Writing in the Dark

Writing has always been a spiritual practice for me. I enjoy the process of writing, even though it is not necessarily an easy one for me. Though I would prefer it to be so, there is no guarantee that I can produce something on demand, or on any kind of schedule.

Those of you who have followed my journey of writing here may have noticed a shift in both content and frequency of the articles posted here. As I have said before, this is not due to lack of interest in writing, or a lack of ideas and topics to explore. Instead, it is just that the themes and information that are working their way through me currently are a bit unsettling and not very cheerful. 

Much of the writing I have been working on since February has not yet come together in a coherent form, and so cannot be published yet. Other pieces I have worked on were more like exploratory sketches. Still there are other pieces that I have been reluctant to publish out of my concern that people might not understand why I am “suddenly” writing along themes that are decidedly more troubling. Compounding this reluctance, I have not wanted to risk alienating the regular visitors to my website who came to it for the beautiful insights and images of nature’s wondrous spirit. What I am coming to understand now is that to hold back or resist this phase of the journey is to be stuck on the road, unable to move forward.

"Into the Forest" © Michael Gambino 2013For me, writing has always been about sharing what is in my heart and soul, and what I’ve written so far has been mostly appealing and inspirational. It has been light-filled and colorful. Yet I have been reluctant to share the rawness, the darker themes stirring at the edge of the light as they await their turn on the page. I guess I was hoping to take the dark and make it light, but in doing so, I would not be honoring its true nature and energy. All aspects of life, whether cheerful or frightening, offer teachings and opportunities for growth and enlightenment. Not all that is dark is evil. Creativity emerges not from the well-lit and familiar, but from the dark unknown places within us.

I have been camped on the edge of this particularly dark forest for a long time, awaiting guidance on the right time to continue my journey and enter that forest. Fear of losing my way has caused me to hesitate. Also, I have not wanted to chase away the audience drawn to my writing for the beautiful insights and images of nature’s wondrous spirit. What awaits me (and you the reader) on those shadowy pathways remains hidden for now. Perhaps once my sight adjusts to the darkness I'll see there is also light, and it will not be as forbidding as it seems to me at the present moment. Time will tell.

The truth is, this is a test of faith. I believe that the Creator has guided me to this moment, and I am meant to go forward now. There is no point in hesitating any longer, so I have chosen to break camp and shoulder my pack in preparation for crossing the threshold into those dark woods. If you choose to follow, pay attention, be brave, bring your faith, and hold your lantern high.

Comments

[Joanne]

sometimes dark is helpful to those who are feeling dark...
then your dark becomes their lantern
and while you may think you're there, all on your own,
you find that as you speak out, others hear,
and they come into focus, standing near you,
witnessing, nodding in understanding,
filling the darkness with their presence.....