Dark Sprituality | Lesson Three

[Mairwen]

Defining Dark Spirituality

~ The idea of Dark Spirituality having a meaning that is personal to each individual is very important.

~ Dark Spirituality reclaims the dark portion of the light-dark polarity that has been denied or ignored by those who have confused this polarity with the good-bad dualism. Darkness is not the same as evil

~ Reclaiming of Darkness includes the acceptance of our shadow - the aspects of ourselves we refuse (often unconsciously) to accept as being an aspect of us, the parts of ourselves we've repressed due to social conditioning.

~ You'll see dark imagery from those associated with Darkness. Why? Those individuals have been made more aware of themselves and of the sacredness of life. Focus is on self-exploration and self-expression.

~ The difference between structured groups and personal experience. A spiritual path following an internal path encourages one to explore those aspects society label as taboo so that the individual comes to his own conclusions. Dark Pagans free themselves of the conditioning that suffocates self-expression and individuation.

~ Darkness is by nature linked to our subconscious and therefore very personal. Tthe nature of darkness is to remain elusive to strict delineation. The more one attempts to define it, the further one gets from it. Darkness must be experienced to be understood.

[Dextra]

I couldn't agree more. People need to explore the dark side of their path as well as the dark side within themselves. Of course, this is not necessarily the bad side, but the side that makes us appreciate the other sied of life: death, change, loss, the kind of things people don't like to dwell on. If we understand the process of death, then we appreciate the aspects of renewal and life that much more. This may not make sense to anyone but me, but that's the way I see it. ;)

[BrightStar]

Hi all!
Really interesting.So the idea is that we should all take a good hard look at ourselves?Look into the dark areas,so we know ourselves more completely.Forget the taboos etc of society,know thyself.It kind of mixes in,for me,a bit of Far Eastern philosophy,incorporating all of ourselves into the whole.
Peace and Love
(War and Hate?)(:
BrightStar

[Mairwen]

Originally posted by BrightStar
Really interesting.So the idea is that we should all take a good hard look at ourselves? Look into the dark areas,so we know ourselves more completely. Forget the taboos etc of society,know thyself. It kind of mixes in, for me, a bit of Far Eastern philosophy, incorporating all of ourselves into the whole.

Right! Remember, you can't have sunshine without the dark night!

[Armitage]

Not only that, but the night is just as able to be beautiful in it's own way. Saying you can't have one without the other, to me, is like saying the only value a gorgeous moonlit night has is to make the day more appreciable.
Each has their own values and downfalls and neither can be appreciated by the other's standards.

[Mairwen]

Originally posted by Armitage
Saying you can't have one without the other, to me, is like saying the only value a gorgeous moonlit night has is to make the day more appreciable.

That's not what I said.

What you said in the last part of your message is what I said. :D

[Armitage]

I figured. Just a personal button I have that gets pushed quite often. 8O

[mol]

One thing I might add...is that in reclaiming the darkness, dont forget the light on the other side (the other side being my analogy.)

I often see people who find the darkness so compelling that they leave Light to the wayside. What has happened is just a reversal. They have traded Light for Dark and have learned nothing.

Balance is the key.

[Mairwen]

Right ~ we just haven't gotten far enough along in this for that, Mol. :D

Where IS everybody, anyway?!

[mol]

Sorry..didnt mean to jump ahead.

:D

[Mairwen]

*WHACK!*

Just kidding! :D

[mol]

I dont know where everyone went...well...the network problems are probably the cause of the slowdown...

[Star]

so, have many of you tried working with your shadow?

Being honest and accepting your qualiries, all of them. The ones you ignore and pretend aren't there. I think a lot of the frustration we feel is due to this repression. All the time you lock your shadow up it gets angrier and angrier, and why is it such a bad thing anyway? Because we are socialised to believe it's bad, being selfish, aggressive, promiscuous, murderous, vain, self-destructive etc whatever your fault, whatever you are ashamed of you don't embrace it? Do you? Or should you? I'm not saying I'm in control of mine, but I try to comprimise with it, if I don't I end up feeling really frustrated and depressed. I play sport to get rid of my pent up anger.....hey, it works for me. What about you guys?
Blessings,
Star

[random]

Originally posted by Mairwen
Darkness must be experienced to be understood.

i couldn't agree more. our society twists good ideas into 'evil' and destroy those ideas that may better civilization. y'know what i mean? i doubt that made any sence...

