"One does not become enlightened by imagining oneself as a figure of light but by making the darkness conscious." Carl Jung (1875 - 1961) A deeper level of consciousness can only be birthed from a space of darkness, the void of all possibility, as all of life has arisen from nothingness. Such is the paradox of awakening. When you find yourself held in suspension, and when you are catapulted out of everything you know to be true, it is easy to forget the truth of who you really are. However, no matter the outer experiences, your innermost essence is unchangeable. A sense of isolation and separation are undoubtedly facets of the dark night, but in reality you are never alone. Many people have walked this path before you, there are those who are currently engulfed in its midst and those who will follow. The pieces in this book landed as my own journey through the wilderness. Each fragment is a lived experience, and each lived experience is a mentor. I offer you these words as your companion while you transition through your own inner shadows...may they provide comfort as you move through the deepest levels of release and find your way home, to a self-compassion you never knew existed.