"The Ecosystem of Spirituality and Light Pollution"

“With the use of light, Comes great responsibility”

Did you know that there is such a thing as light pollution? In fact, the overuse of light has caused many animals and species to come to the verge of extinction. Today about 40 percent of all insect species are threatened with extinction and one of the main causes is our overuse of light. Of all the different insect groups studied, things have been the worst for different varieties of moths. The number of insect species decreases by almost 3 percent annually, which, if that pace continues, would imply that in a hundred years there would be barely any insects at all, imperiling the earth’s ecosystem. As with all things, I find there to be a revealing spiritual lesson within this, as all things are connected.

Within the spiritual community, I find there to be an overindulgence in spiritual bypassing and an overuse of the term “Light Work” or “Light worker.” There is an eco-spiritual system, and, in my experience, I find there to be an imbalance. As I write this, it feels pretty ballsy for me to share my thoughts on this topic, but I also feel deeply inspired to share my perspective. Don’t get me wrong. I am all about doing good, being good, and creating good but not at the expense of wholeness. I find to be a wielder of “light” requires the same weight of responsibility as the wielder of darkness. For those of you who are new to these concepts, I worry that the conditioning that our culture has impeded on you will deter you from reading this full article, but if you know me, I hope you can trust that I write these words stemmed from a place of inclusivity and integrity. I welcome you to read on.

I’m reading a book that is deeply inspiring me named “The Darkness Manifesto” by Johan Eklof where he mentions that humans have innate fear of the dark. Humans are innately nyctophobic. It is part of our survival instincts to be afraid of the dark which further supports the fact that facing the darkness gives us access to our ego's transformation. To me this further has me think about how nurturing our comfort and the ego has caused more suffering pain and death. So, if we lean further into our comfort, at what we know, what we can see, and our addiction to light it is costing us our relationship with the Earth and those we share it with. This is where spiritual bypassing plays its part in spiritual communities. If we’re constantly being encouraged to look on the bright side, to see the light, to avoid the discomfort without including the dark experiences, we’re more liable to repeat the pattern. If we don’t look at the dark aspects of us that desire something and we move forward in attempting to manifest what we desire, we are more liable to let it slip away, to have the opportunity pass us unnoticed or at worse take it for granted.

Another way our spiritual communities are abusing and polluting light in our eco-spiritual system is by overusing the term “Light-worker.” I wonder how many of us truly know the meaning and the root of this term. It is my experience that tells me the meaning and root of this term is dependent on the vessel that uses it. Is the vessel one that is inclusive of all its parts and views itself as a whole or does it compartmentalize itself seeking to rid itself of its parts? How does the so called “light-worker” define light? How does the so called “light-worker” define dark? The over consumption and penetration of this term is dangerous. I find that some teachers and practitioners use this term to describe themselves and give it suggestively to others without fully educating others behind the history of the use of terms “light” and “dark” and what that may invoke within the individual’s psyche let alone their ancestral bloodlines. Terms are there to help us learn about ourselves in contrast to the terms meaning and without hurry to place it as a label of the self. I personally do not like to use the term light-worker because I find it extremely dangerous in a world that still defines things as good or bad and in communities that compartmentalize magic as white magic = “good” and black magic = “bad.” I personally find it hard to give myself a title but instead use many titles for whatever the circumstance calls. I also welcome my community members to give me a title as they would find best honors my work. If the opportunity comes, I educate my community members on the meaning of the term and its association with certain cultures and traditions.

The ultimate truth is that there is a weight of responsibility that comes with wielding light. There’s a delicate balance that exists and if we continue to behave as though there is not, then we are encouraging behaviors of neglect and ignorance. Just as one person may be encouraged to be “careful” delving into “darkness”, I strongly agree that the same goes for delving into the light. Just because something is deemed as “good” by the wielder and worker does not mean that there need not be check posts on gluttony and overindulgence. Has the wielder checked-in with themselves? Has the wielder opened themselves to hear other perspectives on the matter? What is the root motive behind the wielding, charging and bathing of this light? To ask these questions and open ourselves to these questions is an Underworld practice and invites the balance and inclusivity of what is known and unknown, light and dark. The message: with the use of light comes great responsibility.

As I continue to reflect on the light pollution in our spiritual communities, I understand that I too am making an observation. It is my right to come to realizations, epiphanies, and clarity that further leads me down my path and I simply felt called to share my thoughts with you. My calling to tread through darkness, into the underworld, into the interdimensional realms is to bring about messages of wholeness to the world. I cannot deny that my being a person of color gives me a different perspective and one I hope you can welcome into your practice of self-reflection. It’s a topic I do not speak about often but is constantly on my mind since the world around me will not allow me to forget.

All I ask is that you reflect on the words/terms you choose and ask yourself the following questions before putting them into use:

• What is the root of this word?

• Who shared this term/word with me, and do I trust that they are using this term/word responsibly?

• What does this word mean to me?

• Does this word bring resonance to me? If so, what part of me is it resonating with and is it something I wish to keep strengthening?