Darkness is an essential part of human experience that has been underrepresented in religious thought due to its association with evil, sin, fear, and death.
Many cultures have embraced the shadows and their role in creation and life through rituals, mythology, poetry, and art. In this article, we will explore how darkness can be understood as sacred and connected to divine light, considering it as a complementary force that completes reality rather than opposes it.
The Hebrew Bible describes God as creating light out of nothing in the beginning, but there are also accounts where darkness was present before the world came into being (Genesis 1:2). The book of Job tells about God's majestic presence filling the heavens, and then declaring darkness upon the face of the deep (Job 26:7-14), suggesting that darkness is not merely the absence of light but a powerful entity in itself. This duality between light and dark is evident in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other religions, but it has often been interpreted as a conflict or opposition instead of a creative tension.
In Kabbalah, the mystical tradition of Jewish esotericism, darkness is seen as a necessary element for the manifestation of light, without which there would be no existence. It is considered the opposite pole of white light and contains all potentialities within it. The sephirot, the ten divine emanations that make up the cosmos, include both "light" and "darkness" aspects, reflecting the complementarity between them. Similarly, in Zoroastrianism, Ahriman, the evil god, represents the negative principle from which Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity, created creation, making him part of the divine plan.
Christianity also recognizes the interplay between light and dark, with Jesus proclaiming himself as the light of the world and his followers the children of light (John 8:12).
He warned against hypocrites who hide behind their piety to serve themselves rather than true righteousness (Matthew 6:1-4). In Islam, Allah creates the universe by saying 'Be' and 'It Is,' the first word being darkness before creating light. The Quran describes Muhammad's night journey to heaven where he sees God's throne surrounded by darkness that no light can penetrate, emphasizing its sacred nature (Sura 53:7-18).
Shadow work, a psychological technique used to explore hidden parts of the self, has been influenced by Jungian and Freudian ideas about the unconscious mind. It involves embracing our fears and pain instead of rejecting or suppressing them, seeing them as essential for personal growth and transformation. Ambiguity is considered crucial for understanding ourselves and others, acknowledging the complexity of reality rather than reducing it to black and white categories.
In Hinduism, Kali, Shiva's consort, represents both destruction and creation, death and rebirth, symbolized by her four arms holding weapons and ritual objects. Similarly, in Buddhism, the illusory nature of reality is described through darkness and ignorance, which are not inherently negative but part of the process of awakening.
The divine duality between light and dark reflects the interconnectedness of opposites in life, allowing us to perceive the world in all its richness and mystery. By accepting the shadow side of existence, we learn to integrate it into our lives without denying or projecting it on others. This integration requires introspection, empathy, and compassion, leading to a deeper understanding of humanity and our place within the cosmos.
How does the reinterpretation of divine light include the sacredness of darkness, ambiguity, and shadow?
The reinterpretation of divine light involves the incorporation of the sacredness of both darkness, ambiguity, and shadows into it. This is due to the fact that these elements are often seen as opposite to light but can also be interdependent on each other for balance and harmony. The reinterpretation suggests that there is more to divine light than just its physical properties such as brightness and intensity.