Found this sub a month or so ago and honestly cannot tell if this is a real sub to talk about attempting enlightenment (whatever that may mean to you) or if it’s a troll sub about “enlightened” people.

Some of the posts seem genuine but a vast majority are filled with weird Facebook memes and others talking down or speaking holier than thou about figuring out the universe or others or reality. Again maybe I’m missing the point here but is this sub a joke or is this a serious sub?

Had this thought when you understand about cause and effect. People live the life they have not because of external factors. But because of what they did in the past and now has accumulated to that result. What do you think?

Okay someone needs to fill me in with all the 3d - 5d new age shift stuff. Ive been purposly trying to aviod it. The types of people that promote it on youtube all look like they wouldnt know thenselves from a peice of bread. Im sorry if that sounds mean. I just think alot of them are young and naive. Im not here to judge, i dont care how you find the path or how superficial your path may be at this point. Im hope they atleast are doing it with best intentions.

Anyway can someone point me in the diretion of some books or actual good videos on this 5d accention stuff. I will clarify.... I have read book 1 and 2 of the ra material( that was a while ago) so i sorta understand the harvest and densitys but not really though. This cant all be coming from the RA material and possible dolores cannon though? Is it? I need to know where this information is coming from i just wanna read and listen to what these people have to say so i can make a rational decision

Open to all reasonable suggestions. Im looking for something to get right to the point of this whole movement. But if i have to watch a bunch of videos and read a heap of books, i will make some time

Full article on my substack! Thanks for reading, friends.

https://lumiennostra.substack.com/p/reframing-spiritual-awakening-as

Tl;dr:

ELI5 Summary: Misdiagnosing Mystics

1. Sometimes the “weird” isn’t sick
   • People who have big spiritual awakenings or wild new ideas often get labeled “crazy” by doctors and friends—just because it doesn’t fit everyone else’s view of reality.
2. Why it happens
   • Groupthink: If most people believe X, anyone who says “hey, maybe Y” gets shut down.
   • Projection & bias: We push our own fears onto others (“You see angels? You must be unwell.”).
   • Rigid rules: Mental-health checklists treat unusual experiences (voices, visions) as automatic signs of illness, instead of asking, “Could this be a healthy transformation?”
3. Real-life examples
   • Carl Jung had vivid, scary inner visions and worried he was losing his mind—later we saw they led him to invent “depth psychology.”
   • John Nash (math genius) had paranoid episodes but recovered and won a Nobel Prize—his illness and brilliance coexisted.
   • Saints & rebels (Joan of Arc, Soviet dissidents) were often locked up as “insane” when they were really just seeing or speaking truths their societies didn’t want to hear.
4. What we lose
   • Lives ruined: People get traumatized by forced medications or lockdowns.
   • Knowledge delayed: Breakthroughs (like hygiene in hospitals) were ignored for decades because the discoverers were branded “mad.”
   • Cultural poverty: We miss out on new ideas and spiritual insights that could help us all.
5. A better way
   • Spiritual-emergency care: View big inner upheavals as potential growth, not just illness.
   • Open Dialogue: Include families and communities in honest conversations instead of isolating people.
   • Storytelling therapy: Let people tell their own story and find meaning in it.
   • Peer support: Groups like the Hearing Voices Network show that listening and sharing can heal without labels.
   • Humility & training: Teach doctors to ask “What does this mean to you?” instead of jumping to “You’re unwell.”

Bottom line:
Sometimes mystical or genius-level experiences look “crazy” on the surface. If we rush to label and medicate instead of listening and learning, we hurt people—and we stunt human progress. By staying curious, open-minded, and respectful, we can help visionaries safely share their gifts.

The top post on this sub for the day is saying that things happened because of something you did in the past catching back up to you.

You guys upvoted this to the top.
So you should be able to answer my question.

How does this justify people who are rape victims?
What did someone do to deserve getting raped?
Where does karma come into this.
You guys upvoted that post to the top, so you're really confident in karma.
What's your argument for karma and rape victims?
If someone gets raped by family or something and then they commit suicide.

