The Dark Night
When experiencing a dark night of the soul, we have a tendency to stifle, waiting for the Light to once again shine brightly down upon us and chase away the darkness we are currently under. We do this because the darkness has drained away the Light from its source and so we grapple, looking for “the” answer that will bring the Light back. But in this grappling we forget that the source of such Light lives within us. We live in an existence characterized by Thinking, Feeling and Willing. In the darkness our thoughts have been pulled down into that darkness and therefore rarely bring comfort, only more grief. As such, our feelings and all of our physical senses are also drawn downward into the pit. All that is left is our will, our own strength whereby we have the power to overcome thoughts and feelings that chain us down. It is, therefore, in exercising that power of Will that we can find the source of Light within. It is a simple thing, really; to force upon ourselves often only one simple change – an action that our thoughts and feelings have thus far prevented us from even perceiving. It is not so much a choice we make, for choices are wrought out of thought. Instead it is the exercise of sheer will to DO something that we held onto in the Light regardless of thought or feeling. By forcing such an action upon ourselves we stand the only chance to bring the Light up from within and therefore begin our journey out of the darkness back into the Light of real living: It can be a simple prayer, a walk in nature, writing a poem or short story – or simply doing something that we know has brought us joy previously.