There are necessary times in the life of every aspirant with his or her faith is overrun by what seemed to be an avalanche of "facts" born of a reaction to the discoveries of certain dark parts of themselves. And just as surely as a skier may be buried beneath tons of snow and ice, so does the seeker feel as though they are being crushed by the certainty of their own degraded state. It is in exactly times like this when one must be able to use an aspect of one's mind that is little if ever called upon: higher reasoning. Think to yourself, for just a moment, which is the superior situation: a person is in a dream believing that life is delightful, when in truth her own dream state is a deception that prohibits her from ever realizing anything about real life -- or -- a person (you) start to awaken from the dream-seeing that what you once believed was true -- isn't -- and that were it not for this light showing you the darkness you were formally standing in, there could be no hope? If I phrased these options correctly, then the conclusion is inescapable. Be grateful for seeing this darkness in yourself -- if only by realizing that were it not for the stirring of a light (within you) you would never know your actual (temporary level of consciousness). There is an axiom -- a law when it comes to spiritual awakening: First, the student must awaken to his or her actual condition. In this awakening -- and for this awakening -- there comes the gradual and necessary dying to oneself. Only from this gradual withdrawal from the illusion of who you have mistaken yourself to be, is there authentic rebirth. The release from yourself begins with seeing where you have been confined by wrong ideas about yourself. Welcome to Light that makes all of this clear. Persist, persist, persist!

Follow-Up Question

I am confused however -- when do we move beyond the "illusion" that has been activated? I have thought about those individuals who were rounded up for the Nazi camps and exterminated. How could they integrate God's love by not being reactive? When do we know that we are in a reactive mode -- or in a self-honoring mode?

Answer

The task is always have the intention of being present to oneself, because the intention of living in the Presence moment, (i.e., honoring the Divine within) is the same as the revelation of all that is reactive, repetitive, and ultimately without honor. What you now see as being an "illusion" inwardly is not the illusion; these unconscious (and necessarily) reactive) parts of our self are real and require being stirred and awakened, "perfected" (if you will) by the "touch" of the living Light. The "illusion" is more the delusion of the divided mind's unconscious identification with them -- usually characterized by resistance of some kind -- whereby we mistake ourselves to be what we don't want or like to see (in our own consciousness). As for those who have died at the hands of beings who are darkness incarnate, leave all concern as to what they may have experienced to them; if you live your life fully, you will eventually fully understand the life of everyone who has ever lived, suffered, and/or been reborn.