Many of us are afraid of the dark. Some of us keep our lights on all night; and a few of us even want the TV on all night. We teach our children to be afraid of the dark. We say to them, "Watch out! The Boogey man will get you!
If we look deeply into our own psyche, the bottom line is this: We are afraid of our own shadows.
Last Monday, there were three horror shows on TV. All of them showed scenes of darkness, with eerie music playing. This was an attempt to create an atmosphere of fear. When boy scouts are sitting around the campfire at night, they will tell ghost stories – and the scouts will glance out at the night with apprehension – and, some of them will become fearful.
Recently, on the TV show "Rosemary and Thyme," three women were waiting outside at night, hoping that a criminal would show up. When they heard a noise, all three of them turned on their flashlights to see what it was.
How foolish! Once a person is outside at night, and sits for awhile, her eyes will become accustomed to the light, and she can see perfectly well without flashlights.
Darkness is generally viewed as scary and frightening. This is the way it is pictured in our books, movies, and TV. The message is that darkness is the place where evil dwells.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Darkness is a natural part of life. Most of the universe is dark.
Our fear causes us to miss a lot. We fail to see the wonderful, creative world of darkness. This world is quite different from the world of light..
I invite you to explore the darkness.
If you have a safe area in your yard or in your apartment area, go outside at night. Do this only if you know of a safe area; or you can do this with friends. If you do not know of a safe area, you can also do this inside. Look for a dark place where you can sit down comfortably. Breathe easily. Allow a few minutes to go by. Be at ease. Be patient. Relax the body and relax the mind. Become absolutely still.
Be very aware of all that is happening in your body. Notice your breathing, how it sounds, how it feels. Notice your heartbeat, the slight rushing of the blood near your inner ear. Notice how your belt feels on your tummy, the feel of your clothing, the feel of air against your skin. Notice the sounds near you. Notice that the longer you remain still, the more you can hear, feel, sense and see. In fact, if someone is walking nearby, they will sound like a clumsy elephant!
When you first sit down you may be a little anxious. Yet, after a while you may feel a sense of security. That which was a little scary at first becomes friendly. In fact, if you are outside, you may have the sense that the earth and the trees welcome you. And stillness banishes fear.
Each tree and each bush has a different quality. You can sense the difference between hardwood trees and pine trees.
If you repeat this exercise, you may feel an increased sense of safety and serenity in the darkness. The night becomes a refuge.
And in time you may find that a trip out into the night will relieve stress. If you will let go of your fear of the night, it will reach out and cover you with a soft blanket of tranquility. You will have found a new friend.
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The universe is mostly darkness. It is a busy place. Billions of planets and asteroids dash through the darkness.
Many religions tell us to go toward the light. Yet, if we love both the darkness and the light, we elevate our awareness. Light is only understood as the result of the presence of darkness. The darkness is a place of new beginnings. Each morning is born out of the darkness. Thus the miracle of life is born.
Starting in 1930, and ending in 1954, there was an extremely popular radio series called The Shadow. Each show began with two sentences. Here they are, changed to reflect the truth:
"Who knows what virtue lies in the hearts of men? "The shadows know!!!"
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