A year ago, my friend Cathleen and I joined the first “Darkness into Light” walk in Baarn, The Netherlands. It was a good cause and we were happy to be supportive. We both knew people who had fallen into “darkness” and were no longer here with us. A year ago, we hoped that we would never know anyone that would meet this end again - but that is not the case. Cathleen knows 4 souls who were gone at the end of 2022. Two of them were only 17 years old. We joined the walk again this year.
What is Darkness into Light?
Darkness into Light is an international walk to raise funds for Pieta. Pieta provides services for those affected by suicide and self-harm. People connect locally and globally to bring hope to those who've been impacted. We walk to show the world that it is necessary to talk about suicide and mental health. On May 6, 2023 - we went walking again.
Last year this walk started in Baarn - this year 2 more Dutch cities were added - Amsterdam and Hilversum. We ventured to Baarn where it all started. We departed in the wee hours - 4:15 am but we were not alone. The movement started in Dublin, Ireland and has spread around the world. This year there were 200 different locations, spanning 15 countries and 5 continents.
The Walk
We departed in the DARKNESS at 5:00am with 70 other people from De Herberg van Paulus - the church center behind the 14th century, St. Paulus church.
here we go
All was serene as the town was deep in slumber. We traversed the town's empty streets.
We entered the Baarnse Bos (Baarnse forest) filled with beech trees. The 18th century forest/park used to be part of the royal estate.
Soon we came to the De Grote Kom (The Great Bowl) - the large pond which is in the middle of the forest.
We went around it to go deeper into the woods.
We entered a tree-lined walking path called the Cradle.
Here are some of the walkers along the Cradle.
It was eerily beautiful as the morning mist hung above the ground. 
As we wandered between the trees, my camera malfunctioned but seemed to add an impressionistic touch to this photo.
We were simply awestruck by nature when we saw these trees shrouded in the mist.
It led to this tree-lined path of the French landscaped park designed in the 1730s. As a result, the forest is also a park.
Turning around, one could see our destination in the distance, Soestdijk Palace.
After walking 3.1 km - we had arrived.
the walkers minus the photographers
Soesdijk Palace was home to royals until 2004. It was sold in 2017 and will most likely be re-purposed as a hotel.
Another photo of the palace might seem superfluous but I am sure you will enjoy this photo of the palace in the mist.
As dawn broke, we started walking back to our starting point.
The twilight and mist casted a mysterious glow around the Waterloo Needle - which is in direct line of sight from the palace. It was built in 1815 by the Dutch government to honor William of Orange.
We walked under lofty trees - which seemed to have been painted instead of photographed. (my camera started to malfunction again)
The Cradle
and De Grote Kom (The Great Bowl) could now be seen in a different light.
This 19th Century lady, made from oak, was spotted.
At the edge of the forest is the old station house which was built in 1870 and used to be the royal waiting room. The building is now a restaurant, called “De Generaal” which boasts well preserved jugend style (art nouveau) features.
After crossing the adjacent train tracks,
many beautiful homes
seemed to glow
in the morning hue.
Thereafter, we arrived at the church center.
We enjoyed warm drinks whilst one of the organizers, Jeff Balch, the Mayor of Baarn, Mark Roell and representatives from the Dutch Suicide prevention hotline -113 - gave closing remarks. It was disheartening to learn that in 2022, the average number of suicides was 5 per day.
It was LIGHT when we departed from the center of Baarn, as the sun shone on St. Paulus church.
It felt like a morning well spent.
We walked from Darkness into Light to symbolize our own sense of hope for those suffering silently.
We walked from Darkness into Light to create awareness and dialogue.
The manifesto sums it up well:
All photos are taken with an iPhone SE 2020
A wonderful walk and the concept of "darkness into light" is great!
Let me tag @eikejanssen he probably will Love this too
!LUV
Thank you @beeber - please tag as many as you would like. Who knows there might be a walk in your locality or that of your friends next year.
@beeber thanks for the LUV.
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Thanks for tagging @beeber - will share the article directly with @janelle-anderson.
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What a wonderful place to walk, and such a fantastic charity to support
Well done
Yes thank you. The walk was very special indeed. Baarn and the surrounding areas are so beautiful.
congrats on doing it
Thank you @grindle
It is indeed a morning well spent walk
I hope you are not too tired by the time you got back home
It's a beautiful walk and a perfect program
It was indeed a perfect program - such a good cause. I was tired because I had a busy day ahead. However I had a good sleep that night.
That's good
The sleep will strengthen your body bad to normal
This was a long walk for a great cause and I hope more people get involved so that awareness about suicide and mental health can further reach more people across the globe.
