After a little chat in PM with @SoulofCinder I decided to make this piece I recently wrote public to let you guys see. I have been writing this material based on a new project I am working on called Black Sanctuary. A pathworking system with no entities, gods or demons, but rather focused on a philosophy and application of a core concept “darkness”. This is the first intro piece (of which there is a lot more) that I have been working on. Its not quite finished but thought id share it and let you guys discuss it all.
The concept of darkness has long been believed and acknowledge by almost every civilisation throughout antiquity. From the Babylonians, Pagans and Greeks all the way to Buddhists, Taoists and modern day spiritualists; Darkness as an idea, spiritual force or energy has not faded in the eyes of the masses. Whether conceptualised through fear, crowning darkness as a mantle of evil, or simply a natural energetic force of reality; several individuals throughout our history have sought its truth, succumbing to its beckoning seduction. Outside of any spiritual or religious context darkness is seen usually as only a mere absence of light. However, in modern day occultism and spirituality it is often approached as a metaphor, usually misunderstood as evil, malicious, negative and unnatural. This misconception is caused by a lack of true study, exploration and analysis; anything considered “dark” is over romanticised and glorified. The current paradigm of our modern day is to glorify romantic fantasy to validate the ego rather than seek a true understanding of any particular subject; darkness is a prime spiritual example of this. However, regardless of this, a truth remains that darkness has and continues to be recognised as a present and dominant force of our reality. Sought by aspiring magicians, witches and occultists, few have truly grasped a understanding of what darkness really is and its relativity to our lives; as such darkness as even a basic spiritual concept remains mostly untouched and unexplored. In the attempts made by several aspiring disciples of the dark usually they begin with apophasis; learning what something is by understanding what it is not. However, in this process it is difficult to construct a solid foundation on exactly what darkness is and defining what that darkness is becomes even more difficult. Often darkness is described in contrast to the concept of light; while this does provide insights into certain aspects it still does not provide a solid foundation and understanding. It all starts with understanding exactly what it is. This is referred to as literal darkness.
Literal darkness is simply the absence of light as described by basic physics. In terms of physics something is considered dark when it absorbs photon particles (particles which emit visible light); logically it follows that literal darkness is the absence of photon particles. Additionally, literal darkness can be approached in the context of dark matter and dark energy. Matter which comprises any object we can touch is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. This accounts for less than 5% of the known universe; while dark matter comprises 25% and dark energy 70%. With these percentages it is easy to see why physical, three dimensional reality is such a small fraction of what we actually experience. The mystery is that while science has show us that they exist we are yet to understand exactly what they are and how they work. What we do know is that they are invisible as they do not interact with light particles. Additionally, dark matter is ubiquitous (being ever present and found everywhere). Dark energy is considered an unknown form energy hypothesised to permeate all of space; often considered to be “vacuum energy” comprising all empty space. It is important to remember that the science concerning dark matter and energy is heavily debated and argued. However, there are a few conclusions we can draw from literal darkness to form a very basic foundation grasp of darkness.
Literal Darkness is the absence of light.
Literal Darkness is related to void or empty space.
Literal Darkness is ubiquitous and permeates all space.
Literal Darkness is the absence of light in the sense of lacking photons and interaction with them but also the invisible energy of empty space, but also the literal void. It is both an ever present energy and nothingness. Logically, this suggests that darkness is everywhere and within everything, which would support the various spiritual traditions which claim every being has a darkness within them. More so than this it also suggests that everything comes from darkness and that darkness is constantly expanding. When you look deeper into dark energy and what we do know about it one of the thing science has concluded is that it is constantly expanding (which is why the universe is constantly expanding, whilst at a seemingly slow speed). Dark energy literally creates more dark energy. This suggests that not only is darkness ever present but that it is constantly expanding. While everything in our existence seems to be born/created and eventually return to nothing darkness is in a constant motion of creative expansion. Literal Darkness has little to offer in terms of what it tells us about its spiritual context, however, we can still use it as a foundation to branch those concepts and theories off from. In order to dive into the spiritual aspect of darkness we have to first start by spiritually defining it.