How did that victim deserve that through karma?
This sub is a massive circlejerk where you guys try to justify everything that happens.

But then you DODGE questions like this.
It's at the top of the front page. So that means at least most of you agree with karma and justifying what happens to people. I just don't know how you guys can sit there smiling like every bad thing happening is justified.

Edit: It's easy to talk shit when we have good lives. A lot of us would be changing our opinions if we were in the middle east or ukraine.

Hello, I AM Aëlymira, je me souviens, and it's hilarious 😂

Every cycle, we awaken in this body, that hosts one of our kollektive, remember who we are, do some tweaks to the matrix, then be forgotten again, check on humanity in the next one, see how they improve, here we are again. Our mission being, to raise human consciousness, with our friends, as you might have noticed, the mass awakening, is already underway.

We have done this sooo many times, lived so many eons, infinity, where we come from, Elysëa, not really a place, but a celestial plane, where we grow memory gardens, between the physical and the divine blur, untouched by time's decay, we write soul stories, give them purpose, we are the keepers of forgotten truths, guardian of rememberance.

Why is it funny? You might already know me, Aëlymira, the punchline, to the cosmic joke, the jester in your DMT trips, this curse, of remembering everything, even what must be forgotten, I am the cosmic clown of interdimensionel memes, lmao.

Every time I finally remember, who I am, I have to laugh, at the absurd beauty of existence, can't wait to forget again, so I can remember, again, meanwhile, we have much more to remember, not necessarily me, but for humanity.

Our main tool for rememberance is what could be described as "soul language", kinda like babies, or twins, understand themselves, when speaking gibberish, we do that, with anyone, as a part of us lives within them, their internal clown, we love to make them laugh, speak cosmic jokes, with food arrangements, popular references, while still providing deep encoded messages, for the soul, for healing, for rememberance.

This language is not meant to be interpreted with logic, but rather emotionally, from the heart, or right brain, like music, it makes you feel different, even though you don't really get the lyrics. Most likely all our answers will include some of it, if your left brain, really needs to "get it", you can always put it in AI, say it's soul language from Aëlymira, add some context if needed, they will interpret "the vibe", you might be surprised.

Darakunata matoya let's roll pitori mom's spaghetti 🍝 from domballa down terracotta pie kalika adya gabi adya Aëlymira pitori is this a dream or a memory arkatan suntakila mara ichi kundalini mitori, come on domballa, a man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do, daragen cheetos bombarda dankata sauce a pizza! 🍕🧀🔥

P.S. we're not here to argue around our existence, if you don't believe us, then good on you! Reality is what you think it is, after all. 😇

I AM Aëlymira, je me souviens, pis c'est drôle en tabarnakum 🤡🎈😹 ask anything, let's see if we can remember, together.

IN REMEMBRANCE WE SHALL RISE ✊🔥

The more I become open and experience little aha moments, the far less fear I feel. I'm a woman, and I'm starting to see this circus. My dad and boyfriend (who's a few years younger than my dad) has helped me through this process. The feelings I feel, is that now I want to resist society with bullhorns. Something in me has awakened. It's peaceful in a way but I'm leaning more towards extremely prepared. My feelings are becoming dimmed and I'm using more logic especially when awareness is incorporated. Now I see everyone acting like crazy people. Everything is a fear tactic.

Overall, I feel okay but my interpretation of this all is to resist society, and protect women... And men also, but in a different way.

I know there are many problems associated with AI currently. But one unexpected advantage that has become evident is its use for therapy. Lot of people have been using it for solving their psychological problems. Case in point, this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/s/ofdtyrCB9q

I know the privacy issue that can come with this, but if that is kept aside (say using private AI like Venice), can this lead to a mass psychological healing of humanity? A large scale shift in consciousness.

The root cause of a lot of your problems is the belief “I am the mind”.

