As a composer and poet, I’m interested in cultural perceptions and assumptions that influence beliefs. In monotheistic religions as well in some types of more recent spiritual thought, the assumption has been to equate Darkness with evil and Light with good. “Love and light!” we hear often, or maybe “I’m surrounding you in light.” But this assumption feeds a form of prejudice that infuses all of society. The mind hears “darkness” and associates it negatively with Earth, female, skin color, dirt.
But the world is created in Darkness. The Goddess regenerates all life in darkness. Humans gestate in the darkness of the womb. Darkness gives us the liminal time to imagine the new, to envision new paths. We experience this in winter, and every night in sleep.
Leading services at our Unitarian church, I’ve wanted to create an opening for this consciousness and so I created this poem. It works well as a responsive reading, with the congregation repeating “the Darkness.” My hope is to jog awareness of the far-reaching ramifications of prejudice against Darkness.
Many thanks to my friend Deb Pollard for her artwork on “The Darkness,” which includes the Seven Sister mountains visible everywhere in my hometown of Black Mountain, North Carolina.
The Darkness
Coming together here, we warm each other’s hearts in the darkness.
The Sun, far away, yearns to embrace us in Her warmth once again.
But this is our time to journey into the depths of the darkness.
This is the time to surrender and listen deep to our souls.
This is the time to close our eyes, slow down and be lulled by the darkness.
Our blessed Mother Gaia dwells within the darkness.
Inhale the song of Her soul, Her soil, Her dark caves, Her rich dark humus.
Mother Earth welcomes you into the darkness.
Walk with confidence, all people, walk safely into the darkness.
Let us love the night, the moon, the stars, the planets, the Seven Sisters high above.
Revel in this other half of our lives, the darkness.
The beauty of the dark earth, the darkness of skin, the dark curves of mountain roads,
The Seven Sister Mountains in their powerful darkness, presiding over Black Mountain,
Our dark blood, our Earth, our deepest selves, the darkness.
Annelinde Metzner
November 16, 2010
BIO: Annelinde Metzner honors the Divine Feminine with her poetry and music. She has composed many praise songs included in her songbook, “Lady of Ten Thousand Names,” and has created and produced concerts for the Goddess including most recently, “Feminine Faces of God.” She directs the choir at the UUCSV in Black Mountain, NC, and founded the women’s choirs Womansong and Sahara Peace Choir in Asheville NC. http://annelindesworld.blogspot.com
feminismandreligion.com 
Brava! I’m glad to meet someone else who believes that darkness is good. That old patriarchal opinion that darkness is bad is long outworn and needs to be discarded.
Several years ago, I wrote about what I call Endarkenment (parallel to Enlightenment) in my book Pagan Every Day. In 2019, I wrote about Endarkenment here on FAR. You can read my post at https://feminismandreligion.com/2019/02/03/seeking-enlightenment-lets-try-endarkenment-by-barbara-ardinger/
You and I are in agreement. And I love the collage by Deb Pollard. Bright blessings to you and your work!
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Thank you so much, Barbara.
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So Grateful that we have a Goddess Genius among us like you, Annelinde! Thank you for reminding us that darkness is rich, beautiful and profound!
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Thank you so much, Gail!
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Beautiful meaningful poem and your words about our culture having a prejudice against darkness speaks to truth in my way of thinking. Light and Dark have both a positive and negative aspect – discerning which is which is critical.. Darkness in its positive state is generative as you make clear. Our culture literally WORSHIPS the light – and yet all light casts shadows and some are very dark in the non – generative sense.
Being identified with light is very dangerous and can be a form of denial – I experience it most often with people who can’t handle personal difficulties and say things like “it could always be worse” etc etc – a denial of genuine feeling.
I cringe when a friend of mine says “I wrap you in white light when I see unacknowledged darkness
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Thank you for your deep analysis, Sara.
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Beautiful! I love the welcoming tone of your poem as well as your lyricism and wisdom! I have always found darkness to be full of life and profoundly in tune with the pulse of Goddess and nature. I also especially love that you bring your own home region into the poem through the Seven Sisters Mountain and Black Mountain – it’s so important to find mystery and meaning right where we live! Welcome to FAR! I hope you’ll write more for us!
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Thank you so much!
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Yes…totally agree. Some patriarchal religions teach that darkness and anything underground is evil. How can it be evil when we have all birthed from the darkness of the womb?! I love the collage and your words Annelinde. Here is a short poem I wrote as inspiration to my painting Diva #46:
I reach into
the darkness
of my being
to see my light.
I touch its warmth,
newly exposed
by a fresh insight.
I am light
born from darkness.
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Thank you Jan- a beautiful balance.
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