“Only to the degree that people are unsettled is there any hope for them.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Darkness is descending – not just the darkness of Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. For some of us, there is a deeper darkness that has been amplified by the presidential election.

I’m wondering…. how has the election affected you? Has it touched places of despair in you? Do you feel unsettled – and if you do, how do you navigate that? Do you feel energized by the dramatic changes that are occurring? Are you uncomfortable hearing views of those you don’t agree with?

Many of my clients have been catapulted into feelings of devastation that can only be compared to losing a loved one. Side by side, we’ve been navigating through the realms of shock, fear, grief, despair, and anger. Other, more unsavory, feelings have also been uncovered – like blame and prejudice. What has become apparent is that – regardless of how you voted – this time is an invitation to dive deep and bring out unconscious aspects of yourself for healing.

Inspired by the courage of my clients, conversations with my friends and colleagues, and Harvard scholar, Vera de Chalambert’s brilliant essay on the election, I feel compelled to keep writing about this. Thank you for hearing me out.

Like Vera, I see this election as a victory for darkness. It has unleashed not only forces of hate, bigotry, and fear in those who ‘won.’ It has also unleashed grief and anger, as well as blame and self-righteousness in those of us who ‘lost’. This cataclysmic event has the potential to bring to our awareness those unsavory Trump-like aspects of ourselves we thought we had safely hidden away. We are being challenged to strip away illusions of who and what we imagined ourselves to be – and become the authentic loving beings that we are.

I invite you to join me and dive into the darkness. Are you ready to look at aspects of yourself that you would prefer to hide – your own prejudices, self aggrandizement, privilege, judgments, as well as your despair, fury, and hopelessness – and bring them into the light of awareness so you can alchemize them into love and healing? This country – and our endangered planet – needs us to strip ourselves down, be utterly honest, transparent, and raw in our vulnerability – in order to heal.

When the heart breaks, the shell of unconsciousness cracks, and your true light begins to shine through. You become who you were truly designed to be – an essential piece in the vast and complex puzzle of humanity. This alchemical process is not easy. Some may prefer to skate along on the surface and avoid the depth of introspection and humility required. Others may choose to ‘look at the bright side,’ conveniently avoiding the descent into darkness. I see that as a form of ‘spiritual bypass’, a course that leads away from true healing.

Vera writes

“…Instead of resolving our discomfort too quickly, consider the possibility of staying in the uncomfortable, in the irreconcilable, in the unsettled….yield to what is present. Receptivity is the great quality of darkness; darkness hosts everything without exception….Fear, heartbreak, anger, helplessness all are appropriate, all are welcome. You can’t dismember yourself to feel better.

You can’t cut off the stream of life and expect to heal.”

I invite you to let go fully into the dark. This is not something to do in isolation. Make time, find someone to guide you, immerse yourself in a supportive community. Allow yourself to feel everything. Plumbing your depths can be deeply quiet, raging, blaming, wailing; it can evoke feelings of shame. It can also unearth amazing capacities like resiliency, aliveness and joy. It can move you into powerful transformative action that will revitalize your life – and heal the planet.

My passion is to guide you through this portal. To Ignite your Joy – and your Vitality – you must excavate and heal the deepest darkest parts of yourself.

Contact me to set up an initial consultation.