When I was eight years of age I was plunged into darkness.
I was two hundred feet underground on a school trip, in an old mining shaft in the middle of England.
Commercial excavations had revealed deep underground caverns which housed spectacular limestone pillars formed over thousands of years.
Real Darkness
At one point our guide led us into the a vast domed chamber where mineral rich water down trickled from the roof coating the walls with a smooth sheen.
He then said he was going to demonstrate what total darkness looked like.
With the flick of a switch the glistening cave got sucked up into a black void.
To highlight the lack of light the guide instructed us to hold a hand up in front of our eyes. I did, and all I could see was blackness.
Light is Stronger
The experience of being in complete darkness made a big impression on me, but what was even more powerful was when the guide struck a single match.
He held the flame above his head and said, “No amount of darkness can extinguish this light.”
He was right. As long as I focused on the flame, even though it was a tiny spark inside thick blackness, I could see it shining.
Years later, prompted by a determination to find a way out of depression, I began to excavate my own psyche.
At times inner darkness of buried pain and hurt felt overwhelming but I would remember my trip down the mine, and the power of light. This led me to question conventional treatment approaches to healing which focus on labelling a problem.
Focus on the Light, not Fight the Darkness
Most of us have been led to believe that if we’re unhappy or in pain there’s something wrong that needs to be dug up and fixed. This approach was born out of modern psychology.
Psychotherapeutic work has a useful place in the spectrum of what helps heal deep emotional wounds. For healing to occur it’s critical to acknowledge the reality of a hurtful past and we need to face what is dysfunctional in our lives. But, it’s when we let go of being preoccupied with our problems, and train our attention to connect with the essence of our being we discover that our core is never hurt, wounded or damaged.
This realization allows our higher potential to flow insights and guidance that lead to healing emotional blocks and physical issues.
So trust your core. The light within. No matter how hard or painful a moment may seem, the light of your Being is stronger.
