Accepting the Duality of this World

In a lot of ways, it is easier to accept the nature of the world we live in rather than fight against it. In this case, I am talking about accepting both the lightness/good and the darkness/evil of this world.

First of all, let me be clear on what I mean by acceptance. Often there is confusion surrounding the term acceptance, and people sometimes mistake it to mean acceptable. There is a difference between accepting something versus finding something acceptable.

When I say acceptance I do not mean that we should all feel that abusive or traumatizing events should be considered acceptable. I just mean that it is a part of life.

When we accept something, we simply acknowledge its existence without judging it as good or bad, but as something that just is.

The nature of the world we have been physically been born into is dualistic, meaning that both lightness and darkness exist together. It is impossible to live in this world without experiencing both spectrums of this duality.

The lion must eat but causes its prey fear and pain in the process.

The birth of a child is one of life's greatest miracles, but all innocent beings risk great suffering during their life span.

We live in a world of both magnificent beauty and horrendous terror.

I realize this sounds depressing, and I am not saying that we shouldn't create more love, beauty, and healing in this world. In fact, I believe we should envision the world we wish to see. But if we learn, in the mean time, to deeply accept the dualistic nature of this world without letting emotions overtake us, a great sense of peace can result.

Acceptance of the darkness is difficult, especially if one is in the midst of deep suffering. We shouldn't deny out emotions and we can't force ourselves to realize something that is still difficult for us to accept.

My experience of accepting the dualistic nature of this world came slowly, in bits and pieces that slowly evolved over the years. This realization was also preceded by deep pain on both a personal and existential level. My disillusionment of life became so intense that eventually there was nothing left but to simply accept.

And once I did, a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

I am still learning to accept this world, and rely heavily on my spiritual practices to help me grow and evolve.

Look at this world. See it for what it is. And don't take it personally.

This world, this life, this universe, all have nothing against you. Anything we experience is just the nature of being a spiritual being living in a physical world.

For someone in the middle of an existential crisis, know that there is love available. There is healing here for you. It comes in many forms. Books, music, friends, nature, contemplation, spiritual practice, and anything that provides meaning for you. Have hope that the pain will lead you to what will heal you, and eventually to freedom. Be with the pain as much as possible without letting it define you. And if needed, get energy healing with a good spiritual energy healer or shaman.

On Healing Ourselves

If I had cancer I would not try to just love myself, do visualizations, EFT, etc. I would also pursue some kind of treatment from a professional as well as learning to love myself more. The same thing goes with chronic and/or severe emotional issues, which in my example is severe depression. Cancer is a severe disease, and so are some mental/emotional issues. I am not talking about simply feeling bad. I am talking about severe depression that few healing professionals and spiritual teachers seem to understand. For me, I get much more benefit going to energy healers than with therapy or medication. I do this along with my spiritual practices, connecting to spirit, and various tools for loving my self (including my dark shadow side).

The Search for Understanding

One of the most frustrating things about having severe depression (or any other mental disorder) is people trying to provide help who have no idea what you are going through.

Much more help can be gotten from a professional who allows space for understanding rather than a professional who spends more time talking about it.

The Conscious Awareness of Suffering

It seems that the more conscious and spiritually aware I had become over the years, the more deeply I attuned to the suffering I'd gone through. Before awareness, the stuck trauma of the past was a mysterious numbing, painful void. But as I advanced in awareness, the pain became more present and acute, with a more direct conscious link to its cause and where it lay in my body.

When Depression Can't Be Healed

A great article on the reality of treatment-resistant depression from goodtherapy.org.