Finding Light in the Shadows

“We encounter the power of our soul, very often, in extreme circumstances. It’s always in the extreme that we experience something like a miracle.”          ~ Caroline Myss

For those of us who have been through a dark night of the soul, we find kinship in others who have met this painful rebirth. Whether your pain stems from losing a relationship, battling addiction, or the death of a loved one, you can be certain you are not alone in facing this road. The truth is that it is a hallmark of human experience, and those who fully emerge from this journey do so as wiser, more loving people.

While in the midst of a transformational experience like a dark night of the soul, there is no escaping its shadow; it can invade every aspect of our lives, from the office or classroom, to our children’s bedrooms as we tuck them in, to the quietest corners of our hearts. It is during this time that many find strength and comfort in spirituality and the company of loved ones. We search for hope in the mundane and connection despite the pain.

Though this type of journey is never one we wish for, there is little that compares to its power of transformation. Living in the shadows and learning to find your way out of them changes you. You question your past, your reality, your life purpose. You discover parts of yourself you underestimated, or didn’t even know. As many of today’s gurus put it, you have the opportunity to be “cracked open”.

I have come to the realization that, in the years following a dark night of the soul, we may move beyond it but it never fully leaves us. There may always be experiences that trigger that pain, and move us unsettlingly into the darkness we knew, even just for a moment. But what also lingers is knowing how to find our way back to the light, and this is knowledge we can only develop first-hand. Having our vision enshrouded in the illusion of shadow, being “cracked open” by our own personal pain, leads us to begin the journey toward the self. And we learn that we are much stronger, more beautiful, and more capable of love than we ever thought we were.

You are invited to share your experiences with a “dark night of the soul” here. How were you “cracked open”?