Fruits Ripen In The Dark

Like many people, I currently find myself in a place of much uncertainty. There is a lot going on, and not going on, that feels outside of myself and the lives of those closest to me. It is a strange place to navigate, swimming through rivers with no end in sight, treading water in seas where the water beneath you disappears into a vast descent of darkness.

In times like this I often look towards the cycles of nature and life to gain understanding and keep faith. I think of the darkness before dawn, the caterpillar before it blossoms into the butterfly, the calm before the body's contractions begin to deliver a baby. All very different but natural processes. While we rush through life, grow impatient and distressed, nature trusts itself and the timing of things.

'It is darkest before the dawn'

There is a movement in the stillness, a magic in the air. The sun is preparing to rise, the birds preparing to sing. A stirring in resting minds preparing to wake from their slumber. I suppose this is the time of day which holds the most possibility. It is unknown yet certain. Things are about to happen, even if we don't know exactly what the day will hold. I love how there is no haste, just patience and full presence as one moment flows into the next.

And then, all of a sudden dawn strikes. Deep reds and pink tear through the lining of darkness until the whole sky glows amber. Have you ever watched the sun rise? It appears to happen so slowly yet rapidly. No hurry. The sun only takes two minutes to rise completely. In the blink of the eye there is light, almost as if the darkness was never there at all.

Swimming through darkness

As somehow who enjoys certainty, I find this place challenging. It can be hard to keep heart when you don't really know where you are going. But I have come to understand that this is the cyclical nature of life. We move from light to darkness, back to light again. From apparent knowing to unknown and back. Although we like to theorise our growth as linear, this too is cyclical. Sometimes we grow in the light, and that is beautiful, and sometimes we must learn to grow through the dark, and that too is beautiful.

Instead of a place of struggle, I find solace in thinking of this place as that which holds the most possibility. In order for new things to form, sometimes things must fall apart, or slow down to allow fruits to ripen. Although we can feel stagnant, we are not stuck. Things are always moving, and we must move with them if this feels right. And, anyway most of what we perceive as certainty or knowing is an illusion. There is so little we are in control of, we just feel that we can see, and so this lack of sight can feel debilitating.

If you are also navigating through darkness, keep faith. This is a sacred place. Just like the sudden break of dawn, 'know that any darkness will give way to the light'*.

*Earth Warriors Oracle - Alana Fairchild