Crossing the Dark Forest

Symbolizing the journey of awakening and spiritual quest, many writers, thinkers, poets, and philosophers, as well as spiritual leaders have made direct or oblique reference to the dark forest. One of my favorites is this quote from Joseph Campbell (The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Works - note that this link appears to take you to a new edition, although my own copy was purchased in 1992 - there is also a DVD, but it's very short):

You enter the forest
at the darkest point,
where there is no path.

Where there is a way or path,
it is someone else's path.

You are not on your own path.

If you follow someone else's way,
you are not going to realize
your potential.

This point about needing to make your own path in order to realize your potential is something I find so incredibly lacking in many current gatherings of seekers. It is precisely in the crossing of the dark forest and as you do so, in the making of your own path, that you find yourself. Whether you listen to a friend, spouse, or parent, whether it's a pastor, priest, guru, or rabbi, whether you participate in support groups, satsangs, or weekly discussion groups, think about what you begin to believe, practice, and follow, and search deeply inside to ensure that it is connected to you, and not just to the person who is telling you about it.

You may need to listen to many such speakers, read many books, and cross many desperately black places in your dark forest, before you can even begin to understand what your own path is all about. Beware of accepting too quickly what others espouse, and allow yourself time (and discover your own strength and courage) as you cross the dark forest. 

That path which you then forge, and that person you then discover and connect to within yourself, will greatly influence your behavior in your relationships, but again, if you don't have that path and you have not yet discovered who you are, to what extent do your relationships truly allow you to show yourself and be yourself? This path is very much a tao, and this tao leads to immense possibilities of growth and understanding, deepening and awakening.

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Also visit my book website: www.gabriellakortsch.com where you may download excerpts or read quotations from any of my books. My latest book Emotional Unavailability & Neediness: Two Sides of the Same Coin is available globally on Amazon in print & Kindle. You can also obtain it (or any of my other books) via Barnes & Noble.

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