Light from the Dark

One does not become Enlightened
by imagining figures of light
but by making
the Dark Conscious
-Carl Jung

I chose Jung's quote this week since we are in the season of bringing light into darkness,  celebrated through the seasonal holidays of Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa. We can't bypass the dark in our lives: it is  as equally a part of human life,  as it is part of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
There is a lot of emphasis in popular culture these days on being "positive" or at least "not negative," on being happy all the time and rejecting sadness or other less than joyful feelings. Of course we want to be and prefer to be happy and positive, since it feels good! However, when we ARE sad or feeling bad about something, there is value in examining these feelings, in being with them, in shining the light of awareness on them. Or in Jung's words, making the Dark Conscious.
It's like going down into the dark, often forgotten or neglected basement with a flashlight, and replacing the burned out bulb, then cleaning off the cobwebs and dust that have collected over time, and taking stock of what's down there. Exploring both the dusty, forgotten treasures as well as the broken things that no longer serve us.
Some things we encounter we may have been avoiding or trying not to deal with, but we may also find memories, experiences and parts of ourselves that we want or need to examine, reclaim and integrate into our lives.
Jung's point is that it's not useful or Enlightening to simply imagine Light or pretend that all is Light. This would be like living all the time under flourescent lights and calling it sunlight. But genuine Light returns when we don't shy away from the Dark (the Unconscious), but instead turn toward it with curiosity and interest. This will bring genuine Light into life.