Day 52 Darkness and Light, Night and Day

Don’t be afraid of the dark. The dark is just as much a part of this life as the day. They go together like Siamese twins. You cannot separate them. One cannot exist without the other. They are joined for this lifetime and therefore nothing we can do will mean that we can escape either one of them. To live in darkness is often feared. Yet the night time is there to teach us not only about the light but about the lack of light. At night time you can no longer make out colours. That is what night time often feels like, as if all of life’s colours have faded and then disappeared. We feel sad as we love colours and want them back in our life as soon as possible. Yet the dark night times of life force us not to see ourselves and others with our eyes but with our hearts and spirits. We are no longer drawn to external appearances. Instead we discern internal beauty which is often overlooked and ignored during the day. Night times are when the stars are seen. They exist all the time yet can only be seen when the light has gone. There are always stars of light in night times. Light can best be seen in the night times of life. Instead of looking for the dawn and the sun, we need to accept this place and learn the lessons she longs to share with us at this time. Soon we learn how, in the absence of light, to adjust our sight to focus on all that moves at night, the animals that do not come out during the day. One of these is the owl, the symbol for wisdom and if you desire wisdom, you will see the owl and be taught by her during your night times. You will discover all the joys you took for granted in the day and when night time breaks, as surely it must, you will have a new appreciation for them. In the night time you visit places in yourself you had forgotten about. And at the end of the night you will have learned never to be afraid of the night time in the same way ever again, for you will have come through and out the other side. You will no longer live in fear of what the dark holds, for you will have found many of her gifts and be the richer for them. So, do not be afraid of the dark. Let her teach you the lessons that only she can. And in the morning, you will be a very different person.

How do you perceive the dark times in life?

What were the stars of light that you were able to discern in one of your night times?

What lessons did Wisdom teach you in your dark times?

What things did you learn not to take for granted after experiencing a night time?

What was the greatest gift you ever received from the night?