Understanding a Spiritual Awakening and a Dark Night of the Soul

Have you been experiencing massive changes in your life? Does it feel like everything is falling apart, no matter what you do? Have you been in a lot of pain, crying regularly, feeling so alone and misunderstood? 

You are not crazy and you are not alone. You are likely experiencing a Spiritual Awakening, also known as the Dark Night of the Soul or the Fruit of the Rose. Have you ever heard of those terms before? Let’s explore further... 

What is a Spiritual Awakening? 

At its core, it is liberation. It is the shaking away of conditioning from society and family. It is breaking free of who you thought you were and awakening to who you truly are: A powerful soul having a human experience to understand the nature of duality. To understand what it means to be separate and disconnected from the Source of all things. To forget who and what you really are. 

We have a Spiritual Awakening to remember. To reclaim our true selves and return to the truth of who we are and what we came here on earth to learn, understand, and to bring to life. We all have a purpose, which is unique to us. Our spiritual awakening can help us discover or refine our purpose. 

What is it like to experience a Dark Night of the Soul and why is it sometimes called that? 

If you have experienced one, you know they aren’t fun. They are meant to be transformational. They are meant to completely turn your life inside out. They generally make us question ourselves and most of what we have believed for our lives. It is called a Dark Night of the Soul because it feels like walking through a dark night alone, except this lasts for months generally, and can sometimes even be years. This experience strips us back to our core self and who we are under the layers of conditioning we have experienced. While it is not comfortable, at the end we experience a sense of being reborn. We can struggle quite a bit during this process, but we also gain crucial wisdom in our journeys forward. 

Even though they are uncomfortable to experience, we come out of them much stronger, much more confident, and sure of ourselves. We have been tested, but through the tests we are able to see who we really are and strengthen the characteristics we will need to fulfill our divine purpose. Even though the experience is not easy, it helps us shed everything that was getting in the way of us being who we were always meant to be. 

Can you choose a Spiritual Awakening or does it simply happen? 

It depends. For most people a spiritual awakening happens without them even knowing what is happening. It is a nudge. An urge within that grows stronger until it can’t be ignored any longer. Life starts to fall apart. Your sense of identity starts to crumble. A Spiritual Awakening generally happens seemingly spontaneously, but with hindsight, you can generally see what brought it on...A bad relationship, a great job gone sour, losing a friendship. These experiences can be the catalyst for a spiritual transformation, as they can push us towards making new decisions for our mental and emotional health, which can lead us to spirituality. 

For some who find their way to spirituality naturally, they may experience a less intense Dark Night of the Soul, as they are willingly moving that direction, however that is not always the case. It does tend to be true that the more we resist, the harder our experience will be. Unfortunately, the best thing you can do is surrender to this experience and try to enjoy the wild ride of your awakening, trusting that the aim is to bring you closer to the truest form of you and help you create a life aligned with the best version of you. 

What happens during a Dark Night of the Soul? 

You tend to experience a lot of grief around all you are losing. You will lose jobs, relationships, friends. You will let go of parts of yourself that have been there forever. You don’t actually lose these parts; you simply release your emotional attachment to them. You cut the cord of your attachment to them and the stories you believed about yourself. All of this brings up sadness, but it also begins to feel freeing. You realize all the heaviness you have been carrying over the years. You begin to feel lighter and more weightless as you release and leave behind all that does not serve you, support you, help you thrive.  

You start to gain your confidence and your voice. You will be able to stand up for yourself more easily and be able to set better boundaries. You will start to make new friends who accept and understand the new you. Sometimes this can take a while as you are still learning who this version of you is. It is okay to navigate this journey slowly. It is important to integrate your experiences each step of the way so you can make sure you are taking all the magical nuggets of wisdom along with you. 

Which is why it is sometimes called the Fruit of the Rose... 

This refers to the gifts of our Spiritual Awakening and all that we gain during our awakening. Although we lose a lot during this period in our lives, we also gain a lot from it. We are steered back to the right path for us and come out of the darkness with much wisdom to share with others to help them and fulfill our purpose here on earth. We come out of the experience feeling more connected to ourselves, the world, and the divinity within each of us. 

I hope this post can help offer you some clarity. If you are currently going through a Dark Night of the Soul, it is beneficial to have help as you navigate this chaotic experience. 

To learn more and receive support in your Spiritual Awakening, click here. 

Sarah Lustig is a Licensed Therapist in Colorado and a Holistic and Spiritual Coach living in Asheville, North Carolina. She is the owner of a Nurtured Essence, a healing space, aimed at helping people overcome their fears and live with more purpose and lightness. She specializes in working with wounded healers, empaths, and lightworkers.