“Midway on Life’s journey I found myself in a dark wood where the right way was wholly lost and gone.”
Signs of Soul Distress
We can all feel out of sorts at times but often we don’t even realize the downward arc we are on. Without being aware, we can find ourself mired in a slough of despond and the way forward seems closed to us. We may begin to experience a number of debilitating signs.
1) Withdrawal of energy or life force.
2) Ennui – a sense of boredom, listlessness and dissatisfaction.
3) A lack of focus and motivation.
4) Lethargy and inertia.
5) Life becomes dominated by distractions e.g. TV, mindless behaviours, computer games.
Exploring The Challenge
Poet Kahil Gibran in his exquisite book The Prophet suggests that “your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” I think the starting point is to explore our current state through three lenses.
“Shit Happens” – sometimes there is no evident rhyme nor reason to our changing circumstances. We just have to accept and move on.
We are being asked to live in a new state of surrender to the situation, letting go of the old and accepting the new.
There is a deeper meaning we are being asked to explore. The circumstances have developed to help us open to something new to which we may be in resistance.
What Feeds Me
Sometimes a response resonates immediately and often it does not. The key is allow the deeper self, soul, intuition to bring forward an answer, Frequently the mind tries to solve the problem on its own, this rarely succeeds! Eminent Jungian analyst and author James Hollis writes “ you have within you a powerful source – call it your instinct, your intuition, your gut wisdom – which will always tell you what is right for you.”
I believe that accessing this requires bringing attention to those things that serve the deeper self. I have developed a “Soul Rescue Kit” to help me. This kit is a compendium of what feeds me when I am stuck? It includes meditation, listening to music, contemplation, walking in nature and beauty, reciting poetry, chanting, contemplation, and a review of my Soul Book. (A journal that contains inspiring stories, quotes and poems.)
Next I set an intention and an affirmation. For example sometimes I go to the beach, stretch up my arms to the sun and repeat. “I am open and receptive to the inner spirit of guidance”. Each of us need to find our own phrase for an intention.
Opening To The Mystery
The final step is patience and attention. The inner voice speaks to us through dreams, intuition, gut feelings, metaphor and symbols, and serendipity. Pay close attention to the events of your life. The mystery approaches us once we open to it. Then once you find your way again, your life will support you. The overcast lifts and as James Hollis reminds, “ when what we are doing is right for us. We will feel a sense of purpose, meaning and satisfaction.”
We cannot avoid getting stuck at times, what we can do is bring consciousness and practice to the situation as opposed to slipping into old patterns. As Rumi once said, “The real truth of existence is sealed until after many twists and turns of the road. The seeker says had I know the real way it was I would have stopped looking around. But that way of knowing depends on the time spent looking.”