Embracing the Dark Night
If you've been through (or are experiencing) a "dark night of the Soul", you will know that it is one of the deepest and most challenging experiences we face. Stripped of all previously assumed beliefs, stark naked in the light of Truth, we find ourselves searching for something more real, more authentic than what we have known - something we can sense is just beyond this “crisis” pushing us to unveil the Truth of who we are...
When we are in it, we may feel as if "nothing is real". Illusions are crumbling quickly and it can make us feel lost and afraid, because everything we have been hiding or running from bubbles to the surface to be acknowledged. All those old "rocks" we've been carrying around stuffed in our pockets are spilling out as a natural energetic consequence of burying and carrying them for too long. But, it’s important to know that the process is in actuality a rebirth and your purpose - we may think we are afraid but the fear is actually coming from the ego for it knows this awakening of your true Self means it will no longer be in control of you. We are being given the opportunity to step into our true power as eternal Souls embodied with Divine Purpose, but before we can do that, we must let go of everything that no longer serves us - hence, "the dark night".
Everything will come to the surface for clearing and releasing if we let it. Everything will come to the surface for clearing and releasing even if we don't let, but it will be more painful and take longer for us to move through if we don't. The dark night is cosmically arranged to pull apart the false identities and roles we have been conditioned into, to break apart the programming that is keeping us 'stuck', out of alignment, lost and afraid.
When the dark night comes for us it is time to let go because the only way out is through and you can't take anything with you that isn’t you to the other side.. the side where you meet your true Self again - the one who's been calling out to you to remember who you are in Truth, to finally be able to embody your Soul and unleash the unlimited divine potential of being human..The dark night is a release of the old, of the ego and its attachments; it is the time to strip away all illusions and release anything that is holding us back because we are evolving again... like the caterpillar into the coccoon we go within to integrate all the experiences, knowledge and energy of having been the caterpillar so that we may become the butterfly we are ready to become!.. this means dissolving limiting beliefs, matrix programming and conditioned behaviours, which often leave us questioning everything... this part of the journey can feel overwhelming, frightening and even cause us to go into depression (a deep rest for decompression and integration of new energies), like an ethereal cocoon of energy that protects us from taking on any more for a while, we begin to alchemize and rebirth into the highest version and vibration available to us now for the next cycle of our eternal evolution..
A Dark Night for the Ego
If you've ever experienced the dark night, you will know it is a dark night for ego and actually a birthing to LIGHT for our Souls! It is one of the most profound and transformative experiences as humans that is as old as we are and a time honoured tradition to respect the Soul's right of passage that is 'the dark night' as a sacred and crucial step on the timeless journey of remembering who we are...
It is a process that looks and feels different for each of us, but is designed to release our attachments to and beliefs in the illusory world - letting go of limiting beliefs that have kept us "playing small", surrendering to your higher Divine Self and courageously rebirthing as a more consciously embodied being.
The dark night is known in mythology as the journey into the "Underworld" / "Shadow Realms", where the hero (you) must go through difficult times before s/he can return to the “real” world - a new world where the term "real" will come to have much different meaning than before. This is the "mystical state" where the ego suffers a death to be reborn as a soul.
“Thanks to impermanence everything is possible.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Signs of the Dark Night:
1. Things you once identified with are dissolving quickly - relationships, jobs, living arrangements - you may feel a sudden urge for immediate change or, if you cannot do it on your own, the Universe will create a "sudden shift" for us that triggers into motion the series of events required for the transformative dark night...
2.You are EXHAUSTED - that's right. There will be a stage where your body literally just wants to shut down and sleep "forever". This state is extremely important as the body needs that absolute stillness to go into deep states of integration - even beyond "rest & repair", the body begins the process of healing by releasing old energies and assimilating and integrating the new energies of the higher frequencies of the Soul we are attuning to now.
3. Sudden Urges to Clear the Physical - declutter, cleanse, clear space and transform your space arise spontaneously and often with great clarity as to what needs to change. This includes the physical body as we may find we are releasing foods that no longer serve us and feeling the desire for foods more aligned with our true nature.
