The whole point of a dark night of the soul is not knowing. If we were aware of what was going on, we would disrupt or sabotage the process. We need to not know to get through it while allowing it to run its course and achieve God’s goals… The main purpose of it all is not to attain something. Rather, there’s a certain consciousness — an awareness — that grows in the person who experiences this night. This will later lead to a full awakening — living from that ‘higher mind’… That’s why the journey of true spirituality is often referred to as a path of descent. You have to become less.
When emptiness becomes too much and you feel restless, uneasy, anxious or empty, use this video by Take A Deep Breath to change your emotional state in 60 seconds. It is a powerful technique that only takes 60 seconds.
Contingency is emptiness
Which, contingently configured,
Is the middle way.
— Nagarjuna
“Emptiness is not a state but a way. Not only is it inseparable from the world of contingencies, it too is “contingently configured.” To experience emptiness is not a descent into an abyss of nothingness but a recovery of the freedom to configure oneself as an intentional, unimpeded trajectory through the shifting, ambiguous sands of life.” — Stephen Batchelor, Nagarjuna’s Verses from the Center
Samadhi – eternal bliss, the union with God, enLIGHTenment, ultimate destination of any spiritual seeker… yet something that is unattainable if we strive for it. This beautiful, thought provoking, perspective shifting documentary by Daniel Schmidt is dedicated to one of the most important concepts in Buddhism. And yes, emptiness is a big part of it. My biggest takeaway? Emptiness that I’ve been trying to transcend? It is me. I am it. Nothing to transcend. And emptiness is not nothing, it is form, it is movement. Wow. Enjoy.
Beauty evolves from emptiness into form… all things “unfold” from a fertile, self-organizing, and living Void whose inherent structural patterns are echoed and embodied in all the ten thousand things.
When the emptiness practice (the Dark Night of the Soul) becomes too much and you start losing faith, trust and practice the White Wolf Meditation by Loner Wolf. Make yourself comfortable, breathe deeply, slowly, close your eyes and follow the recording below (c.12min). Be the light. Woof 🙂
To literally fill yourself with light, practice this Kundalini meditation. It is an equivalent of high intensity physical workout, but for spirit, so you are unlikely to master it immediately. Ideally you need to sit still for an hour, but if you are a beginner meditator and your legs or your mind can’t last this long, do it for as long as you can (e.g. count to 25) and change positions if you need to. Work to gradually increase the time until you do a full hour (treat leg pain as energy, observe it and absorb it. Magic! :)) Do this meditation for a week once or twice a day. Happy fireworks 🙂
