In western society we have come to believe that dualism the very foundation of reality. Good, bad, up, down, light dark, all these opposites are what we think created and sustains world. In reality though, there is no up or down, black or white. Reality is on a spectrum. There is no all good, all bad, no all up or down. Total light and total darkness don't exist. Not only are there shades of gray, there are also reds, yellows, greens and purples. Dualism, therefore, is just a convenient way to understand the world, and a convenient way to manipulate the physical and in some cases the mental. An example of this are our ideas about light and dark and how they are paired with good or bad.

From childhood and because of western religions, many of us have begun to think that darkness is evil and that light is good. We are inundated with this idea all of our lives until we begin to express it ourselves"white is good, black is bad.. In many cultures"especially ones with pre-dominator religions, darkness wasn't considered evil. Darkness was the color of nurturance and safety.

The seed waited in the darkness while being nurtured to grow. The child dwelled in the darkness of the womb. Night time was a time for rest from one's long, weary day. Darkness was a place of undifferentiated light, and considered a color that was whole and complete. It was not only the birthing place for people and new ideas, but the incubator for change in most religious rites.

Those who were born and raised in a place where it was dangerous at night adopted the attitude that dark was dangerous and foreboding. The prevailing idea is also tied in with the abduction of the darker races, from the dark continent. The truth is, however, that there is nothing evil about darkness for those do not walk in fear. Every time that we see a small sprout uncurling and pushing forth from the earth toward the life giving sun, we know that the plant, if it would have broken forth too early, would never have grown. We know that the darkness and coolness of the earth that protected that plant, allowed it to mature enough to dare to reach up and out toward the unknown. Even so, we can use moments of darkness also, to shelter us until we have the strength to reach up and out toward the unknown.

Are you going through troubled times? Is there sadness all around you? Are you feeling the urge to withdraw deep inside yourself? You may just be entering into a time of darkness"a time for letting go of the unnecessary, and for holding onto and acquiring that which is good.

Take your time, if this is happening. Explore your life. Find meaning in yourself. Think of the things that are troubling and worrisome. In the darkness contemplate the thoughts and behaviors that have nothing to do with the way the world works, and let them go. Think of better ways to act and react. You will stretches forth toward the light and maturity like the seed, that by its own volition and by the very nature of itself, ultimately breaks out of its hard shell. Perhaps you have been told to avoid darkness at all costs. Sometimes you may have been told to smile, be positive, and never be sad. Maybe in you desire to avoid the darkness you extended yourself higher, like the sprout that comes forth too fast, and were scorched by the sun. You may need to rest. You may need time for nurturance.

If you take your time, you will eventually push forth toward the light, spread your leaves and bear fruit with your feet deeply planted into the dark rich earth, and your head extended into the bright heavens full of light. You will produce the fruit that only comes by weaving patterns of light and darkness into reality. You will usher love, peace, joy and contentment into this hungrily awaiting world, so that those who partake of them can spread them like seeds and help bring healing to a bruised and hurting world.