Dark Night of the Soul

In a real dark night of the soul, it is always three o’clock in the morning, day after day. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Our lives are blessed and everything is flowing and going along just fine – suddenly, there is a major shift and we find ourselves in a Dark Night of the Soul.  The incitement of this may be a physical injury that lays us low and inhibits our ability to perform even the smallest task without assistance.  Or, it may be the end of a relationship we thought would last forever, or the death of a parent or favorite relative. Whatever prompts us to move into this particular Dark Night of the Soul we find everywhere we turn for solace is lost or no longer available. I believe that we all go through a Dark Night of the Soul.  It certainly is a challenging time, however, incredibly fruitful if we open ourselves up to the blessings each one brings. Even though during one of these periods in our lives it feels as though it will never end.  Yet, the Dark Night of the Soul always brings greater light, understanding and compassion into our lives when the darkness lifts.  This ‘darkness’ allows us to reach into the depths of our soul to confront and heal previous issues, most of which we had not previously acknowledged or thought they had previously been healed. All of us want our lives to be easy and effortless, but when a Dark Night of the Soul disrupts our lives, the most amazing events conspire to prompt these hidden issues to the forefront of our consciousness. Issues of previous loss, grief, poor judgment, unhealthy relationships and our own self-esteem suddenly come into focus, and we can no longer deny or ignore them. This demand for healing of past baggage may last for a week, a month or even as much as a year.  It is not how long the darkness envelopes our consciousness, it is the work we do within. During this time, it is best to surrender to the darkness.  It is a time to nurture and be kind to oneself.  Most people will withdraw socially, feeling they do not want to rain on everyone else’s parade.  There is a deeper meaning to this withdrawal bringing the individuals to focus on their own issues without outer distractions. This withdrawal actually magnifies the issues we need to focus upon. I have been editing the fifth memoir in the series, Journey of a Soul – Land Beyond Goodbye.  I thought I had delved deep and this one would be a breeze.  However, this has been the most difficult of the four other memoirs, much to my surprise. It was as if each line, each paragraph, each chapter, brought up past issues, questions of choices I made in my life while traveling around the world!  What a surprise!  Often, I would laugh; more often my eyes would flood with tears. Interestingly, I discovered I was missing half of the chapters in digital files on my computer.  Luckily, I inadvertently discovered a loose printed copy and was able to scan the pages.  I was blessed to discover that the pages I scanned had very few scan errors.  It was a huge job and the task became more and more complicated the more I edited the chapters. I would edit pages or a chapter and needed to stop to assimilate the experience and to delve into the depths. Previously it had taken me a month or even less to edit and format the previous memoirs – so I was stunned that this one has taken me over four months!  I would edit a chapter also realizing I had left important events out of the written text.  Of course, I had to add to different chapters to make the journey more complete.  I had totally forgotten how many times I was almost killed or died while traveling around the world. I would take a break, often for days on end, not even turning on my computer.  I spent the time reading novels.  Some part of me acknowledged I needed to process the chapters I had edited, realizing the importance of my choices for the experiences and relationships I encountered. As in the Dark Night of the Soul, each novel I read also triggered more insights into my journey and the choices I made.  How bizarre was that? It all has served me well.  I acknowledged that my choices were determined by receiving Divine Signs from The White Light to guide my journey as I continued to fulfill my promise when I first died on the operating table in 1962 “to do anything for additional life.” When the light returns, we discover we are happier, stronger, more loving, and compassionate for the experience of deep healing and renewal of our soul. It is time to celebrate our ability to delve deep and move on in our lives trusting we have learned from the experience.  Our faith is renewed!  We realize that only blessings come of this. Namaste, Jussta Photo: by Jussta © 2015 Jussta All Rights Reserved Views:]]>