The Dark Night of The Soul & The 6 Stages of Trust

"First, they must go through what might be called “a period of undoing.” ²This need not be painful, but it usually is so experienced. ³It seems as if things are being taken away, and it is rarely understood initially that their lack of value is merely being recognized. ⁴How can lack of value be perceived unless the perceiver is in a position where he must see things in a different light? ⁵He is not yet at a point at which he can make the shift entirely internally. ⁶And so the plan will sometimes call for changes in what seem to be external circumstances. ⁷These changes are always helpful. ⁸When the teacher of God has learned that much, he goes on to the second stage.4. Next, the teacher of God must go through “a period of sorting out.” ²This is always somewhat difficult because, having learned that the changes in his life are always helpful, he must now decide all things on the basis of whether they increase the helpfulness or hamper it. ³He will find that many, if not most of the things he valued before will merely hinder his ability to transfer what he has learned to new situations as they arise. ⁴Because he has valued what is really valueless, he will not generalize the lesson for fear of loss and sacrifice. ⁵It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful. ⁶It is only to the extent to which they are helpful that any degree of reality should be accorded them in this world of illusion. ⁷The word “value” can apply to nothing else.5. The third stage through which the teacher of God must go can be called “a period of relinquishment.” ²If this is interpreted as giving up the desirable, it will engender enormous conflict. ³Few teachers of God escape this distress entirely. ⁴There is, however, no point in sorting out the valuable from the valueless unless the next obvious step is taken. ⁵Therefore, the period of overlap is apt to be one in which the teacher of God feels called upon to sacrifice his own best interests on behalf of truth. ⁶He has not realized as yet how wholly impossible such a demand would be. ⁷He can learn this only as he actually does give up the valueless. ⁸Through this, he learns that where he anticipated grief, he finds a happy lightheartedness instead; where he thought something was asked of him, he finds a gift bestowed on him.6. Now comes “a period of settling down.” ²This is a quiet time, in which the teacher of God rests a while in reasonable peace. ³Now he consolidates his learning. ⁴Now he begins to see the transfer value of what he has learned. ⁵Its potential is literally staggering, and the teacher of God is now at the point in his progress at which he sees in it his whole way out. ⁶“Give up what you do not want, and keep what you do.” ⁷How simple is the obvious! ⁸And how easy to do! ⁹The teacher of God needs this period of respite. ¹⁰He has not yet come as far as he thinks. ¹¹Yet when he is ready to go on, he goes with mighty companions beside him. ¹²Now he rests a while, and gathers them before going on. ¹³He will not go on from here alone.7. The next stage is indeed “a period of unsettling.” ²Now must the teacher of God understand that he did not really know what was valuable and what was valueless. ³All that he really learned so far was that he did not want the valueless, and that he did want the valuable. ⁴Yet his own sorting out was meaningless in teaching him the difference. ⁵The idea of sacrifice, so central to his own thought system, had made it impossible for him to judge. ⁶He thought he learned willingness, but now he sees that he does not know what the willingness is for. ⁷And now he must attain a state that may remain impossible to reach for a long, lo... (ctd.) (https://acim.org/acim/en/s/807#3:1-8:10 | M-4.I-A.3:1–8:10)Visit the website for information on paid private mentoring with Keith:https://www.acimwithkeith.com/If you'd like to donate:⁠https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/keithkav⁠⁠https://www.mypos.com/@keith⁠