Today is not only a joyous celebration of mothers, but an exploration of the contrast of light and dark, both within us and outside us. In a culture filled with references to darkness as dangerous, scary and maybe evil, and light as virtuous and to be sought after, it can be a challenge to see the circular continuum of darkness to light and light to darkness as a perfect balance.

What if our experiences of darkness have a purpose that can be positive? It’s often noticed that we seem to learn more from failures than successes if we’re willing to be teachable. Let’s bring our curiosity to the question of light and darkness. What’s revealed might surprise you.