Hello, i was going through a guided meditation today and was a little less than halfway through when something started feeling wrong. I was supposed to be traveling to a beautiful place but instead found myself in a place with dark shadows and what felt like evil presences. It was absolutely terrifying, and it's never happened before. I couldn't get through it and had to end the meditation. If anyone has ideas as to why this happened, any input would be much appreciated!
—Marisa, United States
Dear Marisa,
Sorry for the late reply; I just returned tonight from India, where I didn’t check my emails.
First of all I hope this experience hasn’t discouraged you from meditating. You were faced with the power of darkness. The best answer is to put out a strong call to God, filling your meditation with His Light.
But keep going.
Good that you finished that meditation before it had ended. Next time end it even earlier, when something starts “feeling wrong,” without letting it become “absolutely terrifying.”
The Masters speak about this world being a battleground between forces of light and darkness. Often in devotees this battle manifests in a more general way: good habits, thoughts, and actions fight against bad ones. As far as I know usually only advanced devotees experience it in meditation in the “terrifying” way you have, facing actual presences.
This light/darkness battle occurs both inside of us, and outside.
So your experience can be of two sorts: either you got in contact with actual evil entities for some reason, or inner forces of darkness in your own psychology were being brought to the surface.
Whatever the case, never fear. You are a child of Light, and the Light will prevail.
One time Swami Kriyananda had a similar experience where an entity attacked him. He called out for Yogananda, and everything was over right away. Yogananda later told him, “Such things happen sometimes on the path. Don’t be afraid of them.”
It might be that this experience wants to give you a message. I had a similar experience years ago and felt that it was a warning from my dim past, where I believe I had to do with dark forces. The message was clear: “Stay far away from anything and everything which has to do with magic, darkness.” The experience has never returned.
If, however, the experience should come back to you, hold on to the Light, to God, to a saint, with all your will. Where there is Light, the darkness cannot exist.
In case some echo of that experience is still lingering with you, try working with this affirmation by Yogananda:
“I am submerged in His eternal light.
It permeates every particle of my being.
I am living in that light,
for the divine Spirit has filled me
within and without.”
In divine friendship,
jayadev
