I am so sick of analogies of darkness being equated with evil/the bad/deprivation. I’m too tired to shriek, so here goes.

We and everything in the natural world were created in darkness. We cry when we’re spasmed out of that nurturing and soothing place into the bright light of turmoil. We adults forget that we need the darkness to shade our eyes, to rest and sleep, to be creative. We value the lotus, but scorn the mud. Yet it is that darkness that not only creates the flower, but continues to feed it and to hold it up to receive the sun. Without that mud, it shrivels and dies, and no amount of light will save it.

Although it exists, most seldom know the healthful balance between Dark and Light, not as opposing forces, but mutually sustaining. We draw sustenance and wealth from the dark, rich Earth, and She is nurtured by rays of Sun, and quenched by the loving Waters. In balance, all is fruitful and giving, and through them, we exist.

Fearing the dark has never made any sense to me. Anything that can happen under cover of darkness can happen in a well lighted space, and the light at the end of the tunnel is likely to be a train you won’t survive. I crave the quietness that comes with sunset- I love how everything in the natural world pauses at twilight before the night singers begin their chirps and croaks, how the ones who hunt at night have silent feathers to blend in with the hush of night. I love the time when loved ones share a meal and stories or simply sit or lie together. That our ancient selves know that work and stress should stop at night, despite our 24-7 societies now. That our bodies fail without the dark and the peaceful quiet that it brings. We ruin it with our lights, and noise, and activities, our bombs flashing, and led lights, but our bodies hold fast to their origins and fail to thrive amidst such things, our health and quality of life diminished and shortened with each additional assault.

I say these things in part because of colour prejudices I’ve heard my entire life, amped up every few years, and accompanied by vile and violent acts against other humans. I’m writing because every time someone equates darkness with evil/ignorance, they are subtly or not so subtly reifying tropes of superiority, inequality, and ideas about worth, and value in our cultures.

I say it for the more trivial reason that our “NY style wardrobes”have an abundance of dark clothing for which we are gently teased when in semi or tropical climes. I honestly find an abundance of bright colours jarring, albeit sometimes beautiful. There are colours I don’t want on my bed and bright patterns that would keep me up at night, without a doubt. In nature, bright colours delight me, but the manufactured versions seem out of place and never have the vibrancy of living things. How could they?

Where I come from, colours have energy and spiritual associations. White is the colour of Death- the loss of our rainbows and life, the ash and bones left in the end. It’s the North, where the Ancestors dwell- not to be feared, but certainly the end story for mortals. Black is Creation and the Source of all Life. It is Earth, the Womb, and Mother. Red is Life, the blood in our veins. Yellow is the Sun, our Father, and lover of Earth. Blue is the Water that sparks Life for all. Green is Sustenance and the Beauty of nature. All necessary elements and aspects of our full cycle, in balance. All are of The Good.

To malign any is to put your ignorance and imbalances on full display. It is a form of violence carried throughout societies for generations. It is a harsh denial of our real place and path in partnership with Earth and all within. It’s also grammatically unnecessary. If you want to say “bad” say bad. “Bad” and “ignorant” have dozens of synonyms you can use. Question your symbology, open or Google a thesaurus, and leave the Dark to her peace.