For in facing our darkness, we bring to light forgotten parts of our being. In recognizing exactly where we have been unconscious, we become more conscious. And in seeing and feeling the ways we've gone dead, we start to revive and kindle our desire to live more expansively. True love always requires great daring. Although we might like to think of love only in terms of the light it brings into our life, if we are not also willing to confront the darkness that this light reveals, our soul will never ripen or evolve.
Awareness born of love is the only force that can bring healing and renewal.
Out of love for others, we become more willing to let our old identities wither and fall away, and enter a dark night of the soul, so that we may stand naked once more in the presence of the great mystery that lies at the core of our being. This is how love ripens us - by warming us from within, inspiring us to break out of our shell, and lighting our way through the dark passage to new birth.