4. Physical, Emotional & Mental pain - the release of the "pain body" takes on new meaning as we move through the dark night. The honest truth is that parts are very difficult and we feel so many emotions and conflicting thoughts, which is why we return to number 2 and take more rest in order for the process to complete. Also journalling, massage, nature walks are also helpful for releasing these energies. You may feel loneliness, anger, anxiety, fear and grief, but these are all coming to the surface in order to be purged.
5. In loneliness you realize you are never alone - the loneliness and grief we feel during the dark night is the call of our Souls, asking to be remembered and embodied and by surrendering to the loneliness, we realize we are never alone. We come to know that everything within is reflected without and vice versa - the micro is the macro and the universe is reflected within each of our Souls.
6. We are called to shadow work - to delve into our deepest patterns, samskaras and wounds for deep and alchemical healing. The dark night effects change to the cellular and soul levels of our existence. We may be called to do past (or future) life healing work as we are called into connection with this eternal and most sacred aspect of who we are.
7. We become acutely aware of the "Cognitive Dissonance" and "Anomie" of a dis-eased society - Cognitive Dissonance is a complicated dis-ease of modern society that forces humans to simultaneously hold mutually exclusive beliefs in our minds causing tension, stress and dis-ease within our minds and bodies. "Anomie" is a term popularized by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim. This condition stems from a lack of morality and social ethics in everyone’s culture. The dark night allows us to see this pain and internal conflict we have carried within us for so long as a means of survival in an upside world, but now that we are able to see it clearly, we may experience the pain and release it.
“I could not live with myself for a moment longer. And from this came an unanswered question: “Who is this ‘I’ who can no longer live with his ego? What is the ego?”. I felt myself plunged into a void! I did not understand then that, what was happening, was that the ego of the mind, with its weight, its problems, which lives between the regrets of the past and the fear of the future, had collapsed. It had dissolved. The next morning, I woke up and everything was so peaceful. Peace was there because there was no ego. Just the feeling of a presence, a ‘state of being,’ just observing and looking.” ~Eckhart Tolle
We have to release the attachment's of the ego in order to make space for our Souls. (everything is energy) The ego isn't "bad" - in fact, it is very necessary for us to exist as partly 3 dimensional beings, but the ego works hard to maintain dominance over the mind and attaches to the illusion as if it were real because as long as the illusion is made real in the mind, sustained by repetitive, programmed thoughts and society's ideological "boxes", the more "real" and powerful the ego believes itself to be! As long as the ego is in charge we are primarily running a "survival programming" designed to keep us "avoiding pain and seeking pleasure" - suspended in our "comfort zones" instead of freely evolving. If given the authority, the ego will convince us that the illusory physical is real and become so identified with it that we forget everything physical is merely an expression of the energies holding it together.
Our Soul is that energy holding us together in body, mind and spirit - it is the source of light and love and the energy behind everything else we could possibly express as or experience - the essence of who we are and why we chose to incarnate and express as human is what we are reconnecting with for the dark night comes when we are ready to remember Truth.
The more resistance we hold toward feeling the depths of “the void” that is the dark night, the longer it can take to move through the healing process. Attachments and fears are not always easy to release, but once we have become awakened to seeing beyond the veils of the material realm, the voice that has been calling us from deep within gets a little stronger and it is our own hearts that call us forward to remember and embody who we truly are as Divine, sovereign beings of light.
Remember that “lost” is the perfect place to be “found”, and though the tests and challenges we face during the transitions of a dark night may appear greater than anything we've ever known, if we allow ourselves to be seen and give ourselves permission to be free from the ego, we will realize how infinitely loved, held and capable we actually are as multi-dimensional beings. We are not helpless, hopeless or weak creatures. In fact, we discover the profound STRENGTH in "falling apart" and getting back up because being adaptable and mutable to change is our Divine Nature.
The dark night awakens us to remembering the true depths and power of our innate ability for Self healing - something we are all designed to do. Human beings are healers and powerful creators of reality. The dark night is like returning to the womb but within ourselves.. it is how we learn to reconnect with our Soul, higher Self and Spirit and remember that we are the Creators of our own reality; therefore, it is here to teach us about our power and show us that if we want to release ourselves from the pain, stress and suffering of the illusory 3d world, we must start consciously creating a new reality aligned with our Truth and highest selves.
