In the very first chapter of Genesis, the Lord establishes an order for a new day, which begins with the new darkness. We know this ending of one day and beginning of another as a sunset.

The Jewish calendar follows this as days begin with the evening. All the holidays described in the Jewish and Christian Testaments begin at night. Rabbis will not marry anyone at dusk, but wait until there are three stars in the sky (or it is obviously night when clouds interfere) as a marriage is a contract and the tradition insists to have a contract one needs to know the exact date it became active. A sunset -- not a sunrise -- is the biblical transition into a new day.

A sunset is a visual image of a promise of a bright and light-filled new daytime. A beautiful sunset shows that promise no matter what happened during the day it concludes.

There is an old saying that goes,” Red sails at night, sailor's delight…” This describes a beautiful sunset being the precursor of fine weather the next morning.

New beginnings can seem exciting and splendid, especially before they actually begin. A beautiful sunset is sort of like what is referred to as “the honeymoon period”,which can describe a job, a move to a new place or any new relationship, including a new marriage or having a baby.

A sunset is the envisioning part of the new day. After the most spectacular moment in a sunset heralding in the new day comes…

Darkness.

Hours and hours of darkness, which can vary in length depending on one's geographical location and the season, thus proving once again that life is not “fair” – if fair means equal for all.

Actually, if we look, the darkness begins during the sunset as forms opposite the sunset can appear dark and indistinct. Long shadows appear. We tend to ignore the dark forms and shadows while focusing on the glorious colors in the sky, on the promise of the new day.

The light bulb and modern inventions serve to have ushered out or distract us from the darkness. Where for most of history travel was dangerous at night, we now have headlights, street lights and public transport that runs 24/7 in many metropolitan areas. We are assaulted by images in the media of people who are happy, amazingly happy, day or night because they use the right deodorant, drive the best car or buy some other product or are in movies or the fashion industry. Consumerism asserts that time -- seasons, night and day --has been overcome by science and technology -- but, has it?

Despite possessions, relationships, prestige, even mood altering substances, etc., we all face the inevitable darkness of a new beginning. The severity, length and depth of the darkness will vary depending on the type of beginning and our own perspective and maturity and whether or not we planned the beginning (such as a marriage) or it was thrust upon us (such as through loss).

Biblically, all days begin with a sunset and then turn into a great period of darkness. Not only do our days quickly move into darkness but most great moves of the Lord, beginning in Genesis, start off with a period of darkness, with the prophet or patriarch being off and alone (proverbially in the dark) for a considerable period of time. This time of being off and alone, also seems to happen for the prophets and founders of other religions, such as the Buddha.

Going through a dark time of the soul is often a time of preparation for a new phase of life; a time of renewal, healing and rest. If we are preparing, learning and moving ahead with our new challenges, it can be a real blessing. Just like a good night's sleep can be very refreshing preparing one for the activities of the day.

Although the moon and stars seem to move in the nightime sky their lights are too weak to alter the experience of darkness during the course of any single specific night. During the day there can be radical shifts in the experience of light as the sun appears to move across the sky or is hidden behind clouds.

In life, times of personal darkness or loss or problems can seem as unchanging and even unending as the night. We may understand that the sun will come out, the dawn will break, but it feels as if that will never happen -- or perhaps that it is a long way off. Our personal nights can seem relentless, with little progress forward or out towards a sunrise.

That is when it is important to remember the promise of the sunset that brought the night. If it is the loss of a loved one, allow the grief so the love and guidance and lessons learned in the relationship will inspire a dawn. A loss of health can inspire a new regime of diet, exercise and positive thinking that brings new vitality. Just about every successful person, in business or the arts points to a time of failure or rejection as being a key experience that taught needed lessons that led to mega success.

The night is a part of the promise of every sunset. Often, it is better not to light up the night, but to accept and learn to appreciate the rich darkness, the deep quiet that can prepare and empower us for the activities of the coming dawn.

My paintings of sunsets always depict shapes and images that are already in shadow or engulfed by the darkness. The juxtaposition of dark and light is as critical to good design in a painting as it is to a well lived life. The dark places strengthen the revealing and even transcendent ones of light. Don't believe just my work-- go look at a Rembrandt, Turner or Monet!

Watch a painting of a sunset and "universe" be born in the video below:

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