Darkness and Light: An Ayurvedic Lens on Energy, Politics, and Violence in America
In Ayurveda, life is understood through the interplay of energies—gunas—that shape our inner and outer worlds: sattva (clarity, balance, light), rajas (movement, passion, restlessness), and tamas (inertia, heaviness, darkness). These qualities exist within every person, community, and nation. When sattva predominates, there is harmony, compassion, and clear vision. When rajas and tamas dominate without balance, unrest, division, and violence take root.
Energy and Frequency in Society
From an Ayurvedic perspective, the collective consciousness of a society has a frequency. When individuals are overwhelmed by tamas, we see apathy, ignorance, and fear. When rajas runs unchecked, we see aggression, greed, and power struggles. Together, these can manifest as political turmoil, systemic violence, and polarization.
The violence and unrest we witness in the United States are not just political crises—they are symptoms of collective imbalance. A society immersed in tamas resists change, clings to shadows of the past, and turns to violence out of fear. A society driven by unchecked rajas pursues power at any cost, burning with desire and domination. Both pull us away from sattva, the frequency of truth, peace, and clarity.
Darkness vs. Light
Darkness in this context is not about night versus day—it is the darkness of consciousness, where clarity is obscured. It thrives on misinformation, fear-driven narratives, and cycles of harm. Light, by contrast, is the frequency of awareness. It illuminates truth, compassion, and interconnectedness.
When we choose to embody sattva—through mindful living, truthful speech, nourishing food, meditation, and compassionate action—we become beacons of light. This is not an escape from politics or violence, but a reorientation: instead of meeting darkness with more darkness, we raise our frequency to shift the collective field.
What We Can Do
Cultivate sattva within. Nourish yourself with sattvic foods, daily routines, and practices that invite clarity and calm.
Witness without attachment. Stay informed, but do not be consumed by the heaviness of media cycles.
Act from compassion. Channel rajas energy toward purposeful action—voting, organizing, protecting, uplifting—without fueling anger or hate.
Illuminate the darkness. Share knowledge, create spaces of healing, and remind others of their inherent light.
Ayurveda teaches us that just as the body can return to balance, so too can a nation. The violence we see is a symptom of imbalance—but the cure begins with each of us choosing sattva, choosing light, and choosing to embody the frequency of peace amidst the noise.
