No matter how spiritually awakened you are and how hard you try to stay positive, you are simply a human after all. There are periods in life when we lose hope and interest in anything.
This state is called “the Dark Night of the Soul” and there are several indicators you are entering it.
What Is The Dark Night Of The Soul?
The Dark Night of the soul is a state where an individual’s soul no longer sees hope, happiness, or connection.
It is a state of complete numbness, separation from the universe, and feelings of melancholy. This state can be quite depressing for an individual.
Even though you have done all the spiritual work, and you know how to deal with negative thoughts, it is sometimes beyond your powers when the Dark Night arrives. This can be caused by several factors such as:
- betrayal
- loss of someone close
- an event that made you doubt your spirituality
- no longer feeling like you belong where you are
- a sudden need for a change, and more.
The Dark Night of the soul can be a form of spiritual depression, indeed.
Individuals affected by it usually ask themselves difficult questions such as: “What is my purpose on this Earth?”, or “Is there God or an afterlife? Am I good enough to have good things in this life at all?”, etc.
The Dark Night is not the same as depression. Depression is a medical condition that needs to be treated with medicine, lifestyle changes, etc.
The Dark Night is a term that describes spiritual depression – losing purpose in life, having an existential crisis, and seeing no hope in moving forward spiritually.
The 7 Omens That Predict The Dark Night Of The Soul
There are several signs you might be entering The Dark Night. Some of these you will feel before it happens, and others will be present once you enter it.
It is important to let these feelings overcome you and embrace them – they may be an important part of your soul’s journey.
1. Feeling a Deep State of Sadness
If you feel that your attitude towards life is changing, and once a happy person, you are turning into a sad individual, this might be a sign of the Dark Night.
Maybe there is a reason behind it, maybe not, but you feel as if you are no longer an energetic individual who sees the positives in everything. You begin to overly complicate things, overthink everything and you are simply sad at the end of the day.
2. Feeling Unworthy
You start feeling unworthy of a good job, good relationship, or good health. You feel like you have not done enough good in your life to deserve these things.
It is important to be reminded that we are not in a position to judge ourselves like this and determine what we deserve or not. Feeling unworthy of anything is another sign of the Dark Night and can be quite depressing for the soul.
There are many people who feel unworthy in the presence of their partner, boss, or friend. This feeling can make you question the self-esteem that you worked so hard to build and question your core identity as well.
3. Feeling Condemned to a Life of Pain and Suffering
If you have experienced several negative occurrences in your life in a short period of time, you may feel like only the bad things happen to you.
You feel as if whenever you start getting happy and getting somewhere, you are met with disappointment and sadness. Your life feels as if it is always bound to suffering and pain.
It is important to look at the bigger picture and be grateful for the things you have.
4. Feeling Hopeless
You may start losing hope for anything. You feel like nothing will work out the way you planned and all your life’s achievements are not enough for your future.
This may be a huge trigger for those struggling financially as well. Individuals who lose hope are more likely to give up on many things in their lives.
For example, they may give up on people who love them but are a bit difficult, or give up on a job promotion they worked so hard for (after a minor inconvenience).
If you feel like there is no hope for you, it is important to do a lot of self-reflection and see why you feel this way.
5. No Will for Life
The Dark Night’s hardest punch is when you lose your will for life. You feel exhausted all the time and nothing excites you. You feel alone and you have no motivation to socialize, work, or travel.
If you feel like this, it is important to talk to someone who will help you and light up your flames again. It is another integral part of our journey, as we cannot know light if we haven’t met the darkness.
Feeling these emotions is hard but if we fight them, we will just make them stronger. Your soul just needs to reorganize and find a new light that will make you love life again.
6. You Find No Joy in Things That Used to Excite You
You may feel like you are outgrowing things and you no longer want to hang out with certain friends. You try to do your old hobbies that used to make you so happy, but now you are stuck where you feel no joy in these activities.
This is completely normal, as our souls grow and our journey continues. We will always change small parts of ourselves in order to be better and do better.
Satisfying your soul’s needs can be a painful but wonderful journey.
7. Longing for Something Lost
If you are longing for something that is lost (and this is usually an intangible thing), it means your soul is trying to feel something you felt a long time ago.
Some people describe this feeling as ‘coming home‘, although you are home. If this feeling emerges, it is usually a sign of a Dark Night and it may represent our soul’s needs haven’t been met for a long time.
Usually, when we discard the soul’s desires and needs for so long, it may feel lonely and not ‘at home’. Try to reevaluate your soul’s needs and accept its sadness for a while.
Why We Should Not Fix It
Many people try to fix themselves when they feel the Dark Night coming. They think that this is a negative experience they need to avoid.
However, even though it is negative, we cannot change what our soul is going through. We are spiritual beings and maybe our soul needs to go through these negative occurrences in order to grow and learn more about itself.
You should embrace your negativity and learn how to deal with it so you do not dwell in this terrible state. Suffering is necessary as it teaches us to embrace all aspects of our soul that would appear sooner or later.
Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ever since I was a little girl, my imagination knew no bounds. I remember vividly how I’d scribble down short stories, each page bursting with adventures and characters conjured up from the whimsy of my mind. These stories weren’t just for me; they were my way of connecting with my friends, offering them a slice of my fantasy world during our playtimes. The joy and excitement on their faces as we dived into my fictional realms motivated me to keep writing. This early passion for storytelling naturally evolved into my pursuit of writing, turning a childhood hobby into a fulfilling career.