What Is A Dark Night of The Soul?
“WHO AM I?!?”
HOW TO NAVIGATE THE ABYSS OF EXTREME UNCERTAINTY OR LOSS
Have you suddenly felt like your life has no meaning, no purpose? Even if you smile while you engage with those around you, an inescapable void remains under the surface? Chances are you are experiencing what is called…
A Dark Night of The Soul.
A Dark Night of The Soul (DNOTS) is when a person experiences an extreme break-down of their self-identity and core values, occurring before or during an intense spiritual shift in consciousness.
This period of massive egoic death forces a person into a state of surrender by removing beliefs and programs that no longer serve the person’s highest good. The crisis triggers deep transformation of Self on a foundational level. Once the reconfiguration is complete, the person is liberated from outdated belief systems to move freely into a higher level of consciousness, aka a spiritual awakening. (Read 5 Signs You’ve Had A Spiritual Awakening)
3 SIGNS YOU ARE IN A DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL:
YOU’VE ENTERED AN INNER VOID. The dismantling of both mental and physical constructs of the egoic identity can feel like your life is dissolving right before your eyes: the loss of a job/business, relationship, home, social network, or all of the above.
YOU HAVE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. The fragility of the egoic mind is shattered with disassociation to daily routines, past ideals, and previous core values. This creates a feeling of being at a dead stop in the water; a disillusionment about one’s life but not knowing how to move forward.
YOU FEEL A RAPID ONSET OF DEPRESSION. Created by the feeling of being stuck or lost. Sometimes counterbalanced with blips of joy and bliss.
What is the best way to deal with a DNOTS?
There is really no easy way out of maneuvering through a DNOTS. BUT, you can build support around you to make the process more bearable.
5 TIPS ON COPING WITH A DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL:
REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THE MATRIX. Through the tool of meditation, sharpen your awareness of your broader, bigger, HIGHER Self beyond the constructs of the Ego Self. This will help you to maintain a sense of centeredness while navigating the DNOTS.
ENERGIZE LOWER CHAKRAS. Your upper chakras are most likely over-activated during a DNOTS. Mindful awareness to the lower chakras, specifically the Root chakra, will help with integration of a DNOTS.
USE ENERGY WORK AND SPIRITUAL SUPPORT. Part of the process of an egoic death is to face your fears and release what is no longer working in your life. Seek spiritual support and guidance to assist you in the transmutation of fears.
INNER INQUIRY. What is the lesson of the DNOTS? Asking this question will help you glean important information from your experience.
SURRENDER INTO KNOWING. A DNOTS is a temporary experience of deep integration and inner reorganization. It marks a rite of passage in order for you to move into higher states of consciousness, resilience, and mastery. Focus on the gift of your DNOTS experience!
FLOWER ESSENCES can also help.
Without awareness, a DNOTS can be an excruciating experience. And resistance to it only prolongs the process.
My personal journey of a DNOTS required EVERYTHING in my life to be stripped away, little by little, over the course of six agonizing months. Shifts in relationships, home, family, job/career, status, and finances created a sense of loss on a scale I had never encountered before. Because of my resistance to acknowledge reality, I found myself in a situation where I was forced to rely on the kindness and grace of friends, family, and strangers. As a fiercely independent woman, this was not an easy task for my ego.
A more empowered approach is to surrender to what is present in the physical reality. When we accept the current experience, we allow the disintegration of the old egoic structures and the integration of a new, more empowering spiritual understanding of Self.
In order to move through the life-changing DNOTS journey as easily and as gracefully as possible, it takes SUPPORT and UNDERSTANDING. Wisdom that offers solace when you feel lost in the darkness. Encouraging insight and redirection that points you towards the end of the tunnel where the light shines. And a Knowing that a beautiful gift awaits you!
“Hope is never wasted!”
If you want support and understanding through your Dark Night of the Soul…