How to Know if You're Going Through a Dark Night of the Soul

So you've been researching your symptoms online, looking for answers for all the strange things you've been going through lately. Maybe your whole life has turned upside down and it feels like the universe has turned against you. Perhaps you feel like you're going crazy and feel so alone because nobody can understand you and what you're going through. These are just a few things that may have brought you to this blog, so if any of this is sounding familiar keep reading and let's take a deeper look.

So first of all why do they even call it the Dark Night of The Soul? Well, because that is what it really is, although each experience is very different for everyone, it is an extremely dark and challenging experience of transformation. This is the time where we face the darkest parts of ourselves that are hiding within us so we can transcend the untruth to meet the truth, and sometimes the universe has to place us in situations where we can face those dark parts. This is why it may seem like your whole world has turned upside down.

Many times there is a situation that triggers the Dark Night of the Soul process, a situation that may have hurt you or may have effected you so much that you plunged into a deep sea of dark emotions. Other times, the Dark Night of the Soul can be triggered through yoga practices, especially Kundalini exercises which awaken the dormant energy at the base of the spine. When this energy erupts and begins to travel up the spine, it moves through the subtle energy system to detox the chakras and purify our energy. You may experience a deep throbbing at the base of the spine, a rush or multiple rushes of energy traveling up the spine, uncontrollable crying, bursts in the heart, memories that have been buried rising to the surface, changes in the way you perceive yourself, other people, the world and existence. It may be extremely difficult to face some very deep truths about life, truths like impermanence and death, and you may experience a lot of fear and anxiety from this.

So let's touch on one of those deep truths, death. If you are going through a Dark Night of the Soul, sometimes you can feel death on your shoulder, we feel this because we are dying spiritually, we are shedding layers upon layers of conditioning that makes up our character. It can feel like your character is dying while being alive, and this can feel terrifying. You may find yourself experiencing the unknown, the mystery of life, a place without any answers. This can be terrifying for the mind as the very nature of the mind is logic and forming conclusions. The mind feels safe with answers, so this is why you might experience a lot of fear in this stage. There may be deeply divine experiences that you can not explain to anyone else, very profound and magical experiences showing you the truths of what you really are and what this life really is.

One of the hardest parts of the Dark Night of the Soul is facing those parts of yourself that you don't want to face. You may meet the selfishness within you, greediness with you, jealousy within you, anger within you, your fears, your doubts, your neediness, and facing all of this can lead you to feelings of disgust with yourself or even hatred. Now add all of this with facing the great adversity in your life during this time, for purposes of turning away from the world and turning within yourself, you can feel like the higher power has left your life and your faith will be tested. There can be challenging shameful feelings of yourself, even suicidal feelings, feelings like you can't go on or like you don't belong here anymore. The feeling that you don't belong here anymore can be very difficult to deal with, but this feeling arises because we are being transcended from our old world as we knew it and we are being prepared for our new world to come.

Although this entire process seems so dark, it is carrying the light of transformation and this is the beauty of the Dark Night of the Soul. A seed has to grow in the dark, and we all know the popular saying, we need darkness to see the stars. The experience is just for you and will be the greatest initiation of your life. If you have been experiencing any of these symptoms, stay strong, your strength is being tested. See the beauty of the process and be grateful for the transformation! Darkness can never stand strong against the cure of a grateful heart! Until next time my friends, take it easy! And check out my shop humansoulshop.com for cool spiritual, human & fun clothing and other cool stuff!