Sometimes, the path to real spiritual awakening begins when everything falls apart. The Dark Night of the Soul is not just a metaphor—it is a lived spiritual breakdown, a dismantling of identity that clears the way for something more truthful to rise. It mirrors the shock of The Tower Tarot meaning, the tearing of the Veil of Paroketh, and the mythic journey of Inanna's descent. Each one reveals how spiritual awakening through suffering leads to deep shadow work and integration. Rooted in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, this process isn't about punishment. It's about transformation through ego death and rebirth, guiding you to a deeper, more honest relationship with the Divine.
The Tower Before the Veil - What You Will Learn In This Article
- The Dark Night strips away spiritual illusions to reveal what's real.
- The Tower in Tarot symbolizes sudden, divine disruption for growth.
- The Veil of Paroketh separates illusion from direct spiritual experience.
- Inanna's descent is a mythic map of ego death and soul rebirth.
- Shadow work and practical rituals can support transformation during this process.
Estimated reading time:7 minutes
What Is the Dark Night of the Soul?
The Quiet Collapse of Meaning
The Dark Night of the Soul begins in silence. You may not even realize it at first. What once gave you comfort—spiritual insights, beliefs, practices—now feels hollow. It's a slow unraveling. Nothing is clearly wrong on the outside, but inside, everything starts to dissolve.
This isn't depression or despair alone. It's the soul's awakening cry, pulling you out of the illusion of control and identity. You might still say all the right spiritual things, but feel no connection behind the words. It's the loss of your old self, happening in real time.
Spiritual Awakening Through Suffering
This process breaks through shallow comforts. It doesn't ask for your theories—it takes them. It forces you to let go of what no longer serves, even if those things once brought you closer to the Divine. It's through this collapse that something real can emerge.
The suffering is not pointless. It opens the heart to deeper truth.
The Tower Tarot Meaning as a Catalyst
Why the Tower Destroys Illusions
In the Tarot, The Tower depicts a tall structure struck by lightning, its crown blown off and its foundations cracked. This is no gentle change. It's a collapse. But it's not cruel—it's necessary.
The Tower represents the moment life stops letting you fake it. Anything built on a lie, even a spiritual one, must come down. The lightning comes from a higher place. It's divine disruption with purpose.
Lightning and the Sacred Disruption
The Tower's lightning is not punishment. It's grace in disguise. It cuts through pretense and pride. It says, "This is no longer true." And it doesn't whisper—it strikes. In the spiritual journey, this is the moment when you can no longer pretend. The masks burn off. What's left is you, stripped bare.
The Veil of Paroketh and the Inner Divide
Crossing the Spiritual Threshold
In Kabbalistic mysticism, the Veil of Paroketh separates the world of divine unity (the Supernals) from the world of form and ego. It's the line between thinking about the Divine and actually experiencing it.
We live most of our lives beneath this veil, constructing identities and beliefs. But the soul aches for what lies beyond—connection that is not imagined but lived.
The Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the Self
On the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the path of the Tower cuts across Hod (intellect) and Netzach (emotion), two pillars of the ego. When the lightning strikes here, it ruptures the bridge we built with thought and feeling alone. The result is not loss: it's realignment. It is the burning away of all that blocks real communion with the Divine.
Inanna’s Descent: A Mythic Blueprint for Ego Death
The Seven Gates and the Stripping Away
The ancient Babylonian myth of Inanna's descent mirrors the Dark Night of the Soul perfectly. Inanna, Queen of Heaven, chooses to enter the Underworld. At each of the seven gates, she is stripped of her crown, jewels, and robes until she stands naked before her sister, Ereshkigal, ruler of the shadow realm.
Each item she loses represents something we cling to: our power, self-worth, spiritual identity. The stripping is brutal, but it's also sacred. You can't carry illusions into the Underworld.
Death, Integration, and the Return
Inanna is judged and killed. Her corpse hangs on a hook. This is the ego death and rebirth. Yet after three days, she rises. But she doesn't come back the same. She brings the demons of the Underworld with her: not as enemies, but as part of her court.
This is the power of integration. You don't leave the Dark Night as a "clean" soul. You emerge as a full one: flawed, humbled, and deeply connected.
Shadow Work and Integration in Real Life
How to Recognize You Are in the Dark Night of the Soul
You may feel abandoned by Spirit. Old joys vanish. Prayers feel dry. You question everything, even your worth. But underneath, something stirs: the beginning of honesty.
Practical Tools: Ritual, Journaling, and Compassionate Witnessing
During this time, truth-telling is a sacred act. Say one truth out loud, no matter how small. Let go of one behavior that props up your old Tower.
Journaling prompts:
- What belief just collapsed, and what freedom came with it?
- Where do I use wanting and logic to stay beneath the veil?
- What promise helps me face the unknown with an open heart?
Shadow work isn't fixing yourself. It's welcoming what you once ran from. It's how the rubble becomes the foundation.
The Dawn After the Collapse: Rebirth Through the Tower
After the Smoke Clears
The lightning is fast. The Dark Night is slow. But eventually, something shifts. You notice the dust settling. You can breathe again. What you thought was emptiness starts to feel like space.
You realize you're still here—and more yourself than ever.
Soul Clarity and Authentic Light
This is when the Star rises in the Tarot. Not the bright ego-light of the old Tower, but a soft, steady light. You no longer need certainty—you trust the unfolding. You don't just talk about Spirit. - you live it.
That is the gift of the Dark Night: an unshakable sense of realness.
The Gift Behind the Collapse: Truth, Light, and Rebirth
The Dark Night of the Soul is not a detour. It's the real path. Like the Tower Tarot meaning, it destroys only what no longer serves you. It burns illusions so something truer can rise. As you pass through the Veil of Paroketh, you don't lose your connection to the Divine—you lose the false ways you tried to reach it. Myths like Inanna's descent remind us that spiritual awakening through suffering is not a failure—it's a form of freedom. Through shadow work and integration, guided by the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, you step into the light—not as someone who never broke, but as someone who was broken open and made new.
Blessing for the Center of the Storm.
A meditation for passing through The Dark Night of the Soul.
For the words, please visit: https://hiddenarcanatarot.podbean.com/e/meditation-blessing-at-the-center-of-the-storm/
About the Authors
Liane and Christopher Buck are the creators of the Tao of Tarot, whose first book and card set is The Hidden Arcana Tarot. They are also the founders of OMTimes Magazine, Humanity Healing Network, and the charities Humanity Healing International and Cathedral of the Soul. Read more on their Bio Page.
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