Dark Night of the Soul

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Dark Night of the Soul is a treatise written by Spanish poet and Roman Catholic mystic Saint John of the Cross. It has become an expression used to describe a specific phase in a person's spiritual life, a metaphor for a certain loneliness and desolation. Though typically associated with a crisis of faith in the Roman Catholic tradition, it is referenced by spiritual traditions throughout the world.

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[edit] History and description

The phrase "dark night of the soul" emerged from the writings of Saint John of the Cross, a Carmelite priest in the 16th century. Dark Night of the Soul, the name of a poem and its theological commentary, are among the Carmelite priest's most well-known writings. The texts tell of the saint's mystical development and the stages he is subjected to on his journey towards union with God.

The Dark Night of the Soul is divided into two books that reflect the two phases of the dark night. The first, that of the soul, is a purification of the senses. The second and more intense of the two stages is that of the spirit, which is the less common of the two. Dark Night of the Soul further describes the ten steps on the ladder of mystical love, previously described by Saint Thomas Aquinas and in part by Aristotle, referred to by medieval Catholic theologians as the Philosopher, for he established justification for the existence of one true God and thus refuted his master, Plato. The text was written while John of the Cross was imprisoned by his Carmelite brothers, who opposed his reformations to the Order.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a 19th-century French Carmelite, underwent similar experience. Centering on doubts about the afterlife, she reportedly told her fellow nuns, "If you only knew what darkness I am plunged into." [1]

While this crisis is assured to be temporary in nature, it may be extended. The "dark night" of Saint Paul of the Cross in the 18th century lasted 45 years, from which he ultimately recovered. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, according to letters released in 2007, "may be the most extensive such case on record", lasting from 1948 almost up until her death in 1997, with only brief interludes of relief between [2]. Franciscan Friar Father Benedict Groeschel, a friend of Mother Teresa for a large part of her life, claims that "the darkness left" towards the end of her life [3].

The "dark night" might clinically or secularly be described as letting go of one's egos as it holds back the psyche, thus making room for some form of transformation, perhaps in a person's way of defining him or her self or his or her relationship to God. This interim period can be frightening, hence the perceived "darkness."

In the Christian tradition, one who has developed a strong prayer life and consistent devotion to God suddenly finds traditional prayer extremely difficult and unrewarding for an extended period of time during this "dark night." The individual may feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them or that his or her prayer life has collapsed.

Rather than resulting in devastation, however, the dark night is perceived by mystics and others to be a blessing in disguise, whereby the individual extends from a state of contemplative prayer to an inability to pray. It is this purgatory, a purgation of the soul, that brings purity and union with God. Such blessings cannot be perceived while the soul suffers this "night." Thus, the Dark Night of the Soul is experienced as a severe test of one's faith that leads to deeper understanding and greater love.

[edit] In popular culture

Author and humorist Douglas Adams satirized the phrase in the title of his 1988 Science Fiction novel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

It is also been used as a song title by several bands and music artists, including Steve_Bell_(musician), Loreena McKennitt, The Get Up Kids, Mayhem and by CHH artist shai linne in the Solus Christus project.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "A Saint's Dark Night", The New York Times, by James Martin, 29 August, 2007.
  2. ^ "Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith", by David van Biema, Time Magazine, 23 August, 2007
  3. ^ "The Mother Teresa I Knew", by Father Benedict Groeschel, EWTN Sunday Night Live, 9 September, 2007

[edit] Further reading

  • May, Gerald G. (2004). The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0-06-055423-1.

[edit] External links

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