It is a period of integration after awakening that really just asks us to be present with our feelings as they arise and allow them to process so the old energies can leave our bodies and minds and create space for new energy, new light to come in and begin to transform the body and the thoughts to re-align with Soul and Source...shifting frequencies, raising consciousness, moving into embodying higher dimensional vibrations and our true multi-dimensional nature, ascension.. however one wants to call it, spiritual evolution is an ongoing, continuous process of change. It goes beyond this lifetime, this body, this planet... constant change is the universal law of love and the more we allow the feelings to process - shake, dance, cry, sing, chant, journal, paint, yoga, laugh, express however you can get the energy moving - the more we shift our energy and consciousness out of the darkness and into the light.
Becoming Consciously Embodied
Awakening is a process of self-realization often referred to as “conscious embodiment” - the grounding into our physical being of our higher - RE-AWAKENED - self. Allowing the change to flow but without expectation as to what life will “look like” opens up infinite possibilities for expansion during these stages of the dark night, growth and awakening.
I found taking time in nature just "to be" super healing! One time on one of my darkest days I made myself go to the forest with my dog. I was so down that day that the grief hung around my neck like a giant anchor pulling me underwater, but as I stumbled into the forest, tears running down my face, body stiff and cold, I could FEEL the trees HUGGING me.. the forest embraced my energy as I surrendered to the deep void and let everything go. I knew the Divine was ready to take this pain from me if I was prepared to trust, and it did.
Nature balances our energy fields and cleanses our auras. Forests, rivers and beaches clear harmful electromagnetic energies from our field by bathing us negative ions which we need to be balanced and open. Nature recharges our systems and realigns us with Divine Principles of Nature operating within and all around us. The more in tune we are with our own Divine Nature - the Divine Nature of Being Human - the more consciously embodied we become.
You may try practicing visualization and energy healing techniques. For example, imagine crystal white and golden light surrounding you and your aura, flowing down through your crown, third eye and all the way to your root chakra and into the Earth, grounding your energy into Mother Earth and creating that connection and trust that you are supported and loved in everything you are experiencing.
The more space you can give yourself to embrace the waves as they come and become the observer of the experience whenever possible, the more easily they will flow. This all may sound easier said than done, so it is important to protect yourself and your energy as you are rediscovering your Divine Truth - be careful with whom you share your awakenings at first as those who do not yet know, may often seek to “pull you back” to their "lower nature" for it is where they are still most comfortable and willing to remain for now under "lock and key" of the ego mind. You, on the other hand, are breaking FREE and will soon find that others going through the dark night come to you for support.
You may find you are much more susceptible to other people’s energy during this time (and in general after an awakening) and that is because you are going to be more conscious and aware of everything around and in your auric field. Being around some people might be very draining so you may choose different people to spend time with or take more time to yourself to reflect and process - sadness is part of the process as we do have to release from the illusion of who we thought we were.
I experienced a lot of depression and grief during my dark nights, which is part of the heart opening to be able to both give and receive more love and energy and it may mean forgiving, releasing and letting go of that which no longer serves you.
DAILY SOUL LOVE
Support yourself with a daily ritual that helps you ground into your being - could be 15 min of meditation and journaling, but something that is a daily connection for you and your higher Self - a way to move and clear energy and an offering of space for new energy to come in and express through you may help you to connect to the healing process and allow you to be experiencing and witnessing the process in a way that you are able to see the healing taking place for you.
Many "happenings" are the catalyst for the dark night - often it comes in the form of a “crash” in one’s life (whether health, wealth or relationships) that forces us to re-evaluate everything we thought we knew… other times the dark night enters when we have taken the steps to begin unfolding our true Nature and have been responding to the Soul’s guidance asking for reception… however it is Divined to happen in your life, know that it is both a right of passage and initiation into the higher and deeper realms of existence… you are being called forward - not punished.
