light that which is hidden. It doesn’t mean the end of the world, just maybe the world as we know it. I view these times like sweeping out the cobwebs that have been collecting in the corners of the collective unconscious for years. It might get super dusty for awhile, some things may have to be burned down to an ash in order to be cleansed of their impurities and alchemically broken back down into a useful substance, but the pure of heart will rise from the ashes. They will bloom from the muddy water like the lotus. They will plunge fearlessly into the abyss and realize that it’s a featherbed.
No matter where you’re at right now and no matter how hopeless it may seem, know that this is all impermanent and these times will pass like everything else. Look to nature for answers, go and sit by a tree and listen to your heart, listen to the birds, watch the bees, talk to the mushrooms they aren’t concerned. They’re always in the flow of life, waking each day with the sun to sing their songs of freedom, tirelessly moving from flower to flower fulfilling their destiny without a single sliver of resistance or ideas about lack. They know that death is life and life is death and when one thing ends it makes room for something new. Mother Nature is taking a great big ole breath of air right now and I encourage you to do the same.
Take care of your loved ones, check on your friends, give your excess food, clothes, medicines to someone in need. Smile at strangers, meet their fear with kindness, meet their anxiety with hope, meet their suffering with an open heart. Be there to listen. Fill your body with healthy food. Plant a garden. Nurture your gifts. Go do the things that feed your soul. Utilize this time of social distancing to find closeness in other ways. Read that book your friend has been trying to get you to read. Listen to the podcast you tell yourself you don’t have time for. Make art! Make music! Feed your soul. We have a much greater ability to heal ourselves than we often acknowledge. By creating opportunities for emotional healing we open ourselves up to more opportunities for healing the collective as well. Distance healing has been proven to be a real phenomenon and there’s no better time to practice than right now. Even when we are miles apart we are always connected. I feel you all now. I feel all of these waves of life that each of us are moving through. We can choose to clench on to our 🏄♂️ boards clinging with the fear of being thrown off into the ocean or we can hang loose 🤙🏼
and fearlessly ride the waves with the knowledge that even if we fall off we can just jump right back on. Falling off doesn’t have to mean a spiral down into the depths (although there can be some pretty gnarly lessons down there too) it can be as simple as hopping right back on where you left off.
Much love to everyone! If anyone is in need and there’s something I can do to help please don’t hesitate to reach out. I know lots of people are out of work and aren’t sure what the future holds. This will all be a lot easier if we support eachother. Together we have everything we need. Don’t hoard more than your fair share. Give what you can when you can. Let’s use this as opportunity to look out for one another not as an excuse to separate ourselves even more. 💙🌞💚
Art by Rainbow Brainskull 🌈 💀 🌈
