Afraid Of The Dark

When we are born, we come from a dark protected place into a cold bright scary world. Everything is so loud and overwhelming. Being passed from person to person, shaking, crying, exposed to the real world out from our protected cocoon. We were safe in the dark. So why do we now associate the dark with being scared, unsure, lost, alone and many other unsettling things? I think for the most part we become dependent on the light and what we can’t see is unknown to us. And our brains play tricks on us. The boogieman in the closet, the monster under the bed. We even become afraid in our own daily lit up world. We say things like, “I’m in a dark hole,” or “I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.” We more often than not project that the dark is a foreboding place. Because that’s what we feel when we are lost or struggling or afraid. But yet on some occasions we go to the dark to escape, to find comfort, to regenerate and feel safe. So, which is it? Are we afraid or are we comforted? I think it depends on the – in the moment – living situation. Most times we need the light of the universe, and sometimes we cover ourselves with the blanket of darkness. We are creatures of both actually.

Science understands that we need to close our eyes and sleep. In the dark is the natural place for our bodies and minds to find the rest it needs. If a person works graveyard, and sleeps through the day, their biorhythm is constantly out of whack unless they take steps to reverse these patterns, such as black out curtains and noise reduction devices. It’s not natural. But again, we need the light, and we need the dark. We know that if we live in total light or total dark, we aren’t healthy and actually decline rather quickly. So being afraid of the dark isn’t really a truth of our being. And neither is trying to stay only in the light.

When I watch a scary movie, which isn’t often, I am afraid of the something in the dark that’s going to get me, pounce on me, but yet I hide and cover myself, cowering in my blanket of safety, in the darkness, to protect me from that which I can’t see. Funny how that works. You see, I don’t think it’s the dark or the light that we’re afraid of. I think it’s ourselves. As I said, we are creatures of both worlds, but it has to be in balance, and we are way out of balance. We instinctively know in our bodies and in our souls, but our minds seem to want to do its own thing. Therefor we create the many situations of things going bump in the night and also blind us off our path during the day. We don’t have eyes that can see in the dark, nor do we have skin that can protect us from the sunlight. We have to find a balance. If we don’t then I believe we live almost in a constant state of panic. We become sick with heart disease, hypertension and so much stress that we start to decay, and if not remedied, we become a walking dead, just living each day to die over and over again. It’s easy to fall into this trap of thinking, of being. Too easy.

The road out of the darkness can be steep, can be winding, and yet can also be smooth and straight. The road in the light is exactly the same. But first you have to recognize what road you’re on and when. Then you can correct and understand the why. Once that is known, you are the driver of your own story and destination. You always are. Life may seem overwhelming at times, don’t get lost in the dark. Life may seem so brilliant at times, don’t get lost in the light. And never be afraid, because you are here for a greater purpose. Live with what the universe has given you for this special journey and create your story and adventure. Then when it’s time, your energy will return to the cosmos from which it began. All light, all darkness and one hell of a journey of the soul.