Hello everyone,
I’m just interested to hear other peoples experiences of the dark night of the soul. Do you feel as though you’ve been through it or are you currently in that phase of your life? If so, it would be great to hear your story, lessons learned, experiences, feelings at the time etc.
Thanks everyone.
Full Version: The Dark Night Of The Soul
Just in case there was anyone unsure of what I’m on about, I will do my best to describe what it is.
WHAT IS THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL?
This could get quite complicated. Many people take the dark night of the soul as different things and nor is it a purely Wiccan ‘thing’. But in as brief as possible I will try to describe it as I understand it:
The dark night of the soul is a stage in someone’s spiritual development that is certainly not pleasant but if you get through it then it is very rewarding. It has been described as a phase in someone’s life where there is spiritual hopelessness, depression, isolation and desolation. It is a dark, depressive, lonely stage in life that tests your very core.
It is often said to be a blessing in disguise because although you go through a lot of psychological pain, from this suffering emerge important life lessons and inner wisdoms. It is an important stage where you learn various lessons from how to balance and accept both light and darkness in your life, develop and limit your ego, re-examine and question your beliefs and purpose etc. It is a period where mind sets often change and where people tend to cut off the old bonds of spiritual youth of their new found belief system and conformity and to hunt for their own roles and meanings within it. Most importantly of all it pushes and tries your mental and spiritual strength and can deepen your spiritual awareness. From this phase many people ether ‘make or break’ and a fair few can loose their faith altogether and decide not to go further, concentrating their efforts elsewhere.
The dark night of the soul can happen at various times for different people. I have found that it normally happens however just after you think that you’ve reached a spiritual peak. It is certainly rare amongst those just starting off. For some it is often associated with second degree Wiccans. For some the dark night of the soul may last a mere few weeks and for others it can last for years.
Some also see the dark night of the soul as a second death and re-birth. The first being during your initiation or self-initiation.
It is very difficult to know when someone really is going through their dark night of their soul as often it tends to correspond or be brought on by other traumatic life events or loss. Also everyone has ‘spiritual depression’ from time to time, but this is nothing in comparison to the despair within the dark nigh of the soul.
Even I query whether I went through it or not. My biggest argument was that I was far too young to go through it so soon, even if it did last for what felt like eternity but in fact it was only 2 years. Whether that really was my dark night of the soul I cannot be certain due to my age and inexperience at the time. But one thing I can be certain is whatever I went through it was a gloomy time that effects your life completely however when the clouds brake you realise just how important it really was and how much you’ve grown and learnt from it.
Bibliography:
Spiritual Crises: A CarmsPCN Help Guide by PinkWillow, BlueOak Moonrise and CrystalArianhod
WHAT IS THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL?
This could get quite complicated. Many people take the dark night of the soul as different things and nor is it a purely Wiccan ‘thing’. But in as brief as possible I will try to describe it as I understand it:
The dark night of the soul is a stage in someone’s spiritual development that is certainly not pleasant but if you get through it then it is very rewarding. It has been described as a phase in someone’s life where there is spiritual hopelessness, depression, isolation and desolation. It is a dark, depressive, lonely stage in life that tests your very core.
It is often said to be a blessing in disguise because although you go through a lot of psychological pain, from this suffering emerge important life lessons and inner wisdoms. It is an important stage where you learn various lessons from how to balance and accept both light and darkness in your life, develop and limit your ego, re-examine and question your beliefs and purpose etc. It is a period where mind sets often change and where people tend to cut off the old bonds of spiritual youth of their new found belief system and conformity and to hunt for their own roles and meanings within it. Most importantly of all it pushes and tries your mental and spiritual strength and can deepen your spiritual awareness. From this phase many people ether ‘make or break’ and a fair few can loose their faith altogether and decide not to go further, concentrating their efforts elsewhere.
The dark night of the soul can happen at various times for different people. I have found that it normally happens however just after you think that you’ve reached a spiritual peak. It is certainly rare amongst those just starting off. For some it is often associated with second degree Wiccans. For some the dark night of the soul may last a mere few weeks and for others it can last for years.
Some also see the dark night of the soul as a second death and re-birth. The first being during your initiation or self-initiation.
It is very difficult to know when someone really is going through their dark night of their soul as often it tends to correspond or be brought on by other traumatic life events or loss. Also everyone has ‘spiritual depression’ from time to time, but this is nothing in comparison to the despair within the dark nigh of the soul.
Even I query whether I went through it or not. My biggest argument was that I was far too young to go through it so soon, even if it did last for what felt like eternity but in fact it was only 2 years. Whether that really was my dark night of the soul I cannot be certain due to my age and inexperience at the time. But one thing I can be certain is whatever I went through it was a gloomy time that effects your life completely however when the clouds brake you realise just how important it really was and how much you’ve grown and learnt from it.
