Darkness to Light

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awakening, Barbara Brown Taylor, experience, Learning to Walk in the Dark, lessons, living in the moment, meaning, new growth, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Zoom

In a first step toward what might be movement back to the work of the Sophia Center – although that seems still very far away – Cheryl (my co-facilitator) and I are “zooming” today to plan what we hope will be the virtual re-gathering of our book study group to finish consideration of Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, Learning to Walk in the Dark (Is that not a perfect title for this moment in time?) which we left in mid-read in early March.

To prepare for our conversation this afternoon, I pulled the book from its resting place. Upon opening to the chapter where perhaps we left off (a very long month ago), I found a loose sheet with a poem entitled For Light by John O’Donohue. There is a parenthetical subtitle (A Blessing) and I found the first stanza very apt in describing just that. Here is what the poet said:

Light cannot see inside things.
That is what the dark is for:
Minding the interior,
Nurturing the draw of growth
Through places where death
In its own way turns into life.

It seems to me that this is what is happening at this “moment.” We cannot reach for the solace of others except virtually and not being able to touch physically is clearly a loss. Can we, however, learn lessons from this distancing? Does it become a benefit when, in the future, we will need to let go of a significant relationship? Are there times when we must “stand on our own two feet” and come through a danger or challenge that we thought we would never be able to achieve?

There are so many lessons offered to us now. We may not see them as blessings just yet but perhaps we are coming closer to the possibility of awakening to new meanings, new growth, new experiences of life. We may even name those openings “Blessings.”

Just Ask…

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advice, Barbara Brown Taylor, Esther, help, Learning to Walk in the Dark, Matthew, Psalm 138, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, weakness

Why is it that we are so hesitant to ask for help? That was a topic of conversation at our book study last night. We were considering the work of Barbara Brown Taylor, a book called Learning to Walk in the Dark, and again this morning the topic popped up in the lectionary readings: the Book of Esther, Psalm 138 and the more familiar text from MT 7 that tells us to ask, seek and knock — all in the same sentence.

It may have something to do with the “rugged individualism” of our country’s pioneering history or the overly competitive spirit that we see in sports teams from school children to professional teams. Somehow we have learned that asking for help springs from a weakness that we should fear. That is truly unfortunate, especially because there is hardly anything most of us would rather do than be of service to one another.

When is the last time you asked the advice of a friend or sought help to complete a project that was too onerous for one person? And even if you could do it yourself, why not ask for help just to forge a deeper relationship? Walking in the dark is a much more meaningful (and safe!) thing to do if you’re holding the hand of a friend. Try it. I guarantee it will lighten your load.

Walking in the Dark

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Barbara Brown Taylor, darkness, God, Learning to Walk in the Dark, phases of the moon, the night is as bright as the day, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Tobit

Last week I read a book called Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor. I wanted to send something to a person whose life had not been going well and although I had read most of Taylor’s books, this one had eluded me. The title came to me as I was driving to Barnes & Noble, one of the “oasis” places in my life. I bought the book but, not wanting to send something I had not experienced myself, set to reading what was a wonderful reflection on both physical and spiritual darkness. When I read about Tobit being cured of his blindness this morning (Tobit 11:5-17) I went looking for an appropriate, contemporary message in Taylor’s text. (Yes, I went back and bought the book for myself.) Taylor uses the phases of the moon to speak of physical darkness – in positive as well as scary ways – and has lots of examples from her life and from the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. The deeper moments are, predictably, about spiritual and psychological darkness and she does a masterful job, I think, of weaving the effects and the lessons from both arenas. Below is a quote for the day that can give us a taste of what it might mean, especially for those of us in the “second half of life”, perhaps.

Step one of learning to walk in the dark is to give up running the show. Next you sign the waiver that allows you to bump into some things that may frighten you at first. Finally you ask the darkness to teach you what you need to know…Meanwhile, here is some good news you can use: even when light fails and darkness falls – as it does every single day, in every single life – God does not turn the world over to some other deity. Even when you cannot see where you are going and no one answers when you call, this is not sufficient proof that you are alone…but whether you decide to trust the witness of those who have gone before you, or you decide to do whatever it takes to become a witness yourself, here is the testimony of faith: darkness is not dark to God; the night is as bright as the day. (p.15-16)