Dark Night Of The Soul
There are many versions of dark night of the soul, but in this article I will only focus on the spiritual aspect of it rather than the psychological latter. Not everyone will encounter this period in their lifetime, hence why only a few are aware of it. People who are spiritual will have some awareness regarding the meaning of it, whereas others will not; even though some life altering events would indicate that they underwent dark night of the soul.
In this article, I will walk you through all various reasons why we experienced them from a spiritual perspective and how we can go through various stages of dark night of the soul. Dark night of the soul is pivotal when it comes to one’s soul awakening. Most will experience emotions such as activation of the chakras and kundalini awakening.
Painful repressed deep inner wounding, fears, traumas, limited beliefs will come in the form of shadow work to heal in all levels of one’s spirituality. Because you are a spiritual being living a human experience, some bodily traumas will also surface up during your dark night of the soul. Your higher self or the soul version of you will confront you in many areas to heal as part of your soul growth.
Dark night of the soul often arises after painful life events or moments of crisis that shake you internally by encouraging you to rethink your life path, purpose and goals. Many confuse dark night of the soul as a psychological disorder, but from a spiritual perspective, it is only nudging you to detach from your previous identities so that you can explore your true life purpose, goals, dreams and aspirations.
So in a nutshell going through dark night of the soul is more of a blessing than disguise. Everything comes in cycles. This is the natural order of the universe. Just like weather comes in cycles, the ocean come in circular wavy motions, there is night and day, everything else comes in the same order. Nothing is permanent.
Unlike depression, which may be related to a specific external life event or a shift in neurochemistry, going through dark night of the soul is a passive process that occurs internally. There may or may not be any challenging life events. Regardless, the distress is coming from the internal process of letting go of the old self-concepts and the perspective of being separate from self.
During one’s spiritual awakening and while going through the motions of the journey, people often realize that going through dark night of the soul can lead to self-isolation or self-loneliness. At times this happens by the universe intervening or at times you go through the chopping block regarding things that no longer serve your higher goods anymore. These motions will feel very natural and organic to you.
After bouts of confusion and helplessness dissipating, you will learn that it was all part of the destruction of the old ego self (the dying of the old man). Although as difficult as going through the ordeal may feel, it will ultimately lead to self-transcendence, ego dissolution, and self-realization.
Phase 1
Disruption of one’s routine or triggering events:
The dark night of the soul often begins with some sort of trigger or disruption. This could be but is not limited to, the death of a loved one, extreme poverty, an illness, betrayal, injustice, abuse, job loss, and so on. Dark night of the soul occurs suddenly, often endured by existential crisis due to intense pain. You will have no control over the external disruption. It is meant to cause a trigger point of massive self-transformation.
Phase 2
Loss of direction and hope:
Following the initial trigger and disruption, during the dark night of the soul, despair and hopelessness begin to take course. You may feel as if your life has no meaning and no purpose. Everything you have learnt, known or experience will not seem real anymore. During this phase, you will feel like life is hitting rock bottom with no hope of resurfacing back up.
Phase 3
Rock bottom:
During this phase, there is an apparent disconnection from the outside world and a confrontation with repressed emotions, unhealed wounds and limiting patterns. The entire dark night of the soul is not easy, but at rock bottom, it will feel like there is a breaking point or when everything will feel lost.
During this time it will feel typically the darkest time in your life. You may become emotionally numb, lose your friends and family, isolate yourself from everyone around you, or numb your pain through addictions.
This experience can be overwhelming, but it is precisely this crumbling that allows for a more authentic reconstruction. Far from being a sign of failure, it is an invitation to let go of what no longer serves to make way for a more integrated version of yourself. This will turn into the darkest hours of your life, but if you persevere through it, it will also teach you valuable lessons.