Bibliography:
Spiritual Crises: A CarmsPCN Help Guide by PinkWillow, BlueOak Moonrise and CrystalArianhod
I don't think it's obligatory. Also, this assumes everyone will go through a similar ordeal and I'm not really convinced. I've had many many dark times, but I wouldn't label 1 as any more significant than another. I just think you're making an assumption that everyone is going to go through the same experiences because they are pagan in some way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Night_of_the_Soul
happens everywhere to everybody, all the time, usually when lifes S**t. So wouldnt attach any religious or spiritual significance to it.
The art of shamanising 
The catalyst and the process.
I think I know what you mean.
Like Celticstar says, people always go through tough times and the smooth, sometimes life sucks and it hurts, but it's part of being alive. But you mean the big whammy?
Doesn't happen to everyone. Sometimes people are just born with a sunny disposition - can't hate 'em for that
I think the big black night tend to come to those who are in delayed trauma. Usually something that's really mucked you up but that you don't have the psychological tools or the inner ability to deal with: sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, loss of a loved one, sudden loss of home/job/lover/world you thought you knew. That hit-in-the-face-with-a-brick kind of sensation.
Different things for different people. But it often leaves you floundering - thinking you're keeping it together, ignoring that something's gone wrong, developing 'coping strategies' etc. Can spit out some of the most damaged, anally retentive and scared little people if something doesn't break down. Some people break down and get stuck there, don't fully let go and keep clawing at the sides: becoming some of the neediest, friendless and tiresome people. Some actually do let go and fully shamanise, they die inside and then they are reborn stronger than the hurt is and they develop.
Was talking about this down the pub the other night with Etayne: the art of spiritual death. The sadness is that our culture doesn't support it. There's no place for breakdown, failure or weakness and there's no recognition or understanding of people who have gone through it - they aren't encouraged to hold out their hand and pull the next generation through. A deeply profound spiritual experience in a society that isn't even mildly spiritually competent. We rely on prozac, seroxat and lithium to deal with the unruly wild
I think it's something that happens to many people. Look around society today and you can see the number of failed attempts at shamanising - the stuck-in-a-ruts and the nothing-wrong-with-me's. I think most of us get through the smaller tremors - the blues. But it's a lot of effort and takes time to process a full-on black-out. It's still a taboo subject really, mental health is a tough cookie. Don't always have the language to talk about it with grace.
Best wishes,
Marion.
The catalyst and the process.
I think I know what you mean.
Like Celticstar says, people always go through tough times and the smooth, sometimes life sucks and it hurts, but it's part of being alive. But you mean the big whammy?
Doesn't happen to everyone. Sometimes people are just born with a sunny disposition - can't hate 'em for that
I think the big black night tend to come to those who are in delayed trauma. Usually something that's really mucked you up but that you don't have the psychological tools or the inner ability to deal with: sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, loss of a loved one, sudden loss of home/job/lover/world you thought you knew. That hit-in-the-face-with-a-brick kind of sensation.
Different things for different people. But it often leaves you floundering - thinking you're keeping it together, ignoring that something's gone wrong, developing 'coping strategies' etc. Can spit out some of the most damaged, anally retentive and scared little people if something doesn't break down. Some people break down and get stuck there, don't fully let go and keep clawing at the sides: becoming some of the neediest, friendless and tiresome people. Some actually do let go and fully shamanise, they die inside and then they are reborn stronger than the hurt is and they develop.
Was talking about this down the pub the other night with Etayne: the art of spiritual death. The sadness is that our culture doesn't support it. There's no place for breakdown, failure or weakness and there's no recognition or understanding of people who have gone through it - they aren't encouraged to hold out their hand and pull the next generation through. A deeply profound spiritual experience in a society that isn't even mildly spiritually competent. We rely on prozac, seroxat and lithium to deal with the unruly wild
I think it's something that happens to many people. Look around society today and you can see the number of failed attempts at shamanising - the stuck-in-a-ruts and the nothing-wrong-with-me's. I think most of us get through the smaller tremors - the blues. But it's a lot of effort and takes time to process a full-on black-out. It's still a taboo subject really, mental health is a tough cookie. Don't always have the language to talk about it with grace.
Best wishes,
Marion.
aaah. so *that's* what this is.
Nice to know it won't last forever...
Nice to know it won't last forever...
Ahhh we're back to the old chestnut of the Long dark tea party of the soul......
I once wrote an essay on Witchvox about this.
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=&c=words&id=10340
I once wrote an essay on Witchvox about this.
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=&c=words&id=10340
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