To bad a lot of people keep choosing to die than the fact the challenges in their life, we just have to keep preaching against it.
When there is life, there is hope... Taking the hope away isn't an option.
Thanks for sharing.
It is a complicated issue and people need guidance and some care. That is why these types of organisations and activities are good to create awareness.
That's really a great cause, if I ever get the chance to participate in this walk, I would do it happily and raise funds.
Aww thank you. Yes it was indeed.
You can check to see whether your country participated this year via this link. However as it is an annual walk, please check again next year because as the awareness spreads but locations are added.
This is a good awareness. Many people actually do not know when they are depressed or mentally unstable.
That is true and awareness is a good way to know or to have dialogue which leads to knowledge.
Were you all saying the manifesto word to word during the walk? It seem like what we do during my school days when we loss a member of our class 🥲
This is a good initiative, and I like phrase "Darkness into light" so much positivity amidst the situation faced with.
This was quite an adventure, is it done city by city or there's possibility to do the walk in another country?
The manifesto was not said during the walk. I do not know who knows the manifesto as well. I met some new people and shared a few stories but you can imagine that there was not much socialising. It was also early in the morning. 😀
Yes you are right - it is a good name. It describes the mission very well.
It can be organised in any country. I see from the site that there in Africa there is only a walk organised in South Africa. Who knows that could change next year.
Haha I see, the manifesto is too long to know it and say it repeatedly but I like the words in it though.
Wow me imagining if it could change next year to Nigeria 😅 nice work anyways, you all should keep at it!
It is clear that you and Cathleen are passionate about raising awareness of suicide prevention and mental health. I am so glad that you were able to find support and solidarity with others who have been affected by suicide.
I think it is important to talk about suicide and mental health, even when it is difficult. By talking about these issues, we can break down the stigma and encourage people to seek help if they are struggling. I am also glad that you mentioned the Dutch Suicide prevention hotline -113. This is a valuable resource for anyone who is feeling suicidal or who knows someone who is.
I hope that your experience with the Darkness into Light walk will inspire others to get involved in suicide prevention. Together, we can make a difference.
Many thanks for your nice and thoughtful comment. Yes we hope this initiative will be an inspiration to others. It most certainly creates awareness which then leads to the necessary dialogue which mitigates any stigma. I hope this initiative spreads because it creates hope and it is helping to save lives.
Baarn and it's environment looks so beautiful with nature all over. This is a great awareness through this walk and if I have the opportunity here, I wouldn't hesitate to join. I love the theme of this project and the mission to which you guys took the walk is a good one
Well done all ✅😇
Thank you @nkemakonam89 - indeed it is important to create this awareness and hopefully dialogue. We heard stories of individuals being saved because now others are aware and are paying attention to the warning signs.
Wow...that's a positive feedback ✅
A really great and very important action! Actions like this bring more attention to mental health, which is so important.
!hiqvote
!LUV
!HUG
I sent 1.0 HUG on behalf of @eikejanssen.
(1/3)
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Absolutely @eikejanssen and that is why we do it. With this awareness comes the necessary help and care for those who need it most.
Thanks for the LUV and HUGS.
Thank you for the article on this great initiative. I haven't heard of such an action in Germany yet - at least not in my region. I would be happy if the action finds imitators. Every bit of attention and awareness is very important in this context.
Thank you and yes I agree with you @janelle-anderson. From awareness comes understanding and the help which is necessary.
I checked the venues this year and there was no location in Germany this year. However as it is annually event a lot could happen in a year and soon this initiative could be there as well.
This was only the second walk in The Netherlands and this year 2 locations were added.
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This absolutely gave me chills! What a stunning and symbolic way to remember those who have gone too soon, who perhaps felt as if they walked in the darkness alone... And to walk with those still here and suffering, to show, in numbers, how many people are here to help.
I am going to look for similar events near me, and try to organize one if there isn't some version of this where I live. Thank you for mentioning your post to me, this was a beautifully healing read after finally sharing my version of Henan's story. You have my gratitude for your wonderful spirit, and for giving me a chance to walk with you from afar. 💚
Aww this was such a thoughtful and sweet response - I apologise for not responding earlier. I thouhgt I did. Yes this walk is so meaningful as it bring to light a serious issue. Creating awareness is so helpful in many way. I hope you will be able to start such a movement in your area - the organisation would appreciate it. Here is the link
I love that you could walk with us. It is wonderful if this post inspires or give hope to the readers. 💚
It's not easy when we talk of mental health. If only those suffering from it will take courage and fight back. This awareness is overwhelming @momogrow. I hope it goes a long way to bring light to many who thinks that the only way out is by suicide. Thank you for sharing this publish. Many lives will be touched just by reading it. Blissful day ❤.