Body Storing Trauma
During phase 3 of your dark night of the soul, repressed emotions can come in the form of your body storing trauma especially if you are holding on to certain aspects of the grief process. Some of the forms of traumas are ancestral lineage, indolence period, relationships with others, self-concept, period of desolation or loss of a loved one. I will break it down here how this can impact your wellbeing.
Ancestral lineage – could be any traumas your ancestors could have endured such as war, migration of land where they had to leave their current home behind and start somewhere new, life threatening sickness such as the plague, tuberculosis, dysentery, smallpox, leprosy and so forth. Traumas such as murder, suicide, being killed for unjust reasons especially if they voiced their truth in some matters, or prosecuted through assassination or elimination. These are some examples of what you may carry through your ancestral lineage.
Indolence period – spiritual indolence is a state of spiritual laziness, complacency, or lack of effort in one’s faith or spiritual path. During this stage you will find yourself reluctant to engage in spiritual practices, seek deeper understanding, or confront inner struggles, leading to stagnation and disconnection. This can manifest as a lack of concern or zeal for life.
Relationship with others – Because you will find yourself going through isolation phase, you will learn that relationships with family, friends, and colleagues will endure through test of times. Connections will break but you will not understand what is happening.
Self-concept – you will find yourself coming to your own conclusions and beliefs regarding things about yourself, the world, and the responses of others as hindrance to your self-empowerment and betterment. Rather than feeling inspired, you will feel yourself spiraling down the rabbit hole without any way of coming out of it.
Period of Desolation – spiritual dryness or desolation is a lack of spiritual consolation in one’s spiritual life. It is a form of spiritual crisis experienced subjectively as a sense of separation from God “I am” consciousness, or lack of feeling spiritual. The experiences will feel very similar to the indolence period of dissolution.
Loss of a Loved One – this phase comes unexpected and often people are not fully prepared to deal with something this excruciating, especially if you were very close to the person or pet. Period of depression takes toll as you find yourself spiraling down on your health and wellbeing. Mentally, you are not ready to come to terms of such a loss but find yourself struggling to come to terms with it.
Death Of The Old Self
Dark night of the soul is derived from a poem written by John of the Cross. Although it is unclear when it was actually written. Some speculation is that it was likely written between 1577 and 1579. Here’s the poem.
- On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings—oh, happy chance!—
I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest. - In darkness and secure, by the secret ladder, disguised—oh, happy chance!—
In darkness and in concealment, My house being now at rest. - In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me,
Nor I beheld aught, Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart. - This light guided me More surely than the light of noonday
To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me— A place where none appeared. - Oh, night that guided me, Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved! - Upon my flowery breast, Kept wholly for himself alone,
There he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him, And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze. - The breeze blew from the turret As I parted his locks;
With his gentle hand he wounded my neck And caused all my senses to be suspended. - I remained, lost in oblivion; my face I reclined on the Beloved.
All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.
Phase 4
Spiritual awakening:
There is light on the other side of being at the rock bottom. When you are transitioning out of one phase to other, you begin a spiritual awakening. Your soul will wake up to the truth and you suddenly will rediscover lost parts of yourself. It’s not an easy transformation.
Spiritual awakening stages can include some of the physical symptoms of stress such as headaches, nausea, ears ringing, blurry visions, body aches, and even some psychological and emotional manifestations. You will have the opportunity to go deeply within yourself to your inner soul journey to merge into source energy, to become one.
Phase 5
Spiritual transformation:
With your newfound knowledge of self-discovery and your life purpose, then begins the fifth phase of your spiritual journey which is to attain wholeness. As you discover your life purpose and goals, you will start laying the foundations of the life that you are truly meant to live in every sense.
During this time, do not be surprised if you become drawn to spiritual teachers and guides, while you slowly but surely start to act like a creator and build the life you always wanted. The universe will also begin aiding you in your journey to help you in all senses to give you what you desire the most. Your manifestation ability will get heightened as you to begin to vibrate into a higher frequency.
