https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=061l-6A1v4o The Nature of Darkness In response to my last blog about darkness and light, I was asked, “Is there a natural relationship between darkness and evil?" I can see how it is confusing, in a culture that oversimplifies, to make it all seem easy by taking all the subtlety and nuance out of the picture, and just saying, "Oh light is good. Oh dark, it's not just bad; it's evil. What I am putting forth here is from both the traditions of East Asian medicine—where Yin and Yang are both utterly necessary, and one is not more necessary or more beautiful than the other—and from Sufism, where there is both a holy darkness and a holy light. When darkness is healthy, it ... Read more

https://youtu.be/ApmhmYVrnWA Healthy Darkness, Healthy Light Healthy light does not seek to eradicate the darkness. Healthy light has its place: I'm reading a book. I need some light. I'm sewing this curtain. I need some light. But I'm not trying to eradicate darkness. I can see the darkness across the room. There are sweet and subtle shadows everywhere. Healthy darkness does not seek to eradicate the light, either. I will note that in this culture, when people speak colloquially of light and darkness, they often speak of light as good and darkness as bad. What a shame. What a shame for internal, external, spiritual, medical, and political reasons. Yin and Yang are both blessings. Light and dark are both blessings. Night and day are ... Read more