Week two: Our first steps on the dark path

Alright, wild wanderers. It’s happening. We’re sinking into October. We’re entering the second week of the month + the second week of my little challenge/journey into the dark. And it’s now time to take our first steps on the dark path. With this week, we start moving. Consciously descending + drawing down into our souls. The preparation from last week is complete + the journey begins today. Right here, right now.

Luckily, we’ve got a few things to guide us this week. So, even though we are traveling alone, we have some support + some inspiration.

A week ago, when I wrote the first post for this October series, I shared that I had a dream about a deer. The deer came to me in my dream, laid her head on my shoulder, and we just stood there together. Filled with grace, peace, and gentleness.

I was convinced, as soon as I awoke, that my deer was meant to be my companion. At least through the month of October. My spirit animal. My totem. My guide. And that’s why I chose the image of a deer for my photo for this October journey.

But, I don’t think she’s just for me. I think she’s a totem animal for all of us this month. Because she’s the perfect animal for this time of year. And for a journey deep into the forest.

The deer is a totem for all who desire to find their own personal power. She is a symbol of gentleness + calmness, intuition + wisdom, spiritual awareness, and regeneration (life’s magical ability to renew itself). A deer with horns is mature, and therefore, yet another lovely symbol for autumn… the mature season of the cycle of year. The perfect companion to keep us calm, focused, and in tune with our spirit as we journey.

But, we don’t just have the sweet presence of the deer during this month + as we start our journey on the dark path this week. We also have the magical energy of a new moon. Right now, in the sky above us, is the dark new moon in Libra.

And, as if things couldn’t be any more meant to be, the new moon represents many of the same symbolic meanings that the deer represents. Intuition, wisdom, and most importantly, regeneration/renewal/rebirth/new beginnings.

So, my friends, we couldn’t be in any better hands than we are right now. We couldn’t be any more ready to embark on a journey down into the depths of our soul. The universe is sending messages to us continuously. It is time. It is time. It is time.

As we start walking, there are four themes that both the deer + the new moon give us to ponder on our way on the dark path. Themes that help us to stay focused as we walk. Words to ponder, which will draw us further into our souls and into the dark, hidden places of our selves that we may not often explore.

These 4 words/themes are the prompts that I have created for this week’s part of the October dark journey home challenge.

→ intention

→ guidance

→ grounded

→ presence

The thing that is most frightening about the dark is the unknown. So, as we begin our descent, it’s best that we get honest about what we are doing, why we are on this journey, and where we are going (intention). The more that we are willing to be open + explore within ourselves, knowing that the universe/spirit/divine/energy is with us (guidance), the more open we are to explore unknown places, thoughts, feelings, and dreams. The more honest we are able to be with ourselves, the more we come to know who we are + who we are meant to be (grounded). We discover all of this magic + power that we have, and then we discover ways that we can bring our own magic + power out into the world to make a difference. That’s what begins to happen once we emerge from the dark. But, first, we must dare to dig deep. We must dare to sit in the darkness. To dive down + then to wait there. To simply be present in the moment (presence).

These are our tasks this week.

A new moon night is the perfect night to commit to this journey. To accept that we cannot see anything, but to know that the cycle always continues. That light will return, and that the darkness, in and of itself, can teach us much about patience, intuition, stillness. The absence of light is simply a gathering of potential that will be revealed as time passes.

The sweet, gentle deer reminds us to stay calm in the darkness. We are not alone. And we have so much more inside of us than we realize. Passing through the dark will make us stronger and it will make the daylight brighter, once it returns. The dark is part of the cycle of life. It is part of the cycle of the moon moving through her phases. It is part of our own lives.

Daring to walk into the dark is scary. But, I am always intrigued by the mystery and what it has to teach us. Somehow, without really understanding it, the dark path points us toward the depths that we need to explore. And, because we dare to go there, we will return blessed, changed, transformed, and enlightened. More aligned + more true to ourselves than we have every been before.

As for me, the pain that I have been through, the tough times, the dark times… the pain that I have witnessed others endure + fight back from, like my incredible wife who has fallen deep into the darkness of anorexia in the past, inspires + encourages me to accept the dark path for myself once again. For, it is autumn. It is the time of surrender, endings, and letting go. What is it that I need to release so that I can begin anew? What do I need to surrender? What darkness do I need to fight through? These are the questions for this journey down into our soul.

I don’t need to know the answers to them quite yet. I just need to let the questions be. I just need to sit with them. And to let them follow me deeper + deeper into the forest.

“What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.”
― Rumi

“It is only through mystery and madness that the soul is revealed”
― Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.”
― Og Mandino

“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
― Carl Jung, Psychology and Alchemy

“What makes night within us may leave stars.”
― Victor Hugo, Ninety-Three

For this week, as we start our journey on the dark path, with the deer as our gentle companion and the dark moon as a reminder of the phases of life, we should perhaps try to make some time to walk in the dark. Literally. It’s a good week to take a slow walk late at night or early before the sun rises. To just feel our way through the dark. To stand under the dark sky. To face our fears and to just wander a bit.

Walk slowly, wild ones. The path is meant to be soaked up. Discover your intention, let your soul + your spirit animal guide you, stay grounded + present. Take your time. The darkness will not consume you. But, it will reveal exactly what you need. So just keep breathing. And walking.

New moon blessings, wild souls.

xoxo. liz.