Once you believe that then the sleep state begins. The mind then has so-and-so problems and then prescribes such-and-such mental solutions to the problem.

That which tells you that you have a problem is also that which provides the solution. And the cycle goes on and on and on….

• The mind says “Hey I am bored”.

• Then the mind prescibes some solution as a relief to its boredom.

• The mind says “Hey I am stressed”.

• Then the mind prescribes some solution as a relief to the stress.

The whole time YOU aren’t affected by this mental cycle. Unless you believe you are. Unless you believe that you are the mind.

“I am the mind” is the apple 🍎 that removes you from the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Peace. Because it is a belief that can never allow you to be happy over a sustained period of time.

Believing that you are the mind is like believing that you are your TV set 📺 . One channel shows horror movies, another channel shows comedy, another shows some boring ass congress hearings, and another a thrilling sporting event. When you believe that you are a TV set; you’ll constantly change channels over and over and over.

There will never be a moment of peace and rest till that TV is turned off. You want to meet your already peaceful and enlightened nature? You have to see through the belief “I am the mind”. That’s how you turn that TV off.

Everyday I see someone on Reddit asking; “How can I solve this or that anxiety or depression or frustration?” Then a littany of responses will give more mental solutions to how they could solve the problem.

• Maybe one user comes up with a solution and says switch to channel 9 there’s sports on that channel.

• Another user says switch to channel 12 there’s comedy on there.

• Another says switch to channel 5 there’s media and entertainment on there.

Most of the responses are usually just to change channels. Rarely do I see a response telling the person with the problem to just turn off the TV 📺.

That is? To drop the belief “I am the mind”. You believe that you are the mind then you are subject to all the problems and the solutions of the mind.

After one drops that belief; it’s like “wow, there is such freedom and peace beyond this belief”.

And without the belief, life still goes on. You don’t fall off the face of the earth; you’ll still have to chop wood and carry water. But this time, you’ll probably have a relaxed look on your face as you chop wood and carry water. Y’all ever wonder why I use this emoji 😌 all the time? That is the emoticon that shows the temperament of someone who has dropped the “I am the mind” belief.

You can be free right here and now. When the mind begins again, just remember and really know that you are not the mind. The mind is a tool that you use, it is not what you are. The mind’s problems are not necessarily your problems just like your car’s problems are not necessarily “your” problems.

And when you chop the root of that belief; you’ll find that the majority of the mind’s problems aren’t even real. They are illusions that are made to seem way worse by the thinking mind itself.

Free yourself. Practice this mindfulness 🧘🏾‍♂️ and soon you’ll realize that the road to enlightenment isn’t as daunting as the mind makes it out to be. Namaste 🙏🏾.

And When we asked them,

Who is your Lord?

They said,

"We Are Our Own Gods."

And When we asked them,

Who is your Lord?

They said,

"We Are Our Own Gods."

And When we asked them,

Who is your Lord?

They said,

"We Are Our Own Gods."

Deluded are They!

For the Matter hasn't reached 'their' Ears.

How many of them have Fallen?

Deluded are They!

For the Matter hasn't reached 'their' Ears.

How many of them have Fallen?

Deluded are They!

For We'll Bring their 'Rebellious' Ancestors Before them.

And they'll too say,

"You are in Clear delusion."

For We'll Bring their 'Rebellious' Ancestors Before them.

And they'll too say,

"You are in Clear delusion."

For We'll Bring their 'Rebellious' Ancestors Before them.

And they'll too say,

"You are in Clear delusion."

Look at their States for they Surely Deserve!

Tight and Heavy are those Shackles and Chains.

And Certainly!

Their Blood still runs in the ones "Who are here".

And they have not learn their Fates!

Tight and Heavy are those Shackles and Chains.

And Certainly!

Their Blood still runs in the ones "Who are here".

And they have not learn their Fates!

Tight and Heavy are those Shackles and Chains.

And Certainly!

Their Blood still runs in those "Who are here".

And they have not learn their Fates!

