You possibly can atone for the earlier tales with Ruby on this hyperlink:
After the lengthy evening and her experiences with the three folks misplaced within the desert, Ruby discovered her approach again to the oasis. As soon as there, she continued to regulate to the calls for of the desert. She practiced touring at evening. She realized find out how to higher use the celebs when there wasn’t moonlight. She modified extra of her methods of looking, discovering, getting ready, and saving meals. Because the climate modified, she once more modified the occasions of the day that she was energetic.
Every little thing modified.
Once more.
Sooner or later, she regarded into the waters of the oasis and noticed her reflection. Piercing eyes gazed again. Lengthy, wild hair framed a lean face and body–much leaner than she’d ever been. Somebody unknown was rising.
“Who’re you?”
The picture didn’t reply.
A chilly wind ripped down by means of the oasis and dashed the reflection. Ruby shivered.
Night time was coming sooner. The nights had been now bitterly chilly. Nevertheless, Ruby had scouted out water and wildlife at a decrease elevation the place it could be hotter. In the course of the summer season, the decrease areas had been too blisteringly sizzling to have even tried exploring, not that she knew how to take action earlier on. Her survival expertise had improved sufficient that she may try it now.
She thought she was prepared.
On the day she supposed to journey away from the oasis, she caught sight of a well-recognized golden smudge within the sky. Rapidly, the kuldne kull arrived. The being appeared unusually hurried.
Oh good, Ruby thought, I’ve some questions.
“Have you learnt find out how to rock climb?” the kull requested.
“What?” Ruby frowned. “No, however….”
“Maybe you need to be taught.” Then the kull left.
“Hey!” She shouted. “I’ve questions!”
However the kull was already far-off.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”
Ruby paused in shock. She realized she’d simply swore. “The place did that come from?”
She pulled up her pack and shook her head. “Tremendous. I will ask my questions another time…rocking climbing….” Ruby laughed.
After many miles, Ruby felt somewhat extra heat. The terrain, nevertheless, was much more barren right here. She knew it could be difficult.
She had her sights set on a small spring in a rock outcrop that she’d discovered on one in all her scouting excursions. She knew that animals and vegetation wanted water as a lot as she did. It appeared like the suitable place to be till she had an opportunity to research even additional out.
She got here round a flip amidst the rocks and noticed the spring. She set down her pack and went to get a drink. She climbed over a boulder and stepped on the bottom when it gave approach.
She fell.
Her physique hit rock and rebounded, and her thoughts frantically tried to know what was taking place. She flailed her arms to catch one thing. Her fingers discovered rock, and her physique slammed into the rock wall. She misplaced her grip and continued to fall. It appeared limitless. Then she hit backside.
Ruby gasped for air and groaned. She opened her eyes, which step by step adjusted to the dim gentle. Up above, the dying daylight proven by means of the highest of the pit 100 possibly 200 ft above her. She flexed her fingers and ft as she examined herself to see how harm she was. She touched her arms and chest. It felt like a rib was damaged.
She breathed. Seemed round. Tried to know what occurred.
She stared upwards. It seemed to be a sinkhole most likely brought on by water erosion when the spring ran this manner. It will need to have modified course a few years in the past.
Slowly, Ruby bought to her ft. She put her fingers alongside the rock, on the lookout for a gap the place the water may have flowed out. She solely felt rock encircling her. No openings.
Ruby regarded up once more. The kuldne kull got here to thoughts.
“Mountaineering….” Ruby laughed. And laughed, and her voice echoed again. Till the pit resounded with the echoes of laughter. It stuffed her head like a dozen folks laughing at her.
Ruby lined her ears. She additionally felt the ache of the damaged rib complaining on the laughing.
She breathed.
“Okay. Okay. Rocking climbing,” she mentioned extra severely. She breathed extra and tried to focus.
She reached up and shortly pulled her arms down. Ache flooded her. Undoubtedly had a damaged rib. Possibly two.
“Hey!” She referred to as to the highest of the pit. “Hey! Someone!” She referred to as as a lot as she may, however she was changing into more and more conscious of the ache of the damaged ribs, which made it arduous to undertaking her voice.
Nobody replied.
“Okay. Mountaineering.”
She fastidiously lifted her arms. She pulled on the rock to raise herself. The ache got here again.