[mol]

I have always felt that 'darkness' had a very 'inward' feel to it...

[Silver Venus]

Great topic guys!
This subject is deffinately stricking some pretty hidden (from myself) cords ~ I think I need to spend some time by myself tonight and really think about who I am ~ I have a very good nack of always looking on the brightest side of everything which is good but not true to myself and when I am really on my own ~ painting and drawing, my dark side always comes out.

[Kateshadowwoman]

so, have many of you tried working with your shadow?


Yes I have done alot of work on my shadow side. Through therapy, ritual and just living with it. Mostly the fiendess who rears her powerful head from time to time. She is very distructive and dangerous. I have had to work hard to ACCEPT ALL PARTS OF MYSELF. For a long time I felt guilt and shame just for not being the way others thought I should be. For speaking my mind and going against the "norms" of society.

[Silver Venus]

How do you work a ritual with your shadow?

[Mairwen]

Now wait. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's save the ritual for class 6 or so. LOL! :)

[Silver Venus]

:eek: No probs

[mol]

Cmon now...I know that there is a little more people out there that want to comment on this lesson.

Do it!

;)

[ELM]

Darkness is not only destructive but also creative. All cultures share the myth of going through the darkness to come back up into the light. This rite of passage is about stripping away the old in order to be born a new. As we walk through the darkness we confront our fears, we risk going mad, we feel such pain and helplessness, we grow strong in the darkness as a baby grows strong in the womb of its mother, until we are ready to move through into the light. This is the myth of Arthur's winter and his grail quest, it is the myth of the death of Jesus. It is re-enacted in the rituals of all tribes and peoples who guide their boys through rituals so that they will become men, who separate their girls from the tribe during her first menses so she can contemplate what it is to become a woman.
But also there is an eternal darkness, present even in the light, and when the sun is at its brightest the bigger the shadows are. There is always something hidden, and the hidden is the secret that excites us and makes us fearful. Our own secrets lend us mystery and presents they are the powers of seduction and magic, and how wonderful they are.

[woodencat]

I think these lessons are very interesting Thanks Mairwen for sharing with us all...

At this time I am so filled with spring and The Mother in such abundance that I feel almost to ecstatic with it all to discuss the dark spirituality. But that is looking at it a step back from the days.....I am in the mid glory of our beautiful season...I can't stop smiling..LOL

But putting our seasons aside ~ on a daily basis the dark is always there, it is always part of us...I can't exist without it, and I can never ignore it or put it aside, it is a balance, and to deny it room to be ~ is to deny the truths of yourself to be free.

I think it takes more time, dedication and patience to be able to fully explore this side of your spirituality, it's a side that has often been suppressed by negative attitudes ~ and many may associate it with fear ~ But it must co-exist with our light it must be balanced.

[Ellegon]

It seems that whenever I do spellworks or delve more into the craft, The best energies and reactions occur as a result of beginning in the dark and searching deep within then slowly coming into the light. And sometimes, I must return to the dark side to be given that which I seek...balance...it is at the very foundation of what we all believe.

The yin-yang or complete circle concept defines that for me. Without the darkside, there can be no light~and vice-versa. To be afraid is not an option, however, understanding that which we attempt to do removes the fear...as I have stated in other threads, knowledge is power...power brings wisdom (if used right)...wisdom brings fulfillment...fulfillment brings us to a new beginning...thus the circle is complete and begins again. A neverending cycle of enrichment!

[cydira]

I'm still in the process of exploring my own shadow side/self. It does get disturbing at times, finding things about myself that I hid because they're too painful or disconcerting to look at head on.

I think in some respects, however, this shadow work that I do is much like part of an initiation. or testing that you go through to prove that you have learned something and are ready for the next part of it all.

Not all things in the shadow however are bad. Sometimes, good thigns hurt to, or you have been taught that they hurt. So you hide them. Right now, I'm personally working through some difficulty with intimacy with my beloved. It's rather upsetting to be in position like that, but it is good that he has faith in me when I falter and fail to have faith in myself.

