Dark Night of the Soul

Written By: Michele Borowske

Everyone has heard the phrase, “dark night of the soul,” but do we actually know how that applies to the life we are living? Basically, we have an existential crisis and feel there is no way out of this depression of the spirit. The statistics seem to show that at least one-fourth of all spiritual seekers will experience this phenomenon at least once, if not several times. Everyone is different. We have come to a point in society, in which we have more intellectual knowledge but often lack spiritual wisdom. The dark night of the soul serves as a way to reconnect us with the ancient wisdom that we have stored within our DNA and this process is quite humbling, to say the least. This experience takes us past the point of what we think we know and what we have previously been taught human dogma and traditional religious structure, in order for us to reconnect to a deeper spiritual truth.

Dark Night of the Soul

The journey starts out with you conscientiously doing the work: meditation, prayer, a clean diet, and so on. You are doing great, feeling happiness and peace. You notice advancements in intuition, a positive mindset, and lots of hope. Then the point comes where you feel stuck. Nothing seems to move you forward. No matter how much you increase your practices you feel like you’re walking through the desert. You feel alone. Others appear to be having an easier time. Then the doubt sets in. “Maybe they are better than me.” “Maybe I’m just not meant for this journey and what the heck was going through my head to even think I could do this?” “Maybe I’m just too flawed.”

Dark Night of the Soul

Within this self-doubt comes introspection and reflection. The material world starts to fall away. The stuff you thought you needed doesn’t have the same draw. The world seems to be a scarier place. You look inward and assess your values and dependency on those things and the people around you. Then you discover the importance of solitude and meditation. You eventually come to the conclusion that you were never alone. You feel a deeper connection to the world around you. Welcome to the death of the Ego.

The Ego is the part of our personality that encapsulates everything that we were taught, what we learned in order to survive and how to fit in. The ego encompasses, what we think we need to make us happy, expectations of a job and family life, a new car, how we react to our environment and emotional situations and so on. And yet this death is necessary in order for us to be reborn. Similar to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, this is your “hero’s journey.” All the trials and tribulations are essential in order to come out on the other side stronger and more resolute. If you were bullied when you were younger you have more compassion for victims of injustice going forward. Your experiences will advance you to a higher consciousness. You awaken to a deeper purpose and connect to something greater than yourself, Source.

Dark Night of the Soul By Michele Borowske

With this new understanding, we can enjoy this lifetime. We begin to understand that everything we experience is a lesson to be learned and wisdom to be gained. I hope to graduate from the earth with more than just a passing grade. I hope to have more compassion and understanding for my fellow man. I hope to see the bigger picture. But more importantly, I hope I can give that same wisdom when viewing myself.