‘We are a mixture of Light and Dark’ by Joe McVeigh

The spiritual writer, Richard Rohr, reminds us again and again that the qualities most required for us to grow as mature people are humility and honesty. These are the two most important qualities in the spiritual life and also, interestingly, in Alcoholics Anonymous. Each person is a mixture of light and dark, light and shadow and we need to be honest and accept our dark side as well as our light side. Sometimes we are in denial that we have a dark side or sometimes we are not even aware of it. That lack of awareness can result in a lot of pain and unnecessary suffering.

I read somewhere that the early Church Fathers put forward a theory about us human beings. (This was long before psychology and psychotherapy.) According to these early Church mystics and writers each person has two minds and two hearts. In each of us there is the light side and the dark side. The light side is noble, generous, and saintly. The other dark side in each person is petty, bitter and selfish. It is at our peril that we ignore this.

You may be able to verify the truth of this for yourself if you look closely at your life and behaviour. I certainly can. You may need someone you trust to help you discover it. It is said that what you complain most about in others is present in your own dark side. This you cannot yet see. ‘Open your eyes’…we are told. ‘Take the plank out of your own eye instead of condemning the speck in your brother’s or sister’s eye,’ we read in the Gospel. Looking at the plank in your own eye means being aware of your own dark side.

The early Christian mystics suggested that people may choose to live out of one or the other – the light or the dark. It is not easy to live out of the light all the time. Your peace and happiness will depend on which side you choose. Remember that when you choose the light, the dark side is always attempting to undermine. There are all kinds of distractions.

There is nobody who is perfect but the God of Love and Mercy accepts us in our brokenness so long as we accept that living in the light means that we are generous, hospitable, forgiving and kind. It means making the choice over and over again to prefer the light to the dark.

Integration and wholeness comes about through acceptance, honesty and humility. The life of the disciple means learning to be open to God or the Higher Power in order to heal. It takes time. The more we can hold the light and dark in balance the more human and the more whole we can be. It is a life-long commitment. I think it helps to know about this so that we can exercise our God-given freedom. I have discovered much about this from reading and listening to the spiritual writer Richard Rohr, a priest who is based in New Mexico.