The dark night of the soul is the very painful beginning of a spiritual awakening. It will be different for everyone, however, there are some aspects that are fairly consistent with us all. My personal initiation into the twin flame journey began with my dark night of the soul. This, often very traumatic event, is necessary for many of us to re-establish our connection with God, Universe, Spirit and our Higher Self. For many twin flames, the journey begins with the dark night of the soul, which leads to our spiritual awakening. This is how Spirit (often brutally) guides us to our ascension path.
What does the dark night of the soul feel like? For most it feels like a spiritual depression. The deepest most of us have likely ever felt. We undergo an ego death and the ego does NOT go without a fight! We have so many false beliefs that have accumulated over so many lifetimes that must be torn down (ego death). This energy describes the tower card and the death card in the traditional tarot. At this point you may feel as though you have hit rock bottom. I associate the dark night of the soul with the tower card in the tarot because it
symbolizes tearing something down that was not built on a solid foundation. The tower card depicts a tower with two people getting blasted out of it by a bolt of lightning. It could also be representative of the tower of babel in religious texts. When aspects of our lives are built on false belief systems the universe will eventually step in and tear it down so that something better and stronger can be built in its' place. This is what the dark night of the soul does. From the rock bottom perspective the only option (other than to give up and stay there) is to look up. In a metaphorical sense, you are looking up at the Divine, seeking to understand and re-establish that connection. For many, this is a critical part of the twin flame journey. The ego has to die, so that unconditional love can take its' place. The tarot card of the devil represents (among other things) the EGO. The devil represents obsessions, materialism, sex without true connection. I like to include visuals of these cards because in the tarot, the cards contain a lot of symbolism and tell a story. Look at the cards and ask, what are these images telling me?
During the dark night of the soul, we begin to reflect upon our lives, and it feels as though our lives, up until this point, were unfulfilling and had little true meaning. We begin to shift from looking outside of ourselves, to find fulfillment going within. The dark night of the soul teaches us that everything we need to find fulfillment, experience happiness and love was inside of us all along. God, the Divine, Universe and Spirit (whatever your personal belief systems) resides in each and every one of us and always has. This connection, to all that is, enables us to rebuild our lives on a solid and stable foundation based on truth, authenticity, empathy and compassion. Your truth is likely different from my truth, but none more or less true than the other. As we continue to grow and evolve, our personal truths tend to change over time. One truth is no more or less true than another. As the EGO dies, our third eye chakra becomes unblocked. This is what allows us to see past the illusions of the 3D and shows us the next step along our path. You are only required to trust and have faith in the divine. If we knew ALL the answers, then the journey of life would be pointless. The tower moment / dark night of the soul, comes along because there is a break in our connection to all that is. It reminds me of when I am on the phone with a friend and they can hear me but I can't hear them. (or vice versa). The tower comes in and the Divine is asking....can you hear me now? Now that I have your attention.... It's a huge wake up call and not a very pleasant one initially.
It is completely normal to feel totally lost and even stuck during your dark night of the soul. Feeling 'stuck' is merely a perception, there is always a way forward through healing and energy work. It may even feel as though you are dying (I did) and in truth, the old you (ego) is dying. All death, including death of the ego, is merely a transition from one phase of your journey to another or from one reality to another. We are all infinite souls and as such, are immortal. There is no true death like many of us once believed (this is a false belief system). The death of the ego involves very intense purging. Crying is a form of purging because it is a release. You are releasing emotions that no longer serve your highest good. Have you ever felt great after a long and emotional cry? Or even a good laugh? These are examples of purging. If you feel the urge to laugh or cry.....do it! It is a huge release and is very healing for the soul. You may also experience more of a physical purging. Many of us have become way too complacent about what we put in our bodies. Convenience has replaced good nutrition and it is killing our bodies. During the dark night of the soul and spiritual awakening, it is very common for the body to purge out all of the toxins that have been accumulating in our bodies for a long time. This typically manifests as a multitude of digestive issues and even our tastes and preferences begin to change. Veganism and vegetarianism may begin to appeal to you, whereas before you may not have even considered such a drastic lifestyle change. There is truly no right or wrong here, you should always make decisions based on what you feel is right for you and your unique journey. Your tastes will change over time, so allow yourself to be guided by what Spirit and your body is telling you.
So, you may still be wondering why do I have to endure all of the pain of the dark night of the soul? In order to fully appreciate the LIGHT, we must also experience the DARKNESS. We must come to understand that there is balance in all things. It is through the darkness that we can choose to reconnect with the light. This is how we are able to develop such a deep compassion for ourselves and others and come to realize that forgiveness (of ourselves and others) is key to our healing and happiness. And how can we expect the world outside to change, until we can learn to change our world within us. If you want peace.....be peace. If you want love.....be love.
During the dark night of the soul, some of our friends and family members my fall away. There is a release necessary of all that no longer serves us. Sadly, this may include some of those close to us. This doesn't necessarily mean that we will banish them from our lives never to speak again. It means that we must cut all negative cords of attachment to people places and things that no longer serve our highest good. Get rid of the negative and keep the positive. The Violet Flame is an excellent resource for doing this. Katherine and I practice the Violet Flame daily. It's not enough to cut cords once and you're done. Negative cords of attachments tend to grow back, especially when the offenders (they often do not even realize how negative they are) remain in our energy on a daily basis. The Violet Flame is a crucial form of psychic protection. As you become more spiritually enlightened, you become more prone to psychic attacks. The light will always draw out the dark in others. As your light grows brighter, you begin to attract the darkness like moths to a flame. God saves his toughest battles for his strongest warriors. There is no time for victimhood here. Not everyone was meant to awaken in this lifetime. Some have chosen, at a soul level, to remain in darkness to help others wake up. Their souls are not lost, they have just chosen a different path for their soul growth in this lifetime. So, as others fall away this, void needs to be replaced with peace, love and light. More and more of your soul family will start to magically show up in your life to help fill this void. You will begin to want to connect with others on a soul level, rather than a superficial one which is of the ego. The wearing of false masks and living a life that lacks authenticity, will no longer interest you as you will need something much more meaningful and fulfilling.
The dark night of the soul will look and feel differently for each individual. The results, however, are essentially the same. The dark night of the soul is a painful new beginning but a new beginning nonetheless. It is the initiation that precedes the spiritual awakening, enlightenment, ascension and beyond. We are only limited by the amount of effort we are willing to put in, to raise your vibration and continue to ascend to higher and higher levels. If you are brave enough to embrace this new beginning, you will be rich beyond measure in spiritual abundance, inner peace, love and joy. YOU are worth it!