The Dark Night of the Soul

Most of us have heard the phrase; it has been written about and referred to for hundreds of years. Depending on the belief system of who is describing it, the meaning and stages of the experience have been described in great detail. Regardless of the context through which it has been explained, it appears there are commonalities in this experience of moving through darkness to light; it’s hard, we question our lives and how we live it, and when come to the light, we are stronger, wiser and all the better for having gone through it.

While there are these basic commonalities, I am of the opinion that that how the crisis manifests for me might be different than it is for you, simply because we are all unique.

So what are some tangible ways this “dark night of the soul” experience might manifest itself?  Believe it or not, it may not be as obvious as the daunting title makes it sound like it would be. We can start with descriptive words like burnout, depression, malaise, or malcontent. It is something you may feel coming, but if you’re like me, you may not clue in until the wheels are falling off the wagon…

I thought I was doing everything “right.” I meditate daily, have a rich spiritual life, exercise, eat right, take my supplements, get 7-8 hours of sleep each night, have a career filled with meaningful purpose, and an amazing network of friends and family that make up my support system. Yet I, quite suddenly, found myself dog-paddling in the depths of depression. So what went wrong?

I have had to accept that sometimes, even when we do everything “right,” it seems like life gets the best of us. When it is happening- when you can’t get out of bed, or find yourself lashing out at those around you, or sit at your desk and can’t get anything done- whatever it may look like for you- it can feel like the walls are crashing in.

When one goes through a “crash,” it is important to remember that body and spirit cannot be separated; they are intrinsically intertwined as we walk on this earth plane and both aspects need to be considered. While we may need to make a visit to the doctor or put our friends on alert, finding the broader vision to observe what is being manifested in our lives opens up an opportunity- to question, to grow, to change, to further expand our consciousness and to live richer lives.

Darkness to light: the dark night of the soul. As hard as those times are, they can be a gift. 

Blessings,

Sheryl