Enlightenment

"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular."

-- C.G. Jung

Imagination is a wonderful thing! When used properly, it provides us with inventions and art and creative solutions and innovations of all stripes and colors. But just imagining, or fantasizing about, disembodied beings of light doesn't get you doodly squat!

We all have darkness within us waiting to be redeemed. Darkness is merely unconsciousness. It is not bad or evil, it is simply the absence of light.

Redemption does not happen through the powers or auspices of another -- real or imaginary, dead or alive. Redemption is, and always, has been, a do-it-yourself job. DIY redemption is the only redemption there is. You, and only you, can transmute your darkness to light.

As Jung points out, it ain't always that much fun. But as painful as becoming conscious can be, staying unconscious is even more painful -- to you, to those around you, and to the world as a whole.

I'm not a master of depth psychology like Carl was. I do know, however, that awareness brings light, observation redeems. Just by paying attention to your habits, patterns, dysfunctional idiosyncrasies, and the like, you can unravel them and free their energy to rejoin the light.

That is your assignment for today -- observe. Shine a light in the dark nooks and crannies of your soul. Don't condemn, don't judge, merely acknowledge what you see as a temporary permutation, a temporary kink in consciousness. You don't have to fight darkness; light dispels it automatically, naturally, just like dawn brings an end to the night.

Today, don't look for outside help, either real or imaginary. Just observe, shine and be.