<shrugs> A good book that I've found for helping with beginning to learn how to look at your personal shadow is called Dark Moon Mysteries by Timothy Rodrick. It helped me to take an interesting new approach on my healing from an abusive realtionship I was in. But that's just me....

[Mairwen]

*bump*

[loopy]

Wow, everyone's insights are awesome. :D

I'm in the process of exploring my darkness as well. It's painful to drudge up the most hurtful of memories/revelations and relive them all, but it's also therapuetic, and in dealing with them, I can chalk them up for the "whatever doesn't kill me, makes me stronger" thing and move on.

Not that I want to leave the darkness behind. I just want it for a friend rather than an enemy from now on. :D

[Spirahl]

Your dark inner self is certainly something that you can't repress, not for long. It is such that you must deal with it.
And I don't think that once you make the journey downwards, that you can come up to the light again for good. There is time to be spent in both, Just like the seasons- summer goes but will come again, winter goes but will come again...

[marevard]

"You darkness, that I come from,
I love you more than all the fires
that fence in the world,
for the fire makes
a circle of light for everyone,
and than no one outside learns of you.
But the darkness pulls in everything:
shapes and fires, animals and myself,
how easily it gathers them!-
powers and people-
and it is possible a great energy
is moving near me.
I have faith in nights." You Darkness
Ranier Maria Rilkes

Read what you wrote and then this just 'popped' into mind. I think it has a point. To accept light, do not you have to accept darkness. Everything has an equal and oppsite reaction. One just needs to accept the 'darkness' and learn to guide it in some direction. Me, the 'darkness' goes on into art- painting, drawing, ect. No harm done. People often have a hard time accepting 'darkness' because they are raised to fear and hate it. And is that not 'darkness' in it's self?

[Faery-Wings]

What ways are you exploring your dark sides? Meditation, ritual, journaling?

I am finding that when I do try to do some mental exploring, I get blocked. My conscious mind must be so darned conditioned to stay away from the dark and I can't seem to get past it. Maybe I am not ready yet? Are you ever really ready?

Chris

[loopy]

Chryssi-- I'm taking it nice and simple. I usually don't like to sleep in complete darkness-- still have a slight fear-- but I've been trying to do it off and on for a little while now. And I've been working on facing the thoughts that have been haunting me, and usually depress or anger me, and getting beyond them and trying to see what good came of them. Also have been reading more into the darker Godesses, and basically just trying to include them more in my thoughts, and appreciate them more.

[ELM]

Chris. Don't forget it's not just about exploring dark God/desses or dark myths etc. But also about exploring yourself. So you could start by indulgeing your thoughts in fantasy's of things everyone else says you can't do, or shouldn't do etc. For example, I used to believe I was a very bad person because I really wanted to smack somone who had upset me. I even denied myself room to contemplate hiting that person. But when I did allow myself to imagine it, I felt better. I felt bad for feeling better the first time. I was raised in a Church going family, so I felt guilty about most things. But gradually I came to realise I can fantasise about doing any of the nasty or rebelious things that I wish I could do, and then get on with my life without having to be so stressed! So let your mind go, visualise any thing that you are restricted from doing. As I say, don't actually do it, but get it out of your system by idulgeing in the fantasy.
Even listen to some dark music to get in the frame of mind. I sometimes listen to calming music later on to come out of that mind set.

Once you come to terms with things that you want to do, but which are considered 'bad' or socially unacceptable, you can start to confont your fears about other things. I used to get scared of the dark at night time, then one day there was a power cut and I dealt with it and I like the dark again now. Sometimes I put myself in situations I know will be hard for me to cope with, just to confront a fear. So theres lots you can do to explore darkness, it doesn't all have to be mystical and magical. It all helps.

Just some thoughts, hope it's useful.

[Faery-Wings]

ELM and Loopy, Thanks very much for your advice. It made a lot of sense. ELM~I am going to try what you said about fantasizing about the things I wish I could do but can't. I see myself as a "good" person and try to ignore the "bad" stuff, like getting angry at certain things or wanting to hit someone and so on...Now I am seeing that for what it is- I am denying a lot of these negative emotions since they don't fit in with my image of myself.

And loopy, I am also going to try baby steps.. but why is it so hard to do that? :D

BB

Chris

[loopy]

Hear hear chyssi-- those baby steps are just sooooo easy to ignore, and step right over.

:D:D