In the dark

I was thinking of a good metaphor to describe spiritual struggle and an interesting analogy struck me.

Inner spiritual struggle could be visualized by a person having a large object (an obstacle) blocking their path to a source of light. With the large obstacle in one's way, one cannot see the source of the light directly, but one is able to see reflections of the light and glimmers of it in many places. However, the source of the light is the true goal... So, how can one reach the source? There are 2 ways. A person can travel far enough of a distance from the obstacle so that the source becomes visible, and then look for a way to skirt around the obstacle with their new perspective. Or, alternately, one can travel deeper into the shadows looking for a way through or past the obstacle directly.

The first path seems easier at first, it is truly easy to look at the positives in one's life and build upon these positives and travel further from the spiritual obstacles within ourselves until we are truly able to see the entirety of the light. However, this takes a great deal of time, and it may very well be that the shadow cast by our obstacles makes this path an unfeasible one... if a wall is tall enough and wide enough, you may never see what is on the other side, or if the light is hiding completely within the darkness, this path will yield no fruit.

The second path brings with it many risks and potential difficulties. Traveling deeper into the shadows of one's own negativity brings the possibility that one will never be able to find even the glimmer of the light again. However, if one is successful, the rewards are tremendous. This path requires vast amounts of patience, it means that one must truly face up to the deeper shadows within. To squarely and unflinchingly acknowledge internal faults, and to chip away at these faults bit by bit.

Facing the darkness is difficult because it can seem counter-intuitive... How can one discover the beauty within oneself by focusing on one's faults? However, for me, this seems to be the surest path to discovering the true beauty within. By working through the inner obstacles, by struggling to face one's own faults and inadequacies the light becomes apparent.

Going into the darkness within will eventually yield the light inside of the dark.