 |
Darkness Visible: the Powers of Darkness
Author: Ross Heaven | Posted: 18-07-2007 | Views: 9 | 
 In an age in the Western world where there is an almost insatiable yearning for “enlightenment,” what could be more timely than an invitation to reestablish a sacred relationship with darkness?
Indeed, it is in the redefinition of darkness that we discover an entryway into a potent transformational experience that can assist us in rethinking the nature of both reality and healing. What might we learn about ourselves and the powers of the “other world” by surrendering to the beauty and opportunity for greater vision afforded us in darkness?
In all parts of this planet the first nine months of human gestation are spent in the rich, protective darkness of the womb. It is there that the being makes the transition from the spirit world to this one, and it is in the absence of light that the spirits work their greatest magic. It is in the light-absent womb that they do the necessary work to prepare the soul for its journey into life on planet Earth.
In the modern world, the newborn is evicted from the peaceful uterine environment into harsh fluorescent brightness, and it seems that the rest of the person’s life is spent trying to sever ties with that nurturing, sensual landscape.
In our ever-more-illuminated houses, streets, and cities, we seem to have lost our way; we have become blinded. We have forgotten the benefits of darkness; we have forgotten how to find our way home. Darkness, however, is ultimately inescapable, and at the end of each day, as the soporific seduction of nighttime overtakes us, we are, once again, transported to yet another gestational experience, yet another opportunity to be reborn.
From a tribal perspective, it is darkness that is the light of the ancestors. It is only in darkness that certain powerful aspects of indigenous technology can be revealed. It is of little surprise, then, that in the African village nearly all rituals of initiation are carried out after the sun has given way to the deep night. The constant presence of darkness provides a protective umbrella that prevents the intrusion of distraction and delusion. It is there that the psyche is invited to surrender to that which is not available in the daylight. It is there that the eyes learn to see what is hidden by the sun’s light.
We often find ourselves ill at ease in modern society, caught in recurring cycles if dis-ease and depression. We might ask ourselves whether our discomfort comes from compromising the sacred and balanced partnership between light and dark. What healing might be available to body and soul if we would turn off the lights and invite the powers of the night into our lives?
In the West, there is a largely undiscovered potential that can only become a reality in darkness. What is familiar and sacred in the nighttime to an indigenous person seems, at best, to be an inconvenient irritation to the modern person. The tribal person knows that there are certain types of wounds that can find healing only in the nighttime and only in the hands of the ancestors who show up for work after the last candle has been extinguished.
We would do well to learn to appropriate a definition of an elder as one who is the keeper of the gates of darkness. It is the old who have finally become disillusioned with the glittery brightness of the manufactured world and who feel the enticing whisper of the darkness, inviting them to draw closer to their earlier transitional home, to the place where they were held in their first months, in the deep liquid intimacy of the ancestral womb.
It is the sweet power of darkness that invites the discerning listener to attend to the whisperings of the spirit world. In darkness true connection occurs and distraction is no more than a distant, indistinct buzz.
Darkness Visible invites us to regain our magical vision. Turn out the lights; step into the beauty of darkness.
Darkness Visible, by Ross Heaven, is published by Destiny Books. ISBN 1594770611.
Rate this Article:
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/darkness-visible-the-powers-of-darkness-183911.html
About the Author:Ross Heaven is a therapist, workshop leader, and the author of several books on shamanism and healing, including Darkness Visible, the best-selling Plant Spirit Shamanism, and Love’s Simple Truths. His website is http://www.thefourgates.com where you can also read how to join his sacred journeys to the shamans and healers of the Amazon.
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
Darkness Visible: Ceremonial Darkness
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Self Improvement
Ceremonial Darkness in Shamanic Tradition
Darkness Visible
By: Ross Heaven | 16/07/2007 | Self Improvement
Awakening spiritual light through darkness meditation
Shamanism and Divination
By: Howard G Charing | 12/06/2007 | Alternative Medicine
Divination is one of the paths to gain direct experiential knowledge. Experiential knowledge can be defined as that which is experienced first hand by the senses.
This article explores the world of shamanism and demonstrates traditional ways to obtain 'hidden' knowledge by divination.
Plant Spirit Shamanism: Pablo Amaringo on Plants
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Self Improvement
In 2006, Pablo wrote the foreword to my book, Plant Spirit Shamanism. After a lifetime spent working with plants and with plant spirit shamanism, what do plants mean to Pablo? This article is from the foreword.
Darkness Visible: Personal Myths
By: Ross Heaven | 16/07/2007 | Self Improvement
Liberating ourselves from our life scripts
Ayahuasca Retreats in the Amazon Rainforest
By: Howard G Charing | 16/06/2007 | Exotic Locations
A dedicated programme in the Amazon rainforest, which is focussed on an inner and deep self-exploration and encounter with the power of the rainforest. This is an adventure into the magical world of the rainforest, and a transformative experience of the ancient mystical rituals of the plant spirit medicines.