I’ve supported many beautiful souls going through and am here to answer any questions should you have them. Sending you infinite blessings & healing light! remember that YOU ARE LOVE and that you are a DIVINE being - anything or anyone who tries to tell you otherwise (including the voices in our own heads) is lying. Know that this is truly grace and an opportunity to know who you are in truth and why you came here now. your Soul chose this life and it is ready to re-connect and light up the world with your unique light! You got this and one day you will guide others through their dark nights because you are LOVE.
Remember, the great gifts of awakening…once you see the game you no longer have to play it…you are on the path to freedom. The ego surrenders its assumed throne in “ego death”, the soul regains clarity through rebirth in conscious embodiment.
The Dark Night of the Soul is the journey of remembrance that all who have forgotten must take. It is the journey of releasing the false identities of the ego, the attachments we have created to illusory realms, including blind beliefs. It is the journey within to the place inside where the universe does indeed dwell. It is the re-awakening of the Divinity within and begins the reclamation process of your own inherent worth as a powerful Divine Creator Being.
When we expand our consciousness to rise above the 3D matrix, to see things from a 5th dimensional perspective, “the game” becomes pretty obvious. The game that says, “I’ll pretend to be the teacher while you pretend to be the student while the whole time we are all the Divine made manifest in a unique point of vibrational expression within an infinite universe". We each have a unique consciousness - a magnetic, vibrational imprint created to experience itself through creation in every possible layer, level and dimension of the universe. An infinite spiral of evolution toward self-realization…. the idea of “teacher” and “student” make it easier for us to “relate” in the physical but, from a higher perspective, we learn to take ourselves OUT of these boxes for they do not and cannot define who we are except in relation to a context created by the ego which needs to compartmentalize everything in order to claim its power over them.
Through clarity of insight, intuition and our connection to Soul Source, we are able to see and release old self-limiting beliefs and thoughts and embrace the light from within. By expanding our consciousness beyond all known possibilities, we open once again to receive the Divine Light of our Soul and radiate that beacon into the world for others to see so that they may see in you their own light reflected in truth and clarity and discover that we are all connected, we are all ONE and it is through surrendering into the heart of darkness that we discover that there is nothing to fear because the bigger and scarier our shadows may seem, the bigger and brighter our True light must be...
BEYOND THE KNOWN
The dark night is associated with "fear" because it is calling us forth into a new level of consciousness - one where we do not define ourselves by the past, but beyond the historical references and society's "normalization program" through which we have come to know ourselves thus far. We exist beyond body, beyond mind, ego and thought. The True Self exists beyond this physical reality and continues to exist when we are ready to once again shed our skins and transform our energy into a new state of being. The dark night can feel like we are dying because big parts of our self are dying, dissolving and transforming into something new. The parts of us that we identified with in an attempt to feel whole but were really just projections of the ego's false sense of identity begin to fall away giving us the opportunity to see who we really are.
The dark night is a challenge that from a 3rd dimensional perspective can feel insurmountable; however, when we go beyond this limited consciousness, especially regarding an experience so multi-dimensional and raw in nature as the dark night of the soul, we begin to see what the Shamans, yogis and healers have known for millennia - that the dark night of the soul is a natural, evolutionary and essential part of the soul's incarnation here on Earth.It is the re-awakening into remembering who we are and why we came - it is our Soul knocking on the door of our life and asking, "remember me?" It is the time to start remembering what we have forgotten and reconnect to our true Divine Soul Nature as multi-dimensional human beings who are beyond the 3rd dimension in Nature.
As we expand to see the Cosmic Nature of this experience and its Divine purpose in reconnecting us to Soul Source, we step into 5th dimensional consciousness (and beyond) and are able to see how the dark night offers us an incredible opportunity to know who we are beyond our perceived limitations, conditioned fears and self-doubt. We have the opportunity to break free from the ego's dominance which drew its power from our ignorance of our true Self.
THE KLESHAS
In yoga we are taught about the "Kleshas" - the afflictions of the mind and how they prevent us from realizing our true Self. There are several kleshas and as one learns about them, it becomes clear how an "unobserved mind" is afflicted by them. However, the number one Klesha an individual can suffer from is Avidya, or "lack of knowledge and awareness". The knowledge and awareness of Self.
