I’ve been exploring the meaning of “darkness” both in my philosophical reflections and in my magical workings. I’m curious about how people will answer this question because I feel that the light - darkness dichotomy reflects an unrealistic metaphysical dualism.
For me personally, light corresponds to “order” both in the socio-political sense and in the psychological sense. Systems of order are created in order to sustain life, to allow for a certain level of control that allows people to focus on more than just survival. This notion of “order” can be extended to concepts of morality, collective belief, and social normalcy. But “order” tends to become a source of limitation that needs to be overcome and eventually transcended.
Darkness, in my mind, has to do with death, fear, chaos, and the unknown. All the things that weak people try to run away from and ignore, both within themselves and within the world. And in that sense black magick is especially powerful because it draws upon something more atavistic, more fundamental.
I’m curious about other people’s thoughts and experiences on this matter. Please share your thoughts.
For me it means things like freedom, sincerity, creativity, introspection, power, enlightment, tranquility, (much needed) silence in a noisy world. Why do I relate? I’m not entirely sure to be honest, but I always found darkness interesting and surprising. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a sunny summer day, but embracing the night, the dark is liberating and makes me whole.
Ha ha. Sometimes when I have been visualizing the black sun before sleep for weeks at a time, talking to nothing but demons, I need to take a break and put the darkness down for a bit. But I always come right back.
That it’s an elemental energy that exists in creation and in some entities like demons, a small few humans, shadow people are made up of it, etc. Though this is only the ‘magick’ side of it. I don’t really have a philosophical view of it. Unless you count it being intertwined in creation like the other elements as a philosophical thought.
Darkness looks great on people and often sounds good in music, however, I dress myself colorfully and play happy songs. I would say that the only thing stronger than darkness, is the dark side of light, which could be summarized as the “Warhammer 40k” Inquisition faction. When I found that specific magickal mood, I left the LHP.
Darkness is Unmanifest Unlimited Potential and Light is Manifested Kinetic Reality.
It is a simple process of Creation…
Darkness involves going into myself and becoming aware of my Intentions, desires, strengths, weaknesses, etc. I then use my will to create my reality accordingly, which is basically bringing light out of darkness.
I strive for balance in all things but the darkness is my resting place.
I like that take on it. Personally I have thought there might be something more than superficial to the similarities between the cosmological singularity and occult symbolism along the lines of the “black sun.”
My knowledge of Warhammer lore is very limited. Just now I checked out an article on the Inquisition and I am still a little unsure what you mean by “the darkness of light.” Based on what I read, I think you mean the things people are willing to do in the name of a higher cause. Is that correct or were you getting at something else?
The Inquisition is all about righteousness under the standards of the Imperial Cult, which more than often triumphs over the edgyness of the Chaos faction, because the Inquisition is more sinister and brutal than the forces of Chaos.
It’s when there’s no light.
Natural or artificial.
In case most of you don’t know we live in an era of light, there are more places with light then without, this of course in civilised places. To be without light is to be in darkness. The sun and the moon. God and the Devil, like y+y or yes and no or I’m good and you’re bad. There’s 2 sides to the equations whatever mathematics you’re applying. You can’t do one without the other therefore there is not light without darkness or vice versa.
One can prefer more one than the other but to stay completely without one, is to be in a place very few are were or will ever be.
In the case of “darkness,” I often equate it with actual night. I naturally gravitate toward darkness. I’ve been a “night person” since early childhood. Night is when many “normal” people go to bed and stop talking, so I can finally hear myself think. I don’t like noise, whether actual or psychic. Darkness (night) is that lush, rich, time when my senses are more open and receptive. When the noise and idle chatter fade away, I can finally hone my senses and assess my surroundings, if that makes any sense.
On the other hand, if you’ve ever had truly terrifying things happen to you at night (and I have), then you also know what it’s like to pray for the dawn.
In a larger sense, being willing to work with “darkness” in magick means that I’m willing to learn about entities and techniques that are considered taboo by some. I’m hardly the edgelord type, but I’ve freaked out some other occult practitioners by merely mentioning certain grimoires, or even just talking about workings and entities they considered “dark.”
There’s a place in this world, and in my life, for both light and darkness.
That’s not accurate. Not in this planet and most certainly not in the universe. In any case, doesn’t matter because it’s not a competition.
That’s not how it is. Darkness is not the other side of light. Actually, Darkness is the absence of light. Darkness exists without it and will exist when the light in the universe fades away, which eventually will. No human will be there to witness it though.