“Fuck!” She swore. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
Her voice echoed.
“Fuck this. Fuck you!”
Her voice echoed extra and swore again at her, “Fuck you!”
Ruby felt rage boiling up–a rage she did not know she possessed.
And she or he preferred it. She preferred the self-righteous anger. She felt blame stand up. She blamed the desert, the random folks she’d met who’d hassled her, the cryptic kuldne kull, and any and every little thing she may consider. She could not let it go. It wasn’t her fault that she was on this pit.
Ruby angrily regarded on the darkness round her. Her eyes adjusted extra. She seen small animal bones and the cranium of a coyote. Her anger cooled. Right here feelings twisted into one thing else, freezing right into a thousand pinpricks throughout her pores and skin.
A small alcove in a single space of the pit had a human skeleton. She bent down to take a look at it. She noticed its boney fingers protecting its hole eye sockets.
Ruby shivered.
She reached for her pack to get a shawl, however it wasn’t there. She remembered her pack was far above her alongside together with her additional layers of clothes.
And her meals.
And her water.
As actuality sank in, worry flooded her senses.
“Hey anybody! Anybody! Please, HELP!” Her proper ribs despatched waves of ache with every scream, however the wash of worry overrode that sensation.
Desperately she referred to as out. She referred to as to the kull and to the folks she’d met within the desert. Even loopy Gerald. If ever she wanted a human who’d mastered the power to fly, it was NOW. She simply hoped he’d really figured it out or had given it up so he may climb down and get her.
Her voice echoed wildly, filling her thoughts once more with a dozen determined voices.
Nobody replied.
She sank to her knees. Her ribs ached. Her breath was shallow. She gasped and wheezed.
The chilly ought to be much less extreme down within the pit with out the wind to make issues worse, however water was the large difficulty. She felt round on the bottom and alongside the rock, however all she discovered was sand and rock.
And extra bones.
Ruby slipped into unhappiness. The tingly exhilaration of worry that she’d clung to in shouting for assist as a result of the candy unhappiness of self-pity.
“Assist,” she mentioned weakly. “Assist.”
Once more her voice echoed. However this time it someway become one voice. A tragic little lady’s voice. Ruby heard her longing once more, however it was so completely different. It wasn’t just like the longing that had introduced her to the desert, but it was. She discovered herself fantasizing about Mt. Liebe once more. Then the longing and the imagery modified. Mt. Liebe merged with the energy and security of her father’s arms. It mingled with the reminiscences of her mom braiding her lengthy hair earlier than her city’s ritual haircutting–a ritual of maturity for the ladies of her city. She’d had it quick ever since then.
She reached again and touched her hair. She realized how lengthy it had turn out to be throughout her time within the desert. Chopping it had not been a necessity a lot much less on her thoughts.
“Who am I changing into,” Ruby sobbed.
She regarded up once more.
Hoping.
Hoping to see a face staring again. As an alternative, the solar’s fading gentle had left a lone star to shine down upon her.
“Please. Somebody. Assist.”
Nobody replied.
Interpretation of The Desert and the Pit
Persevering with Ruby’s story, we see her studying and rising. Her expertise being misplaced at evening has proven her that her data of the desert (ego dissolution, letting go of attachments, and so on.) was inadequate. She correctly works to be taught extra, and the method continues to change her.
In a second of staring into the waters of the oasis, she realizes that she is not the individual that she as soon as thought she was. Maybe you have had this expertise of not recognizing your self in your path.
Sadly, Ruby can also be creating a non secular ego. She is heading off into a brand new space–the harsher a part of the desert that she could not attain earlier than. This occurs in our work. We work at a sure stage, after which we work at deeper ranges. She’s managed to determine issues out on her personal, and now, she believes that she is aware of what she must do.
She’s flawed.
The kuldne kull is talked about as hurrying to see her as a result of this trainer is aware of what’s coming. The kull shouldn’t be Ruby’s trainer, nevertheless. She hasn’t taken him on as her trainer, and this time, she does not take the trainer’s recommendation. She thinks she’s discovered what she must do.
This units up her fall.
Earlier on, Ruby is extra humble as a lot of you doubtless noticed in case you learn The Journey to the Desert. But it surely’s all the time fascinating the place the ego reveals up once more. Will probably be humble in some methods and to some extent, however it does not absolutely give up. It holds out with pockets of satisfaction right here and there in a few of the most humble folks.
