Such moments of our lives, and even in the life of the world we live in today make us see clearly that what was once secure and comfortable is no more. Our relationships are floundering, lost or torn apart and we stand naked and broken in our pains and heartbreaks. Our work is problematic and offers no growth. Happiness seems so far away. What was is falling apart in some deep way, inside us, in our souls and yes, even in our world. On a personal level, when such moments in our lives hit us, we are left staring at the unknown, the unforeseeable future. We have entered into the crucible of our deepest self–our soul–and we feel helpless. We cry out to God but no answer seems to come through.
During such times, it may be wise to reflect on the wisdom of the animals or the natural world. Like a snake about to shed its skin, it first turns temporarily blind as it enters its burrow. And like the snake, we may want to try to reclaim our comfort with this state for it is not necessarily a bad time, but one with the greatest potential for growth. These crisis points are passageways to get from one level of understanding to another. Hopefully, we move to a more elevated one. Like being lost in the woods, as we step and move in uncharted paths, every sense can be awakened – and we become aware of the nuance of shadows, sound or scents that all makes us feel fully alive. In the crucible of the dark night, we are given the opportunity to reflect on the actions, decisions and their consequences, on the pain and confusion that we now feel. Life crisis and dark nights bring a deeper awakening in understanding our conflicts, our borderlines and comfort zones of fears and insecurities. These will give us clues to what we are attached to in this illusionary world. It also makes us reassess our value systems and our personal beliefs as they rock due to the events we are experiencing. We begin to question: Are these values truly mine, or are they (values) conditioned by society, family, religion, politics even? Actually, we step into the crucible of the dark night with one foot in the past (who and how we have been programmed by all that is external) and one foot in the future (the uncarved potential of who we can be in full individualization). The past is a world of givens that has anargued truths that we have become comfortable with.
These dark nights often come and serve as jolting reminders that we are living in the surface of our lives. It puts us back in touch with our miraculous capacity to regenerate ourselves at the deepest level. And because we were born into this world to continually grow, expand, change and evolve, we will always come across and step into crisis modes so that we can be more fully conscious. And the process is all about breaking down barriers going beyond our fears and rising above our comfort zones.
One way to handle such moments is to have total trust in the process that where you are is exactly where you are meant to be. Surrender and flow with the process because changes are being asked of you. Like the rise of the mythical phoenix bird from the fire and ashes, we can move out of the crucible of the dark night totally, transformed. Willingness and permitting is all that is required. "Willingness" to flow and trust your Highest Self and the Divine, and "permitting" the changes come into our lives for growth. To grow and be the best we can be is one of the major reasons why we have been born into this world. So let’s not resist the very purpose of our existence!
By the way, note that in astrology, there is a scientific way of understanding planetarial patterns and transits that point to crisis or consciousness raising moments. These are the planets of Uranus (the rude awakener who usually brings cathartic crisis in its wake) and Saturn (the disciplinary teacher who brings difficulties, pains and challenges). Though they have different styles, they both bring us to these crucibles of darkness. If you have had an astrological chart read for you, then the movements of these two planets will be easy to spot. But to simplify things even further, try watching out for the ages of 27.5 to 29 years old, 42 years old, 49 years old and 56.5 to 59 years for these are the ages when crisis points are triggered for changes to take place.