Recently, the theme of darkness crossed my path again, and while the world as a whole is going through a dark phase, how should we view this and hope do we cope? Many of use have been through dark periods, and have found ourselves stuck in dark corners or crevices. We cope by putting on a brave face, and hide the pain that we can’t fully understand. How do we cope when we find ourselves in a bleak place, the dark pit as I call it where you feel you can’t escape? The darkness can creep upon us when we least expect it, or we can sense ourselves getting plunged into the depths of despair. Either way, we have to learn to fight it and to survive.
Like many, I used to hear and read the phrase that it will come to pass, but that offers little help when darkness surrounds you, and when you feel there is no hope. Words can offer limited comfort, but whenever the darkness surrounds you, remember that there is always a flicker of light in the distance, and that it can never go out. That has helped in times when there was no one to speak to (bar my Higher Self and TPTB), and how can you articulate something that you don’t fully comprehend? Picture a white candle in the distance when you feel low, and if you feel the darkness surrounding you, and focus on it, for when you do, the light becomes brighter and reminds you that the light will always exist.
A friend recently recalled their period of darkness to me in conversation with an element of solace, and I reminded them to never be afraid of the dark, for without darkness, the light would not exist. Darkness is something we must experience and accept as part of the Soul evolving, for how can we appreciate the light without having experienced some darkness? How can an Old Soul guide others through dark periods if they have never experienced or coped with the darkness themselves? That is how we learn to heal others through their dark pain, and we learn through direct experience. We should never fear the dark, but embrace it as a challenge to help us to learn traits such as humility, empathy, understanding, patience, faith, hope, and tolerance.
The dark experiences are never fun, but are testing times for the Soul, and are more likely to be experienced by Mature Souls who are learning their crucial Soul Lessons, and Old Souls as a refresher course. I could have done without my refresher course, but it reminded me that many don’t always learn the lessons they had planned, and that results in some suffering. Again, one can learn from that, and this is why we need to find a balance between the dark and light, yet this is not something you can plan to do consciously, but it is helpful to be aware that this can bring about some peace and balance during your incarnation.
Is ‘gratitude’ an overused term in the spiritual jargon that has been misused to suit a narrative? When you come through a dark period, you can feel grateful and relieved that you survived, although there maybe some scars. One cannot escape without some scars to remind us of what we have learned, and what not to repeat. It would be hard to say that you are grateful for a dark experience, and I would say it’s more of an understanding of what is necessary. Through these periods we learn our strengths and weaknesses, and who we can rely on, and who are true friends. This can lead to disappointment, for those we perceive as close may prove otherwise.
Why is it that we are afraid of the dark? Is it a fear of the unknown, or that we don’t know what is ahead of us? Covid-19 has taught us that with even with the best laid plans, that things don’t always work out how you wish. Even when we think we know what to expect, things can change, yet do we fear that when we know that it can happen? It’s not about being a pessimist or an optimist, but being a realist. Life is about a balance, and to appreciate the good, we often have to see the bad. However, we should not expect or anticipate too much and that’s how we learn humility. Entitlement is something that the current generation appear to assume, hence why many are getting disappointed when reality hits them.
I have never taken friendships for granted, and I appreciate and cherish some long term ones even though I haven’t seen some friends for years. It’s only when you have experienced some destructive friendships or relationships that you discover what true friendship is, and this a lesson that we learn throughout life, and isn’t confined to childhood. Friends are often part of our Soul Contracts, who support us through our incarnations, and they appear and then disappear when the time is right.
How do we come to terms with facing a dark period? It’s not as easy as trying to snap out of it, or when things go wrong that you try and find a reason or something to blame. Many think they are alone, but most people hide their dark fears and experiences, because they don’t understand why or how. Is is normal to feel discontented, sad, unhappy, unsure, and afraid in life? These are normal feelings, yet we all must learn to cope with them in our own way, and recognize that they are mere blips along our paths.
The darkness will always exist, but we must learn to live with it and not allow it to control us. We should not fear it, yet we do because we are unsure of what it masks. When I finally trusted my intuition to see things, rather than solely through my eyes, I stopped being so fearful, but that doesn’t mean that I am never afraid. We can’t always see what is ahead of us, but that is no reason to be afraid – cautious perhaps, but never afraid. It was similar to my father holding the bike when I first rode it, and him telling me he was holding me, but he’d actually let go. I had to learn to trust that I would be okay, and that my intuition was right and unprejudiced, so it could see more clearly.
When I was a child about 6 or 7 years of age, we moved into a house that was full of spirits. I felt it, and the staircase had no natural light unless a door to a bedroom or the bathroom was open. It was eerie walking up the stairs in the dark during the day, and I would chant to myself that there is nothing to be afraid of, and that nothing could harm me. I couldn’t sleep without the light on, and one night I stirred and watched my stamp album move across the dresser and then fall to the floor. I turned over, and was for a split second afraid of the ghost, but even at that age I knew they could not harm me. I went to sleep and tried to pretend it didn’t happen, but I knew it had, and simply picked up the stamp album the next day and put it away. Some Souls and entities will try and instill fear upon others, and the greatest weapon is not to be afraid of them. That goes for the dark too – don’t be afraid, and it won’t hurt you.
I know that some who are in a dark place may read this and think that they can’t see that light I spoke of, yet it does exist, but often fear shields us from it. I have been in dark pits myself, so deep that there was no way out, or so I thought. Days where I waited until the end of the day, just so that I could justify going to sleep where there would be no pain to face. The dark days make us stronger, and even when we have learned to fight them, they can still reappear like a stubborn enemy that keeps trying its luck. Think about the moon shining on a dark night when you are in a bleak place, and remember the power of the moon that radiates its beams in the dark sky. Therein is the balance of dark and light, and it’s what we must learn to balance during our incarnation, where experiences from both helps our Souls evolve.
The Soul Expedition 