The Poet Priestess

Witchcraft teaches the duality and polarity of spectrums, the interconnectedness of all things, of light and dark, masculine and feminine, positive and negative, conscious and subconscious. Just as we accept that our universe is made of dichotomies that cannot exist without the context of their opposing meaning, we must accept that we are also many different and often opposing aspects that create a whole. Many practitioners envision a spiritual split that creates ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ aspects of ourselves. Some practitioners attempt to work with and develop their light sides, and shun the dark aspects of themselves as negative or bad.  However, to know thyself is to know those parts we keep hidden in the shadows, locked in darkness, obscured from understanding. When I ask why someone is afraid of the dark, I wonder if it is the darkness itself that causes fear or whether it is the fear of what we may find within the darkness. I don’t fear my own darkness, because I understand that darkness does not simply mean bad. That darkness, along with light, plays an important role within me. I do sometimes fear what I will find within the darkness because I also know that is where I put the aspects of myself that I do not want to face, to share or to reveal to others. But like every good spring clean, we must occasionally shine a light into these dark recesses of our psyche, clear out the clutter and make use of what we find.

Understanding our darkness and what lies within it does not mean that one should give free reign to qualities that are harmful (to ourselves or to others), it means that we learn more about ourselves – our motivations, our desires, our fantasies, our upbringing, our conditioning, our habits, our behaviours, our responses and our reactions. By exploring any negative aspects we hide away in shame or guilt, we bring issues into the light where we can see them for what they truly are. We can see if they serve a purpose in our lives, if they have any redeeming features, if we need to transform them, or if we need to let them go. Some things hidden in our darkness are not ready to face the light, and so we close the door upon them and leave them lurking in the shadows. By looking into our darkness, we are peering into our own depths. Not everything can or should be reached. Not everything will be brought into the light. It is simply not time, right now, but by acknowledging what lies within the shadows we learn that there is more to learn. We reach into the darkness and withdraw what we can, knowing that each time we do we step further into the shadows. We move into our darkness and listen to all it tells us. We understand that we don’t yet ‘know thyself’, but we also know ourselves much better than before.

I am no longer afraid of the dark. There is deep wisdom to be found in the darkness.

Pagan Blog Project 2014