Learn how to see in the dark

The Winter Solstice is marked as the darkest point on the wheel of the year. It occurs when the earth’s poles reach its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

The earth is tilted away from the sun on the Winter solstice, it's the time of year to face towards the dark.

The 21st of December marks the official day of Winter until we rise again on the Spring Equinox in March.

The time between now and spring gives you the opportunity to study the opposite pole to light.

The dark is not negative or bad it’s simply an unknown.

It holds many gifts and it’s a time to conserve and nourish your body rather than rushing back towards the light.

You can look at it like the Chinese yin/ yang symbol, which teaches you the dual nature of everything.

It’s my favorite time of year as I journey inwards to find resources, inspiration and wisdom.

How do you feel in the dark?

I’ve been working with the dark as a teacher for a long time.

As a student and teacher of the feminine mysteries, I know the mystery won't reveal itself until you step into the unknown.

In Native American teachings the bat is the opposite pole to the Hummingbird.

The light loving Hummingbird is the symbol for my art studio in Tralee Co.Kerry.

The Hummingbird is a symbol of joy and lightness of being.

Its opposite the bat, is completely self sufficient in the dark, it uses sound instead of sight.

Bats can use returning echoes to detect objects as fine as a human hair in total darkness. Bat brains map the echoes in a way that lets them home in on insects or avoid obstacles..

Do you trust your other senses to guide you?

Studying the dark at a dark cave retreat August 2023

I did not know the bat was the opposite pole to the hummingbird when I booked a dark cave retreat in Italy in August 2023.

A dark cave retreat is where you spend three days in complete silence and darkness in a room/ cave.

I entered the dark at sunset on a Sunday and came back out at sunrise on Wednesday.The room was really basic with a bed, sink, prayer mat and it had three stone steps that led up to a bathroom.

My food was collected from this hole that was built into the door but no light would get through.

Alot of fear goes through the mind at first because you have no reference points or distractions.

It's quite an overwhelming experience having no reference points, but you can't allow the experience to swallow you up.

I had to command my own sense of inner authority within it.

The warrior in me took center stage and it showed me you how to manage the intense darkness.

And with nothing to do,no book to read, no phone or people, the only thing I could was set myself some tasks.

Even though i’d no concept of time or day or night, a routine started to present itself.

I had to eat, shower, brush my teeth, use the bathroom, meditate and exercise.

These simple tasks can take quite some time as you're trying to sense your way through the room.

After a few times crawling in the dark you start to get a bit cocky and think you know your way.

But you don't, each time you begin a new journey to drink a glass of water or roll out a yoga mat.

The main sense I used was touch and I’d feel the different textures and their temperatures as I crawled instead of walked.

You could sense roughly the times of the day by when you were given food once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

I would feel the temperture of the walls cooling down which was an indication the day was over.

I also decided to do Dark paintings, on the second day when my system had adjusted.

I made the decision to create a painting everytime I returned from the bathroom. I placed a sketchbook and watercolour pens and a glass of water on the counter to the left of the three stone steps.

The first time I painted x’s, then I painted O’s , then I just made marks. I’d mark the page the corner of the page, so I’d know the next time there was a painting on that page.

Tools I used in the dark

The worst thing I could do in the dark was panic.

Fear generated by the mind can quickly get out of control and conjure up all the horror stories . Fear serves its purpose too , it shows you what needs to be looked at and then transmuted back into power.

Instead of allowing the fear to take over, I addressed the fears that I was holding in my body and rewired them through movement and mantra.

I used my tools to keep my mind and nervous system calm and steady.

I used mantras and affirmations to focus my mind.

I used non linear movement which is a type of somatic movement that works with strengthening the nervous system.

I also used meditation and body scanning.

When I got out of the dark cave retreat at sunrise on the Wednesday morning, the first thing I did was check my dark paintings. Did I paint anything in the dark? Were there any colours, what colours did I use?

Finding different ways to see

Learning how to see in the dark is also an opportunity to build your power and trust in yourself.

You learn how not to give your energy and power away, but instead embrace the darkness and see what it is trying to teach you.

I’d everything I needed and through my skills I saw that the dark was my ally and it was nothing to fear.

x

Tricia