“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
— Carl Jung
Too long have I been blinded
by sleight of hand candles
held by charismatic fools.
I was a moth diving in
losing myself in their flames
Badly singed I turned away from all
within my darkness I found the true light
calling from within
empowering, enabling
I discovered self pride and self will
and a light brighter than any candle could be
Pulled within I could find myself outside the well.
— G A Rosenberg
“The darkness is your mother; she behooves reverence, since the mother is dangerous. She has power over you, since she gave birth to you. Honor the darkness as the light, and you will illumine your darkness.”
— Carl Gustav Jung
Night moves in the crossroads
The past day meets the future at midnight
bringing the sounds of unknown danger
Shadows move and blend with our own
Somewhere in the distance
lovers moan as their dance
reaches a new height.
Hecate has her tribute
as does Artemis.
I will let go of the past
but not its lessons
and meet the future without fear
but with respect as a new moment begins
— G A Rosenberg
“Darkness is your candle.
Your boundaries are your quest”
— Rumi
In daylight boundaries are easy to spot. We see signs or post markings that divide what is our territory and what is our neighbours. They also mark clearly areas which are known which for many of us translates to safe versus what is unknown. At night in the darkness it is never quite clear. Signs easily read in the light are missed and lines crossed without realizing. It is easy to lose our way tho that is not necessarily a bad thing.
This extends well beyond the physical. When we are satisfied and walking in sunlight, it is easier to stick with what is familiar and avoid that which is not. Oh we may dip our toes over the line but that is a far cry from immersing ourselves into the unknown. It is when we leave our safe well-lit areas behind us and turn off the blinding light of preconceptions that we can allow ourselves to wander into areas that are not ours and not necessarily safe. However they are the most likely to bring knowledge and awareness that is greater than that which we’ve known before.
Blessings, G
“The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination.”
— H.P. Lovecraft
Dancing from light into dark and dark into light
seeing how far the pendulum swings
Becoming your shadow to see how it feels
revelling to see how deep they go
when perceptions can’t be trusted
and then reversing it
jumping from the darkness into the day
feeling the sun and the surface
enjoying the senses and the joy
and that rising feeling
and then reversing it
the push and the pull
the false and the real
the depths and the shallows
the flow and the ebb tide
as you’re washed to the sea
and crushed beneath the waves
and then rise up surfing the next crest
only to sink again
making the dance a conscious one
bringing wisdom in its sway
— G A Rosenberg
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
― Carl Jung
Out of darkness I create
luminous pictures
without the void emptiness
that empty place inside
what could come through
my fingers and mind
to entertain
Everything comes from the shadows
and awakens
and shines
Without shadow there is not substance
so I will continue to draw
and invoke and invite whatever may come
so I may create beauty and understanding
and conscious shadow
that may awaken dreams within us all
and awaken in dreams’ shadow
a higher calling…
— G A Rosenberg
“How clear everything becomes when you look from the darkness of a dungeon.”
― Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum
Perceiving from darkness
almost everything shines bright
Memories of happy times
and traveled places
now back safely enveloped
in my night shroud
Dissolving in the visions of what once was
and unlimited potential for what may be
Perceiving from the light
in full manifest
all seems dim aglow
I have reached the pinnacle
and I know I must return
but then nothing new emerges
Erupting in beingness
and waiting for the shadows
that will return me home.
— G A Rosenberg
“Anything that stands out in darkness becomes beautiful”
— Randall Wolfe
In pitch blackness I awoke
no sound no movement
a disquieting peace
broken by the sound of your breath
and the beating of my heart.
Still, I was still
yet blind and then
turning towards you
I saw your eyes and the curve of your face
and was enraptured
I felt your smile
as it mirrored mine
In moonlight or daylight you shine like the sun
but in the kiss of darkness
you become my world
— G A Rosenberg
 
Blessings, G
Click on images to see full-sized:
Spherical Awakening by G A Rosenberg
Reaching Through to Make the Abstract Real by G A Rosenberg
“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.”
–Carl Jung
Who do you trust with your dark side? I want people to see me at my best and most positive. There are relatively few people I feel safe enough to show my shadow, my ignorance, my dark and negative side. Why? What am I afraid of ? If Jung is right, doesn’t it work in reverse, by showing other’s my darkness, I allow them to encounter their own shadow? My claim up to now is that I don’t wish to offend but in reality isn’t it that I have not yet found the courage to do so? Do I really have that much fear that mommy will slap me for saying the wrong thing?
It seems of late as if I have been given more and more pieces of myself. Not all of them are pretty
Blessings, G
Click on image to see full-sized
Tarot – Page of Swords by G A Rosenberg
All Manner of Things Be Wheel by G A Rosenberg
“And if every way is closed before you. The secret one will show a secret path no other eyes have seen”
–Rumi
In my darkest times when I did not know where to turn, someone has always shown up shining like a flame pointing to a new direction. Not all of these have been external people, sometimes they have been in my head and then sometimes it is just a voice or a moment of inspiration. These moments have inspired faith and have saved me from despair many times. Moments like these I consider both loans and gifts. Loans in that I feel the need to return it to any one in similar need and a gift in that I wish to share it.
Walking Through the Fire (Redux) by G A Rosenberg 
Elemental Shaman by G A Rosenberg 