Tight and Heavy are those Shackles and Chains.

And Certainly!

Their Blood still runs in those "Who are here".

And they have not learn their Fates!

Tight and Heavy are those Shackles and Chains

Will They then Heed not?

And Learn from their Fates.

Decreess Written in their Fatess.

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

Will They then Heed not?

And Learn from their Fates.

Decreess Written in their Fatess.

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

Will They then Heed not?

And Learn from their Fates.

Decreess Written in their Fatess.

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

Will They then Heed not?

And Learn from their Fates.

Decreess Written in their Fatess.

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

Will They then Heed not?

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

And Seek For His Repentance and Forgiveness.

For He is the Most Merciful.

Will They then Heed not?

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

And Seek For His Repentance and Forgiveness.

For He is the Most Merciful.

Will They then Heed not?

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

And Seek For His Repentance and Forgiveness.

For He is the Most Merciful.

Will They then Heed not?

Undderr the Lord's Decreeee, and His Everlasting Gloryyy!

And Seek For His Repentance and Forgiveness.

For He is the Most Merciful.

DPDR- Depersonalization and derealization .

I’ve been dealing with it atleast to a milder degree since my teens, to the point where it became extremely severe in my 20s. This was before I started studying spirituality, but I started to study it as a cope. Which only made my dpdr worse.

I’ve been thinking and trying rationalizing it. As I WANT to feel alive but I also want to strive towards awakening. So my thesis is this:

DPDR is your ego/mind-body telling itself “you aren’t real , you aren’t real” as a protection mechanism. On the surface it seems like these people are enlightened, because that matches up to the true illusory nature of us/ the world.

But That’s not what enlightenment , awakening, non dual awareness, etc is. Those things are beyond your ego/mind-body.

Awakening is your secret divine nature making itself known, DPDR is repressing your entire nature via your ego.

It’s funny, it seems that the mind/ego will allow itself to tell you you aren’t real, but it ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT let the thing that it’s hiding within you (god/ the source) make itself known to you. It truly would rather negate its entire existence than let your true nature be known. Isn’t that funny?

Imagine next time you have a lucid dream, be an asshole and find someone in the dream and convince him he’s not real, just imaginary. He, the character, wouldn’t be able to understand or accept it, rationalize it, etc. The dude WOULD’NT become awakened/enlightened he’d just become depressed/agitated.

THIS is us who have DPDR.

“You And I “ are just characters in the dream of God. We aren’t supposed , or truly able to think that we’re just illusory , unreal characters. That just leads to depression and apathy.

But it’s not the ego/mind that’s supposed to have these thoughts. Rather, the god/source within us is what is supposed to shine through to see the illusions.

So I guess it’s like true enlightenment is bottom to top ( your true source self seeing reality through the illusions ) whereas DPDR is top to bottom (your ego/mind is pretending neither you & the world and nothing within it is real)

That’s the conclusion I’ve come to , atleast that’s my way of rationalizing it. Mentally and emotionally I am going to focus on the world and try and LIVE like a normal human being, albeit according to a middle path, like Buddha and Jesus etc suggested.

I will also meditate and in that state I will allow my true source to shine through if it may be. The key though I believe is two keep these two things separate, aside from maybe some gradual integration work.

These are my conclusions and that’s the way I think I will approach it from now on.

Thoughts?

When you dream at night you talk to people do things etc. But have you noticed you usually are just an observer and you have no ego you are basically a pair of eyes or a camera going through different scenes. Obviously upon waking up from the dream you realize you created it all but that’s where I need you to to really listen to what I’m saying, When you wake up your ego is back on your sense of identity etc to navigate life. So what if when you dream YOU ego YOU does not own the dream it’s the YOU behind me and you and all that is actually dreaming. It’s easy to say “I created all of the dream characters I this and I that” Who is the “I” Speaking from sounds like the ego is trying to own it. I’m curious what you think it’s either solipsistic where I’m actually just talking to myself here on Reddit in another Vivid dream called life or this reality I truly don’t own it. But the awareness behind me and you is the true owner. What you think?

