Depression: When the Light Feels Far Away

A gentle reflection for those who struggle…and those who stay near

Some words echo in the heart.
Depression is one of them.
Not just a gloomy day. Not simply “feeling off.”
But a deep, consuming weight.
A silence that blankets the soul.
As if life is being lived behind glass, and you’re just watching… unable to touch it.

For some, it’s a long-term companion.
For others, a sudden storm.
And it affects not only the one who feels it, but everyone around them.

What do you say when someone tells you: “I don’t see the point anymore”?
What do you do when you are that person?

I’m writing this.
Not as a doctor.
Not as a therapist.
But as a friend.
And as a student of A Course in Miracles.

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What is depression, really?

The word depression means: to press down.
It pulls us inward, downward…caught in beliefs not born of Love.

The Course says something bold:

“Depression is the sign of allegiance to the god of sickness.
Joy is never permitted.
For depression means that you have forsworn God.”

That sounds harsh. For many of us, even too harsh.
But remember… A Course in Miracles never judges.
It simply points gently:
Somewhere within, we may have accepted the thought:

“I am separate.”
“I have failed.”
“I no longer belong in the Light.”

But that is precisely the illusion the Holy Spirit can heal.
Not by effort, but by willingness.

“All sorrow, all pain, all fear, and all sense of loss or loneliness
comes from the belief in separation.”

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What if you feel numb?

Sometimes, we observe our own emotions from a distance.
We analyze them. Try to control them. We stand above them, like scientists studying storms…hoping that understanding might give us power.

But that very distance often deepens the disconnection.

We are not separate from our feelings.
We are the experience.
When we stop trying to manage the inner world from the outside, something softens.
We no longer watch silence…
We become still enough to truly feel again.

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And those around us?

What do you do when your child, partner, friend or sibling is depressed?

Truthfully?
You often feel powerless.
You say, “Let’s go out”…they can’t.
You try to cheer them up… it doesn’t land.
You offer advice…they pull away.
And sometimes…you just feel tired.

That’s okay.
You’re human.
You’re not failing.

Your task is not to fix.
It is to see through the fog…
and choose to stay present.

“The body will remain guilt’s messenger as long as you believe guilt is real.
But when you see the light behind it, it becomes no more than a fragile veil
before the sun.”

And sometimes, just being there is the greatest act of Love.
Not with words. Not with answers.
But with silence…filled with attention.
A quiet presence that says: “You’re not alone.”

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Why doesn’t help always… help?

The Course describes something fascinating:
A psychotherapist may interpret the ego’s symbols in a nightmare, and then use them to prove that the nightmare is real.
Having made it real, he then attempts to dispel its effects by depreciating the importance of the dreamer.
This would be a healing approach if the dreamer were also identified as unreal.
Yet if the dreamer is equated with the mind, the mind’s corrective power through the Holy Spirit is denied. This is a contradiction even in the ego’s terms, and one which it usually notes even in its confusion.

In other words:
The ego says, “You are broken.”
The Holy Spirit says, “You have forgotten.”

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What if someone sees no way out?

This is hard to write.
But the reason I write is the heartbreak of so many souls
who felt they couldn’t go on.

What can we possibly say?
What would A Course in Miracles say?

Gently, it would whisper:
You are not lost.
Even in the darkest places, Love never left you.
Heaven never closed its doors.

“Sometimes, a person uses sickness as a way of life.
Sudden healing might cause such deep depression or loss,
they may even wish for death. In that case, healing must wait…
for their protection.”

Even that is Love.

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So… is there a way out?

Yes.
But not by force.
Not by pretending to feel what you don’t.
Only by a whisper of willingness.

“I want to see this differently.”

That’s the door.

And The Course reassures:

“Let the Holy Spirit remove it from the withered kingdom
you placed it in…surrounded by darkness, guarded by attack.
Inside that fortress, there remains a part of the Son of God:
whole, holy, serene… untouched.”

That is you.
Untouched.
Even if you can’t feel it right now.

You don’t need to force Light into the room.
Just trust that it’s still there.
Even when all you can offer is your longing for it.

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What can you do if you’re in a depression?

Acknowledge how you feel, but don’t accept it as your identity.
Call on the Light… even if it’s just a whisper.
Say: “Holy Spirit, help me see this differently.”

Repeat gently:
“I am as God created me.”
“Light is what I am.”
“I have simply forgotten.”

Trust that even if you feel nothing, you are still held.
The Light is not gone…it’s just clouded.

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And if you’re standing beside someone?
        –       Don’t try to fix. Just be present.
        –       Be still. Not silent — but inwardly calm.
        –       Believe in their Light… even if they can’t.
        –       And if words fail, just say:

“I’m here. I love you. And I know this is not who you truly are.”

⸻

Why are we writing this?

Because so many feel alone.
Because depression whispers: “You are cut off.”
And Love responds: “You have never left.”

So this is our offering.
To the one who sits in darkness.
To the one who sits beside them.
To the one who believes healing is too far gone.

Let us remind you:

You are Light. And Light can never be lost.
And if that Light feels too far to find…
we are here to remember with you.
For you.
With you.
Always.

With Love and Light,
G.