  We analyze electromagnetically induced transparency and light storage in an
ensemble of atoms with multiple excited levels (multi-Lambda configuration)
which are coupled to one of the ground states by quantized signal fields and to
the other one via classical control fields. We present a basis transformation
of atomic and optical states which reduces the analysis of the system to that
of EIT in a regular 3-level configuration. We demonstrate the existence of dark
state polaritons and propose a protocol to transfer quantum information from
one optical mode to another by an adiabatic control of the control fields.