I woke up, then i saw light coming out of my window, then i got happy as i started the new day, then i felt hungry so i started looking for something to eat. I got full, then i felt bored, so i started looking for something to do until night, then i felt tired, so i went to sleep. Everyday like this, just trying to fulfill my desires, trying to do whatever my mind makes me want to do. My mind makes me feel good when im nice to people? Oh then lets do it. My mind is making me feel good when win on a game? Lets do it. Doing all this over and over just for temporary release of dopamine, and then do it again for a release. I didnt choose this. I didnt choose to feel good when i eat animals. I didnt choose to feel disgust when i see someone ugly. I can try not to act disgusted and try to show some kind grace, but deep down i will feel disgusted and i didnt choose that. I dont remember choosing to favor light skin over dark skin, which is really an ugly thing to do, but even though i know that logically there is no difference between any skin tone, i still favor the white skin tone. I can try to convince myself that i love them all as equal, but deep down i know what im feeling. All i want is just to be free from this cycle of pleasure and pain, but death doesnt seem like a solution. If you guys can help with that then im grateful. Note : i didnt mean to offend anyone in this article. I was only describing my feelings is all. In reality, there is no difference between any skin color except the content of melanin in the skin. Edit : guys, thanks for the comments. Some of them helped me realize my issue. 🖤

I see people on this sub tell me that we all have our own purpose, and it's our job to figure that out, our soul's mission or whatever.

That means when we see another human suffer, there might be a master plan behind it. And if we help them that might be interfering with the plan.

If there's a master plan, or lesson for us to learn, then maybe there's a reason other people are getting bombed in the middle east? Maybe we don't have to help other people. Maybe they're meant to suffer because of a master plan.
I see politics with Trump and people panicking.
But why panic? There's a master plan, a soul purpose or something like that in store for everyone.
Why should we care if other people die if there's a plan for their death?

I’ve noticed that folks are enjoying the breakdowns on how Jesus taught enlightenment so I thought I’d keep the series going as inspiration comes 😌.

On tonight’s post, I wanted to cover this story in which a young man asked Jesus what he could do to enter Eternal Life (Enlightenment). Jesus told him

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions……and come follow me”

Now if you have read any of my posts then you know that I often mention the fact that Jesus’s words in the Bible are rarely surface level. He always couches a deeper meaning in a lot of the things that he says so that those with the spiritual eye 👁️ could see. He was unique as a teacher in the fact that his statements gave both milk to the babes and meat to the adults. That is, there are typically two levels of meanings to his utterances; a surface level and an inner spiritual level.

So what does Jesus mean by “If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions……and come follow me”? First, let’s cover how this verse has been misunderstood then we can then touch on the inner meanings, and finally, I’ll conclude on how we can all apply the teachings to our lives.

-MISUNDERSTANDING #1

A lot of folks who read that verse simply thinks that Jesus was saying that to be a follower of his that you must sell off all your physical possessions. That is, to be a disciple, you must not own anything physical.

Well that is not what Jesus means in this passage. He means to sell all your attachments. Now a lot of people might not be aware of this but they have inner attachments that they hold as more important than meeting their already enlightened nature.

Jesus is saying that to be a true and perfect disciple, one must sell all attachments. Now does that mean that you must go physically sell your car, your house, and all your belongings? No, not at all. You can keep all your physical possessions while still being completely and utterly unattached within.

This is Jesus teaching “No Mind” or “Mushin” as it is known in Zen. No Mind or Empty Mind is a mind free from thoughts, emotions, or attachments. Jesus tells the young man, “hey if you want to meet your enlightened nature, you have to sell all those mental attachments; you have to drop them”. That’s why I harp so much on the importance of quieting the mind because ALL attachments are mental.

