The essence of the spiritual journey is to remember and reclaim your spiritual wholeness by awakening to, integrating, and embodying the soul. This is a journey of reconnection with Source in your individual life, in your relationship with others, and the greater field of life; ultimately remembering that all is One and all is Source.
In New Age spirituality this often referred to as the path of “Divine love and light” or enlightenment.
However, there is another, essential aspect to the spiritual journey that many avoid talking about because it’s not as feel good as talking about “be love and light”, and that is the descent into darkness and the shadow.
Yet to deny the darkness is the greatest spiritual bypass of all. To deny or avoid the darkness is to live in the world of illusion and fantasy. For you can never truly know the light, your own wholeness, or your soul without descending into the dark. It through the journey of darkness that you dismantle the old structures of the wounded ego that have hindered your ability to fully connect to and embody Source, the light, and your soul.
The true spiritual journey is reflected best in the mythology of the Hero’s Journey. It is an ever-evolving process of descent into darkness, a reclaiming, healing and transcendence of the wounded ego, and a return to greater light with new gifts and wisdom, and deeper connection and understanding of the Soul and Source.
Enlightenment is ultimately a process of destruction – a breaking down of the egoic barriers to Divine love, light, wholeness and oneness – and a reclaiming of the soul, the Divine self. It is a process of merging Heaven (your soul) and Earth (your human body and life).
You simply cannot skip ahead to the beauty of the soul and Divine connection without descending into the darkness, and your own shadow, to face the lost aspects of yourself, the illusions that distort your perception, and the wounded egoic patterns that have kept you stuck in a state of unconscious disconnection.
The descent into the underworld of darkness is a necessary and powerful journey of healing, immense spiritual growth, important learning and ultimately transcendence. The story of the Buddha’s path to enlightenment clearly illustrates this decent into darkness and facing the shadow, as does the story of Jesus and his 40 days and nights in the desert.
And, as I have learned through immense personal experience…it’s not a one time descent. Rather, it is an ongoing process of descent and destruction that leads to greater expansion, reconnection, and ascension. I’ve learned that we have to go down before we can truly go up.
Any spiritual teacher or guru that fails to acknowledge this process of descent through darkness, is a false teacher…a light chaser who is very likely living in, and teaching, egoic illusion and fantasy, and ultimately doing more harm than good.
You simply cannot think positive thoughts, hang with only “high vibe” people, say affirmations of love and light, and avoid all negativity and expect to find enlightenment. The very word enlightenment means to bring light to something…it’s about bringing the light of consciousness to the darkness within you that keeps you disconnected from your soul, from other people, from all of life, and from Source.
Once your spiritual journey begins, there is really no stopping the process. You may be able to slow it down with your resistance, but ultimately that will only make it more uncomfortable so you might as well embrace it, and learn to work with it proactively. You are meant for this! The spiritual alchemical process of descent and ascension is designed to serve your highest potential in this life. If you truly want to live your purpose and full potential, this is a critical step in the process.
If you are ready to truly awaken to, heal, and embody your soul, to embrace your gifts, and transcend the negative patterns of the wounded ego, I am here to support you. Let me be your guide through the darkness and into the true power of your light!
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