Monday Meditation: Dark and Light

Dark and Light: A Different Perspective.

Dark vs Light by fostic popcorn

As we approach what is known as the dark time of the year, it's a good idea to reflect on how we view dark and light and their place in our world, personally. In the majority of western and monotheistic beliefs, dark represents evil and light represents good. My perspective is a little different, and I find a lot of Witchy folks tend to agree with me.

I don't ascribe to the light = good, dark = evil philosophy. I realize it's both religious and literary (although I would argue that the literary took on the religious tenet and made it so) but it is both a disservice and inaccurate.


This mislabeling has led to some serious repercussions in our history of humanity. People of color have been thought of as "less-than" or evil , and that those of light skin, eyes, and hair were considered good. In some religious beliefs even today, those beliefs are prevalent. I actually had an African American gentleman in one of the churches I attended tell me that he and other black people were descendants of Cain and that being black was their mark. I know of one religion in particular that believes black people are fallen angels. It is ridiculous.

 Evil is not bound by light. Many evil things take place in broad daylight. Evil is about intent, not dark or light. We need both dark and light for many different reasons. Evil and good are subjective terms. What I may think is evil, someone else may call good. For example, I believe that the domination of indigenous cultures is evil. I believe it is evil to institute a 'convert-or-die' mandate upon others. I also believe it is evil to brainwash young children into believing that they are born with something called sin.

Society also dictates what is good and what is evil. At one time, pedophilia was the norm in ancient Greek and Roman societies. Young boys and girls were sex-slaves, and no one thought anything of it. Slavery was considered a good thing by many societies in the past. In the majority worldview today, both are seen as evil.


Let's look at the dark for a moment. Dark is where creation takes place. You'll notice even in the bible that the sun and moon are not created until the 4th day. Creation takes place in the dark. We humans are formed in the dark of the womb. We don't see light until we're born. It takes us awhile to adjust to the light after birth. Light is invasive. Dark is comforting. As a migraine sufferer, I know how much light can hurt and dark can heal.

Life isn't black, white or shades of gray. There is a whole spectrum of color involved. With light,we get to see things in the brilliance of color and our experience is enhanced.

When it's truly dark, there is no color to be seen. However, other senses take over and are heightened. Our sense of touch, taste, smell and hearing are all enhanced when our sight is not reliable. This helps us to experience life more fully.

When we meditate, we do so with our eyes closed, shutting out the invasion of the light. The light brings with it a beauty, but also a bombardment. We need the dark to help us ground, center, and look inward.

While I'm not a fan of the movie overall, there is a line from The Craft that I believe succinctly defines this dichotomy's problem:

 "True magic is neither black nor white. It's both because nature is both, loving and cruel, all at the same time. The only good or bad is in the heart of the witch. life gives a balance of it's own."

In other words, there's no such thing as a "white witch".

We limit ourselves with dualism. Light and dark both bring us lessons and experiences that enhance our learning and teach us things we need to know. We should welcome them both and be glad we can experience both perspectives and the gifts they bring.

It's something to think about.