The Light vs. the Dark, Good vs. Evil... These are common themes known by everyone and portrayed in many popular books and films (e.g. the Star Wars series). There is much misunderstanding and polarization around these themes, so I decided to "shed some light" (no pun intended) on the subject.
There are definitely two forces present in this universe of ours: Light and Dark. At our essence, we are all Light, so in a certain sense, "Light is all there is." However, we knew ourselves to be "all Light" only a long time ago, prior to incarnating in physical form.
From the very beginning God has been the "Absolute" energy—omnipresent, limitless, eternal, non-changing, all Light. When the Absolute decided it wanted to know itself (when you are "all one", you don't get a reflection of yourself), the Absolute decided to multiple into "the many" and become physical—and, thus, a part of the relative, ever-changing, temporal, limited, physical world.
Therefore, the physical universe, by definition, has two polarities: the absolute, Light energy underlying the whole thing, and the relative, ever-changing temporal energy that we experience daily. We live in the 3rd dimensional world, the world of all things physical, yet we have an underlying tap-in to the 4th dimension, the realm of energy and consciousness that underlies the entire 3rd dimensional plane.
Back to the two forces: When the Light manifested into the physical, it became "less Light"..... that is "further away from the pure Light that it once was", since it left its pure state in the Absolute. The further away from its nature it became, the more "lost" it became to itself, and one could say, the "darker" it became. The goal of this game of Life therefore, is for all of us to return to that pure state of awareness and Light that we are at our essence, to return to the purity of God that forms our essential nature, at the deepest levels of our Being.
When the Light manifested into the physical, parts of the Light turned against the Light. This needed to happen in order for the Light to experience all aspects of the physical, non-spiritual universe. And it is this darkness, or lack of Light, that needs to be healed and cleared in all of us in order for us to return to the oneness and Light that we are. We have gotten about as far from the Light as we can get (look at our world and the things humans do to each other), and now, we are shifting and learning to come from a Higher place, in order to return to the Light that we are (notice how "metaphysics" has become more and more a part of mainstream life in the past 15-20 years.)
The Dark isn't "bad", it is simply that which isn't Light, that which is counter to the Light. In our journey to get back to the pure Light that we are, we need to encounter those parts of ourselves that have become "dark" and ego-driven. Our Higher Self is committed to the Highest Good for all. Our "lower self" or ego is committed to our own self, regardless of what happens to others. The ego is power, control and greed-driven, and creates separation. The Higher Self wants union, peace, harmony, and a "win/win" for all concerned. The ego is fed by fear, negativity, and lack. The Higher Self operates from faith, security, and abundance.
When we are ego-driven, we obey our inner fears, and open ourselves further to "darkness" and negativity. When the ego is in charge, it wants to make us look good and everyone else bad. It wants to win and make others lose. The ego is not about true surrender or grace. The ego is self-serving and doesn't truly care about the well-being of others.
We always need to check ourselves and see where we are coming from. When we commit to our Higher Self, we surrender to the Light that we are. When we feed the fears of the ego, we allow darkness and negativity to dominate in our life. The challenge is to do the work on your self as necessary, to raise your vibration, to continually come from a higher place of love and light.
You are not "bad" for coming from your ego. This is not about judging or finding fault with yourself. However, it is important to keep checking yourself and clearing whatever negativity or fears are running you or dominating your behavior. This is the path of the true seeker. It is important to acknowledge and move through all places of darkness and negativity within, in order to get to a Higher place of love and light in your life.
Going into Denial About the Dark
"The dark doesn't exist." I have seen people choose this point of view again and again. It seems to help them feel safe. Many years ago, I met a spiritual teacher who told me, "You're not light enough for the dark to care." I have remembered that all these years. At that point, I didn't have much spiritual clout. Therefore, I wasn't a "threat" to anyone running the show in this place. I actually didn't know much about the dark, but I figured, as long as I kept meditating every day, I was okay spiritually. It wasn't until YEARS later that I "became light enough" and needed to learn about the dark.
I have since learned that everyone on the spiritual path, at some point, needs to learn how to deal with dark energies. There is a level at which we all, in a physical body, in this creation, have been "nailed" by dark forces in their attempts to keep us from returning to the Light that we are. However, the Light shall prevail, it is written, for this is the Highest Truth. In the meantime, the journey home is about clearing or releasing the dark's hold on us, so that we can reclaim the full Light that we are, at our essence.
Part of this reclaiming process includes clearing our fears of the dark. And, in order to clear our fears, we must become aware of them. Becoming aware of them can feel scary... of course... because it feels scary to feel our fears. But in feeling them, we are able to release the hold they have on us, and we are able to become stronger and feel safer, more and more with time.
However, sometimes people decide that they don't want to get in touch with their fears. The fear is that they will be "in fear forever." So instead of being the spiritual warrior they need to be and dealing with their fears head on, they choose to avoid their fears and pretend that "darkness doesn't exist." When a person does this, they are actually opening the door wide to invite dark energies to mess with them. A wise man once said, "What you resist persists." Another way to say this is, what you fear, at the deepest levels (even subconsciously) runs you. What you pretend isn't real can only wind up "biting you in the butt" down the road.
Acknowledging and moving through your fears of the dark isn't necessarily an easy process. In fact, it is scary. That is the nature of fear. However, as you hack your way through this jungle of fear, more Light comes in, along with more spiritual power and awareness. Your true, God-given gifts start becoming available to you. It is ultimately a beautiful journey and well worth taking.
Being on the spiritual path means choosing to work through your issues with consciousness rather than going into denial about them, choosing to tell the truth about what is going on inside you, and taking responsibility for your experience of all that is taking place in your world. You are always challenged to better yourself, to become more of who you truly are. It is exciting, interesting (never boring!!!), and ultimately joy-producing. Remember, the Truth shall set you free.
With Light and Love,
Phyllis
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