The High Priestess and Pluto: Ten Steps From Darkness to Light

Excess breeds deformity and decay. That is why balance is so beautiful. We see this in business, with monopolies, for example. The excess of one entity at the expense of all others always leads to moral corruption and abuse. We see this in government, which, in its polar opposites, expresses itself as tyranny or anarchy.

We see this in intimate relationships where the abuser maintains all control and the victim is relegated to submission. We see this in religion when it expresses as dogma, or on the other end a bleak and lonely nihilism. We see this in biology, when an overabundance of similar genes leads to the deformities produced from inbreeding. The parallels go on and on.

The Curse of Black and White Thinking

This is the problem with black and white thinking – the sweet spot remains tragically elusive. Darkness is the twin of light. Darkness is not bad, it simply is. Death is not bad, it simply is. Pain is not bad, it simply is. Without pain we would not know joy. Without death, we would not appreciate life.

For it is it’s opposite that provides the context for our understanding. The contrast, the balance, is what allows each one to exist. The judgments we place upon them are not necessary, though we are taught to place them anyway.

Evil and Darkness are not the Same

When darkness is perverted to its polar extreme, where we no longer walk the line between dark and light, that is evil. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it, but there is a difference between those that are caught in suffering and darkness, and those that enjoy inflicting suffering upon others. One is natural, one is man-made.

It is no longer an absence of light, but an absence of the soul.

They, the sadists, have lost their humanity. Darkness, death, and suffering are not evil. They are simply the yin to the yang. It requires a human to mutate the darkness into evil. And I do not believe that the light can coexist in such a vessel.

Humans Without Souls

Those that rigidly prioritize their own desires over others are engaging in dehumanization regardless of what it is in the name of. The whole point of humanism is recognizing that in a collective, your own needs are not more important than another’s. If we help each other instead of obsessing over winning, we’re all better off for it. It’s not that hard to understand.

Every time we willingly self-serve at the expense of others, we sacrifice a piece of our soul. Darkness can be moved through. Evil is something else. Like a stain on the collective soul.

Authenticity does not allow these lies. We must call it out as it is. Many are lying to themselves to hide in a responsibility loophole. I don’t care what moral gymnastics they proffer up to justify harming others. I prefer to win collectively. For my enemy’s suffering only brings fuel to their fire.

I think it is safe to assume that if one’s enemy could find joy, they would no longer waste their time on revenge, preferring instead to enjoy their joy. It seems like simple logic to me. Sadly, they just don’t realize that joy is found within. So, they are doomed to point the finger.

Where Have the Souls Gone?

Native Americans speak of soul fracturing, where trauma can literally split off a piece of someone’s soul. Perhaps these people are walking around as empty vessels, and they are desperately trying to fill their void with something, anything other than emptiness. Even at the expense of other people’s suffering.

A dark pit of fear? Fill it with money and false security. A dark pit of loneliness? Fill it with flattery and adulation, bought or earned, it doesn’t matter. The problem is it never ends. Like a dog chasing it’s tail. The problem lies within at the exact point which the dog is running around.

Are their souls out there somewhere? Are they separated twins? One body and one soul, living apart? Can they be reunited? Well, one thing I know for sure: nobody can do it for them.