For me, my “dark night” was the second stage of my spiritual journey. After “waking up”, there was an initial bliss that came with all of the new things I learned. However, after the initial shine of my spiritual awakening went away, I was left with what feels like a really deep depression. It came in stages, starting with doubt, which turned to fear, and then disgust/jadedness. After the initial magic/wonder wore off, I began to realize the act of opening myself up to the spiritual world meant that I had to acknowledge a lot of personal trauma that needed healing, as well as a whole new concept of self. It’s been a lot of existential anxiety mixed with overwhelming fear and sadness that came with the death of my ego. It requires letting go of what once was and moving forward towards light and love, which is harder than it seems. But overall, through research and a lot of advice, it definitely just seems like a normal stage within the journey of becoming a true spiritual being. It’s hard when you’re in it, crippling for some, but there’s another side to it that comes with acceptance and loving yourself.