You Have Two Beings In You. Which One Shows Up Most?

 My life works in themes. A few days ago a close friend of mine messaged me to share that during a meditative and contemplative time, the darkness visited her and told her it loved her. She said that the darkness told her that it was pure love, just like the light. She made peace with the darkness from that visit. What a powerful visit it was. 

The next day during my run I received a burst of new awareness - obviously sparked from the previous days conversation. The message I received was that we are a collaboration of two beings - our darkness (lower-self) and our light (higher-self), and both serve a powerful purpose in our life. Who we are at any given moment depends on which we are currently feeding. 

Which we feed is completely up to us. It's a choice. 

The Darkness Inside of Us

The easiest way to describe the moments where our darkness is showing up is when we are overcome by worry, doubt, and fear. We know our lower self has consumed us when we are filled with internal dis-ease such as stress, anxiety, or depression because of the negative emotions taking over. Some individuals identify themselves by and own their state. You can hear this by the possessive words they use - my anxiety, my depression, my fear, my stress, etc. 

These are not conditions, but awarenesses of the dark being inside of them. The more individuals associate with the darkness inside of them, the longer it remains. 

There are certain human conditions which are likely to occur when an individual identifies and remains in their darkness. Christians called these the 7 deadly sins. The origin of the word sin is the Hebrew word hata, which translates to "to go astray." I have edited the list to modernize it a bit, but here are some states which appear when someone lives from their darkness:

Lust - Uncontrolled and unconscious sexual desire.

Gluttony - Excess consumption.

Greed - Obsessive desire for accumulation.

Laziness - Reluctance to make an effort.

Impulsivity - A lack of emotional or behavioral self-control.

Envy - An obsession with what others possess, or resenting their having what one doesn't.

Pride - An obsessive admiration of self and one's own achievements or possessions.

Although these states appear, they are not "bad" or evil. They are simply guides which tell you that you are living from the lower-self, not the higher-self. Although it's easier said than done, these states do not need to be punished or "fixed." To shift, you can simply turn your attention to your light as soon as you recognize that you're living from one of these states. 

The darkness is not "bad." It is here to point us toward the light. The darkness loves us as much as the light.

The Light Inside of Us

The easiest way to describe the moments when the light is showing up is that we are living from infinite gratitude, joy, and love. Peace overcomes us when we fully surrender to the light within us. 

In every religion and philosophy there is some form of this Christian saying: The Kingdom of Heaven is Within You. That concise thought points to the light within. You don't need to go anywhere or do anything to achieve a heavenly state - you can connect with the infinite states of gratitude, joy, and love already inside of you. These states are never about your circumstances - but your connection to the divinity already inside of you. 

The opposite of the 7 deadly sins are 7 virtues. These states are what show up in your life when you are fully living from your light:

Sexual Intimacy - Sexually connecting to a partner to share the deepest love and unification. 

Moderation - Eating and drinking to enhance and maintain vitality and life.

Fertility and Generosity - Creating the wealth needed to live and fulfill one's destiny, and sharing both wisdom and resources. 

Creativity - Using one's efforts, talents, and skills to benefit the greater good. 

Patience - Demonstrating self-control and restraint, and responding to circumstances intentionally. 

Gratitude - Being appreciative for one's existing possessions and circumstances, and celebrating the possessions and achievements of others. 

Humility - Recognizing every individual as equally divine, significant, and valuable without condition. 

When these states show up in an individual's life, they are living from their light. This is when they are fully living as the divine expression of their highest potential. 

The Evolution From Darkness to Light

Everyone contains both light and darkness inside of them. Each of these conditions show up from time to time, and how we interact with them is an individual journey and experience. 

Some live in a mixed state of light and darkness without awareness and understanding of what's happening inside of them. 

Some live in their darkness their entire life, and this creates conflicts, wars, and egregious acts of self-obsession.

Some people become conscious during the course of their life, and evolve. When darkness appears they witness and shift the darkness to light. These people recognize the darkness for what it helps us see - that we've gone astray.

Each individual is on a distinct path and journey. And here's the unifying factor to consider: whichever being you feed - the worry, fear, and doubt of the darkness or the gratitude, joy, and love of the light - that is the being that will grow during the course of your life. 

Energy flows where your attention goes. What you focus on grows. You attract who you are. 

They all say the same thing: feed the being you wish to become, not the one which shows up. It's totally your call, and you're never a victim of what someone else wants for you. Nothing and no one has that kind of control over you. 

 Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash