DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

WHY SPIRITUAL AWAKENING OFTEN BEGINS WITH A CRISIS

Coddle-Poppers have long understood that enlightened awakening usually comes hand in hand with personal devastation (but each crisis promises profound transformation). Our spiritual crisis could be best summarized as our ‘Dark Night of the Soul,’ but Coddle-Popper doctrine understands that our suffering is often the catalyst to seeking/experiencing a deeper truth.

So why does crisis frequently precede awakening we might ask? (And if you did not, you should have!) The answer lies in how we construct our sense of Self and reality (ego and mask).

Hi, my name is Jeremiah Doodle-Dumpling, and I am the ‘Story-Keeper’ here at ‘Once Upon A Time’. I’m responsible for archiving everything that happens at Faery Wood (Both ‘what worked’ AND ‘what didn’t’). I’ve witnessed both the highs and lows (and as Coddle-Poppers are only 2 apples high, the lows are really, really low) for generations of Coddle-Poppers, and nobody understands the consequences of poor choices better than I do. You won’t find quick fixes or any duct tape here, just small, meaningful shifts, the kind that add up to lasting changes over time.

Most of us go through life with an elaborate tapestry of expectations, beliefs, and roles that give us a sense of security and identity. We’re the successful professional, doting parent, the ‘one’ who’s got it all figured out (insert the ego’s mask here). These identities serve us well… until they don’t. These are all labels, and if you’ve ever met a Coddle-Popper, you’ll have been mystified by how something so small, can contain so much wiseness. We always say, that the only things that should have labels, are Grammy Florence Snugglebutte-McFlappintrappe’s tinctures and concoctions!

Crisis has a way of ripping away these fabricated ‘selves’ with ruthless efficiency. Losing our job shatters our professional identity. Being ‘dumped’ questions what we thought we knew about love. Health issues makes our other concerns seem unimportant. The loss of a loved one forces us to confront our own mortality.

THE CRACK

We cannot make an omelette without cracking the egg. When our World falls down around us, something extraordinary happens (the lesson followed by the blessing)! The firm base that we thought we’d built our lives upon, turns out to be more fragile than Cuthbert Cringle-McKrackenknacker’s ego! And we all know how fragile that must be!! Our vulnerability, reveals/opens the cracks enough for our conscious mind to see something deeper as it begins to emerge.

Even though we think that we’re falling apart, we’re actually falling together… but in a mind-blowing way that we’ve never experienced before (falling together that is, not the mind blowing… that causes too much mess)! Who we think we are dissolves, and what’s left is the ‘real’ us in all its glory, free of labels, fakeness and pretence, and it’s more than anything we’ve ever known before (we don’t know, what we don’t know… well how can we? …Unless we’re married, in which case the wife will know the things that we don’t know, even if we think she couldn’t know, we know she’ll know… she knows everything)!

This dissolving of our ego-self creates space for our more authentic-self to emerge. The beautiful butterfly is emerging from the cocoon (finally)! Without the chitter-chatter of our constructed identity (ego/mask), we begin to hear whispers of something more important, what we call the soul/consciousness/true-self, …or sometimes the wife!

SACRED WOUND

Coddle-Popper legend (wisdom) refers to a ‘sacred wound,’ where our greatest pain usually becomes the catalyst of our greatest gifts. What breaks us open, becomes the very thing that allows the light to enter. There’s always a gift. Look for the gift. (The acorn holds within, all that it needs to become the ‘Mighty Oak,’ it even has the faith to go within and break out of its shell. Imagine the greatness in each and every one of us… especially YOU!!!)

This doesn’t mean we should go out of our way to find ways to suffer, it means that when the proverbial ‘hits the fan’ (as it always will), we’re presented with an opportunity to learn to work with it as a potential doorway, rather than an obstacle that we must overcome.

The key lies in our reaction (how we meet these difficult moments). Do we fight to rebuild the old back up again as quickly as possible? Or, do we allow ourselves to sit in the ashes of the ‘dumpster fire’ for long enough to notice what it is that wants to emerge? (Reaction is the old way, going within, then taking action is the new way).

SPIRITUAL CRISIS SIGNS

Not every tough time is a ‘Dark Night of the Soul,’ but certain tell-tale signs will reveal that our crisis may be the catalyst for something deeper:

Meaninglessness: Activities/goals that used to motivate us feel empty or pointless.
Core Beliefs: Ideas about success, relationships, or life’s purpose that we once never doubted, suddenly feel uncertain
Disconnection: Who we used to be, now feels like a stranger
Synchronicities: We seem to be guided toward something through coincidences
‘Lost’ yet ‘Arriving’: Despite the confusion, there’s an underlying sense that the melting away of the old, is necessary.

NAVIGATING THE DARKNESS

If we recognize ourself (from the above), just know that none of us are alone, and we’re not going nuts (well, there may be a few exceptions… but they’re Coddle-Poppers). We could be going through one of the most important transitions of our life. Here’s how to navigate it:

Resist the quick-fix: Society pushes us to bounce back (return to normal) as quickly as possible. But rushing to rebuild the ‘same-old, same-old’ could mean missing the opportunity for spiritual transformation.

