A Dark Night of the Soul
“OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”
-Invictus, William Ernest Henley
“I stood under a tall oak tree, asked the goddess to shelter me
Wrapped me up in ancient green, ancient green
All my tears, all my tears, all my tears, River’s gon’a wash away”
-Ancient Green, Unknown
The first quote above is one of my favorite poems, the second one of my favorite songs. I am having a dark night of the soul. Everything seems to have gone crazy. The world is nuts and getting worse. Is there anywhere out there where love still exists? Where mercy, kindness, and compassion have not been forgotten? Is there anyplace where community still exists, where people actually care for one another?
If so, I have never seen it. My family of origin could have been the poster child for dysfunctional and abusive. I am afraid it does not exist. The world is so full of Darkness. I fear there is no more Light left. How can you call good things back into a world where thousands die of starvation by the day, where it is impossible to count the number of wars that are being waged as I write, where we are quickly destroying the planet itself? The pain I feel is immense, both for me and for the world around me.
posted by RAS at 7:36 PM
2 Comments:
It is quite bleak out there right now. It is especially hard when people such as yourself are highly empath oriented. Keeping balanced while still remaining observant is a challenging road. But we do it still, because we are the light, and we are here to remind others of such considerations.
Here are some images placed on recycled bags that were used in an exhibit to bring awareness to our alternatives to wasting paper and plastic shopping bags...
Peace, Love and Light... thought you could use some after reading your post. Many of us get it.
http://gallery.mac.com/chrismartell#100045&bgcolor=black&view=grid
A warm hug all the way from India for you. While you're looking for mercy, compassion and kindness around you, I'm a regular visitor to your blog because i find your writing full of compassion... for earth and its inhabitants.
Communities are born only when someone takes the initiative to explore better ways of living... and when others see the value in these new ways and start walking the path themselves.
'Taking the initiative' is a role you're already playing. You're setting a wonderful example for so many of us to learn from... and i can say with deep conviction that when i share sustainable ways of living with family and friends, it is only because i have been inspired by the changes others like yourself have already made to their lives... and are continuing to make.
"There is not enough darkness in the world to put out the light of one single candle." Kahlil Gibran
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