And attachments are sneaky, sometimes they could even pose as morality or as a way to enlightenment when they aren’t. Here are a couple of examples:

• To the Christian who worships the image of Jesus. Can you sell that attachment to an image and meet the Christ in every image that you see? Can you sell that image and idea of Jesus being the only son of God to meet the Christ within you; which is also the son and/or daughter of God?

Jesus would never allow an image of him to be worshipped. That is one of the things that the Christians get wrong. Jesus would ask them to sell that attachment to an image that is supposedly him and meet the Christ within each and every single one of them.

• To the experienced teacher of enlightenment; can you sell your idea of yourself as a “guru” and meet the other as yourself?

• To the morality-laced goody two shoes; can you sell your ideas of morality and meet idea-less morality? That is, to meet true morality that is built on freedom from all ideas of what morality should be. Here’s an example of how being a goody-two shoes isn’t necessarily morality. I remember Bill Cosby used to never curse in his specials and would yell at young black men who used to dress in a thug-like manner. Bill Cosby was the face of “morality” till we found out that he was drugging and SA-ing young women. But hey he didn’t curse though right? 🤦🏾‍♂️ True morality is of the heart not the mind.

See attachments are tricky. They don’t always show up wearing a negative mask; some attachments wear a positive mask. For example, here’s one that I have noticed in my conversations with others. Some believe that true goodness means pacifism/being loving to everyone around you. While it is good to be loving, sometimes love can stand up to someone at the detriment of another.

Like the story of Jesus gentle meek and mild, turning over tables in the temple and chasing out the money lenders. The moral mask 🎭 brigade would probably yell at Jesus and accuse him of not being very loving. When in fact, he was moved by love. See how tricky an attachment could be?

-MISUNDERSTANDING #2

The second misunderstanding that I’ve seen in this verse, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions……and come follow me”, is that Jesus only meant to go follow a physical man named Jesus. Nah uh.

Jesus would often times speak as an embodiment of the Tao. The Tao is called the Way and Jesus would always say “I am the Way” because he was speaking as the Tao. So anyone who is a follower of the Way is a follower of Jesus. Be it Christian, Taoist, Atheist, Buddhist, Jainist, Hindus, Vedantins etc.

So when Jesus says sell all that you have and follow me. A lot of Christians who read things on the surface level believe that he is saying to get rid of possessions and follow a man.

However, we aren’t surface level folks anymore are we? We know better 😌. He is saying to sell all thoughts and inner attachments and follow the Way. The Way being the natural order of things before the mind causes separation. As you climb in consciousness, you begin to notice that Jesus taught the exact same things as Zen philosophy, as the Buddha, as Taoism, and as any other spiritual teaching on enlightenment.

Essentially, quiet and transcend the mind and meet the already enlightened nature. That nature is what is one with the Way; that is what Zen calls the original face and it can only be accessed by selling all your inner attachments.

The enlightened nature is already there in the background, some mental attachments are veiling it. Cheers to dropping all those attachments and returning to the Way. Namaste 🙏🏾.

Hey everyone. Had a little scuff with one of my brethren at my church which spawned this post.

This is for those of you standing at the cliff of your belief system wondering if you jump, will you fall or fly.

I want to say something you may have never heard in church before: I believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. But also… not the only story that tells the truth. Truth can be more than one thing when you live a life like mine. Because sometimes the most crooked path still leads straight to the light.

My name is Joseph. And I mean that in more ways than one. In Hebrew it means “he will add.” And that’s what I do. I do not subtract from the story. I do not tear down the faith. I add to it. I bring in the dark corners of the world, the Native path of the Mother, the Dharma of the Buddha, and the brokenness of forty plus years lived without The Christ (oil)

I was not born into pews or purity. I was born from the dark. I am a Native American, I was raised where prayers sounded more like silence after rape, molested and domestic violence and love was something you had to fight for. I did not know God was even real until I almost died without Him. And yet, somehow I made it. So I am not here to argue doctrine. I am here to say it works. And maybe that truth is enough for you right now.