Asmita is "egotism" in the form of "fear of losing control" and stems from the "illusion of control" and lack of trust in Self (you cannot trust yourself if you do not know your Self).
Raga is the desire for previously experienced or "known" pleasures which stems from the "fear of loss" and the illusion of "possession".
Dvesa is the aversion to a previously experienced or "known pain and it stems from the fear pain and the illusion of the body and mind as who we are.
Abhinivesa is the fear of death which is rooted in the illusion of the physical as real and our ignorance of the Divine eternal Nature of Soul.
However, it is Avidya that is the "field for all the other kleshas" to exist, which is why yoga cultivates the self-awareness required to take us deep within to the root, the core, the heart and the Source to shine light on our ignorance
I bring these up from a yogic perspective because, in my experience, they all come up in some way during a dark night and throughout life whenever we lose that connection with our Soul. When one journeys within to reconnect with their Soul and begins to know who they are, all the other kleshas fall away. In other words, the root of our problems and cause of our "crisis" is not know who we are...and the dark night is here to show us who we are without anybody telling us - it is dark so that we may connect with our own light within.
THE COLLECTIVE DARK NIGHT
We cannot solve the problems we have created on Earth from the same level of consciousness that created them - we must move beyond and be willing to explore the unknown, expanding humanity's consciousness to higher levels of awareness and possibility and be FREE to EVOLVE once again.
Thankfully humanity is evolving into a more conscious and aware species; stepping out of the "unconscious realms" of forgetting and ignorance into the field of awareness and realization of true unlimited power as master manifestos and Divine Creator Beings on Earth. It is time for humanity to wake up and move beyond fear, beyond separation, beyond our narrow and limited perspectives of reality that serve only to keep the illusion alive. The polarization, the extremes and the chaos we have in our world today are pushing the collective into one crisis after another. Therefore, everything we are experiencing now are the karmic and vibrational result of our collective unconscious choices. Becoming more conscious and aware is the path to self-realization and humanity is learning to become a more conscious and evolved species.
Even though the world is very "messy" right now, the collective "crisis" we are experiencing are no different than our individual ones. As long as we are living in resistance and opposition to our Divine Nature, humanity will not find peace and harmony on this Earth. We must return to Soul and remember who we are so that we can return to living in alignment with the Divine Principles of Nature and Laws of the Universe. The events of war, famine and dis-ease will continue as long as we do not wake up. However, the current global crisis is exciting and good news for us all. Whether or not we can see it yet, the current global situation is pushing humanity into a collective dark night that is pushing us along the ascension timeline. In order for Earth to change and evolve, humanity must evolve and expand beyond that which we have known. Evolution does not stop...
Whether collectively or individually, once we have walked through the valley of shadows and returned, we are forever changed. From a higher level of consciousness we are now able to make different choices because we are no longer operating from a mandate of fear. We are no longer operating in the realms of shadows for we have made the unconscious conscious and can release the fear that stems from not knowing who we are...
IN SUMMARY..
The dark night is not a "bad day" or a "mood". It is in fact, a sacred and profoundly transformative journey that changes your life forever. It feels like we're dying and "going crazy" as everything we once believed in is the opposite of what we were taught to think.. there is a period of mourning and a persistent sense of "feeling lost" that travels with us throughout the process. This is sense of being "lost" is what creates space for us to be found - for us to find our true Self again. The mourning is because deep within we feel our Soul again.. our minds are scrambled as we begin to feel the weight of the "cognitive dissonance" that has been draining us for so long, and we realize, we're not dying...we're waking up.. waking up to the infinite possibilities that are this universe, waking up to the rebirth of our ensoulmentand the immense power and LIGHT of the Divine that is within, waking up to our power as Divine creators of our reality and so much more. The darkness is the birthing canal we must push ourselves through in order to awaken to a "new dimension" and experience of what it truly means to be human.
Welcome home dear Soul. I honour you and your journey and thank you for being here now.
Please share your thoughts, comments and stories in the comments!
Namasté