Dark Night of the Soul

We are facing a dark night of the soul in which the old ways of being, the ways we have known ourselves are being dismantled. The collective ego-dominated mind and its associated structures are collapsing around us. We are feeling the pain, confusion, and distress of it all. It is not pretty. It is not comfortable. It is, however, a necessary phase of the evolutionary process that each of us individually and that we, as the collective human race, must pass through. We are in a time of great change. As with all periods of great change, we are experiencing upheaval, unrest, and resistance.

The isolation, loneliness, uncertainty, as well as the mental, emotional and financial strain that many around the world have suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic has set the perfect staging ground for us to be ripe for an event that would propel us into the next stage of our humanity.

The murder of George Floyd provided that catalyst. That tragic event was the tipping point that finally awakened us to the unjust, inequitable and power-over culture that we have allowed to manifest and that we have perpetuated as a result of our ego-dominated minds and hearts.

Yes, we have all participated. Nothing happens in the manifest realm that does not first begin in consciousness. We are all part of the collective consciousness of humanity, as well as the collective consciousness of America that has allowed systemic racism to continue for centuries.

We are now ready for that to change. The power structures are doing everything possible to hang on to the old. They are struggling mightily to protect their power, wealth, and position. We see that so clearly displayed in our elected officials. The domination culture is well represented and are displaying their power by calling out the National Guard and threatening to call out the military to squelch the protests, which are a natural expression of this dark night of the soul.

However, we should not be so quick to point fingers. The elected officials and those with obvious power are simply representations of what is occurring within all of us. They just happen to be on center stage. Think about what goes on within you and me when we are faced with a dramatic change in our outer circumstances. We resist. We want to cling to our comfort zones, to what we have known, and to our assumed identities. This is especially true if the change threatens our autonomy or challenges what we have falsely believed is control over our lives.

Additionally, we should not rush to pass judgment on the rioter and looters. Consider what happens in your mind and in mine when we are facing such dramatic shifts in our lives. We riot in our thoughts. We may even lash out at those close to us. We scream and curse God or the one we believe has victimized us in some way.

We grasp for things in the physical world to make us feel better. We raid the refrigerator, consume more television, social media, and/or mind-altering substances, and engage in unhealthy behaviors to numb the pain. We reach for anything that will make us feel better or help us to have some momentary relief from the suffering. We attempt to free ourselves from attachment to the life we have known by burning bridges and separating ourselves from our past. We run to the next thing that we believe will fill the void. Is any one of us, when facing the dark night of soul, really any different from those who are publicly expressing their pain?

We are in a dark night of the soul in the human family. It is a natural and normal part of the human journey. We must be present in it. We cannot attempt the “spiritual bypass” so that we do not feel the pain, anger, fear and outrage. Feel it. Scream it out loud, preferably not at anyone, but get the energy out. Take a walk or go for a run. Move the energy through your body. Dance it out. Allow the feelings to be your teachers. What is being called for right now? What do I need?  Be kind to yourself. Give yourself empathy and compassion.

Self-connection, self-awareness, self-empathy and self-compassion strengthen our willingness and ability to practice connection, empathy and compassion for others.

Seek out opportunities to share empathy and compassion with others. Do not look to others to place blame. Instead, feel with them. Be curious about what they are feeling and thinking. Be curious about what they need. What motivates them? What stimulates their pain? What do they value? What do they want for their lives? What inspires them?

We are all in this together. We will move through this dark night of the soul together provided we set a clear intention to be in it, rather than escape from it. We will survive, but only if we chose to be in it as one family.

Once we are through it, we will co-create a world that is not dominated by the power structures of the ego-dominated few, but one that embodies the egalitarian spirit of those of us who make the conscious choice to evolve and to be the change we wish to be in the world.

Behold! “I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Revelation 21:1)