Darkness

Many honor the Triple God(dess) with no room for a fourth; others mix darkness in with the Crone and Sage.  I think there are mysteries in life and that there is a fourth energy living in the shadows.  Not an 'evil' deity, just the dark to balance the light.  After all, stars cannot shine without darkness.  And this is just a snippet of what can be found in, 'Who Are Your Divine Friends?'

It is an energy that is both and neither male nor female, young nor old or right nor wrong.  It is the mysteries of life, the shadows between transitions.  The Dark Divine is the aspect of a God most often deemed mysterious, dangerous, violent or ill-tempered.  Dark Goddesses or God appears in almost all religions featuring female/male Deities and are widely the most misinterpreted and misunderstood of deities worshiped by modern day practitioners.

Indeed the word "dark", like "witch" has long been used in association with the concept of evil in modern Western Society.  As Pagans, we know that a witch is not necessarily evil.  We have worked hard to reclaim the word "witch", if only so that we can personally break free of our own social conditioning that a witch is synonymous with "evil".  In seeking to reclaim the word "witch" we have often distanced ourselves from other such loaded words that carry the public's projection of evil.  The easiest way to accomplish this distancing was to focus on imagery associated with goodness, such as "light".

However, there is an inherent problem with this.  How Pagans see the duality of light/dark is not the same as is traditional in modern Western society, which has been heavily influenced by Christian thought over the last several centuries.  The Western worldview is based on dualism where duality is broken down into two very separate and distinct irreducible parts.  These parts are independent of each other and can be either complimentary or in conflict.  In the case of traditional Western thought, the symbolism of light and dark is deeply rooted in the Christian ethical dualism symbolized as the battle of good (light) vs. evil (dark).  

Paganism on the other hand has adopted a worldview based on monism, where duality is more often perceived as aspects of an encompassing whole.  Dualities such as light/dark thus exist as polarities - two opposite yet complementing aspects of a whole.  The yin-yang, which shows each "side" as part of a greater whole, each containing an aspect of its opposite within it, is a familiar symbol of polarity.

Darkness in Wicca is not an evil thing; it is a rest, stillness or letting go.  Wicca speaks of dark in its more original context: 'hidden or unknown'.  The Dark Divine is the counterpart of the life-giving aspect of the Spirit we usually associate.  It brings death, for without death we cannot fertilize the Earth to bring new life.  It is a destroyer, for without destroying that which we no longer need we cannot grow.  It is the keeper of magic and mystery, for without the hidden truths our journey as a human seems without point and purpose.  Darkness should be honored; it is necessary and valuable to the circle.

Many aspects of the darkness are not as harsh as death and chaos.  There is reflection, reverence, change, divination, introspection, trance, autumn, winter, maturity, wisdom, the distant cry of a crow in a forest, a single candle glowing in the night, the cool embrace of the autumn wind.  These are all aspects; these are its gifts.  Perhaps it is through the beauty of a sunset and sunrise and the colors of fall and spring that we are reminded of the cycles of birth-death-rebirth and of the importance - the necessity - of each phase.

It is important to remember that focusing only on the darker side is just as dangerous as focusing on the lighter side.  Balance is important, and even though some may relate to one aspect more than the other, we must always remain open to the other aspects.

The Dark Spirit represents the hidden and suppressed aspects of a women and men psyche that lives unseen in the shadows of the personality.  In order to know oneself, one needs to intimately know and understand both your light and dark aspects.

  

I am the Darkness behind the shadows.  I am the absence of air that awaits every breath.  I am the ending before life begins again, the decay that fertilizes the living.  I am the bottomless pit, the never ending struggle to reclaim that which is denied.  I am the key that unlocks every door, for I am that which is hidden and secluded.  So may it be.

 

 

The Dark Goddess speaks to us, through the mouths of Lilith, Kali, Tiamet, Hekate, Nix, Hela, Nemesis and Morgane.
I am the Darkness behind and beneath the shadows.
I am the absence of air that awaits at the bottom of every breath.
I am the Ending before Life begins again,
the Decay that fertilizes the Living.
I am the Bottomless Pit,
the never-ending struggle to reclaim that which is denied.
I am the Key that unlocks every Door.
I am the Glory of Discovery,
for I am that which is hidden, secluded and forbidden.

Come to me at the Dark Moon
and see that which cannot be seen,
face the terror that is yours alone.
Swim to me through the blackest oceans
to the center of your greatest fears--
the Dark God and I will keep you safe.
Scream to us in terror, and yours will be the Power to Forbear.
Think of me when you feel pleasure, and I will intensify it,
until the time when I may have the greatest pleasure
of meeting you at the Crossroads Between the Worlds.

 

 

I am the fire within your heart – the yearning of your soul.  I am the hunter of knowledge and the seeker of the Holy Quest.  I – who stand in the Darkness of Light, am He whom you have called Death.  I – the consort and mate of She whom we adore, call forth to thee.

Heed My call, beloved ones, come unto Me and learn the secrets of death and peace.  I am the corn at harvest and the fruit on the trees.  I am He who leads you home.  Scourge and flame, blade and blood – these are mine gifts to thee.
Call unto Me in the forest wild and on hilltop bare and seek Me in the Darkness Bright.  I – who have been called Pan, Herne, Osiris, Loki and Hadespeak to thee in thy search.  Come dance and sing; come love and smile, for behold:  This is my worship.  

You are my children and I am thy Father.  On swift night wings, it is I who lay you at the Mother’s feet to be reborn and to return again.  Thou who thinks to know Me, know that I am the untamed wind, the fury of the storm and passion in your soul.

Seek Me with courage, lest you be swept away in the seeking.  Seek with pride and humility, but see me best with love and strength, for this is my path, and I love not the weak and fearful.  Hear My call on long winter nights, and we shall stand together guarding Her Earth as she sleeps.

 

Dark Goddess

Divine Friends

Hela

Loki

Svartalheim

Who Are Your Divine Friends?