Spiritual Growth
Going through one’s spiritual growth is an ongoing process of developing a deeper connection with one’s inner self which is attuning to a higher power, or a greater life purpose. It is all about one’s self discovery in this transformative process. It is a personal journey of cultivating qualities like compassion, gratitude, and self-awareness, but it is very individualized since everyone is working on their own self-concept. Practices that can facilitate these type of growth include meditation, or going within as a reflection on one’s core values and beliefs.
Your spiritual wellness consists of finding meaning, purpose, and connection in life through personal beliefs, values, and a sense of belonging to something larger than what you were destined to be. It involves great self-reflection to understand your core values and ethics, which guides your actions and helps you find peace and harmony in your life. This can be achieved through practices such as meditation, prayer, gratitude, or spending time in nature.
Key Aspects of Spiritual Growth
Inner development – It focuses on the cultivation of an individual’s spiritual life, self-awareness, and understanding of a higher purpose and learning. - Cultivating inner qualities – Core part of this growth is the active effort to develop positive qualities such as compassion, empathy, forgiveness, and gratitude.
- Connection to the divine – This includes spiritual growth and deepening a relationship with a higher power, consciousness, or God, depending on what your core beliefs entail.
- Find your purpose – Once you tune inwards, this process can be very rewarding in terms of attaining greater sense of purpose and meaning in life.
- Ongoing journey – Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that is unique to each individual and will continue throughout one’s life. Only you will know what this looks to you.
- Reflection – Reflecting allows you to figure out your values, beliefs, and how to live a more meaningful life. This is a key component that cannot be rushed.
- Discipline – This is an important aspect of your spiritual journey to practice self-discipline while striving to live a more virtuous life which is often part of the growth process in all aspects of your life. This will look different for everyone as everyone has a unique journey, which includes wants and desires.
- Overcoming challenges – Experiencing and navigating life’s challenges can also be seen as opportunities for spiritual growth.
Phase 6
Self mastery:
When dark night of the soul phase ends, suddenly you will become more peaceful in nature. Everything will seem surreal as you discover a sense of peace, understanding, and wholeness that has previously felt lost. You will know you are at the final stage of the dark night of the soul when you have a greater understanding of life’s bigger picture, the lessons you learnt, and the wounds you healed.
How This Affects Twin Flames
This is the last portion of my teaching which is important for the Twin Flame fraternity. All Twin Flames will experience dark night of the soul at least once in their lifetime. The reason this happens is to allow spiritual growth and transformation. This is a metaphoric process in their ascension process. Everything I mentioned will be experience by all Twin Flames.
Some will experience separation from their Twin Flame which will have the same experience as dark night of the soul. The reason this feels this way is because there are so much history between the couple from other lifetimes, which may have not had a favorable ending. Some experience past life trauma during the separation and awakening phase.
Separation comes in all shapes and forms. Some Twin Flames are not in embodiment, whether they didn’t take birth or passed away. Other types of separation is when one Twin Flame ghosts the other, or simply are not in any communication. These dynamics will experience most aspect of the dark night of the soul. During this time, a lot of healing happens.
Other dynamics will endure other forms of the dark night of the soul. Each pair has their own unique experiences they will face to heal. The story is different for everyone. Whatever their story is, they know they are going through a massive spiritual transformation.
New life purpose and goals emerge upon deep inner reflection. For most part, Twin Flames embrace their journey and begin doing their inner work.
My advice to you is to take one day at a time no matter where you are in your journey while enduring dark night of the soul. It is an evitable phase which do pass with time. If you look through the experiences as learning and growth, you will find yourself on the other side of the tunnel. Opportunities will be shown to you in all shapes and forms. Simply trust the process that this is meant for a higher purpose.
I hope you found this article helpful and informative. I pray that this article finds you well. If you wish to get any personal guidance, you can book a coaching session or purchase any of my services, click here. Feel free to share this article if it resonates. Thank you and much blessings.
Know your journey, know your connection.
Twin Flame Union
