For a great many Pagans and Witches, darkness is a part of our path. We work with our shadows instead of running from them. We understand that both dark and light are a part of the world, and that each is necessary in it's own way.
But I think that we often try to translate darkness into something that is actually light. We talk about shadow work, but what many people are doing is actually trying to find the light source behind the shadows. If we are working with our rage, we aren't trying to actually tap into the rage, but rather to temper it...to harness it to our needs. I think that something both primal and powerful is lost when we try to overcome every dark impulse and tame that wildness inside of us.
Of course, this doesn't mean you can't work to improve yourself. It is possible to get swallowed up and consumed by the dark (or the light...), and that isn't a desirable thing. If we look to nature, night time is followed by the day, and then returns to night. Each thing has it's time, and it doesn't seek to take over. Instead, when something's time has come to a close, it recedes and allows another thing to take precedence, knowing that things will cycle back around again.
I think that looking at our darkness in this way helps us to embrace what it has to offer, without trying to put a muzzle on it. Take rage as an example again. We don't want to live our lives in a perpetual state of rage. That would definitely be counter-productive. However, when we find ourselves in an extreme situation, we need that extreme reaction. If we are fighting for our life, rage will fuel us in a way that nothing else will. It will keep us distant from our pain, from reason and from any number of other things that would weaken our arm and our focus. Rage narrows our vision until we can only see what our goal is and where we aren't thinking about how much it will cost us to reach it.
Rage, like many of our darker parts, isn't something that works in every situation. In fact, it is quite detrimental for most circumstances. And just as the night must give way to day, when we call on our rage, we need to be ready to let it subside, once it has done it's work. Part of accepting and embracing our darkness is also knowing that there will be a cost to pay, and being willing to pay it. We call on rage with the full knowledge that we will have to clean up after it, but we also call on it because we know that we may not make it to the other side without it.
And I think that is where the celebration comes in. By fully accepting both the good and the bad of our shadows, we can embrace them in their entirety. It's like loving a person...you can't truly love them if you don't acknowledge and accept their flaws as well as their strengths. You have to be willing to give and not just take. Our shadows are always going to have an edge to them, and if we blunt that edge, they become less powerful, less able to actually help us when we need them.
One more thing to think about, when contemplating the darkness in your self and your life. Many people want to be the candle that lights the dark, and there can be great value in keeping that light lit when things seem most grim. But we also must remember that it is often darkest before the dawn, and sometimes when we are surrounded by darkness, we need to lean into it, instead of trying to banish it. Lighting a match in the pitch darkness can actually cause more harm than help sometimes. The light is tiny and fleeting, but it blinds us in the moment. It distracts us from what our other senses are telling us, and it tricks us into thinking that we are safe and secure.
A lot of people will try to say that you must 'be better than your opponent,' and when they fight dirty you must keep your honor and act in lawful and honest ways. And often this is great advice, but there reaches a point where keeping your nose clean simply means you are letting them walk all over you. We must each learn to judge when it is time to call on our darkness, when we must embrace those untamed parts of ourselves, and when we must fight fire with fire.
Learning to accept and celebrate your darkness means fully coming to terms with both edges of that sword. It is stepping into that unknown but being willing to pay whatever price is asked of you. It is letting go of your control and allowing those parts of yourself that don't listen to reason to be in charge for a bit. And it is remembering that both the dark and light are a part of you, and both deserve to be honored.
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