What have you been taught about the light and the dark? Is this a spiritual belief? Specifically, who taught you this? Who taught them? Are these ideas of light and dark part of a scientific theory ... personal experience? What is your belief? What do you KNOW? Take some time to ponder and explore the many meanings and ways in which we can see the light and dark manifesting inside and all around us.
The symbol on the right is the Yin/Yang symbol. (see the actual blog topic earlier in my archives for picture)
As a complete circle it represents the foundation of the whole universe ... the innate polarity, potential balance/wholeness in all things. In this symbol, there is no specific representation on either side for what we label as good/evil; rather, both sides (and therefore all things), hold these potentials and it is when either side is out of balance that we experience the effects of what we call good/bad. The Yin/Yang symbol is far too vast for us to discuss here today. It is a study in itself; it also holds significance in Oriental medicine.
Given that the words dark and light have layered meanings, ponder the words positive and negative also. In physics we have no good or bad attached to this meaning - it relates to electricity, polarity and energy. In day to day conversation, we often do have good/bad attached to the words positive and negative. There are many such things in our realm of communication and words ... this is one reason why feelings (or one can say sensing the energy), intuition and direct Knowing can lead us to understanding something with no words at all. If we are talking, then, we require clarity and understanding of what we are saying/hearing with the words we are using/listening to ... people do not always interpret what we are saying the way we are intending it. Misunderstandings occur this way all the time!
One thing one can notice, upon study, is that in any genuine spiritual path, there is ample material written and focus on the inner development of the human. In some paths, it is clearly taught that this has to do with the fact that our latent abilities come forward the more we do certain Work and that if we are not balanced, we can fall into traps relating to power over others, greed, wrath, and other destructive tendencies. In this way, the light and the dark represents our inner potential to manifest in different ways. Some of these ways are constructive and others are destructive. Both are useful in their balanced application.
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| New growth after destruction via fire |
One example of this is the fire which destroys all life in its path - yet leaves fertile ground for new life to come forth afterwards. Another example is when we come forward in a dominant explosive way ... destroying something which is out of balance and disrupting harmony ... perhaps manifesting as anger; it may be a moment (or period in history), in which something is destroyed (like an illusion or a lie or uncovering the actions of a serious crime). In this way, the destructive force has an outcome which moves the energies one way. There have also been periods in history where wars were fought for greed, power, lust and so on. During these times, the destructive forces moved the energies in a different way. So in viewing this, we see that constructive and destructive ... DARK AND LIGHT are not good or bad in themselves ... our intents and results of our actions are the things to consider ... intents alone are not enough (remember the saying that good intentions have often paved the way to hell? ... they can and have ... unintended consequences wreak havoc at times).
Even with Work, it is possible to see some people fall towards their more darker tendencies (now we use the word to mean destructive in the sense of creating disharmony and unnecessary suffering to oneself and others around one) - even after rising to spiritual heights in their Work ... we see this in the stories of the fallen angel in Christianity, Yogis taking advantage of their students, priests abusing altar boys and Masters of various traditions involving themselves in criminal activities. We often equate higher levels of spirituality to certain ethical and moral behaviours, but the reality (at least of the here and now that we are dealing with), is that anyone can fall ... the Work is on-going and therefore it is useful for the development of self-knowledge, awareness, conscience and daily self-reflection to be a primary focus ... along with a balanced code of ethics. Knowing Ourselves can lead to a harmonious and unified Wholeness within where we are able to use these dark and light forces in balanced ways.
As mentioned above, it is a common theme in many spiritual paths to examine ourselves, as it is taught that there is a light and a dark side to all things. This theme is found in many traditions.... from the light and the dark side teachings of Christianity to the Yin and Yang in Oriental paths, to the light and dark teachings of the Aboriginal and shamanic teachings of many countries around the world. Remember that these teachings are layered and so we use the terms loosely, at times, and many of us forget or do not know the many meanings of these words.
The following, is an interpretation of an old North American story: As we read this story, keep in mind that this teaching is speaking metaphorically of the dark and light in terms of the way we used these terms above (dark being ignorance and leading to unnecessary suffering and disharmony) ... or dark meaning ignorance and light meaning an enlightened view:
A Grandfather was teaching his grandson about the light and the dark. He said to him ``Grandson, an ancient battle which has existed as long as we know goes on in me and in all humans. It is a battle between two wolves - one light and one dark. The light wolf represents love, tolerance, compassion, truth, healing and all that is of the light. The dark wolf represents hate, judgment, intolerance, lies, destruction and all that is of the dark.'' The grandson looked up and said, ``Which one will win Grandfather?'' ``Whichever one I feed,'' Grandfather replied. Ever and always, it is suggested that it is our inner attention, focus and awareness that creates the outcome ... whether light or dark. There are many stories such as the one above which come from various traditions and spiritual teachings. Look some of these up yourself.
