The Hero’s Journey begins with The Fool. He walks blithely along, not looking where he’s going and completely unaware he’s about to step over the edge of a precipice. He carries his past in a bag on a stick. In his other hand is a small white flower, and a dog follows at his heels.… Continue reading Tarot Hero’s Journey: The Fool
The Hero’s Journey is one of our oldest myths. It shows how we grow from ignorance to enlightenment through various stages of development, both individually and collectively. It was called a monomyth by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and is often used to structure stories in film and novels.… Continue reading Tarot and the Hero’s Journey: Introduction
What comes to mind when you think of enlightenment? Saints glowing with divine radiance? Gurus with unfeasibly long beards chanting incomprehensible mantras? Endless do-gooding and lots of smiling? Floating on a cloud of bliss while dispensing otherworldly wisdom? Enlightenment is often seen as a one-off event that changes your life forever. Darkness is banished and… Continue reading Myths About Enlightenment
Following my epic article on the Dark Night of the Soul, I wanted to go into a little more detail on the symptoms of the Dark Night and strategies for surviving it. I was going to include this information at the end of the previous article but it was already too long. To summarise: the… Continue reading How to Survive a Dark Night of the Soul
In this book, former monk and psychologist, Thomas Moore, provides guidance and inspiration for anyone living through the darker side of life. He sees the dark night as a challenge and an opportunity for healing. These times are not rare or extraordinary, reserved just for saints or spiritual adepts. Everyone can use life’s darkest moments to… Continue reading Thomas Moore: Dark Nights of the Soul Review
John of the Cross was born into poverty in Spain in 1542. He joined the Carmelite Order of the Roman Catholic Church but quickly became disillusioned by the dogma and yearned for direct experience of the divine. When he was 25, John met St Teresa of Avila, a 52 year old nun busy trying to… Continue reading St John of the Cross: Dark Night of the Soul Review
On a dark night, Inflamed by love-longing- O exquisite risk! Undetected I slipped away. My house, at last, grown still. Secure in the darkness, I climbed the secret ladder in disguise- O exquisite risk! Concealed by the darkness. My house, at last, grown still. That sweet night: a secret. Nobody saw me; I did not… Continue reading Songs of the Soul
A Dark Night of the Soul always arrives uninvited, yet it could be the best thing to ever happen. It’s a sacred initiation into the underbelly of the soul that will make you feel cursed and blessed at the same time. Dark Nights of the Soul are all the rage these days. Our civilisation is self-destructing… Continue reading Love’s Ordeal: The Dark Night of the Soul
This wise advice comes from The Mystic Heart by Wayne Teasdale. It’s aimed at the young in particular, but contains truths and guidance everybody can embrace no matter what stage of the journey they’re on. 7 ways to support yourself on the spiritual path: 1. You are responsible for your own spiritual path “You must… Continue reading Spiritual Advice for Budding Mystics
The Four Immeasurables are four virtues that are cultivated in meditation practice. They’re also called the Brahmavihara, which means the ‘abodes of Brahma,’ and they can be found in various Buddhist texts as well as the Yoga sutras of Patanjali. The four immeasurables are unconditional and so are boundless. They consist of: Loving-kindness, or metta… Continue reading How to Meditate: The Four Immeasurables
Jessica Davidson 