Darkness
It is said that if you have to go through Hell to get to Heaven. Dante journeyed through Hell and Purgatory before leaving Virgil, his guide, and soaring into Paradise with Beatrice.
If you are going to raise your soul to the light (Nobody's Fault But Mine), the centre of gravity of your consciousness will need to be balanced by an equal journey into the darkness - see The Dark Night of the Soul by the Catholic mystic St John of the Cross (pictured to the right). Shakespeare, a contemporary poet with St John of the Cross, frequently referenced the Dark Lady and praised the beauty of black in his sonnets. (Incidentally, the Dark Lady Shakespeare was referring to was not Dame Shirley Bassey, but most likely the Black Madonna).
I love this New Age quote:
"I used to be afraid of the dark; but now the dark is afraid of me"
Darkness Darkess
Lyrics below from a Jesse Colin Young (Youngbloods, 1967) song performed by Robert Plant and the Priory of Brion, ultimately released on The Strange Sensation Dreamland album.
Darkness darkness be my pillow
Take my head and let me sleep
In the coolness of your shadow
In the silence of your deepDarkness darkness hide my yearning
For the things that cannot be
Keep my mind from constant turning
To the things I cannot see
Things I cannot seeDarkness darkness be my blanket
Cover me with this endless night
Take away, take away this pain of knowing
Fill my emptiness with lightDarkness darkness hide my yearning
For the things that cannot be
Keep my mind from constant turning
To the things I cannot see
Things I cannot seeDarkness darkness be my blanket
Cover me with the endless night
Take away, take away the pain of knowing
Fill my emptiness with light
Emptiness with lightDarkness darkness be my pillow
Take my head and let me sleep
In the coolness of your shadow
In the silence of your deep
In the silence of your deep
© In the Light, 18 March, 2011 , Disclaimer, Son of Suckerfish drop-downs from HTML dog