Darkness was not created; therefore, it cannot be destroyed. This is reflected when we look at literal darkness and its void quality. Void by the easiest explanation is nothingness and by proxy a lack of created things. it is here we see that Darkness is both the literal empty void and also a specific tangible energy with dark properties. The dark property of this energy is simply its invisibility and concealment. Spiritually, reality is far larger than what we perceive in three dimensional reality. All that is physical and tangible exist only within visible light which is but a small fraction of the entire spectrum of vibration frequency. This suggests darkness is both within and outside of visible light; to be more specific darkness appears across the entire spectrum but also extends outside of it. As such, we can conclude that darkness transcends everything, beyond even existence itself. Before there was creation there was only darkness. before time and space, the dark void was all that was. While darkness is void as well as a literal energy, it is also potential and nothingness. It is the source of all things including the universe itself and all its mysteries. For us, it is a gateway to evolution.
In occult traditions and mystery schools the void is believed to be the origin of all creation. It is where everything comes from and eventually returns to. While this is true, darkness is not just a part of a cycle but rather the very stage in which all things play out their existence. Darkness is always present and exists as the only timeless and primordial force. Light needs a fuel, life needs to be sustained, eventually the fuel and the sustenance run out and things return to the dark. Things are born and created, they live out their life and return to void. Darkness however, does not require a fuel and it does not need to be sustained. It is ever present and everlasting. Interestingly, since darkness existed before creation, this implies that darkness in its more basic core is a singularity. The process of exploring and spiritually working with this darkness is an occult process. Interestingly the definition of occult means hidden, secret, or in other words Dark. From these observations we can give a few more conclusions to define what darkness is.
Darkness is a primordial force of both emptiness and dark energy.
Darkness extends beyond three dimensional reality and is present over and outside of the entire spectrum of vibration frequency.
Darkness exists within physical and tangible things.
Darkness does not need to be sustained, unlike life and light.
Darkness at its most basic core is a singularity.
Beyond this basic foundation of what darkness is, there are some things we can state about it in relation to its qualities, with some degree of accuracy given what we have already concluded. The first, is that darkness is objective and impersonal, but also an all consuming formlessness; both literally and metaphorically. While darkness is the stage in which existence plays out it is also the very thing that will consume creation; bringing it back to nothingness. it is an ever spanning abyss impossible to fill with an insatiable appetite. It flows and radiates outward into all reaches of existence and creation. This consuming quality is a solid reminder of something else reality has a constant flow of. That quality is chaos. Chaos consumes order, and opens the door to progression. Things either adapt through the chaos and become stronger or they are destroyed and return to the void. This is our insight into how reality itself works and progresses but also where darkness manifests within it. Additionally, it shows us greater insights into the manifestation of darkness within creation.
“Chaos is the manifested expression of darkness. Acting as the voids hands upon our reality it consumes order and forces us to adapt and progress through our lives. Chaos is the prime mover of progression and development; yet, darkness is the prime mover of reality itself. Chaos is the purest expression of darkness, and it is through embracing the nature of chaos, that we embrace darkness.”- Xerebus, Disciple of the Dark
Chaos is the manifestation of darkness upon reality. In some sense it is the instrument of darkness upon creation. When we look at how reality operates and how life and creation progresses, it is plain to see that chaos is the driving force behind it. At first glace this seems counter intuitive. How is it that a force of destruction, disorder, confusion and conflict is the medium to wish all things progress? Surely it seems more fitting that chaos be the very thing that brings creation back to void. The answer is that it is both. Reality is built upon a foundation of progression through only survival. In order for anything to ensure its survival it is essential that it adapts to the chaos, conflict and change upon it. Natural Selection is build upon not only the foundation of chaos but the principle of it; and by extension is built upon darkness itself. Without adapting to the chaos and change life is consumed back to nothingness. This principle applies to all life, from the very literal all the way to thought and metaphor. With this basic concept in mind, to embrace darkness is to embrace the constant motion of chaos. This is where the foundation for practice and understand starts to take shape, in order to begin working with this darkness we need to begin working with chaos itself.
