Are you afraid of the dark?

I got into an argument today with a “lightworker.” I didn’t purposely mean to make anyone angry (but, I can’t always speak for my subconscious), however, I think I pissed one person off.  See, I want everyone to acknowledge the beauty and power and goodness of the DARK.  The dark gets a bad rap, in my opinion, and we can’t have light without the dark.

This argument was in an online forum, and went on for many hours. Some people who were involved were clearly spooked by anything “dark.” Others claimed to embrace it, but still used phrases like, “I work with the dark to bring it into the light.” What about bringing some LIGHT into the dark?

I prefer the more Eastern concept of Yin and Yang, to the Western concept of “light” and “dark.”

There is a perception (especially in the West) that [dark] and [light] correspond to evil and good. However, Taoist philosophy generally discounts good/bad distinctions and other dichotomous moral judgments, in preference to the idea of balance. (Source: Wikipedia)

Yin properties (represented by the dark, with a light dot) are: passivity and reception rather than delivery. The moon is closely associated with yin energy, as are activities undertaken at night (such as sleeping). It’s also considered feminine energy, marked by intuition, sensitivity and a readiness to receive. Yin is a very quiet symbol, linked to thoughtfulness, resting and (in its darkest aspects) death.

Yang properties (represented by the light, with a dark dot) are: active, creative and extroverted. It is associated with the sun and warmth. Daytime activities fall into its purveyance: work, creation and engagement with the world.

While yin is soft and passive, yang is hard and assertive, being associated with male energy.

I find it interesting that aggressiveness is Yang or “light” but many lightworkers are focused on the  more passive, and intuitive, attributes. Lightworkers in general focus on Yin attributes, which are actually the “dark side.” If we insist on labeling, perhaps we’re working at cross purposes to label our Yin work as “light”?

Then, there’s the centuries old, Western, racist, belief that all things “light” are purer and better – the lighter the skin, the blonder the hair, the bluer the eye, the more evolved someone is. Of course, that’s bullshit. But, I do wonder if the idea that light is better than dark, is a linguistic holdover from an earlier era?  And, again, these beliefs would be completely antithetical to what lightworkers practice and teach.

Ideally, we don’t choose light over dark. Or, dark over light. We learn to balance the two. Notice, in the Yin/Yang symbol, that the light has a dark spot, and the dark has a light spot. If we focus solely on one or the other, we get out of balance.

I also prefer using the terms “Yin” and “Yang” to “masculine” and “feminine.”  As we discussed in “Do Women have a Post-Liberation Identity Crisis,” much of what is characterized as “male” and “female” behaviors may simply be the result of socialization. If we, instead, refer to certain characteristics as “Yin” and others as “Yang,” we can remove gender associations and perhaps arrive at a deeper understanding of the necessary roles of each in our lives.

So, setting aside the terms “dark” and “light,” and “masculine” and “feminine,” I will state that I prefer to focus, on FemCentral, on the Yin side of our natures. Not to the exclusion of the Yang but the Yang gets plenty of press as it is. We need a balance between the bright, aggressive, Yang, and the passive, intuitive Yin.  However, in order for the Yin to regain it’s rightful place (it’s been suppressed for a very long time), and in order to achieve proper balance, we need that DOT of Yang. We need to remember our aggressive, Martian, angry side, and fight for the value of the dark.

In my online argument about the value of the dark, I proposed that we come up with a better term than “lightworker;” one that would not imply the superiority of light over dark. I have no idea what that would be.  Ideally, we would dispense with labels altogether. But, since we have not yet reached a stage of telepathic communication, we still need language.

Lightworkers define themselves as “Any being dedicated to the cultivation of inner presence and the elevation of awareness in self and other selves. This being is called a lightworker and is an evolutionary step toward a state of LightBeing. Just as the Sun shines bright both day and night, it is only the movement of the planet and clouds that obscure it from view. But the sun is always shining.”

Any suggestions for a term that would acknowledge our Yin and honor the Feminine, the Moon, the Dark, without excluding the Light?