Viewing the loss of your former identity not as random suffering but as an initiation into a deeper, more authentic existence that requires this particular death.
In many spiritual traditions, initiation requires a death—a dismantling of the initiate's former self so that a truer self can emerge. Mirabai's forced departure from her former life can be understood as such an initiation: painful, unwilling, yet productive of genuine spiritual awakening. This concept reframes grief for lost identity from meaningless loss into purposeful passage. This is not to deny the pain or to suggest that all identity loss is spiritually beneficial—some is simply tragedy. But when you find yourself grieving the dissolution of who you were, it can help to ask: What is this loss initiating me into? What capacities, understandings, or freedoms can only emerge on the other side of this grief? What would I not become if I never lost this identity? Viewing your grief as initiation doesn't eliminate it, but it situates it within a larger narrative of becoming rather than mere subtraction.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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