2. Transformative Darkness

Daytime’s bright light lends the world an aura of permanence. Colors are crisp,

details are clear. We find comfort in that which is familiar, the people we know,

the place we call home. We tend to think of that world as fixed and separate

from us, yet we strive to find our place in it.

When the sun falls below the horizon each night, color fades and shapes melt into

each other. Darkness dissolves the familiar images that give us comfort. It can

kick up our fears, that unsettling feeling that the world is uncertain and perhaps,

the place we have carved out for ourselves might also dissolve into darkness.

People dance around this fear in a million different ways. We search for creative

and productive activities that engage us in the challenges of living. Sometimes we

fall into destructive patterns, trying to escape from our fears. Everyone has

moments of anxiety because life is uncertain, and we are all trying to manage that

fact in the best way we can.

Every seed buried deep in the earth lives in the uncertainty of darkness. Will it be

able to grow into a flower or a tree, a tall corn stalk, fresh spring peas, or healing

herbs? Seeds need enough water to sprout, but not so much that it deprives

them of oxygen. They need nutrients in their soil, and enough warmth to signal

that growth is welcome. Some seeds need a cold, harsh winter to break open

their hard outer shell and release their potential.

We all have hidden gifts, like the oak tree emerging from the acorn. It can be

hard to imagine what is possible, until we spend a little time in the garden.

Exploring the unformed possibilities contained within us requires that we open

ourselves to uncertainty, to the way of change, to the healing power of darkness.

Everything the seed needs is contained deep in the earth. Darkness is ripe with

the power of transformation. Under the protection of darkness, when the time is

right, the seed will open, sinking a root into the warm earth as the first well

wrapped leaf reaches towards the sunlight.

Growing Tips: Allow yourself to see, feel and appreciate moments of darkness.

Consider your fear, but don’t let it outweigh your creative and imaginative

capacity for growth. Be curious about the gifts you have to share and seek out

the warmth and support that will allow you to flourish.