By Michael Meade

In a world gone wrong, it takes but one more devastating bit of news to push people to the edge of despair. The shaken world, plagued by false rhetoric and tormented by the spread of both the coronavirus and the climate crisis becomes a darker place. When each day becomes more fearful and each heart becomes more burdened by the facts of separation and the knowledge of worldwide loss, it is the connective energy and unifying presence of soul that has gone missing.

What we are facing is not simply a collapse of cultural institutions, but the loss of the world as we knew it to be. In the moments of individual panic that are inevitable amidst the global pandemic, we find ourselves in a struggle for the dignity and meaning of the individual soul and a battle for the Soul of the World.  Meaningful solutions to deeply penetrating and broad-reaching problems require the kind of imaginative vision and innovative invention that can only be found in the depths of the human soul.
 
When the whole world turns upside down, it is the soul at the bottom of everything that is trying to become known again. The depths of soul contain the vitality of life, the core powers of imagination, and the ancient inheritance of humanity that includes both the instincts to survive and the capacity to create.  If there is no change at the level of soul, there can be no meaningful change at the level of the world. Each human soul has an innate connection to nature, an intrinsic concern for the entire planet, and unique ways of drawing upon the underlying unity and vitality of life.

In every crisis the issue becomes whether we become a bigger soul or a smaller person. In the dark times, the awakened soul can become the unifying agent for a collective renewal. When the inner light of soul awakens us from within, something also comes alive in the world around us. Our real gift to life involves an awakening of our inner purpose, for that is the star of our true destiny. When we are aware of life’s purpose, the light of the soul shines into the world and the secret hidden within us becomes visible and encouraging to ourselves and to others.

In the dark times, the awakened soul can become the unifying agent for a collective renewal as entering the moment of crisis and living more fully parallels the spiritual passage from ignorance to illumination. Thus, the underlying soul has been called “the light hidden in darkness.” It can also be termed the light of the deep self within, as it was in a passage from the Upanishads, one the oldest documents on the nature of humanity. In this ancient manuscript, a wise sage addresses the issues of what to do in the dark times. He is being questioned at the court of a powerful ruler who understands the material world but realizes that at times a deeper knowledge of existence is required. 

Beginning with what he knows best, the king asks the sage, “By what light, do human beings go out, do their work and return?” 
“By the light of the sun,” answered the sage.  
“But if the light of the sun is extinguished?” 
“Then, by the light of the moon, they will go.” 

And so question and answer proceeded, each exchange leading to a darker place: If the moon is extinguished, then by the starlight; if even the stars are cancelled, then by the light of a fire. “But, what if the fire of life is in danger of being quenched? What then?” the king finally wants to know. “By the light of the self,” is the conclusive reply of the sage.

Moments of true awakening are also times of greater enlightenment. The light that burns within us is also the light that dwells within everything; it is the hidden light at the center of all things.

Our real gift to life involves an awakening of our inner purpose, for that is the star of our true destiny. When we are aware of life’s purpose, the light of the soul shines into the world and the secret hidden within us becomes visible and encouraging to ourselves and to others. 

When we awaken our souls, we liberate the divine spark that was there at the beginning of our lives, the true gift of life that is also light—the precise gift intended to be given back to the world. Awakening to one’s life-story and finding initiatory paths comprises the “real work” and genuine opus of our lives. By the light of the soul and the inner eyes of initiation, we see life differently, see it all anew. Then, a sense of wonder and awe returns as the veils lift and we find ourselves living in an open historical moment; not simply a time of evolution or an age of revolution, but an extensive period of radical loss and surprising discovery as well.