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"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." - Carl Jung
Dancing is the intimate song that two souls sing together, in that special way beyond words, as they interlock and intertwine in the rapturous dynamic of each other. To dance is to give sway to the expression of self, true self, that is, if one is dancing with fierce abandon. Two souls flowing in sync is like harmonizing two discrete instruments on the same wave length.
Life is like a song and a dance. We engage in this interplay with life that is always engaging, at times romantic, difficult - full of passion, love, hate, fear, sadness, excitement, hope. Life leads, we follow. Sometimes. There is give and there is take. This is the flow. Rhythmic exchange.
Dancing requires trust and abandon. The individual being led must trust that the individual that is leading will lead in the right direction. In every sense, that the lead knows what steps to take and in what direction to move at every turn. The individual who is leading must trust that the individual being led will believe in them enough, blindfolded if the case may be, to follow the lead and simply flow, letting oneself go completely. It certainly does take two to tango.
Then there is the dance we do with others. So, too, the dance we do with a certain other, or, an other. It may be that two souls who once danced in harmony come to find after a time that they are no longer able to dance to the same tune anymore. At times like these it seems it would be most appropriate to get off of the dance floor.
Sometimes life likes to teach us its deepest secrets, perhaps even its darkest ones. Have you ever heard these words or asked them yourself, “May I have this dance”? Such simple, bold, powerful words. I suppose there are all sorts of dancing partners. But have you ever danced with that one who took your breath away by taking you to depths you never thought you would explore, and conversely to heights you never knew you could soar?
When such a one poses their daunting presence, perhaps on some soulful level you may recognize in them, that there is a powerful lesson to be learned or powerful experience to be lived by virtue of engaging in the dynamic. Yet, somehow, it was all so innocently romantic at the onset. After all, it was just a dance. Days of chivalry and elegance, wine and roses. What darkness could ever be experienced in that?
So we politely oblige and dare we accept the hand that petitions us. Indeed. Imagine twirling across the floor of a knowledge so shiny it turns out to be much more like a rather disturbing and hideously ugly looking witch! Now off for a spin and a twirl we go… again and again and over again. Dancing is like being caught in a rapture. It is to feel life’s vibrations at the core and awaken to the mystery of being experienced within.
Our partner, adversary, co-conspirator, accomplice, opponent, enemy, friend, is a master of disguise, at once so foolish and wise. To think what you once loved and believed in, you would some day discover is a fraud and come to despise. Like a justice on judgment day you will come to hold such a one in contempt. However, this will not happen one single moment before you are truly ready to open up your eyes, and stare truth in the face. The truth hurts.
As it turns out, our adversary is in fact our greatest friend. For it is our foe who has the power to liberate us - taking us to the edge and pushing us off the cliff into the abyss of knowing. What dread! Alas, when we overcome the darkness we will be able to embrace the light.
Have you ever danced with the devil? A devil? Any devil? There is something extremely enticing about the danger that devils emit - something hypnotic and intoxicating. The devil can serve to remind us of all the evil we ever knew, or that is existent. To dance with the devil is to awaken to the deepest darkness in humanity, or ourselves, a place where worlds of deception and lies and subterfuge and hypocrisy and evil on the most vile of levels abound, all stroking the most mesmerizing chords of a shrouded and distant world - a dreaded darkness and a faint light.
The devil reveals the truth behind the façade. Though the devil loves costumes, disguises, masks and most especially attending costume balls, this devil dares take off the mask, and stares directly in your face, unabashedly so. In fright, do you turn away, for the sight is ghastly? I am reminded now of how the powerful voice of the Wizard of Oz was a fake after all.
While “All the world is a stage" as we know, I do not particularly like costume balls. I prefer attending galas or events where I can simply show up as I am. It would seem it is preferable to be liked for who one is and not for the portrayal of who one is not. Devils are duplicitous. They are not congruent beings. They are many things and many people, leading many lives and telling many lies, always weaving crafty webs of deception and magically, they are able to do this all on one foot. Devils are inherently pluralistic, and in their failure to admit who they really are, they adhere to the polarities of black and white extremes. Go figure!
They spend all of their time and energy chasing their little tail, and everyone else’s, too, going round and round in circles. After a while, their spin becomes nauseating, and eventually, they two-step one step too many, right out of sync! It is impossible to dance harmoniously with the devil for very long, unless your choice is to make hell home.
Spinning, spinning, dizzy, sick, cacophonous music, make it stop! Suddenly, it is as if all of the dark secrets of the world have made their truth known. Perhaps our adversary is more like us than we care to admit.
When the painful truth hits home, and eyes are opened wide, and truth is tasted, seen and felt as if for the first time, something happens inside - a dark cloud of sadness and melancholy envelops one. Can you hear it rain? Then comes the sanctity and the transformation. The truth was glaring its ugly head all along. Is truth so obvious that we deny its presence? Is it so painful we prefer to choose not to see it? Never underestimate the power of denial. Never deny truth when it slaps you in the face! It is real! Brazenly so!
Eventually, we all learn what we need to know. Sometimes we are crushed by the weight of such overwhelming knowledge. Is all the world bad? Is it all a façade? A lie? Do we get to confront evil at its greatest the closer we get to G-d?
And of G-d? Isn’t He or She best experienced through people? Must such a dance with the devil force us to redefine our G-d concept? I am convinced there is evil, verifiable evil, in this world. And when we come to know this, to accept this, to dance with this, what should we do? Lose our faith, our trust and our belief in humanity and in the possibility of goodness? I hope not.
There is a HUGE world of difference and a VERY fine line between making a mistake and perpetrating a life of lies and deceit. Some people can get away with murder, like say mobsters for example, and we expect this of them. They are being who they are. However, there are some people we expect more from, whom we expect to be angels of light when they are posing as such.
If an angel of light were to make murder a bloodsport, then Heaven's name would be blasphemed. This cannot be! Perhaps this angel of light is really a demon of darkness? There are very bad people in this world, who sometimes do good things. There are very good people in this world who sometimes do bad things. There is definitely goodness in the world. We should never stop believing this.
Maybe we need to be awakened to the darkness that lies within ourselves by dancing with the devil if only to transform our own darkness into light. Life is such bittersweet irony. To think, the opportunity for us to become most illuminated is when we dance with darkness.
War Humor...collect them all!
4 weeks ago
