What To Do When Dealing With Spiritual Eclipse | Albina Truax

By Anonymous -

There were times in my life where I struggled to feel hope within my spirituality. It felt lonely and it felt dark. It was even though fog overpowered my mind and my ability to connect with God. Did you ever feel that? If so, know that you are not alone and there is a way to get out of what I call “spiritual eclipse.”


What Is Spirituality?

Spirituality is when a person is trying to connect to a Higher Power. To some people a Higher Power is God, to some it is nature, and to some, it is still a journey to figure out what or who it is. When people feel satisfied in their spiritual life, they feel connection, love, purpose, and hope. On the other hand, when people are struggling with their spirituality, they feel disconnection, apathy, purposelessness, and despair. 


Eclipse 

A solar eclipse occurs when a moon overshadows the sun. During a solar eclipse, if a person looks at the sky, she/he can see the full moon and a small part of the Sun. It is beautiful to look at for a moment but eventually, we will realize that we need the sun. When the spiritual eclipse occurs, a person might feel that his or her sun (source of connection, love, and hope) is overshadowed by a moon (mental illness, doubts, and despair). It could last for days, weeks, and even months.



What to do?


We All Feel It

No matter what worldview a person is pursuing, and what or who he or she is worshiping, everyone at least once in their life feels a spiritual eclipse. We all feel it. Sometimes I was in denial that I felt it, because I felt shame that I struggled in my worldview which is part of my spirituality. The thing is though, the more I realized that I had a problem, the more hopeful I felt.


There Is Light

The hope that came from my realization of having a spiritual eclipse empowered me to have the ability to see the light. I did not give up on my spirituality/worldview, which is the light of my life. I kept doing the things that I knew would help me to see the light: reading the Bible and the Book of Mormon, praying to God, going to the temple, and seeking help.


Helping Each Other With Spiritual Eclipse 

People of various worldviews have a common belief to help each other. In her 2012 article "What Do Religions Say About Charity?", Purdue Global’s Darlene Levy showed how four major worldviews all believed in helping one another. For example, in Christianity, it is believed in the need of mourning one with another. Another example is that Buddhists have a required action called Dana, where a person needs to give and share talents and time with the other selflessly and without seeking a return. Thus, we see that we all can help each other with spiritual eclipse. We can listen to each other's stories, sympathize, and offer help. A person with spiritual eclipse can be reassured that there is hope and light!

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