When was the last time that you were in the dark with your eyes open and aware? When was the last time you sat in a room or stood in the world, eyes open, seeing darkness. No light, no screen, no candle. Just the physical environment and you. Darkness represents so many different things. To me, it’s a place where we orient to a place with senses beyond our normal visual perception. We aren’t relying on our optic cranial nerve to make sense of the environment and world around us. In this modern day, the focus is so much on how things look—how people look, how we look rather than feel, even to our own selves when we are alone. In order to meet ourselves kindly in different ways—We are tuning into other subtle methods of perception.
These are our senses of smell, of touch, of hearing, of taste. What new scents might we smell in the air when we take a deep breath because we aren’t frozen moving our thumbs above a screen of light, words, colors, and images. What new sounds might we hear now that our ears are attuning to our surroundings, to make sure we are safe and can also hear the subtlest alerts of our place in physical proximity to other physical objects and to other beings. What are our feet, buttocks, ankles, backs, palms, fingertips, toes, necks, ears, foreheads, scalps, touching, as we sit in the darkness. What senses do we take in from the tastebuds.
And then interoception and proprioception. What phenomena are we aware of on the inside of our bodies, in our organs, in our stomachs, lungs, bladders. What felt senses are present? A buzzing? Tingling? Is there heat? Expansion? Contraction? Anger? What story is being told? Can you listen deeply and closely? The narrative when you’re in the dark…can lead you to quite a different and magical place—the expansive range of experiences possible in interacting with the world and perceiving the world as a human being in space…is pretty freaking rad, I mean c’mon guys (your organs talk to you, can it get more cool?😆)
So, I urge you to unplug your favorite lamp by your bed. Turn your phone onto the dimmest darkness. Light a candle instead of turning on the lights. Light a candle every night at dinner or some nights. And, when you’re ready, begin to sit in darkness for a few moments every day or night. Even if you have to force yourself to unplug a lamp. And notice, just notice…if you can hear the story your organs are narrating just for you😆.
Tai’s Written Works 