
To
your tired eyes I bring a vision of a different world, so new and clean
and fresh you will forget the pain and sorrow that you saw before.
Yet this vision is which you must share with everyone you see,
for otherwise you will behold it not. To give this gift is how to make it
yours. ~A Course in Miracles
The path to enlightenment is not just
about light and bliss. On the path to self-transcendence there is darkness along
the way, taking us to deep, shadowy places of the soul. This now is coming to
our collective awareness and is referred to by professionals in Transpersonal
Psychology as Spiritual Emergency or psychospiritual crisis. This acknowledges
that those involved in personal transformation, may experience inherent crisis,
possibly escalating to overwhelming levels. Much of modern psychology does not
discern this from mental illness and may suppress the transformational process
with medication or institutionalization.
So what exactly is Spiritual
Emergency? As outlined in the book Spiritual
Emergency, it is the manifestation of an evolutionary crisis that takes one
of the following ten forms: - Shamanic Crisis
- Past-life
Experiences
- Opening of Kundalini
- Communication w/Spirit Guides
- Crisis
of Psychic Opening
- Near Death Experience (NDE)
- Renewal through
Return to Center
- Close Encounters with UFOs
- Episodes of
Unitive Consciousness
- Possession States
In this Egyptian papyrus the God, Ra, is shown
with a raised serpent that is blowing bubbles of new consciousness. This symbolizes
the raised Kundalini's influence on consciousness.
Of course this list is not exclusive; there are infinite ways
that this individual experience can manifest. But the common thread is that the
crisis is a natural, transformational process on the path to enlightenment. Personally,
I have experienced my own spiritual emergencies in multiple forms. So I introduce
this subject with deep compassion that has blossomed from my own seeds of suffering.
I discovered the incredible wisdom of Buddhist Psychology as being very helpful,
especially the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chodron, as well as Astrology
and Energy Medicine. But that is just my personal experience; there are "Many
Paths to the Top of the Mountain
" Currently
there is a Spiritual Emergency Network (SEN), which those in a spiritual
emergency may contact for support. They will refer you to people near your home
that can advise you with your personal situation. They can be reached through
their website, www.CPSH.org
(Center for Psychological and Spiritual Health) |