The current of darkness is chaos. This current is what the disciple or practitioner directly works with. It begins by understanding the expressions of chaos within our reality. Chaos is a force of endless consumption and destruction; expressed not only upon reality as a universal mechanic but running through the depths of every individual. Chaos while noted for its hunger and destructive nature is also the force of transformation. This is an insight that many miss entirely and outright deny out of fear. In order for something new to grow that which was there before it has to either adapt in its transformation or be removed. This could be as simple as an idea in our minds (which may have a conflicting idea that needs to be removed and debunked) or as large as knocking down an entire forest to erect a city of stone buildings and bright lights. The point is that all transformation happens through chaos. In the progression of our lives this is especially true. The things that give us the most insight are typically our mistakes and struggles. We learn from constant conflict, struggle, hardship and pain. This allows us to give things a value in our lives. Things which is are easy to attain we don’t often see as a big deal; yet, the things that prove challenging we hold very high. That is because while we may try to deny the necessity of chaos we ultimately know, understand and value what it brings into our lives; even if completely in denial or simply unconscious of it. Satisfaction, pride and joy do not come from possessing but rather what it took to possess it in the first place. We can conclude with these points that chaos is built into the very fabric of our nature.
While many spiritual traditions claim that evolution is through the continual sophistication of the self beyond primal nature, ultimately its an unattainable goal. Evolution comes from accepting and embracing the conflict and chaos circumstance brings, allowing it to propel us further in our development. Real progress comes from breaking ourselves down and rebuilding them better each time. This is a truth many find hard to swallow. Within each of us is a primal instinct to survive; fight or flight is a perfect example of this. Regardless of how much logical thought, awareness or intellectual analysis we try to place upon it, in the moment it is triggered it will be violently expressed. Anyone who has ever felt adrenaline will understand what this feels like. The conscious control is lost and the instinct drives the body. Even after thousands of years these instincts remain intact and unchanged. Regardless of how hard we try to pull ourselves away from them, it takes very little to bring them to the surface. Extreme survival situations are proof of this. Our species descends into primal chaotic instinct very quickly when order and comfort are taken away abruptly, threatening their livelihood. Comfort easily distorts and blinds us to the image of our own nature. But why is our nature dark? The answer to this lies within our own processes. Even unconsciously we understand the absolute necessity of self-preservation and survival. This is a conformation that even our bodies unconsciously embrace the dark chaotic principle; which explains why our body is quick to respond to internal and external threats. If a poison or virus enters our body it immediately begins trying to combat it; whether by adapting itself or foreign presence. Tolerance is a great example, once you take so much of something your own body begins to develop a tolerance as it adapts to its composition. This is why medication is not meant to be taken on a continual basis without mixing up the doses and potentially changing the medication itself. Lets look at what we can conclude in regards to chaos.
Chaos is the manifestation of darkness in our interactable reality.
Chaos is both the force of destruction and transformation.
Chaos is a necessity for our evolution.
Chaos is expressed through conflict, struggle, hardship, and pain.
Chaos is the driving force of all change.
Chaos is a quality of our own primal instinct and our true nature.
With these statements it is wise to acknowledge that while chaos is a different term than darkness they represent the same thing. Chaos is darkness; only more specifically its manifestation upon our reality. As such we can replace the word chaos in the above statements with darkness and the foundation stays exactly the same. It is here where we begin to grasp a basic understanding of what darkness is, how it operates and how we as disciples can begin to utilise it in our work. This is where the stages of darkness and our progression with it are recognised. Darkness is the core essence of the dark path. Walking the dark path means embracing darkness (more specifically chaos) and implementing into our spiritual work and daily lives and develop a progression and ascent through the insights that we attain. It is a pool of invaluable knowledge, secrets and mysteries. To walk in the dark is to explore the very fabrics of our reality in search of the tools and understandings they provide.
