Journey into the black

“Darkness has no boundaries. It is unbounded. Darkness is not an effect. It is uncaused eternity” Osho

Our journey through the Mehedinti Mountains began on country roads, both dusty and muddy and with few travelers. The villages were scattered among the hills, the houses were small and old and hay stocks were silently watching over the sunset. We arrived at the Bats’ House at dusk. The next day we would venture into the depths of the earth, in our very first cave.

The size of the entrance gave away no clue about the size of the cave beyond it. A maze of tunnels, twists and turns and boulders stretched below the earth for miles. Even a few hours under the ground in pitch black darkness made me realize how beautiful the underworld can be. There were no special arrangements for tourists, no lights, no panels indicating stalactites or stalagmites, you had the chance to discover it all on your own. Every new corner, every new turn had the potential to reveal something beautiful. There was no panoramic view, my eyes saw only as far as the flashlight would go. But somehow this physical inability only added more beauty to the mystery and the thrill of the discovery. In a way I was blind and in another I was just beginning to see the marvels of the world below the ground that was usually under my feet.

The cave was alive. Its shapes and formations had something almost organic to them. It was as if I were inside a massive and fascinating organism that was ever-changing with the slowest speed possible. I was just a visitor.

Our lights entered and left during what I suppose lasted at most as much as the blink of an eye in the cave’s lifetime. In there, the dark was the only thing that would remain unchanged. Outside, the sun shone brighter than ever. I guess that sometimes it really takes a step into the darkness to be able to appreciate the light. But perhaps what matters most is to remember that beauty does not care for light or dark. Beauty can truly be found even in the darkness places.