Spiritual Valleys and Dark Nights of the Soul
Everyone knows spiritual valleys. Even for someone who does not recognize themselves on a path, there are spiritual valleys. God is all that exists, and since God is spirit, everything is spirit. Thus everything is spiritual. Duality, by definition, is an in and out. It is an up and down. Oneness is only known through Duality, the appearance of differences. If there were no valley, there would not be contrast so that the mountaintop could be recognized. So spiritual valleys are necessary. They are an integral part of your Being. Does that knowing make you feel better?
Hopefully it does, because most people, especially in the early stages of the path, believe that they are to blame for the spiritual valleys. Nothing is further from the truth. We see our spiritual ups and downs as happening over weeks and months, but in reality they are happening each moment. Our breath is a manifestation of this. There is a rhythm to this, and when you get in sync with that rhythm, you are riding the River of Life without resistance. You are allowing the River to carry you effortlessly to wherever it takes you, as opposed to you trying to go somewhere. When we accept and "ride" these spiritual valleys as they are, we move through them effortlessly. That is not to say there is not pain or grief in them. But there is not resistance, and resistance is what increases the intensity, plus resistance is what keeps us in the valley longer. Remember, these valleys are necessary. They are an integral part of you and your experience, and collectively they are an integral part of the experience of the Son of God, which each of us is a part of that Sonship.
Do you feel better now? For a long time I resisted and heavily lamented those periods when I entered the valley, because I thought that I had done something wrong. And I thought that when I was in the valley, I was separate from God. Either the valley caused the separation, or the separation caused me to go in to the valley. Either way I was cooked. That is a bad cycle to stay in. There is a lot of self blame and guilt present. When I finally realized that I was One, no matter what I was feeling, then I knew that I had caused nothing. Even when I was in that dark night of the soul, God walked with me, God carried me, and God expressed through me. So lo and behold, I began to pay less attention to the effects when I was present in the valley. As I gave less attention to it, its effects had less impact on me, and I moved through it quicker. Funny how things work! It all works perfectly if only we don't resist or try to change it.
Hopefully it does, because most people, especially in the early stages of the path, believe that they are to blame for the spiritual valleys. Nothing is further from the truth. We see our spiritual ups and downs as happening over weeks and months, but in reality they are happening each moment. Our breath is a manifestation of this. There is a rhythm to this, and when you get in sync with that rhythm, you are riding the River of Life without resistance. You are allowing the River to carry you effortlessly to wherever it takes you, as opposed to you trying to go somewhere. When we accept and "ride" these spiritual valleys as they are, we move through them effortlessly. That is not to say there is not pain or grief in them. But there is not resistance, and resistance is what increases the intensity, plus resistance is what keeps us in the valley longer. Remember, these valleys are necessary. They are an integral part of you and your experience, and collectively they are an integral part of the experience of the Son of God, which each of us is a part of that Sonship.
Do you feel better now? For a long time I resisted and heavily lamented those periods when I entered the valley, because I thought that I had done something wrong. And I thought that when I was in the valley, I was separate from God. Either the valley caused the separation, or the separation caused me to go in to the valley. Either way I was cooked. That is a bad cycle to stay in. There is a lot of self blame and guilt present. When I finally realized that I was One, no matter what I was feeling, then I knew that I had caused nothing. Even when I was in that dark night of the soul, God walked with me, God carried me, and God expressed through me. So lo and behold, I began to pay less attention to the effects when I was present in the valley. As I gave less attention to it, its effects had less impact on me, and I moved through it quicker. Funny how things work! It all works perfectly if only we don't resist or try to change it.
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