Our state of reality is dual in nature. While we exist in the presence of constant darkness and chaos we cannot deny that life and light does exist; both literally and metaphorically. We do have a polarity in our current state of experienced reality even if it is not timeless is present. We have already concluded darkness is a constant and light is a fleeting temporary state, yet it is in this state of life and creation that we are able to work with the dark. It is because our confined experienced reality’s dual nature that we are able to perceive and work with the darkness; as much as it allows us to do with light also. This tells us that within the limits of our confined three dimension reality, a dark and light aspect does exist. While the prospect of a light and dark side often leads people to the misconception of dark is evil and light is good, this is not the case. Dark and light in this sense are simply attributes of this experienced reality. Dark is represented as the unknown, chaotic void and light is the fleeting comfort of peace and serenity. In our philosophy this peace, is an illusion. Simply put dark and light in our state of experience reality are present in a single moment; regardless of the fact the light is temporary and fleeting. It is because light fleeting and illusory that we chose to work with the progressive, evolutionary quality of the dark. There are however to different senses of reality when we look at light and dark. There is the confined reality polarity, and the natural singularity cycle.
The confined reality polarity is the construct of reality most of us already understand. Everything is in a dual state. Dark and Light are in a state of equilibrium each a at a different end of the same pole. As one moves one direction the other is pulled in the other. As several old texts have said before, light and dark need each other. In this particular state of reality this is true, but it is a half truth in terms of the entire picture. Balanced polarity in a state of equilibrium is only necessary for this confined state of reality. The natural singularity cycle is the bigger spectrum. In this construct darkness and void is the constant and light emerges from it (containing a confined reality polarity) only to then be consumed back into it once sustenance runs out. This gives us a lot of insight into our current reality. Polarity is a limitation of our realities operating conditions and it is not but the true natural state. Light and Dark outside of that confined reality are not in a state of equilibrium but rather darkness is the dominating force that sets a stage for light and creation to be born and then consumed. It is in this confined reality that we operate and as spiritual practitioners; attempting to learn from the darkness. We seek its mysteries and learn new skills, abilities and enlightenment’s to further push our progression and ascension. The end goal is unclear as everyone has their own ideas of what ascension is. Some see ascent as a simply making as much evolutionary progress as possible in the short time we have before we are again consumed by the dark, others see it as a way to transcend beyond that mere existence. This line of thought is akin to the meaning of life, which as time has shown is near impossible to give a definitive answer. What is important that we can draw from this insight is that we exist currently within a limited confined reality, and it is the stage in which we as spiritual beings can develop our skills, ability and progress. In this sense, confined reality is but a state of incubation. Here we can draw some more conclusions to give us insight into actively working with darkness.
Darkness is at its most natural state in the natural singularity cycle.
Darkness becomes limited to our perception when in a confined reality polarity.
Darkness can only be actively worked with in a confined reality polarity.
Darkness within a confined reality polarity can be actively embraced by embracing and utilising chaos.
Darkness is expressed to us and becomes interactable in the confined reality polarity.
Within darkness and the dark aspect of reality lies opportunities. These opportunities are there for the disciple’s and practitioner’s to seek out, discover and then apply into their lives. These opportunities vary and can potentially be any number of things; be it a small revelation of a component to the formula of ones own evolution or a ritual technique to manifest a particular desire. These opportunities are there for those willing to seek them out. In simply exploring what darkness is we have see some of these opportunities. In understanding chaos we have opened up our minds to potential ways to benefit from chaotic situations. Additionally, it is now understood than when chaos happens we can expect change which has presented us with a new level of awareness. These opportunities can manifest themselves as skills, abilities, insights and even developments of our own mind. Each opportunity when explored allows us to continue our progression toward our ascension and evolution. Be that in the small scale of simply changing a menial thing in our lives or on a grander scale of changing our entire reality. The darkness contains many secrets and mysteries and only through our exploration, study and practice with various techniques can we come to not only discover these opportunities but unlock our own potential locked away inside ourselves. Now it is glaringly apparent that darkness can only be actively worked with while we exist in confined reality. This means disciples have to actively work with the dark aspect of reality and self. It is here that we begin to see the stages that the disciple progresses through when embracing and working with darkness.
