DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

Written By Duane Nelson


2 IDEAS FROM ME

  • The Dark Night of the Soul is a profound spiritual and psychological experience, first coined by John of the Cross, which many are challenged with in the “initiation” phase of the hero’s journey. Common characteristics include spiritual desolation, loss of meaning, emotional numbness or despair, disintegration of self/ego, suicidal/existential thoughts, and silence of the divine often triggered by a spiritual awakening, faith crisis, trauma, or major life upheaval. It’s a critical growth opportunity to live your best life at a much more meaningful level.

  • Unlike depression which may isolate, deplete, and kill without growth, the Dark Night is transformational, though painful. It’s end is clarity, rebirth, and deeper authenticity, and love.

2 QUOTES FROM SAGES

  • “The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation. It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.”—Joseph Campbell

  • “No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.”—Carl Jung

1 QUESTION FOR YOU TO EXPLORE

  • Which of the following proven processes to transcend the dark night of the soul have you found helpful?

    • Radical acceptance (RAIN - Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture)

    • Deep Inner Shadow Work (Examine inner wounds with curiosity, grief, forgotten parts of yourself, journaling, etc.)

    • Spiritual Reading and Wisdom Traditions (Christ, Buddha, Gandhi, Frankl, Tolle, Campbell, Zen, etc.)

    • Grounded Daily Practices (Mindfulness meditation, prayer, yoga, nature walks, etc.)

    • Therapeutic Support (Suicide hotline, Transpersonal therapist, spiritual director, Jungian analyst)

    • Creative Expression (Art, poetry, music, writing to give form to the formless, heal, and clarify with soul language when words fail)

    • Spiritual Community (or Silence) (Solace in wise company, fellow seekers, spiritual mentors, support groups, solitude, nature)

    • Trust the Process (Allow identity, beliefs, and purpose to be stripped, not as destruction but as divine pruning.)

Namaste,

Duane Nelson

Duane Nelson

Ultrajourney Insight is an Anacortes Washington-based non-profit organization providing mindfulness & well-being services designed to ignite the adventure of a lifetime. The founder, Duane Nelson, is a writer, speaker, and teacher with four decades of parenting, wilderness, & international technology leadership. His professional insights come from chemical engineering and automation leadership at Philips, Intel, and Amazon. His adventure insights flow from ultramarathons, mountaineering, canyoneering, and adventure racing in Nepal, Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Mexico, British Columbia and Alberta.

https://ultrajourneyinsight.org
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