For every gifted, wise, talented, artistic, creative, philosopher, scientist and even king, there are shadows that no exterior observer can consider when in awe of what they are beholding – that of the darkness of their shadow.

These individuals seem to walk effortlessly their paths of absolute certainty and mastery: like floating upon an ether of benevolence befitting of a deity whose powers have been bestowed by otherworldly forces.

Anointed, these individuals inspire us as they appear to exist beyond conventional limits.

But this is an illusion only the foolish believe. These individuals are not God(s), they are men and women who have been willing to accept darkness as a path to light.

For every skill, there is a gestation – a time when one is spent locked away from the world – as if existing in a chrysalis. Often this persists for years on end as evolution takes hold in the form of intense transformation, pain, and growth – the body and mind morphing to their new purpose – one that will one day be able to fly.

When we look upon those we admire who seem above us, remember that their mastery of what they have chosen to become of themselves has been a process of evolution and nature, not one of divine intervention.

With this in mind, you too now have the understanding that such a transformation is possible. But to attain such things, you must cast aside the light and, for a time, become one with the constricting, suffocating darkness.