Embracing the spiritual path

Many people view the spiritual path as all roses and angels around the doorway etc. This is the one that is evoked when no change is embraced; the idea is liked, but not the reality.
These people, and I understand why, stay within their world, dreaming of a better life but not doing anything about it, and so the 'fluffy bunny' spirituality prevails, and they look on at others who are trying to embrace their spirituality and who are struggling and suffering because of it, and they tell those others that their life was fine until they started down this crazy road, and why don't they just give up and go back to being in their ‘normal’ and so comfortable zone!

I experienced this myself, and I came to understand that I was challenging their security and masked/denied problems. If I returned, 'to the fold' as they kept trying to persuade me to do, then their world could go back into that zone of comfort and they could carrying on pretending that all was well.

Change is scary and spiritual development is the scariest of all.

My life changed to one of despair and grief, losing much of what was dear to me but, I knew there was something very wrong somewhere in that old life and so I embraced the spirit calling to me, which lead me into a desert and held me there for quite some time.
Intuition was my only guide, and I had to remain strong in my conviction that all would become right again amongst friends and family telling me I was wrong etc.
To say it was hard is an understatement.

I decided to end it all.

A friend, 2 weeks earlier, had insisted I read a book which I put to one side as I was too down and depressed to do anything.
On the night I decided to carry out my decision, something 'told' me to look at the book (Anatomy of the Spirit; by Caroline Myss). I held it against me and just asked for some sort of answer to what I was going through.
I opened it at random and started to read about 'The dark night of the Soul.'

A light went on.

We are never abandoned during these times of great spiritual and life changes. It certainly seems we are alone and lost, to outsiders as well as to ourselves, for a lot of the time, but a light will turn on again and the road ahead becomes clearer, step by step, because what this time is for is to teach us to trust, in ourselves, as well as the Divine, which will guide us down dark and twisty roads until we come into the sunshine of our new life.

The poem 'Footprints' is about this time.

It is important to have someone around you who understands the process. I was lucky to have 2 wonderful friends, called Sue and Julia, who supported me without judgment. They trusted the intuitive and Divine guidance I was getting, and held me gently whenever I stumbled.
I thank them with all my heart.

This is why Forums such as these are important for those who don't have that outer support; and I applaud all who consciously place themselves on the spiritual path, and leave behind the roses and fluffy bunnies, for a time.

My life is still challenging at times, but I am living the one that I know I need to live, for my spiritual, emotional, physical and mental health, and I remember to be grateful everyday and, yes, most of the time I am contented and happy, despite problems, but these just teach me more as I walk my pathway, step by step.