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| Major energy centers |
Energetically we can speak of the light and the dark with a different meaning. Consider a dark pond or stagnant water ... sitting without movement ... less oxygen. Different creatures will be able to flourish in these waters (and so it is with our bodies ... another blog topic later). Humans avoid drinking out of still pools. Our physical body, being the house of our essence ... soul ... is like water. We are made up of mostly water, after all. When we are stagnant - on any level (physically, mentally/emotionally, spiritually), we develop a greater density in certain areas (we can call energetic centers). These centers are then darker. As we do certain Work, the greater the light (and of a higher frequency) is in and around and through us. So if we say to someone, as Yogi masters ... and others .... have been known to say. `` you are dark ... there is little light in you'', this carries a deeper meaning than what the average person has come to understand.
To SEE THE LIGHT is used so loosely in some traditions that people have only used and understood the superficial meanings of this phrase. Ask someone who only believes in a religious dogma, without personal experience of this level of Being, what to see the light means, and likely their reply will not be to the depth of what the Yogis or the ancient masters spoke of and could SEE... unless they heard of this teaching or have experienced it on their own.
``If therefore thine eyes be single, thy whole body shall be filled with light'' Matthew 6:22. Someone who has not done certain Work, but has studied the Scriptures and goes to Church will interpret this quite differently from someone who actually Sees this Light. This is not good or bad - only different levels of Being and understanding ... and more importantly - KNOWING. People have various interpretations of things. As we evolve, the same thing can take on deeper meanings. References to the light of which we are... whether they are the words in sacred texts, famous literature, philosophy, art and symbols used throughout time in various cultures ... and can be found throughout spiritual teachings of various true paths ... look into it yourself .. Better yet - do the Work and you will See ... references still exist in many ancient texts, but these are words only and they do nothing to alter your perception or level of Being if you do not See - only certain Work on yourself will.
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| It's up to us to bring the Light into the Darkness |
The dark, in this usage of the word, represents that within us which we must transform by bringing the light of our awareness to it... only then do we have opportunity for choice and change in our life. Much of the darkness we experience we bring upon ourselves, and so the Work involves honest self-reflection. Surely, we face things that are the effects of external influences; however, the Work is still always within us - from remaining open to discover useful ways in which we can manage these things to doing the Work to gain knowledge and insight about ourselves and All That Is. It is still in our hands via the development of our level of awareness and Being to our own daily choices and actions to bring light into the darkness within us and the World around us.
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| metaphor for conscious and subconscious mind |
In psychology and the study of human nature this is a common theme - and that which lies below our level of awareness is often that which causes us the greatest suffering, illness, distress and so on - whether it is emotional, mental, physical or spiritual. That which lies below the surface is that which we are ``in the dark about'' in our lives ... or about ourselves. Our Work is to ``bring to the light of consciousness that which has been in the dark'' or ``below the surface''. This is another way of looking at the light and the dark in everyday life. To see that totality of the iceberg for what it is, is to KNOW THYSELF. It is a life-long endeavor! In our Soul Counsel sessions, we do quite a bit of Work on this level.
We have certainly seen or heard of dark times in our histories over the centuries. In historical accounts, all continents have experienced war and tyranny - which is still, unfortunately, seen today in many places and in different ways. The interplay of dark and light forces does not necessarily have to manifest as a war; it can be more subtle, as in the hearts and minds of cultures due to the many influences the people are exposed to ... in so many arenas of their lives. All this can be seen as the interplay of the dark and light once again. Out of balance, humans are capable of behaving cruelly and with destructive hateful intents and actions. Rather than blame a race or a people for being responsible for the massive pain and suffering we have had on this planet, we have to come to see that this light and dark force lies within all races and cultures and people - regardless of their religions, beliefs and so on.
It is useful to explore all aspects of our selves: habits, personality, inherited family traits, conditioning due to our upbringing and other peer, societal, religious, cultural, historical, economic, political, significant relationships etc. influences. By doing so, we come to Know ourselves better ... the light and the dark. It is only when we deny, repress, project, resist and so on that the aspects of our self we do not like/wish to see can wreak havoc in our lives. Fear not what you come to know of yourself ... it is there whether you like it or not. You can balance and create harmony in and around you.
Here are some images with halos around them. In many references, these halos are referred to as light. In some cultures (and religions) it represents an enlightened one ... in others, a holy one (and then ask, what do these terms mean?). What have you been taught of these images? Do you know of any others? They hold stories, history and knowledge.
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| Buddhist statue - note hand position and glow around head |
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| Roman Catholic Church painting of Blessed Virgin Mary and baby Jesus |
We have explored some of the ways in which we use the words dark and light. There is more we could expand on as well ... with examples from other studies, traditions, religions and spiritual paths. All that is written here, can be woven together and tells a story - even though it reflects teachings from various traditions and spiritual approaches. Look deeply into all things ... if you remain on the surface - or only believe what you are taught, you may find that what you have come to know is superficial ... how much more is there? What else will we come to Know over time? ... as individuals ... as people ... as humanity ... leave the windows and doors to Knowing open ... remain teachable always.
