Dark Night Of The Soul

Mind & Spirit : NST Life & Times 28/9/2010

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/MIND_SPIRIT_Darknightofthesoul/Article

BY CHIM LI YEN

ARE you going through a phase where everything familiar is being threatened?

Do you feel as though the carpet has been pulled from under your feet? If you are uncertain of the next step to take or feeling a little hollow despite having everything you need in life, the good news is that you are not alone! Many people are going through the dark night of the soul at this time.

We stand at a pivotal moment of change in human history, a shift in consciousness where we all embrace our inner consciousness. There is an urgent need for us to confront our darkest shadows - our addictions, the ignorant worship of the powers of control, the greed, cruelty, fear, and unacknowledged despair of our untransformed human nature. Some of us now realise that we need to seek beyond the reasoning mind, the materialistic and scientific explanations of reality to find answers that really resonate with our hearts.

Today, everything is morphing at lightning speed. People are faced with major crises like natural disasters, collapsing economies, unemployment, strange diseases and others. As human consciousness is intrinsically one with our planet, we can contribute to the healing of the planet by releasing false beliefs and embracing love.

Transformation process We are required to take a very important journey — one that demands us to transcend our “unreasonable” rational claims of personal security, safety and control. One by one, we are called to walk through the darkness to learn the meaning of surrender, true forgiveness and unconditional love so we can reunite with our divine self.

The term “the dark night of the soul” refers to a transformation process leading to self-realisation and illumination. This lonely and painful path filled with uncertainty, forces us to disconnect from the illusions that we identify with such as the role that we play in society being an employee, an employer, a mother, a father, a child, a lover, a friend, etc. We are conditioned to think that we are an absolute independent self, separated from people around us.

During the dark night of the soul, the false notions of being a separate self is burned to ashes so we can discern the ego from the soul. It is the longest night as there is no compass to direct us in the right direction nor light to reassure us that dawn is approaching.

Purge the imperfections All we can do is to surrender to the process, letting go of control and our identity. We purge ourselves of “imperfections” like the need to always be right, the need to always win, behavioural patterns rooted in fear and insecurity so we are able to see things as it is.

A Spanish mystic described the archetypal death as “the dark night of the soul” which he saw as a necessary initiation in spiritual life, realising that he had to transcend harsh, trying, circumstances by choosing love and forgiveness in the presence of oppressive hatred.

Mother Teresa was in a dark night of the soul in the later half of her life. She understood that the poverty of disconnecting from one’s soul was far worse than the most intense physical suffering and poverty she saw in the world.

Do it anyway many of us would like to assume that Mother Teresa was in a state of spiritual ecstasy, which made her immune to the pain she was surrounded by, However, she arrived at her mystical consciousness by enduring the darkness with faith through her service to the destitute and dying. She illustrates the consciousness of a mystic with the last three phrases in her commentary, Do It Anyway: l What you spend building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway! l People really need help but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway! l Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway!

At the crossroads Navigating the dark night requires honest contemplation, meditation, prayer, quiet time alone, authentic dialogue with your self and sharing with like-minded people. You stand at crossroads of your power between your ego and your soul, balancing between the mind and the heart. This journey of initiation empowers us by bringing us to a state of awareness.

When we return to the source of who we are, we harness the true potential of the Self that inspires us to be extraordinary and to achieve the impossible. We can then live as though we have the power to change the world — because we do.

- The writer is co-founder of The Violet Flame Holistic Shop and Therapy Centre in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Check out the website at www.thevioletflame.com.my