Introducing RedFlame DeepWater

My next collection of poems, titled RedFlame DeepWater, is a pivitol series for me.  The collection is about the, sometimes intense, events on the path to spiritual enlightenment.  It includes a symbolic description of  the experience referred to as “the dark night of the soul.”  The dark night of the soul is a time when everything you thought was “real” in yourself and in your life is disintegrating.  It is a time when Spirit is cleaning your house to make room for new awareness.  Some describe this experience as the transformational initiation into higher levels of development and deeper awareness.  My first poem in the collection describes the experience of the dark night as it begins. And, it illustrates the mystery of sudden, unexplained events that evoke feelings of loss and uncertainty.  Through the sequential collection of poems, I will continue to illuminate the inner experiences of one of the most  misunderstood of spiritual processes.

It is a common misperception that the path to spiritual enlightenment is full of great illuminations, flashes of insight, reduction of traumas and tragedies, smoothing out the rough experiences of life, getting more of what you want, the increased desire to help others and having good relationships with everyone. Any of these experiences may happen, and hopefully several will.

However, there is another important part of the spiritual experience that deserves much more attention.  Any warrior of the spiritual path, will report the experience of the dark night of the soul, or a few dark night occasions.  It is the death of the Ego.  And, death can be excrucitating.  Those who are adverse to facing pain will run and hide from deep spiritual awakening. With one dip in the dark night fire they will fear losing their minds, falling apart, never to be put back together.

Those with knowledge, courage and determination will not turn from the pain and suffering for long. For this pain has been provided to them from a compassionate Spirit. It is actually the portal to deeper awakening. Too many spiritual growth experiences are pathologized by modern psychotherapists as problems needing a diagnosis and quick fix.  My hope is that more people will realize the gift within pain and suffering when they encounter it, will find guidance, and will yearn to evolve.   And, that more people will  find the courage to look deep inside to find the secrets hiding in plain view.

I hope you will enjoy this collection of poems in my series called RedFlame DeepWater.  See the next post to begin reading the first poem title RedFlame Initiates Destruction.