The journey of spiritual enlightenment is not necessarily a direct or straight line. It is more like a spiral, coming back to what may feel like the beginning but with all the knowledge and experience from the journey. You are starting afresh, but with a new view of the world, with your newly acquired wisdom.
The Journey meanders through light and dark, through mountains and valleys of energy, frequently bringing us back to revisit, relearn and re-evaluate. And, although we move consciously towards the light, it is also true that we may walk in darkness at times, trying to understand and learn from the shadows around us and the shadows within us.
And each step — in both light and dark — brings us closer to our goal. Each step peels away the layers of delusion, illusion, filters, and beliefs until we arrive at our Truth, until we begin to know and understand not just our Self but our place in this world, and the Medicine we carry.
This is why I love and embrace shadow work. As we acknowledge and work through the darkness, the light is revealed. This can be the most challenging aspect of our Journey, but also the most transformative.
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, these days of waning light in the approach to Winter Solstice give us an opportunity to align with the deep reflective energies of Mama Earth and The North, knowing we are cocooned and safe with Mama Earth and the Ancestors guiding us. In this darkness, so much is reborn: new ideas, new ways of manifesting our wisdom — our Medicine — in the world and the coming rebirth of light at Solstice.
And when you find yourself revisiting familiar territory, do not despair. Recognize this as an opportunity to dig deeper, to peel away another layer, to use your new wisdom and perspective to find a deeper understanding or a new way forward.
Embrace and love all parts of your Self.
Learn from them.
Honour them.
Thank them.
Forgive them.
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
― Carl Jung