Despite contrary Western beliefs, spirituality isn’t posting that you’re at a yoga class, meditating, collecting crystals or lighting candles.
Most “spiritual” adults were once very misunderstood children who knew our mission in life was something that was too big for our minds to comprehend. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about being bigger than life; it’s about becoming a person who lives life from a heart-centred space.
Over the course of our life, we’ve had to go through a process of reclaiming the parts of ourselves that we’ve put into the “dark” – our “shadow”. We’ve had to learn how to bring our darkness into the light.
Society conditions us from birth and when we don’t re-evaluate who we are and why we are the way we are, we disengage within our own source.
We do this to make up for the part we are positioned to believe is “not enough”. We put this part of ourselves into the shadow – the part we don’t claim.
This post isn’t for everyone and there will be people who simply can’t relate. But for those who can, despite whatever it is you’ve gone through or may currently be going through, please know you’re here for a much greater purpose.
I have been through the “Dark night of the Soul” multiple times throughout my twenties.
Dark night of the soul – an external event or an internal experience; e.g – a personal health issue, a breakup, a loss of someone, a career mishap – a situation where we’ve invested our power. This particular “situation” or for some of us – “situations” – occur so we can break back open into our heart, into our pain, into a part of ourselves (a false sense of self) that we’ve strongly identified with.
The reason these events/ situations/ circumstances occur, is to force us to look at ourselves with extreme courage, and disengage with the societal view. It is an opportunity for us to disengage with the external power and re-engage with the power within us.
The Dark Night of the Soul forces us to look at parts of ourselves that we’ve tried to avoid.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that if we look at this part of ourselves – and it’s “true” or it’s “real” – it means we are weak, dependent or less.
I’m writing this post to encourage people to look at these parts that scare you.
Yes, emotions will arise – and these emotions may feel heavy – so if you have someone to support you, ask them to hold space for you through this.
But until we get real about how we feel, we can’t truly heal. We cannot align with our soul authentically – because there’s still a part of us that’s not willing to shine.
You’re hiding parts of yourself because if that part of you isn’t seen, it can’t be touched and therefore, can’t be hurt. Trust me, I’ve been there. I get it.
But I’m not here to encourage you to play small or live a mediocre life.
I want you to touch it. I want you to embrace it.
I want you to “pick up” that part of yourself and ask – what about that part of yourself, do you find is not worthy? What about that specific “part” do you allow other people’s opinions and judgement to hold power over?
I want you to remember two things:
– God made you perfect.
– God is in control – and everything you’ve ever been through; everything you’ve ever experienced – God/ a higher power – has allowed it to occur.
We need to disengage from this external, societal conditioning – it’s all false authority.
These ideas of what society has told you to be are an agreed upon set of perceptions, and it doesn’t hold any truth. We need to re-engage with what’s real.
I began acknowledging all the misinterpretations I was allowing myself to be defined by, simply because “someone” – a parent/ teacher/ friend/ Priest etc said it.
Society wants you to think you’re messed up, so you stay limited and never reach your full power.
Through out my many trials and tribulations I had to overcome, I felt as though I had nothing and no one who would understand why/ how I was feeling, let alone be able to help me. This forced me to acknowledge how little control I really had over the big picture of life. These situations left me feeling completely helpless and hopeless; and that was when I began developing true faith in God.
“Dark night of the soul” are the situations where we are literally forced to die in our old identifications, in order to emerge into the truth of who we really are.
Heal, so we can be emotionally healthy daughters/ sons, wives/ husbands and mothers/ fathers.
If you want to know what your purpose in life is -it’s inside your pain. Turn towards this and let it set you free.
Just remember: Society’s idea of “success” was bullshxt anyway.
Be brave.
Thank you for reading.
With love,
Crystal x
“A lot of people – black, white, Mexican, young or old, fat or skinny – have a problem being true to they self. They have a problem looking into the mirror and looking directly into their own souls. The reason I can sell six million records, the reason why I can go to jail and come out without a scratch, the reason I can walk around, the reason I am who I am today is because I can look directly into my face and find my soul.” – Tupac Shakur
Inner Truth Gym 