“I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses.”—Friedrich Nietzsche
Too often, Dark gets a bad rap. We prefer to rush with open arms into the embrace of his sister, Light. We sigh with relief to be held in that shining brightness—safe, we think, from the prowlers stalking us in that forbidding gloom. And yet… And yet… The truth of the matter is somewhat more subtle and mysterious, is it not? For without the dark, there can be no light—as there can be no darkness without the light to pierce it.
So, let’s welcome the healing power of darkness. The Dark Healer rules by night, as we sleep and dream. It is as we sleep that The Dark Healer weaves his magic of restoration and regeneration and recovery and growth and cleansing. Without this diligent restorative work behind the scenes we’d quickly be dead in the water.
Darkness is nature’s natural time for rest and recovery. When we partied, we pretty much ignored the concept of rest and recuperation. We blazed through the night snorting and boozing and toking with our customary abandon—heedless and uncaring of the damage we were wreaking on our indignant bodies. Talk about burning the candle at both ends!
When we came somewhat to our senses, surveyed the wreckage and decided to clean up our act, we didn’t always add a good dollop of restorative rest to our recovery mix. We would continue to run ourselves ragged—just without the chemical companions… More than we may ever realize, though, we need the deep healing that the dark can provide us. Fall in love with the Dark Healer that he may love you back.
We may find it simply hard to fall asleep. Our over-busy brains, our shot nerves, our worries, our various aches and pains conspire to keep the light on—at our health’s expense.
So, here’s a great method to help you sink gratefully into the friendly, restorative darkness:
Lie down on a comfortable surface. Make fists and tighten both arms until they are ramrod stiff. Hold for a couple of seconds, then relax completely. Tighten your buttocks, abs and pecs as hard as you can bear. Hold for a couple of seconds, then relax completely. Tighten your thighs into rigid posts. Hold for a couple of seconds, then relax completely. Ok, enough of that! Let’s move on to the second stage:
Place your right finger-tips gently on your breastbone and place your left finger tips just below your navel. Inhale gently, while imagining that the breath is flooding into your heart area. Exhale gently as you send your attention into the stomach below your finger-tips. Repeat from five to ten times (or more if you like.) Finally, place both palms over your navel. Inhale into your stomach area, exhale into your stomach for five to ten repetitions.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself drifting off before you complete the full number of repetitions. Welcome to the embrace of the Dark Healer…
I celebrate the power of darkness as it helps restore and strengthen my recovery.