Ruby’s satisfaction makes her unable to see the knowledge of the kull regardless of a rising historical past between them the place the kull has identified very sensible steps.
We additionally see her beginning to lose management of her feelings when she swears for the primary time. The lack of management of various facets of our emotional ego (which for a few of you is suppressed underneath an mental ego) is a part of the breaking down means of the ego. It is also a part of falling into the pit.
What’s the pit?
I am positive a few of you need to relate the pit to the darkish evening of the soul. That is not what the pit is. The darkish evening of the soul, as I outline it, is when an individual is most recognized with their ego and issues are going very badly based on what the ego desires. In these experiences, folks normally don’t have any non secular instruments, and the tendency is to despair as a result of the ego can see no approach out.
The Darkish Night time of the Soul
The pit is the place the place we have thrown all types of feelings, reminiscences, and attachments that we do not need to take care of. It is a spot of ache and struggling that individuals endlessly attempt to keep away from, which solely makes it greater, deeper, and nastier. The pit is the place all of us should go to reconcile ourselves with all of the misplaced, forgotten, and hated components of ourselves. It was inevitable that Ruby would go into the pit. That is why it could have actually helped if she’d realized to rock climb, aka realized the non secular practices and understandings that assist to maneuver not simply out of the pit, however safely INTO THE PIT.
You most likely hadn’t thought-about that second half. However that is how it’s with so many non secular seekers, together with Ruby. Lots of you assume you may keep away from it and actively use non secular instruments to keep away from it. Then, you find yourself haphazardly falling into the pit while you aren’t prepared. Now you are on the backside staring up, bruised, crushed, and battered.
Then what occurs. The identical factor that Ruby does. You react.
We see Ruby undergo her most simple emotions–anger, worry, and unhappiness. Hope even reveals up, however none of them assist.
We see her attempt to use a few of the non secular practices she is aware of. She tries to breath and calm her reactions. That counts for lots, however for the time being, it isn’t sufficient. She provides in to her feelings many times. She’s too hooked up to them.
The longer she is within the pit, the extra she is compelled to reckon with herself. The preliminary descent right into a set of deeply embedded points and attachments could be complicated and disorienting for folks. Many individuals expertise this on the outset of their non secular paths due to a sudden awakening or one other important non secular shift. However do not equate the 2 experiences: the extent of confusion and ache within the pit is way increased than these preliminary shifts.
Being Spiritually Prepared Versus Ready
It is arduous for most individuals to think about the pit being worse than a few of the preliminary upsets just like the dangerous divorce/break-up, shedding your job, loss of life of a cherished one, and different issues that may set off upsets or perhaps a darkish evening of a soul. However strive imagining shedding all grip in your sense of notion of who you might be. When the break-up occurs, you assume you understand issues accurately. However what in case you aren’t? And also you most likely aren’t.
Most of what folks expertise because the darkish evening of the soul is definitely very shallow even whether it is tragic. Persons are too reactive to go deep. The deeper stuff requires much more intentional calmness and rest within the thoughts, coronary heart, and physique to entry and to truly PROCESS. Anyway, you may’t know till you expertise the depths of the pit what it’s, and that is why Ruby actually wanted a trainer earlier than arriving right here.
Since Ruby has some coaching, she begins to see within the dark–the darkish is a metaphor for the unconscious and ignorance. You might have seen that a whole lot of stuff that challenges Ruby in previous tales is going on at evening and/or at nighttime.
She sees her concept of her eager for non secular freedom breaking down. The pit reveals extra of what the precise longing is–a eager for the love of her dad and mom. She wasn’t on the lookout for freedom.
Having her insincerity uncovered is upsetting to Ruby, as it’s for many non secular seekers. But there may be some success. She is letting go of a few of her ego within the seeing of this reality about herself. The remark about her hair is a reference to the continued ego dissolution course of, and he or she asks once more about who she is/changing into.
Arising towards the fact of really letting go of components of the ego is one thing that always scares folks to the purpose that they give up the non secular path. Which is ironic. But it surely occurs on a regular basis.
What is going to Ruby do within the face of a few of these realizations?
How will she get out of the pit?
One other story is on the best way.