Sgrios Mass: At Home in the Shadows

Are we at home in the shadows? It seems a strange thing to consider, seeing as how we are, ourselves, beings of the light, but one must stop and consider why it is that darkness can yield such welcome rewards.

 

The sun is the progenitor of our living security; we have only to look to the clear day sky to see that we thrive in the light. Plants take from it their sustenance and we, in one way or another, take from them. We are provided with warmth, with joyous illumination by which we might read a book, explore a dense wood or gaze upon the beauty of our lover’s face.

 

But what of it when the light becomes oppressive? When we wish the shut our eyes and escape into dreams, or the landscape before us is hideous and warped and we wish not to be shown in such clear focus the horrors? What of the times we wish to be unseen, ourselves, or seek a shroud of privacy for matters we would keep secret? Yet, still, what are we to do when the warming sun proceeds relentlessly to share it’s fiery gift and yields naught but heat stroke and burns?

 

There is comfort in the shadows; for within the confines of the darkness we can truly walk without fear of judgement. Without the light to intrude on our lives, we are able to chase the purity of our secret desires; we can manifest entire worlds that exist only in the realms of our thoughts. Darkness can provide respite from the torturous days, relief from the cruelness of the blistering summer sun, and a companion for those who are lost to their own loneliness.

 

Yes; there are days I cannot wait to cast off my sleeping gown and greet the sunlight of the dawn, but there are days, too, where I curse its rising as I would a beast on the hunt, wishing for the fleeting night to last just another few hours. While I wait with any patience I can muster for the sun to chase away the oppressive colds of winter, there are summer days that are so sweltering that I consider seeking refuge in the ice caves of Girgan.

 

Shadows are our home, and we, His chosen, know that there is nothing to fear in embracing them. From a seat beneath a mighty willow tree I can watch the sun feed the natural order and experience the world of the light without being of it. In my darkened chamber I can rest my weary head, even during the glimmering days which give pleasure to the farmers. I know that, while the cobblestones of the Rucesion streets might burn my delicate feet, the dark stones of my temple will always offer a cool rebuttal.

 

So, in your lives, walk not in fear of the abyss, but learn to embrace the darkness without sacrificing your inner light. Without one neither could exist.