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So, an important thing is not to add suffering to suffering. Say you are irritated. You may sense irritation and become irritated over being irritated. You have added suffering to suffering.
Spiritual practice is designed to lead us to an awareness of pain and suffering and how to turn it toward the Light. And the same is intended to teach us to accept our humanness and not add suffering to suffering by denying or resisting it.
Say you are angry at someone. You notice these feelings. Much religion teaches to focus on seeing sin; it does not teach on how to process it. No, focus on turning to, or releasing into, the Light. Yes, if you are into darkness, admit it. But in that turn it immediately toward the Love of the Light.
There is an odd paradox to the work of spiritual darkness and forces of it. The darkness would be glad for you to recognize its hold on you, as long as you stay in the selfishness that was the occasion of the suffering by loathing the self that was the occasion of suffering. That is, if flesh (Greek sarx), as St. Paul refers to it, is cause of suffering, but one stays in the egocentricity in engaging in negative feelings about suffering, one is still in the suffering, still in the flesh. This means sarx cannot provide release from darkness, for sarx is itself a source of darkness. Sarx refers to the process of selfishness present in all perpetuation of suffering.
Selfishness can never be the root of unselfishness; selfishness can never heal itself. Something, or Someone, outside the darkness must be introduced to relieve one of darkness. This St. Paul refers to as "spirit, Spirit," or pneuma.
So, when we feel suffering, we must get out of the ego-focus that is the source of the perpetuation of suffering. The ego is not inherently evil, yet, such is the doorway to suffering. We get out of the control of ego-focus, not by asserting the ego-focus of trying to alleviate the suffering, but by dropping ego-focus, and we engage a focus on the Light. Then, the Light has the inherent Nature to heal and free.
Spiritually, darkness never contains release or healing from darkness. Darkness embeds us more in darkness, regardless of escapes it offers. You might say, "I'll go to a witch to get an answer to my problem. It seems prayer has not helped." You may get an answer, but you introduced opening to the darkness in your seeking. Or, you think, "I'm really angry; I'll go and tell him off, and that will be that." You get relief, but you find out that was only temporary. Your outburst leaves you suffering more.
Caroline Myss, in Entering the Castle, speaking of St. Teresa's treatment of the "reptiles," concludes: "A reptile cannot survive in the presence of the light of the divine." That is what John 1 says. The Light cannot be extinguished by darkness, and darkness cannot withstand the Light.
QUIETLY RESPONDING
Go into Silence prayerfully. Open yourself to recall a matter that is a suffering to you. Honestly admit it. Do not judge yourself. Do not feel guilty. Do not push it away. Simply let yourself be aware of it. Be compassionate toward yourself - you are not God, after all. Then, create some inward imagery whereby you take that suffering to the Light. I am not going to advise on how to image here. Create some image for both the suffering and the Light. This could be personal or impersonal.
I will give an example. I once was struggling to forgive someone. I had moved beyond pain into suffering. A friend advised me to discontinue praying daily about the matter. She recommended a bring-into-the-Light prayer. This was it: Take the situation and image placing it on the Cross. See, she was not saying to deny or resolve the suffering, only release it to the Light. And what better way than placing it on the Cross of Christ, the image of a dying opening to new Life, a painful end rising into a blissful beginning, the bonds of suffering being transformed into the freedom of gratitude.
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*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian K. Wilcox, of SW Florida. Brian is pastor at Christ Community United Methodist Church, Harbour Heights, FL, and Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Punta Gorda, FL.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings or submission of prayer requests at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Contact the above email to book Brian for Spiritual Direction, retreats, or workshops. You can order his book An Ache for Union at major book dealers.
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