The Goodness in the Darkness

We humans really like to simplify things, often in ways that removes the magic and the texture that makes the world so rich.

We use lightness or white to signify things that are good, and darkness is the opposite. In a Western movie you used to be able to tell who was the good guy and who was the bad guy by the color of their hats.

You’ve probably heard of Yin and Yang. Maybe you have a deeper understanding of the concept, but for those who don’t, here’s a quick summary.

Yin is associated with darkness, humidity, the moon, and the feminine. Yang is bright, dry, the sun, and masculine.

The nuance lies in balance, that nothing is 100% Yin or Yang. Everything is a spectrum, and nothing is fundamentally good or bad. Everything is more complicated than that.

We think of Yin as being submissive, inactive, and often just as the feminine has been in cultures across the globe for far too long, associated with undesirable traits.

Even Buddhism has fallen into the misogyny trap of failing to honor the most important parts of the feminine. Specifically reproduction, which brings me to another aspect of Yin.

Gestation.

We are in a period of worldwide gestation, and we don’t really know what we or the rest of the world will birth when the Great Pause is over.

What we do know is that Yin is also the place for healing so we can focus on that which needs to be healed. We can think of it in terms of the environment, our local communities, and we can also work on healing ourselves.

In what ways can you go inward? In what ways can you nurture yourself so that what needs

healing within you can heal? There is so much goodness within the darkness, we can use it as a chrysalis to emerge as the butterfly we’re meant to be.

Does the idea of a warm fire in a rustic cottage with a nice cup of tea sound amazing to you? It does to me. If some variation on that sounds amazing to you, then you know that deep inside, part of you longs for that healing.

Even if it’s just a good night’s sleep. That counts too. Maybe carve aside some evening where you go without electric lights or devices, and return to a more grounded way of being.

Take a little time to return home to yourself.

Sign up for my Foundations of Meditation Course here.

*typos and grammar errors provided your your entertainment.