Which darkness?

O dear Redbarn, O dear Wise Ones,

It seems that there are different types of darkness.  There is the darkness that is about waiting and gestation, allowing seeds to germinate and start sending out deep roots.  There is the darkness of just resting, of simply being, of trusting the stillness.  We often choose to enter this type of darkness, even if it isn’t always with a most eager heart, because we trust the process.  Trish and Christine each write beautifully of the darkness and waiting of this season, and Bette shares the edge of darkness with photo and poem.

But there’s also the darkness that’s not of our choosing. There’s the darkness of fear, shame, or terror.  There’s the darkness of the hard work of relationships, of countries at war, of children who are hungry and parents not knowing from where and when the next meal will come.  There’s the darkness of illness and disability, of death and grief.  When souls are weary, and it’s hard to trust, and hearts are no where near being eager, are we also called to enter this darkness, to embrace and trust it?

Which darkness is this season calling us into?  Are they really the same darkness, with different gates through which we are to enter?

Pondering Advent in the darkness, The Alchemist