From: radzy@ICSI.Berkeley.EDU (T. O. Radzykewycz)
Subject: Re: night and winter
Organization: International Computer Science Institute, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 22:54:01 GMT

cortese@skid.ps.uci.edu (Janis Maria Cortese) writes:
> Am I the only person who just abssolutely adores winter and nighttime
>  -- I mean really loves it?  There's no fear there, no fright.

No, Janis, you`re not!

I love nighttime.  On a recent dark-moon night, when I was out
camping, I left the "friendly" glow of the lantern, and walked
out into the darkness.  Before long, I was under the trees, and
it was dark enough that I couldn't see my hand, holding it a
half inch in front of my face.  When I looked up, I could
*occasionally* see the outlines of the treetops, but even that
much was rather rare, as there were a few clouds as well as no
moonlight at all.

A bit earlier, as Lynne and I were camping, we were walking
through the woods to our campsite, and we both turned off our
lights.  There was going to be a moon later that evening, but it
hadn't yet come up, so it was dark under the trees.  But the sky
was clear enough and bright enough that it was still possible to
guide yourself by looking up at the trees and seeing the
outlines of the branches.  We still couldn't see anything down
where we were, but between the branch outlines above us and the
feel of the path, we could find our way.

I've never had problems with fear of the dark.  It's always
seemed very very pleasant to me.  The quiet and darkness let me
stand there and think/meditate.  There's nothing around to
interrupt how I "feel" the world.  When there's light, I can
usually sense the energy of things a little ways around me.  But
it seems like during the dark moon, I am able to sense more than
just the world.  When it's dark out, like that, I feel like I
can sense the entire universe, and be one small and mostly
irrelevant, but still important, part of everything -- sort of
like I'm both connected to everything and surrounded by
"friends" and separate from them all at the same time.

One of the experiences I had a long time ago, which I now
consider to be an early pagan experience, was when a busload of
kids from my high school got stuck on the highway one night.
The banks of the road were about 10 feet above the roadway, and
the forest above was quiet and *SO DAMNED INVITING* that I
*almost* went up there with the intent of being lost from the
bus.  Most of the kids stayed real close to the bus, where there
was plenty of light, but I wandered pretty far into the darkness
until a couple of my friends noticed I wasn't there and came
after me.  We spent a while waiting for the bus to be fixed --
most of them being loud in the light near the bus, and my
friends and I a bit away and quiet.

I can't express the longing I sometimes feel to be out in the
quiet and dark, or the satisfaction I feel when I'm out in the
woods, miles from the nearest road, sitting there in the
darkness and quiet.  It makes life worth living!

Blessings!

		-- radzy

------------------------------------------------------------
					|  An it harm none,
	T. O. Radzykewycz	     	|  do as ye will.
	The Incredible Radical Cabbage	|
					|  "Just pray for a
	radzy@cogsci.berkeley.edu       |  tough hide and a
	        			|  tender heart."
	        			|    -- Ruth Graham
------------------------------------------------------------
Tribal Mother was old, and lay ill on a bed of moss and
fern.   Her hair was long and grey.   Her face was very
wrinkled.    Tamura'nun-pa thought:   How beautiful you
are, Mother, so old and wise.
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