The “dark night of the soul” is a term that goes back a long time. The “dark night (of the soul)” in Roman Catholic spirituality describes a spiritual crisis. Aka a spiritual depression or Existential Crisis. It is often confused with clinical depression — and with good reason as it mimics all the symptoms of depression. It's a heavy time when all and everything about you seems dark, lost, and endless. Sometimes it's triggered by some external event, some disaster perhaps, on an external level. The death of someone close to you could trigger it, especially premature death, for example, the death of your child, the end of a marriage or relationship, or financial disaster. The term describes a spiritual crisis in the journey toward a union with God, like that described by St. John of the Cross.
I remember my journey. It was emotionally painful, psychosocially confusing, and I found myself re-thinking everything and everyone in my life at that time. I knew it was time for a closer relationship with God, which meant I had to put everything under my emotional microscope to review and determine if those things would work in conjunction with my beliefs and core values. Some things did, and of course many things did not. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to toxic people that I still loved, give up habits I had indulged for decades, and reprogram my thoughts toward a stronger more faithful relationship with God and spiritual enlightenment. It's hard to live by enlightenment, but once you've walked that dark path the other side brings so much peace, tranquility and calm. A true love for self, humanity and God. Amen.
When you begin this journey you begin to clear certain things out of your life (habits, relationships, old belief systems) and invite new, more enriching things in. You may feel like something is missing, but you haven't quite figured it out yet. During this phase, it's common to feel lost, confused, and down. I encourage you to educate yourself on The Dark Night Of The Soul..
1. Surrender And Trust The Process. ...
2. Be Kind And Loving Toward Yourself. ...
3. Give Yourself Permission To Be Where You're At. ...
4. Stay in Touch With People Who Love You. ...
5. Pray and Meditate.
I'm praying for you on your journey, remember me in your prayers too.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
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