Are you Experiencing a Dark Night of the Soul? Learn how to rise above!
What is the dark night of the soul? This is a concept that has been known for centuries but certainly dates back much, much further. This period of your life often comes with feelings of isolation, helplessness, lack of direction, and is often viewed as a type of existential crisis.
In order to fully understand whether you’re experiencing the dark night, we’re going to take a look at what this phase is, what it represents, and how you can tell if you’re experiencing it. We’ll also touch on how this can often coincide with life events involving your twin flame.
What is the dark night of the soul?
Life is full of fluctuations between positive and negative states. If you think about your mood, luck, faith, spirituality, motivation, or any other aspect of your life, you’ll remember times where there have been highs, just as there have also been lows.
As Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger”. So, whenever we rise back up from the depths, we do so with newfound strength, confidence, and growing experience.
But what is the dark night of the soul? There are many ways to describe this experience. To some, it is an existential crisis, to others, a crisis of faith. Every person can experience their dark night differently, so how can we put into words what it is?
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Your soul experiences a dark night when you stray drastically from your path. We’ll consider some causes of this later, but one common reason is the death of a loved one. When we lose someone precious to us, especially when that person resonated deeply with our own spiritual journey, we enter a period of doubt.
We may doubt ourselves, our soul mission, our angels, our faith, God, or something more abstract like the concept of eternity or our place in the universe. This period often feels like hell, and it is accompanied by loneliness, isolation, and a lack of direction. We lose all hope and often our faith leaves with it.
Who said the dark night of the soul?
The coining of the term comes from St. John of the Cross, a Spanish monk who expressed his own dark night experiences through a poem named ‘Noche Oscura’, which translates from Spanish as ‘Dark Night’.
While this poem was written in the 1500s, many notable individuals have discussed the Dark Night since, from Mother Teresa to Eckhart Tolle. The interesting thing about this life phase is that it’s experienced by people of all faiths, belief-systems, and cultures.
It often takes on different names and is treated in different ways, but it ultimately marks the dip into a negative state which is followed by a better understanding or appreciation of ourselves and the universe.
In a sense, the soul’s dark night is similar to a hero’s journey; one where we must battle demons in hell before rising up to reach our true potential as our best selves.
What does having a dark soul mean?
When we discuss the idea of having a dark soul, this isn’t an indication that a person is evil. It’s simply a way to describe the fact that somebody’s soul has entered a space of negativity, often as a result of life events, environment, or certain spiritual challenges.
As we’ve briefly mentioned, a dark soul is often temporary and simply a prelude to a more profound and positive change in circumstance and understanding. As is often said, “the night is darkest just before the dawn”.
This means that when we’re at our lowest, it’s only a matter of time before we can begin rising to a more positive state. Without light, there is no dark, and vice versa. It’s a very real representation of the yin and yang symbolism.
If we were to remain in a positive, unchallenged position all our lives, we’d never be able to grow into more than we already are. Comfort may be an enjoyable state, but discomfort is where we’re forced to change, adapt, and develop.
No hero, fictional or otherwise, has ever reached their true potential without facing challenges.
- Learn here how to overcome negative energies
What causes dark night of the soul?
There are many causes of the dark night, and these causes vary drastically from person to person. Before we try to understand the causes, let’s first discuss some of the symptoms. We’ve already touched on many of them, such as feeling lost or isolated.
The most common sign is the sense that life has no real meaning, or that the universe itself simply exists, but offers no real truth or purpose. Somebody in this state will likely feel intense sadness, and will often view themselves in a negative light, perhaps even describing themselves as being unworthy.
The activities, topics, or people that once brought you the most joy and excitement will begin to feel like hollow distractions. One of the most noticeable signs of this darkness will come in the form of your desires. You will crave a sense of purpose and meaning, and yet at the same time, you’ll feel as if these concepts are meaningless.
A voice in your head will tell you that discovering your destiny is simply another way of describing the path that leads to your death, which in itself marks the moment that you’ll begin to be forgotten. So, as you can see, this is a truly dark time indeed.
Easy steps to overcome the dark night of the soul
Among others, those below you can start doing right now:
- Reconsider some of your Life goals: As times flies by in our lives, stop for a moment and decide the next step that you will take. Once you decide what to do, just take that 1st step on that chosen path;
- Be more flexible on a daily basis and let the old you and the old way of thinking, to be less critical in your life. Learn to adapt more easily to the new day that arises;
- Meditate whenever possible to nourish your soul and find the inner peace that will help you to relax when confronted with more challenging moments;
- Sometimes, the peace that you are looking might be found in the simplest daily gesture, like going for a stroll outside or in mother nature;
- Eat healthy foods during the “darker times”. When feeling down due to some difficulties, start to eat healthy foods, hence nutritious foods. Nutrition is what fuels your body and your brain ant to some extent, your energy and vibe;
- Do not be afraid to speak to someone. That person can be a therapist or mentor or someone that you admire and respect; Speak up freely and brainstorm with that person. The end result is quite often positive, and the end result will surprise you.
What is the dark night of the soul twin flame?
Now that we’ve covered most of this topic, it’s time to consider why people enter this state. Many people won’t realize that they’re experiencing their dark night until they’ve already reached their lowest moment.
Even then, the negativity and hopelessness often cloud our judgment, making it difficult to become aware of the fact that this state is temporary and marks a turning point that will ultimately lead to the desired destination.
Triggers for the dark night do vary. For some, the death of a loved one will cause it. For others, it could be something seemingly less drastic, such as a friend moving away.
One common trigger involves soulmates, soul family, or soul twin flames. When somebody with whom we share a soul or soul purpose/mission leaves or dies, we often feel like part of ourselves goes with them.
This leaves a hole through which negativity can seep and fester, leading to a mental state that leaves us alone in the darkness. Just remember that you’re not alone and your dark night will be over!