Interesting experience in the woods this weekend

[Myst]

This weekend while we were camping I recall waking early Saturday morning (maybe an hour or two before dawn) and having a mmmmmad urge to urinate. So I had to throw shoes on and stumble up the hill to the ladies room in the dark. I decided not to wake up my SO to walk with me. I never go anywhere in the dark alone. Anyways I really had to go, even though I was terrified. When I finished and started walking back down the hill I was still terrified by the darkness when some voice asked "why do you assume the dark is always bad?" and then I felt calmer. Wondering if this was Hecate talking to me or what... kind of neat.. any input?

[Silver Venus]

OOOooh that is a bit scarey!
Maybe it was Hecate ~ if that is the feeling you got when you heard the words, Id say it was her guiding and calming you! Or maybe it was your own little voice or guide or goddess protecting you and calming you down...
Maybe you need to answer the question ~ "why do you assume the dark is always bad?" and move on from there :D

[silvrsnstr]

It may have been any number of Gods or Goddesses. I think that the message is that maybe you need to try and have more balance. But hey, it could be Hekate's way of telling you you're in her favor. Who knows?
Blessings,
Crimson StarRaven

[Myst]

Well I don't know who it was, it was just kind of neat. I'm not trying to suggest it means I'm in someone's favour or anything either, it was just an interesting experience :)

While some of us work towards recognizing and appreciating the balance of light and dark I find there's still that primeval fear of something lurking in the unknown. Then again one also has to consider the other meanings of darkness. In the dark many creatures cannot see you either. Dark also represents grounding, protection, and strength to some - so the dark is not only where monsters hide but also where you can reside to ground, protect yourself, and gain strength. I think its just a step in my personal evolution :p

[Silver Venus]

Originally posted by WillowRaven
Dark also represents grounding, protection, and strength to some - so the dark is not only where monsters hide but also where you can reside to ground, protect yourself, and gain strength. I think its just a step in my personal evolution :p

Thats so true Willow, I used to be afraid of the Dark side to the craft but now realise it is neccessary for balance and personal growth ~ You can really look deep into youself in the dark, learn a great deal and gain insights, that with light and sight would be blinded. Its like your third eye awakens in the dark!
Do you place dreams in the dark? Just thought of that! I think I do but not sure why as most of my dreams are filled with light...

Pondering...:rolleyes:

[BrigitCayenne]

it could have been Hecate

[Myst]

I think I might consider dreams part of the dark if they are prophetic or try to give me a sign of something. Some dreams are just your mind playing but some are symbols and signs of problems to overcome or warnings you should take into consideration. I have received more then a few warnings in dreams - for example a dream wherein I was covered in scorpions that were biting me, and while my fiance easily plucked them off I was too caught up in my feelings to sit still so he could. Now I've never been afraid of scorpions, nor did I have any exposure to them near that time that they might just idly enter my dreams. In the end I believe it was a warning that bitter words and harsh emotions between myself and other people were involved (which scorpion tends to symbolize) and I was too caught up in myself to get out of that negativity.

I can just imagine our distant relatives hiding in their caves in terror when night fell (before fire was invented), and how this primeval fear is still hard to overcome.

[Spirahl]

I am trying to overcome a fear of the dark myself. And by "dark" I mean BOTH kinds.
I think it was Hecate. Sometimes our so-called "rational" mind tries to explain away what it was, but if "Hecate" is what popped into your head, I think there's a reason for that. I've been discounting those "popped into my head" thingies less and less lately, and finding that I should have been listening to them all along.
I think your experience in the woods was a genuine lesson and experience. Congrats on gathering the courage to do that by yourself.:)

[Silver Venus]

Willow and Spirahl ~ Id like to say thanks for your posts ~ You have both given me lots to think about..
I view dreams the same as you Willow and are always puzzled by my stranger ones! & always believe we should listen to our inner voice in all matters.. although sometimes I try to ignore it ;)
Theres both light and dark in all of us too ~ I used to reject this and then the dark crept up and got me.. I believe a balance is neccessary to have harmony and blalance in your life.