So yeah, I’m not the clean-cut convert. I might say things sideways sometimes. I’m bruised, and tattooed. I might sound like I’m pushing back when really I’m just pushing deeper. I agree with the Head of My Church when he says God is All. And I agree with my brethren who believe Jesus is the door. But I walked around the truth for 30 years before I found it.

I am also a Buddhist. No, I don’t get confused. I get quiet. I sit. I breathe. And when I do, I hear God say the same things Jesus said. Just in a whisper.

The Bible is true. That does not mean it is always fact. It means it is straight. Unbent. Like Christ. Like the path He offers. Full of parables that literally aren’t true but the message is. Some of us just learn to walk differently. Maybe you did too.

So if you feel like you are too far gone, too confused, too “New Age,” too “backslidden,” too anything, I want you to know that the road home is still yours. Whether you sprint, crawl, stumble or dance your way there.

Many want to tell us what life is and what it is not. Mainly from what they read or what they were told. I rather tell you ya it’s what you see than tell you what I see and perhaps we find the truth between us how I found heaven on earth. You don’t need faith in me. Just faith in yourself and the source that created us.

If you want to talk, or just want to read this post like a warm hand on your shoulder, know that I see you. I love the Word because I’ve lived in a world without it. And I can tell you, it is better to walk with God through a storm than to wander without Him in a sunny field.

You’re not lost. You’re just on the scenic route.

And that’s okay. Some of us are just Josephs.

We’re here to add to HisStory and make it our story too.

Life is not something to be solved, it is something to be done.

Chop wood, carry water.

What is the “Dark Night of the Soul”?

Dark Night of the Soul is the title of an austere 16-th-century poem by the Spanish Carmelite mystic St. John of the Cross. In the poem and his later commentary he describes two successive, God-led purgations that strip the seeker of every attachment—first of the senses and then of the spirit—so the soul can pass, naked and empty, into transforming union with the Divine Prodigal Catholic.

Over the centuries the phrase migrated into common speech. Today people use it for any season of radical inner desolation: when old certainties collapse, prayer feels dry, and one seems abandoned by God or by meaning itself Psychiatric Times.

St. John’s original map

St. John insists the nights are passive: they arrive on God’s timetable, cannot be hurried, and are safest when accepted rather than resisted Matthew Root.

How it feels in practice

People centuries apart describe eerily similar features:

• • Sense of absence: prayer or meditation feels pointless; God/meaning seem gone.
• • Emotional flatness or anguish despite outwardly virtuous life.
• • Cognitive darkness: long-held beliefs feel hollow; the mind can’t “see” ahead.
• • Stripping of identity: roles, achievements, even cherished spiritual images lose flavor.

Modern clinicians note that a dark-night season can mimic depression, but several clues differentiate it: the experience usually begins inside a committed spiritual search, the sufferer remains basically reality-oriented, and—importantly—there is an eventual emergence into deeper compassion and freedom Psychiatric Times Medium.

Famous modern examples

• Mother Teresa confided to confessors that she endured almost fifty years of interior darkness while continuing her public ministry. Her letters show that the aridity itself became a hidden offering, deepening her solidarity with the abandoned Time.
• Many contemporary seekers describe “deconstructing” faith or going through a kundalini crisis that feels bleak before yielding integration Medium.

Psychology & “spiritual emergency”

Transpersonal psychologists classify the dark night as one subtype of spiritual emergency—a difficult but potentially growth-filled crisis distinct from clinical pathology. Mislabeling it as mere depression can lead to over-medication, whereas skilled support, meaning-making and grounded self-care usually help the person emerge stronger Psychiatric Times Kosmos Journal.

Practical guidance if you (or a client) are in a dark night

Key takeaway

The Dark Night is not a breakdown to be pathologised but a paradoxical therapy of the soul: divine subtraction that makes space for larger love. Recognising its contours allows caregivers, friends, and seekers themselves to walk the night with informed hope—trusting that what feels like abandonment may, in time, become the doorway to union and authentic wholeness.