I believe that there is lightness and darkness in all of us, and that is okay. These can either be opposing forces or interact in harmony with each other, like yin and yang. Maybe we are born in lightness and the darkness comes as we develop our sense of self and begin to experience suffering. Maybe the human experience is about a dance between these two energies and a movement toward cohesion. I believe it is our responsibility not to extinguish the darkness, but to lean into it and and to integrate it. This is where our fears lie, and our hurt. This is where we carry our shame stories. And it is part of us.

Similar to the way magnets work, we can choose the orientation of these two energies to each other through our cognitive lens and beliefs. Are they repelling or connecting? I also believe that we project this dynamic onto the world. We see the world not as it is but as we are. I believe the good vs. evil story has been present for as long as we have been humans. We understand that story in our core, and we resonate with it.

Our collective unconscious seems to be projecting the opposing force story onto society as well. Liberal vs. conservative, democrat vs. republican, christian vs. atheist, male vs. female, and any number of other ways. But maybe we ought to be looking at how we can be moving away from an either/or, black/white, good/bad frame of thinking and operating. Maybe that is too limiting for us.

As long as fear drives us, the light and the dark will always be opposed. It takes incredible courage to dive into the darkness. I believe in the inherent beauty of the darkness that we all carry (and project). I believe it is the catalyst for change, and brings dimension to our light.