Gwyn ap Nudd
Ancient British God & Hero
We consider darkness an absence of light and liken it to our fear of the unknown. Without any light we fail to see and connect our inability with a sense of failure. How can we gauge our safety from that of our danger? How can we be even more aware? As the partially sighted can adapt to their environment, we all have the ability to use and develop our senses more.
When faced with the unknown we draw on our senses to ascertain what information we can which in turn can reduce our fears, but like grasping at water if we do not know enough we may fail to gain assistance from that which might help us. Because without information we cannot assess a situation accurately, we may increase our fear of the unknown as the result of not knowing enough.
In one of Gwyn’s roles as the Lord of Darkness, he is the overlord to our fears - the demons of our minds. As in Gwyn was 'set the spirit of the demons of Annwn', our ancestors conceived it was the way of looking at things which imprisoned their potential. Therefore to release them of their fears, in life as well as in death, they believed the Creator chose Gwyn ap Nudd to help them reach Gwynvyd (a blessed state of being, ie enlightenment or awareness).
The absence of our own light is the absence of awareness. As with the dimming of natural light we become ignorant of our surroundings, the reduction of our own insight employs the metaphor of ‘being in the dark’. However, as we don't have to submit to ignorance, we can become more aware. The reward for our self development can enlarge our personal expression.
As you proceed with this part of the Gwynvyd Method you will work with Gwyn, the Dark Lord to discover what ideas mean to you. To begin, you will:
1. complete a task with no assistance.
2. answer a series of questions honestly.
As the work you do is personal to your development it must be undertaken personally. The questions that are asked of you must therefore be asked of yourself.
The Task:
Comparing dark and light - please click on the following link 24 October and read the proceeding chapter from the White Son of Night.
Whilst you are thinking about darkness you are ready to ask yourself one of the following five questions. Allow yourself time to become conscious of your answer.
The Questions:
- Am I afraid of the dark?
Do you leave lights on in inhabited rooms? Do/Did you sleep with a light on?
When we feel uncomfortable about the dark it may be because we associate bad things happening in darkness, however, disasters occur at any hour of the day or night. Could you better experience the dark by lighting safe candles (lanterns)? Could you enjoy the dark for its stars, for fireworks and bonfires?
Fearing what may not happen is fearing what may not exist.
- Am I afraid to sleep?
Do I believe demons are hiding in shadows? Do I dread bed if I have had nightmares?
We might think it fun to tell children there are ghosts in cupboards and monsters under the bed, but we might be chilling their minds when we could be colouring their imaginations. Could you lift the fears of others in lifting them from yourself? Could you tell your child a dark and positive story whilst sitting in the dark? Ideas:
That darkness is
like a black blanket keeping them warm
That
the first 9 months of being cosy and safe in their mother’s womb
That
other than the stars in the sky the universe is not devoid of light but
filled with it, ie radiation
That
pitch blackness doesn’t exist on our planet, Earth, as everything is
penetrated to some degree by light. That even if you built a chamber, miles
under ground and shielded it from radiation, neutrinos etc and chilled it
below absolute zero to prevent the emission of radiation from the chamber
itself, there would still be particles of light that you couldn’t see with
the human eye but would still be there. And even if it was possible to
remove what you couldn’t see, your own body would still be emitting heat.
You therefore produce your own light in that your own body produces
radiation!
There is no place darker than a closed mind!
- Am I happy to be scared?
Do you like getting scared? Do you watch scary movies?
Whilst we know there are levels of being scared and fun fairs and bungee jumping are fun but could appear dangerous, we know there are even greater risks we could take in life but without training our safety could be at risk. Could you become more skilled at doing something you are scared of? Could you teach others your learned skills to improve their chance of safety?
No one wants to be scared to death!
- Am I afraid to be outside in the dark?
Do I fear walking home at night? Does the darkness worry me?
Whilst we should undertake measures to ensure our safety, we need not prevent ourselves experiencing the excitement of a dark night. Could you enjoying camping and being away from electric lights? Could you listen to the trees and enjoy the wind filling them?
When we close our eyes to kiss we create our terms of darkness.
- Am I safer under the covers?
Do you think making a dark space will remove you of fear? Do you cover your head as an ostrich buries theirs in sand?
When we hide it is because we don’t want to be found or because we don’t want to know, however if we keep our heads covered we might close our minds off from experiencing real life. Could you consider what you find emotionally difficult and try to know more about it? Could support someone with emotional difficulties until they can support themselves?
No one may watch us more closely than our fears.
Well done! You may continue to phrase your own questions and stay with Darkness a little longer or if you wish, return to this area again later. Alternatively, you can enter another area of the Gwynvyd Method.
Reference Sources/Links