Find support that understands: Not everyone will understand what we’re going through. Look for those who recognize/understand this process, whether that’s at ‘The Frequency.Center’ (versed in spiritual emergence), a trusted mentor, or someone who’s already walked through this fire.

Trust the process: Even when we can’t see where we’re headed, we set our intentions and trust that it’s for our highest and greatest good. It is OUR hologram after all. Nothing happens TO us, everything in our hologram happens FOR us. Therefore, this dissolution is making space for something more authentic to emerge.

Practice presence: In the absence of something to hold on to, learn to rest in the present moment. Meditate, spend time in nature with us Faeries, or simple mindful breathing will provide stability if everything else feels up in the air.

DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN

Crisis cracks us open to a deeper understanding of what truly matters. Our priorities shift, relationships deepen, and we discover a sense of purpose that we never knew existed!

We may not choose to go through that pain again (when it’s still raw), but we wouldn’t trade what we ‘discover’ for anything. The crisis doesn’t just change us, it gives us our life back!

The ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ is never easy, but it is usually the universe’s way of ridding what no longer serves us, so as to make room for who we’re truly meant to become.

In the darkness, we learn to see by a different kind of light, one that was always there, waiting patiently for us to notice. Sometimes we have to lose ourselves completely to find out who we really are! (The window dressing is no longer needed, it is time for the Inner-Self to shine).

STAGES OF WHEN LIFE COLLAPSES AND CONSCIOUSNESS EXPANDS

Trigger: The significant event/loss/spiritual awakening that disrupts our sense of purpose/identity. It leaves us questioning what we once believed.

Descent: The profound emptiness where old sources (comfort/purpose/connection) no longer provide relief. Friendships/trust/personal achievements have no meaning.

The Void: Spiritual sparseness and isolation. Prayer/meditation/spiritual practices (that once brought peace/comfort) now feel empty. We feel abandoned by God/Spirit/the universe.

Questioning: What we thought we knew about ourself (purpose/beliefs) comes under scrutiny. We feel lost/confused/unable to find solid ground/traction.

Surrender: The point of letting go (control/expectations, and the need to understand). Feels like a spiritual death.

Stillness: Discovering a profound emptiness, that weirdly feels more peaceful than frightening (whist in surrender).

Awakening: Our new sense of self/spiritual-understanding begins to emerge. It’s more authentic, compassionate, and grounded by ‘experiences’ rather than ‘beliefs.’

Integration: Return to (new) normal, but with deeper wisdom, humility, and connection to our ‘True Self’ and others (but forever changed by our experience/journey through the darkness into our light).

CODDLE-POPPER ADVICE

Our deepest wounds usually become our greatest sources of wisdom. The storm that nearly breaks us, is the very thing that reveals to us that ‘we got this,’ and that we’re built to weather anything life throws our way. (We will never know what we’re truly capable of, or who we we’re created to be, if we hide behind our self imposed labels! It is time for us to step from the shadows and LET OUR LIGHT SHINE!

SPIRITUAL QUEST

If you wish to discover more about yourself and how life operates, please check out our Faery Wood Spiritual Quest. It’s a Spiritual Warriors handbook/Awakening Journal, complete with audio and exercises. A hard copy is also available. It walks us through our patterns, awareness, triggers, forgiveness, acceptance, intentions, purpose and many more areas of our life, such as change.

You can find more details here: https://thefrequency.ca/spiritual-quest/

IMPORTANT: Our mind is a magnet. When we think of blessings, we attract blessings. Likewise, when we think of problems we attract problems too. So we need to do our best to make sure to always have good thoughts and be positive.

MORE ABOUT JEREMIAH DOODLE-DUMPLING (EDITOR’S NOTES)

We are each a ‘Spirit’ (part of Source/Creator/God, insert your own Divinity here) having a ‘Human’ experience. Our life on Earth is an encyclopedia of experiences laid out FOR us (by prior agreement), in order for us to LEARN and GROW. Through ‘Natural Law’, no Coddle-Popper, Spirit Guide, Faery, nor Angel are allowed to intervene on our behalf unless specifically asked or invited by us, for fear of karmic intervention.

To work around this, Jeremiah Doodle-Dumpling is able to ‘suggest’ ideas through the power of meditation (as if it were our own thinking). Allow the suggestions to digest and percolate. It is intended as to tool to enhance our discernment skills. You’re welcome.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Coddle-Poppers and Fairies are not medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, physiotherapists, naturalists, pessimists, legal or financial strategists, or even anything else that could possibly end in ‘ists.’ If you need help in any of those areas, please seek the help of a certified, pertinent, professional.

Even though Coddle-Poppers and Fairies give their services for free and with love, all of our wishes, intentions and healing are released to the ‘Higher Power’ for the greater good.

It is for this reason that, sometimes when wishes, intentions and healing becomes manifested, they are not quite as humans expected, and also… it may take a little while before the enormity of the wonderful gift that has been bestowed is finally realized. Yes sir!

Coddle-Poppers and fairies can NOT be held responsible for anything that happens in YOUR life, including anything bad or good, with or without chocolate on, as a result of you making your wish or intention. The point being, that life is what YOU make of it.