Treasures of Darkness

Image from the James Webb Space Telescope

 

I will give you the treasure of darkness, riches stored in secret places so that you will know I am the Lord

                                                       Isaiah 45:3

This verse is one of the positive in the Bible regarding darkness. Every time I read it, I think of the night sky and the infinite vastness of darkness dotted with the jewels of stars and planets. A recent discussion regarding the nature of the human etheric body and darkness, my conversation partner questioned why darkness, black in fact, was in anyway beneficial. My response was that all life begins in darkness, that black is generative. 

The Southern Ring Nebula as seen by the James Webb Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, And STScI

Think of the seed germinating underground, how fertilization of eggs happens in the darkness of the womb, and black holes in space spew forth the basic elements that make up life. I often wonder why darkness, the color black has been used to describe evil, isolation and pain. Why is that really? I have been in places during the time of year when the sun barely sets below the horizon. It is almost unbearable, the intense light, and one can never really rest fully because the heavens are always illuminated. 

Our current time is one of great upheaval and transformation. As the infant becomes more cramped and restless in her mothers womb just before birth, she is enveloped in the warmth, security and darkness that will be forever shattered when she emerges through the threshold into life. It is terrifying for the infant as she has no reference for time, has never experienced anything but enclosure, now sounds are amplified, touch is new and the light is difficult to decipher. But many wonders, joys and challenges await in an unknown, unfamiliar future.

A star forming region NGC 3324 as seen by the James Webb Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, And STScI

We are experiencing the same thing as a global community. Our planet is transforming in ways we do not understand, our security is threatened, and the immature respond with violence, greed and theft. Is it not interesting that in the midst of all the upheaval the human imagination and intelligence has produced a new space telescope that is giving us glimpses into the infinite universe of which we are only a tiny speck? 

Life in general fascinates me. While I dislike the pain and annoyance associated with interpersonal conflict, I become completely mesmerized by the elegance of nature, the grander of the cosmos and the wisdom that holds everything together. The images of the Webb telescope bring to mind the verse in Isaiah. Have we used our human gifts of the mind and will to create a method by which we can see what Divinity has in store? Is the timing of this gift to remind us of what is truly real and worthy of attention? Our wars and conflicts, how do they compare with what we are seeing that lies beyond the edges of our galaxy? How can we be distracted by petty disagreements and ego clashes of one nation against another, if we would only look up to the heavens? 

We are so small, and yet we have every aspect of these treasures of darkness within. Every element that makes up our bodies is present in the stars, what animates us is love born out of wisdom. 

Mother of God of Ostra Brama

Most Black Madonnas have crowns of stars upon their heads. Are they Black and have stars to remind of us from where we have come? Are they present to remind us where we shall go if we can love enough to know what is true?

We have been given the treasures of darkness, the riches stored in secret places since our beginnings. May these images coming to us through the ingenuity of humanity, remind us of the Cosmic love that surrounds us all.