Hey Reader,

I'm glad you're here, and I hope you enjoy my latest post. As always, creating and editing this article was its own journey. My fairy writer friend inspired me to create the middle section, "The Universe has your back," to expand on the importance of faith. Thank you, Dizzy Dazilly!

Also, thank you to Dr. Christine Bradstreet for sharing this piece in her uplifting publication, "Change Your Mind, Change Your Life."

How I Embraced My Shadow Journey Four Years Ago

Transformation requires a cocoon.

Burnout caused my career to crash and crumble. Then, I discovered narcissism in my birth family and began healing from decades of abuse. Then, my meditation-based community home turned out to be a cult.

Sprinkle that recipe with sexual abuse plus purity culture recovery, and you have one intense “Dark Nights of the Soul.” It’s a phrase traced back to the 16th century that mostly means a spiritual crisis. The life you knew has collapsed, and darkness results.

“What are you doing now?” ...

On the topic, you might also like:

• My latest song: "Breakthrough" - (on my music page) I wrote a song about fear and all the colorful ways it weaves through our lives. Writing this piece helped me move to a place of certainty. Creating the resolution happened slowly, then suddenly - likely, as expected.
• Psycho-spiritual advice: "The Heroine's Journey" - This short article outlines Maureen Murdock's model on women's quest for wholeness. Because the hero's journey doesn't quite hit the mark for about half the population. Women get to have journeys too.

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