The Dark Night Of The Soul

[Jyotir]

Human incarnation itself is sufficient to describe “dark night of the soul” in the most general sense.

The all-illumined soul which is fully identified with Spirit makes the sacrifice of deliberately plunging itself into a material oblivion of Self and inconscience, for the support of the individuated being to evolve and realise true Self (vs. the false self of ego) as a permanent fully conscious awareness.

Of course, this is an unprecedented opportunity even if arduous and fraught with difficulty, but when actualized and accelerated by conscious spiritual aspiration, dedication, and surrender to the Highest, the darkness or ignorance diminishes and is supplanted by Light, which is the real symbol of Truth, hence "Enlightenment".

It is precisely the disparity between an awareness of the spiritual possibilities of life (awakening) and simultaneously the experience of the consequences of ignorance and ignorant action (karma) - which creates this contrast of light vs. shadow or darkness as a kind of painfulness or suffering which reveals how much and what kind of work still needs to be undertaken in order to transform the being from the animal and ignorant ego-based human life, into a divine human life and fully conscious being.

It is important not to be discouraged during these passages as even the greatest spiritual masters have encountered them. If anything, by the time a soul receives a human birth, evolves to the point of awakening to the spiritual possibilities of life, and begins to consciously undertake some deliberate spiritual practice - it must be understood that this indicates they are already much closer to the goal than they are far away from it, even if they experience set-backs or temporary DNOS, which to the mind seems untenable and excruciating.

This is why all legitimate spiritual paths prescribe a cheerful persistence, determination, and one-pointed focus on truth - vs. the temptation to accept and promote various ignorant formations, incorrect or inappropriate definitions & concepts, rationalized escapes & resentment, etc. in misguided and abjectly confused equivocations and ultimately frustrating and dissatisfying perpetuation as we often see in these discussions, even in this very thread. We must work though these temporary and conditional experiences - including the mis-reception of reality by faulty, limited and conditionally ignorant cognition - which eventually will be superseded by the application of appropriate focus, intention, and action toward realizing the unconditional Reality.

It is the self-same Transcendental Will of Spirit which not only sanctioned and established the Cosmic evolutionary conditions of the physical, i.e., matter, the emergence of life, the human incarnation, and the spiritual awakening - but which also provides the necessary RESPONSE to the genuine necessity (and gratitude) of spiritual aspirants as consciously and sincerely expressed in consecrated practice. This cannot happen through the errant bemoaning of one’s “dark fate” or the incessantly misguided intellectually reasoned speculative ignorant opinion of ego-mind which are the rear-view mirror focus on, and attachment to the ignorant past.

The latter is precisely what further regenerates and indefinitely perpetuates the so-called “dark night of the soul”.
The former is what inevitably liberates from it.

Therefore, don't bemoan your "fate"...be practical in the here and now using the God-given intelligent free-will.
One's destiny is truly in the evolution of one's consciousness.

~ J