For many people who are committed to their spiritual path, it can prove difficult to understand why they encounter darkness in their dreams. But understanding the true nature of any darkness experienced in our dreams, is just as important as understanding the nature of dreams where spiritual or transpersonal light is experienced. Below I will briefly explain 3 main sources of darkness that we can encounter in our dreamwork.
The Cosmos That We Live In Contains Light And Dark, So Do We
We simply have to look at nature to discover that the world we live in contains light and beauty, but nature has its necessary dark side that can be brutal and cruel. From droughts to floods, predators to prey, life and death, we all have much to learn about the laws of nature, the laws of chaos and order, the laws of light and darkness. The Hermetic and Alchemical principle of seeing human beings as a microcosm of the cosmos plays a central role in Jungian and Spiritual Psychology.
In all of my own dreamwork and with those I have worked closely with, no one escapes dark moments in their dreams including violence, cruelty and death. Spiritual growth and conscious evolution requires us to deeply understand these encounters and learn what we must from them. In my role as guide, when someone experiences darkness in their dreams, we get to work understanding why it has manifested and through understanding and integrating the dream experience, we then have the opportunity for real growth.
Dream Encounters With Darkness
Darkness From Trauma Experienced In This Life
Many people on an authentic spiritual path have experienced serious trauma in their lives. Trauma such as childhood abuse, rape, severe bullying, racism and warfare are direct encounters with the dark side of humanity. Encounters with darkness in this world can often wound the psyche/Soul significantly. This wounding can create disturbances within the Soul that can often surface when we are asleep. This surfacing often results in traumatic dreams and nightmares.
Spiritual Psychology and particularly Jungian Psychology, is profound in understanding how trauma is stored in the psyche/Soul. By working closely with the person and understanding the symbolic contents that appear in trauma-based dreams and nightmares, we are then able to work through the trauma. By understanding the trauma in a new light, we are then able to transform the trauma in the psyche/Soul, so that trauma-based nightmares are no longer experienced.
Past-Life Spiritual/Soul-Based Trauma
Spiritual Psychology recognises that trauma can be experienced beyond this lifetime. This is a deep and complex understanding and for those reasons, I will not elaborate here. What I will say here though is that I have significant experience in this area and can recognise past-life trauma when it appears in dreams and nightmares. For those who believe that they are experiencing past-life spiritual/Soul-based trauma, please be encouraged by knowing that it is possible to work through this type of trauma and experience genuine healing.
“The only effective method to confront and deal with the problem of evil is through inner work... Attempting to change the world directly is considered a childish illusion; real change stems from individuals working on their own problems.”
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