Darkness is the absence of Light

There is no darkness, only the absence of light.

When I first found Unity I heard someone say, “There is no darkness, only the absence of light”. 
It resonated deeply with me. I had experienced much darkness. I had tried to work through it, towards self-acceptance and emotional responsibility, but still somehow I felt as though I was broken, bad and not good enough. These words shifted something in my soul. They amplified my enthusiasm for healing and that’s why I wanted to share them with you today. ​

When intense emotions emerge we often retreat, feeling helpless, we avoid or dismiss our feelings. We may find coping mechanisms or try to keep ourselves busy but at the end of the day the darkness returns. 

It is almost normal to us to feel overwhelmed by the constant barrage of negative news and conditions of the world. Many of us are triggered easily into a place of despair and sadness. So how can we honour our emotions? How can we know and grow from them without stagnating and getting lost in the dark? We remember our light. 

We must trust that the past has led us rightly to where we need to be, embracing faith and forgiveness. We can breathe and relax into non-resistance of the present moment. Accepting that our greatest power is the ability to control our actions and energy in the world. We can choose to be love, now - in this moment. This process does not mean that our anger, shame or judgements will just disappear, but when we release those things to God, we release the need to fix, and to be fixed. We do not have to carry them alone. With the knowledge that holding on tight to them blocks our way forward, we can find room to breathe, and freedom to find the next step on the new path. Gently we can thank negative feedback and emotions for showing us what or where we would like to see change. 

Gracefully we can engage in release practices, meditations and grateful prayer. With time and with patience, as we act with love towards ourselves, the light creeps in. There may always be depths to our darkness, but by allowing the light to flow, by allowing love to come forth, maybe we can create a grey area. A place where we honour our darkness, we thank it for its service, and it helps us understand why the light is so important in our lives. 

"Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning."
​—Ecclesiastes 7:20 

Stef Bridges
Unity Administrator and student