[loopy]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

For a while I was determined that darkness could not be a part of witchcraft -- I didn't want to contribute to the connotations that witchcraft was "evil," and thought that if I worked with the darkness, I would be giving in to stereotypes. For a while I thought that nobody embraced the darker aspects, or destructive energy, even when it healed. Thankfully, that was a few years ago. :)

I've seen the light now. <snicker> Get it? 8O8O:D

[Silver Venus]

lol yeah! Two sides of the same coin :)

[bloodstone20]

:confused: I guess i am the only one that feel that the light is on the inside of me, and the darkness is without.

[loopy]

<spooky voice> Come over to the dark side, Mwahahaha! </spooky voice>

I think it's fine to feel that way, bloodstone. :) I think you're missing out on something, but there's nothing wrong with it. :)

[Myst]

I have a friend who's always been saying that his and my energy are very very alike and I always just kind of thought "whatever". He's very into dark energy and dragon energy (not that he casts hexes or negative energy or any of that, he just works better with the darker more somber stuff) and I didn't think I did so I discounted it. Then again protective and "not gonna put up with crap" type attitude are darker and there's nothing wrong with those. Anger can be used effectively too if you're careful.

I used to always think it's all light too, I think its a phase almost everyone goes through...

[Silver Venus]

Yeah I agree with Willow and Loopy ~ Everything need's balance which is dark and light.
Its really nice to think everything is all light but its not if you really look... I believe that everything in magic aswell as the world has two sides... it just depends on how you use them that counts.
I follow the three-fold rule (everything you cast out comes back to you three times over) and believe that if you follow this you cant really go wrong.

[Myst]

I follow the threefold rule.. sort of... Well I don't think you can just assign the number three to it - I dunno, something that ingrained and obvious to me goes beyond arbitrary number. Then again I don't strictly believe it either - ie. if you get attacked by someone and defend yourself reasonably then I don't think you get a karmic kick in the butt, but if you're just sending negative energy out because you're jealous of someone then you might get that karmic reminder right in the rear! I've learned through practicing that nothing is as cut and dry as all that.

As far as why I believe it can happen, if you are always thinking of negative energy or concentrating on sending it out it tends to hang around you too - I imagine if you're always ticked off at some jerk from highschool then you won't have much time to make yourself happy and achieve your goals, thus you will receive the karma of it all... In spellcasting you raise the energy around, near, or in yourself before you send it out so reasonably you get a good dose of it too.... just my thoughts..

[Silver Venus]

Yeah!!! :p :D :)
Williow you always put things so well :D I raise what your saying and second that!

[Swanspirit]

In the womb, it provides for us the backdrop to the Night Sky filled with billions of Stars to tell me I am not alone in the universe, and this cannot be seen during the day.
I think we all deal with as much "darkness"as we need at any given time. I regularly participate in a Dark Goddess Ritual with some other long time online friends , to deal with any issues that come up with need of, use of, or issues WITH; the dark energy.
The deeper meaning of the "darkness" in the mysteries ( for me)are those impulses , fears and urges that we have inside us , that are subconscious, and can really do great harm if we "fluff" out and pretend we dont have those feelings. Being "All in the light" is not dealing with the reality of existence, and I think dealing with the dark is a sign of growth.
For instance when someone harms me ,or I am simply dealing with my fears, anger, and or frustration ;ALL of which are necessary emotions to have; and is NOT THE SAME as acting on those emotions. The dark goddes can help me get in touch with what is really going inside and help me decide what I need to do to best serve my loved ones and myself and choose which path I need to take.
I think the Dark Goddess Who revealed herself to you will reveal more ...... in time .. pretty direct message from the Divine Source.
One of my favorite Dark Goddesses is Pele , who creates as she destroys.
Love and HUGS
Swannie

[Lilu]

Originally posted by WillowRaven
As far as why I believe it can happen, if you are always thinking of negative energy or concentrating on sending it out it tends to hang around you.

I think that this is part of it. Another theory I have is that similar energies attract each other. Kind of like how you are often (in my case anyway) drawn to people of a similar "mind" as you. Some energies (like some people) just clash, whereas others work well together.

