Take in the Darkness: Embracing Pain as a Path to Transformation
Facing the Storm
Yes, this is the storm. Children crying from hunger and pain. Parents losing their minds over the loss of their children.
This is the darkness manifesting in our world. This is what many spiritual traditions have named—the devil, Kali, the destroyer—but it's not simply the people hurting one another. No, it's the suffering within you. This is the energy that drives destruction, that creates endless pain, that keeps our world locked in cycles of violence where we harm our brothers and sisters, and they harm us in return.
The Power of Witnessing
Are you truly seeing it? Are you fully taking it in? Or are you turning away, avoiding the feelings that arise when witnessing these atrocities?
Don't look away. See their eyes. Feel the pain. This is what you're here for.
Before you do anything, before you react, open yourself to this darkness and surrender to the pain it brings. Cry and scream if you need to, but let it flood your consciousness. This is not self-torture—this is sacred witnessing.
Holding Space for Transformation
Before taking action, fully move through your response. Experience the hopelessness, the terror, the overwhelm, the shock. Take everything in and hold it—not only for yourself but for every soul on this earth.
Hold the wave of emotions burning through your soul like fire. This capacity to witness and contain suffering is part of your purpose here.
When you hold this space:
- Your breath may become shallow—breathe deeper
- Your body may tense—notice it and let it relax
- Your mind may seek escape—gently bring it back
- Your heart may feel it will break—allow it to break open instead of closed
Finding Meaning in Suffering
Don't avoid any part of this experience. In time, you may begin to perceive a deeper pattern—the perfection within the pain, the beauty interwoven with suffering. Notice how all this collective anguish is propelling humanity toward transformation, creating a portal into a new way of being together.
This is not about accepting atrocities or condoning madness. This is about facing truth before attempting change.
The Alchemy of Darkness
When we fully take in darkness:
- We integrate what has been denied and pushed into shadow
- We develop genuine compassion, not theoretical understanding
- We access deeper wisdom about what true healing requires
- We discover our innate capacity to hold both suffering and joy simultaneously
This process liberates us from dysfunctional patterns, both individually and collectively. By acknowledging the darkness, we create space for authentic light to enter—not the light of spiritual bypassing or toxic positivity, but the genuine illumination that comes after complete acceptance.
A New Way Forward
After you have fully witnessed, after you have held this pain with courage and compassion, then—and only then—will your actions come from wisdom rather than reaction, from love rather than fear.
In this way, darkness becomes not something to fight against but a teacher and transformer. By taking in the darkness, you become a vessel through which light naturally flows, a bridge between what has been and what might be.
This is how we finally free ourselves as humankind from old, destructive patterns—by accepting that we must fully take in the darkness to bring authentic light into this world.
"The wound is the place where the Light enters you." — Rumi