I have heard the expression, “Those who carry the Light must carry it through the darkness.” I am not sure who originally said this. I have heard it throughout my life, though, and have found it to be somewhat of a comfort to me.
In a world where so many people want to self-identify as “Light Workers,” I feel it is important to keep this phrase in mind. Many “Light Workers” that I have had interactions with are the types who try to deny the very existence of the darkness. I know that certainly not all of them are like that, but those who are become extremely frustrating because they are often the first ones to blame the victim when it comes to dark times that descend upon a person…and we cannot live a balanced life without the darkness descending now and then.
Extremist thought systems are what actually creates a lot of darkness. Those who think that they are morally or spiritually superior to others become toxic in the lives of those around them. And any time someone tries to address that, they are told that they are being “negative” and that they really need to align with the Light in order to get over that.
I call HOGWASH. That is the worst kind of “Light Worker” one can ever find. Why? Because they exhibit the traits of a NARCISSIST and often are the types who, down the road, become a CULT LEADER.
Life is full of ups and downs. We have to be able to navigate both well in order to maintain balance in our lives. Yes, we can learn from the stuff that goes sideways on us. That does not mean that it was supposed to go sideways. It is just that, now that it has, we can learn from it. It was not necessarily sent to us by Spirit in order to teach us. That kind of thinking is very dangerous. But once it has happened, of course we can glean all sorts of lessons and wisdom.
As many of you know, there has been a LOT of darkness in my life. From childhood onward there have been the strangest and some of the most abusive things happen. I do not consider myself to be a victim to that. I do not consider myself to be a survivor of that. I consider myself to be a thriver, despite that. I thrive in my life. I am a bit like the Energizer Bunny that keeps going and going and going because I will not let anyone keep me down. Yes, I developed this form of resilience because of all the darkness that has taken place in my life. No, I do not, for even a nanosecond, give the darkness CREDIT for that. I always had that resilience within me. I was simply given ample opportunity to put it to use.
So I speak from experience when I say that there IS darkness and there IS light. But if we are going to carry the light, we cannot do that with the sun always shining upon us. We have to have the courage to carry that light through some of the darkest spaces and the darkest times. Otherwise, we are only paying lip service to being a “Light Worker.”
I was having a conversation recently with a wonderful young healer. But this healer is in a very abusive relationship. I had to mention, during this conversation, that he need not feel bad about declaring boundaries, because sometimes the inner WARRIOR has to emerge in order to protect the inner healer.
People often think that, because you are a healer, you have to be Ghandi-like and completely passive. No. You do NOT. It is highly important that everyone, especially healers, have a healthy amount of self-preservation. If they don’t have that, they will be snuffed out faster than anything.
So carry your light and carry it through the darkest of places. Know that, even if you cannot see how it helps, personally, someone else who sees you doing this will be inspired and then there will be even more light. And pretty soon, those dark times become less so. And when it all “comes to light” there will be so much more enriching experiences ahead.