So my theory is that if you are sending out positive energy into the world, it's going to come back to you, but while it's out there it's going to "attract" other like-energy to it, growing, so when it does come back to you it's MORE energy of the same kind that you sent out. So if you send good energy out, you'll get twice (or three times, or more!) good energy back resulting in good things happening to you. And the same is for if you send out negative energy, it'll attract other negative energy to it, and when it comes back to you it'll hit you like a double-whammy!

I found your story of the forest very interesting. I have never really been afraid of the dark, I love it, I just really dislike stumbling around and hurting myself LOL (like when I trip over a spare blanket or something on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night ). But sitting out in the dark, or in a dark room can be great! I think it's really enlightening in some ways because you are essentially shutting off one of the most relied on senses (sight) and have to rely on others to sense things.

Lilu

[Swanspirit]

I've learned through practicing that nothing is as cut and dry as all that.

As far as why I believe it can happen, if you are always thinking of negative energy or concentrating on sending it out it tends to hang around you too - I imagine if you're always ticked off at some jerk from highschool then you won't have much time to make yourself happy and achieve your goals, thus you will receive the karma of it all... In spellcasting you raise the energy around, near, or in yourself before you send it out so reasonably you get a good dose of it too.... just my thoughts.. [/B][/QUOTE]
It is never as "cut and dried as all that.....in my experience, and as for defending yourself , I do think you are not only justified but rewarded for doing so.
I think it is extremely important to be aware of the patterns of your behavior and the real life results , because I do beleive in consequences for actions, on many levels.
I like to follow the positive energy trends that I feel around me .If I do something and I get an immediate positive result I pay attention , and see if it happens again, at least until the cycle is played out :>, but I always pay attention to the pattern .Actually I am going to start a thread on "syncronicity " and individual experiences so we can share some real experiences.
One of the problems I have with some of the wholesale adoption of the eastern ideas of karma is that some of those SYSTEMS of belief originally evolved as part of the social structure and were kept in place to perpetuate a hierarchal system no less oppressive, and sometimes more ; than some of the western cultures. Also that the system is adopted on a hearsay basis, or from literature that was inaccurate etc etc and the orignal system gets LOST in the translation along with the meanings that are of extreme importance. The actual idea of KARMA, Eastern style , is indissolubly united with the Vedic astrology and reincarnation.
Along with the reincarnation idea is the part o the system that one does not even begin to ACRRUE real karma in this lifetime unitl your first Saturn return which occurs about the age of 28, for most of us.
So the idea of innocence to karma is alive and well in the eastern system, and say anything done to a CHILD as abuse is the karma of the perpetrator , not that of the child, which is different than what is expressed when most neopagans start discussing karma.... I hardly think the anwers are pat, and that we have all of them.
Well ..... you get the idea, but I have not heard much of any discussion of those ideas, and then there is the life theme idea, and paying attention to the themes that conitinually replay themselves in your life ,,,,
Love and light
Swannie

[Myst]

I panic when I can't see, just a personality quirk I guess.

IMHO like attracts like as far as energy goes - thus why I think someone shouldn't whine and go "poor me, I'm so sad" - if they let themself stay sad or "victimized" then that energy is just going to perpetuate around them. When feeling bad it's time to think positively and to work towards changing whatever circumstance is causing a problem - if you've got a backache grab some advil and meditate on releasing the pain energy instead of complaining, if you have money problems start combing the job ads and fixing up your resume instead of saying "oh, woe is me". Or if you're feeling bad about being teased in highschool years ago work towards building your own self confidence instead of carrying that negative energy around (that reminds me of the girl who was complaining about not being a cheerleader here at MW when I first showed up and couldn't understand how if she wanted to change things she had to do it herself now instead of continuing to blame it on the kids from school years ago)...

Yes, I'm aware not all problems are as easy to solve as all that,
but at least get up and start trying instead of wasting time whining.

This is something my dad.. who's been in and out of the hospital for the past 4 years and has had severe diabetes for about 11 and *still* thinks positively and doesn't want me to worry about him.. has taught me.

[Dria El]

Wow, what an interesting story Willow! I often hear things/someone/something calling my name. But I've never had 'it' ever say anything past that. And believe me, I've asked 'What do you want?'! Have you figured it out yet?

:)