The "dark night of the soul" is a phrase, attributed to the 16th-century Spanish mystic and poet St. John of the Cross, used to describe the passage through darkness one often takes in the journey towards enlightenment. It is when spiritual change and self-discovery is upon us but the way forward is obscured by fear of the unknown.

Base-12 numerology helps illuminate this challenging stage along our spiritual path and how to successfully navigate through with self-love and trust. It provides a vibrational map of the enlightenment cycle and the twelve archetypal themes we will encounter along the way, from the 0 of potential to the 11 of illumination. This universal cycle of learning is the purpose of All That Is, a cycle we each explore with free will in our own creative way.

The dark night of the soul is the transition between the 5 of change and the 7 of truth, where the 6 of love resides, the only stage within the vibration that dips below the reality axis of our physical perception into a void of seeming darkness. But it's not just our human experience that encounters a dark night of the soul; all of reality does as part of its vibrational nature. At the atomic scale, this void manifests as an impenetrable nucleus at the heart of an atom and within which its subatomic constituents remain hidden; at the biological scale, as the nucleus of a cell within which the DNA of its genetic code is held; at the galactic scale as a black hole from which even light can't escape and within which all information is retained; and at the universal scale of consciousness as the unified self-awareness through which all of creation knows itself. This is why the feeling of love and our sense of identity seem to reside at the very core of our being but are so elusive to define—and why our understanding of the true nature of reality through physics has stalled and will remain so until consciousness is brought into the equation.

Blazing a trail through the physical terrain of relationships, family, education, career, and health while attempting to follow the true North of our spiritual compass can be challenging indeed. Those who have experienced a dark night of the soul, myself included, know how directionless and lost one can feel in this place. From an unfulfilling career and personal health crisis to the grief of suicide within my family, I too came to the edge of darkness in the fall of 2014. However, it was also at this existential low point that I had a sudden spiritual awakening that guided me back to daylight with a renewed understanding of love; that the journey from the 5 of change to the 7 of truth, of falling in love with yourself at 6, requires trusting the unknown and that love will carry you back to the surface and back to the light.

The geometry of position 6 within the base-12 numerology cycle is a transformative intersection between opposite polarities but hidden below the reality axis of our perception. It is the timeless now between past and future and the turning point between the downward trajectory of seeking love and the uplifting momentum of knowing love. In fact, each time we incarnate from spirit into physical form, we go through an intentional dark night of the soul in which we forget our spiritual nature as the 6 of love and begin a new cycle of potential at 0 so that we may find our way back to love along a new path.

The clarity to see who we truly are requires the contrast of both light and dark, sometimes amplified by a dramatic dark night of the soul to get our attention. And this can occur in many different ways; through emotional or mental stress, physical illness, a traumatic event, near-death experience, or loss of a loved one. But in all cases, it is triggered by significant change that feels beyond our control. Standing on the precipice of the 5 of change can be a scary and vulnerable place, often causing us to retreat to the safety and security of the 4 of structure. Yet living a life without taking risks is a life without growth and keeps love at arm's length. Species only evolve and thrive by facing and adapting to their changing environment. We, too, have this instinct to thrive as individuals and as a human collective but tend to stall our progress by dwelling on past regrets or speculating what could go wrong rather than living in the present and engaging life positively without judgement.

As with a butterfly's metamorphosis from the linear and grounded life of a caterpillar to the higher dimensional freedom of flight, it must first pass through the dark cocoon stage to reemerge transformed into its full potential. We are that butterfly—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—and the dark night of the soul is an accelerated opportunity to expand our awareness of our physical/spiritual duality. It is neither a sign of failure nor to give up hope when we encounter a dark night of the soul, but quite the opposite. It is a major milestone of personal enlightenment and a divine right of passage to be courageously crossed so that we can hold a torch of love for others when they face their own dark night.

To learn more about harnessing the power of twelve in your personal journey of enlightenment, my book Base-12 Numerology: Discover Your Life Path Through Nature's Most Powerful Number, provides everything you need to apply the vibrational wisdom of numbers for greater clarity and mastery in all aspects of your life.