The Sacred Plants of the Incas - the Timeless World of the Andes
By: Howard G Charing | 30/06/2007 | Exotic Locations
The Incas regarded coca as ‘the divine plant’ mainly because of its property of imparting endurance, nevertheless its use was entwined with every aspect of life; the art, mythology, culture and economy of the Inca Empire.
Plant Spirit Shamanism: the Art of Pablo Amaringo
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Art and Entertainment
In 2006, Pablo wrote the foreword to my book, Plant Spirit Shamanism. After a lifetime spent working with plants and with plant spirit shamanism, what do plants mean to Pablo? This article is from the foreword.
Latest Self Improvement Articles
Just Working Hard is Not the Way to Get Rich!
By: Jon Mercer | 17/05/2008
Contrary to popular belief, working hard will not make you rich. Many of the hardest working people in the world live in poverty, even in wealthy countries like the United States. The way to get rich is to develop your creativity and imagniation. Without these, all the hard work in the world won't make you a success, and it certainly won't make you rich.
Looking Religious Versus Becoming Religious
By: Dalip Singh Wasan | 16/05/2008
No one could become a religious person because all of us are just reciting religious books, but the code of conducts are not being followed and that is the reason all of ua are committing crimes, sins and misconducts.
Finding the 'calm in the Storm' Through the Law of Attraction
By: Beth & Lee McCain | 16/05/2008
Whether you think you attracted it or not, sometimes a 'storm' can descend upon your life out of nowhere.
Getting Someone Out of Your Life Through the Law of Attraction
By: Beth & Lee McCain | 16/05/2008
Is it possible to rid your life of someone that you just don't want around by using the Law of Attraction to accomplish this? It all depends on you.
Competition- How Good
By: Andy Smith | 16/05/2008
This is the era of technology. Everyday a new discovery, a new invention is being made.
Clutter Cleaner – Part 4
By: Andy Smith | 16/05/2008
That is very important as we clean clutter to be able to change our thinking while we change our actions.
Pray Should be the Last Resort in our Life
By: Dalip Singh Wasan | 16/05/2008
We should work on our projects and when we have done which we could do, only then we should pray for our success because we should demand something from God as a matter of right and as a matter of charity.
The Key Factor that Makes One Person Successful and Another a Failure
By: Daniel Klatt | 15/05/2008
What is it that makes two people with the same background achieve totally different goals? One of those two people will live a normal life, struggling to pay bills and barely keeping their head above water, while their 'twin' becomes phenomenally successful.
More from Ross Heaven
Plant Spirit Shamanism: What’s Up With the Weather?
By: Ross Heaven | 28/07/2007 | Environment
Plant Spirit Shamans versus the climate change sceptics!
The Way of the Lover: the Religion of Love
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Self Improvement
Syed Hamraz Ahsan was born into a Sufi Syed family and is a descendant of the prophet Mohammed. His grandfather was a pir (Sufi saint) and spiritual healer, who belonged to the Sufi Qadiriyyah Order, one of the oldest and most respected in the Indian subcontinent. In 2007, Syed Ahsan provided the introduction to my book, The Way Of The Lover: Rumi and the Spiritual Art of Love.
The Spiritual Practices of the Ninja: Personal Transformation
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Self Improvement
Dr Mark Atkinson is the founder of The Whole Body Healing Clinic in London and a pioneer in the field of holistic medicine, healing and personal transformation. He is an author and the complementary health expert for Now magazine and Good Morning Television in the UK. In 2006, he provided the introduction to my book, The Spiritual Practices of the Ninja: Mastering the Four Gates to Freedom
Plant Spirit Shamanism: Voodoo Shamanism
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Self Improvement
Tim Booth, singer-songwriter with the rock band, James, is also a successful solo recording artist, writer, workshop facilitator, and teacher of creativity and dance. In 2003, he provided the introduction to my book, Vodou Shaman, where he speaks of his own experiences with Vodou / Voodoo.
Darkness Visible: Ceremonial Darkness
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Self Improvement
Ceremonial Darkness in Shamanic Tradition
Plant Spirit Shamanism: the Medsen Fey
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Alternative Medicine
THE LEAF DOCTORS OF HAITI
Plant Spirit Shamanism: the Doctrine of Signatures
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Alternative Medicine
The shamanic doctrine of signatures in the Amazon and other countries
Plant Spirit Shamanism: the Seguro
By: Ross Heaven | 18/07/2007 | Self Improvement
A seguro is a “friend” or “ally”, someone you can turn to for advice and information, who will listen and share your problems.
|
|
Self Improvement 
