Dark Night of the Soul

[D. Allan]

Thanks, Pam. I understand. You have been through a lot and I'm glad you are here in a safer, I hope, place. The spiritual path is not always easy. But at least we are on the path.

The poem of course is symbolic, like the Song of Solomon. From what little I've read about him, John of the Cross, wanted to help others who in the future would have the same experience of feeling abandoned by God. (When we have that feeling, of course we are wrong. That is when He is nearest.) Anyway, John of the Cross believed, as I understand him, that 'faith working through love' is the answer to lighting up the dark-night. Love is the ground out of which faith comes. We believe in what we love; therefore love is a creative force that we find within us, not without. And since God is Love, we can then find Him in our hearts.

Quote:

In any degree of the spiritual life,... it can happen that a man will feel himself caught up in an emotional religious ferment in which he overflows with sensible, and even sentimental movements of love for God and other people.... In themselves these movements of passion are indifferent. They can be used for good or evil,... spiritual life will not really begin until he has learned in some measure to get along without the stimulus of emotion. - Thomas Merton

Does Mr. Merton contradict what i just said about 'faith working through love'? Maybe not, 'cause he is speaking of emotions which the ego loves as sensations. But love for the principles that God embodies is a principle itself. We are free to choose it.

Even after Jesus was anointed by the Spirit he was sent by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted. What does this mean? He had to choose between love of God's principle of love, or power over others. He chose to be broken rather than to break others.

Excuse the long monologue. Just some thoughts rambling around my head today.

~d.allan

[D. Allan]

From St. John of the Cross, his commentaries on his poem 'Stanzs of the Soul'

Book ONE - Chapter 1

1. Souls begin to enter this dark night when God, gradually drawing them out of the state of beginners (those who practice meditation on the spiritual road), begins to place them in the state of proficients (those who are already contemplatives), so that by passing through this state they might reach that of the perfect, which is the divine union of the soul with God. We should first mention here some characteristics of beginners, for the sake of a better explanation and understanding of the nature of this night and of God's motive for placing the soul in it. Although our treatment of these things will be as brief as possible, it will help beginners understand the feebleness of their state and take courage and desire that God place them in this night where the soul is strengthened in virtue and fortified for the inestimable delights of the love of God. And, although we will be delayed for a moment, it will be for no longer than our discussion of this dark night requires.

2. It should be known, then, that God nurtures and caresses the soul, after it has been resolutely converted to his service, like a loving mother who warms her child with the heat of her bosom, nurses it with good milk and tender food, and carries and caresses it in her arms. But as the child grows older, the mother withholds her caresses and hides her tender love; she rubs bitter aloes on her sweet breast and sets the child down from her arms, letting it walk on its own feet so that it may put aside the habits of childhood and grow accustomed to greater and more important things. The grace of God acts just as a loving mother by re-engendering in the soul new enthusiasm and fervor in the service of God. With no effort on the soul's part, this grace causes it to taste sweet and delectable milk and to experience intense satisfaction in the performance of spiritual exercises, because God is handing the breast of his tender love to the soul, just as if it were a delicate child [1 Pt. 2:2-3].1

3. The soul finds its joy, therefore, in spending lengthy periods at prayer, perhaps even entire nights; its penances are pleasures; its fasts, happiness; and the sacraments and spiritual conversations are its consolations. Although spiritual persons do practice these exercises with great profit and persistence, and are very careful about them, spiritually speaking, they conduct themselves in a very weak and imperfect manner. Since their motivation in their spiritual works and exercises is the consolation and satisfaction they experience in them, and since they have not been conditioned by the arduous struggle of practicing virtue, they possess many faults and imperfections in the discharge of their spiritual activities. Assuredly, since everyone's actions are in direct conformity with the habit of perfection that has been acquired, and since these persons have not had time to acquire those firm habits, their work must of necessity be feeble, like that of weak children. For a clearer understanding of this and of how truly imperfect beginners are, insofar as they practice virtue readily because of the satisfaction attached to it, we will describe, using the seven capital vices as our basis, some of the numerous imperfections beginners commit. Thus we will clearly see how very similar their deeds are to those of children. The benefits of the dark night will become evident, since it cleanses and purifies the soul of all these imperfections.

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[Amelia]

*Tacking on

I know a poem that also starts with "One dark night"

One dark night

when we were all in bed.

Old lady leery

lit a lantern in the shed.

And when the cow kicked

it over

She winked her eye

and said

There'll be a hot time

in the old town tonight.

[D. Allan]

Mrs O'leerys cow burned down Chicago, right?

I suppose the fire did light up the dark night. That's what happened to St. John of the Cross too. In his dark night he somehow found the fire of God's love raging in his heart.

In St. John's poem the Lover, God, is masculine and the saint's soul is the feminine partner. O.K. then. The Divine One, my lover, is masculine. And my soul? It must be feminine! This is in accord with Jung's idea of the anima/animus archetypes, and also with the normal biblical idea. However in some passages in the Bible God is compared to a mother.

me me me do re re re, me me sol fa me re do

~d.allan

[Guest]

Quote:

Wanting to sit motionless in a chair day after day can have more explanations than a deep spiritual journey.

But you don't understand. If you knew all the details perhaps you would. I'm thankful I found a doctor who did understand since he had relatives who had gone thru the same spiritual experience. I'm sure that you understand that I don't wish to go into all the details here.

[D. Allan]

Thanks for your comments, David. Its appropriate that you mentioned Elijah. I just now relized that St. John of the Cross who wrote The Dark Night of the Soul belonged to the Carmelite order. It was founded in the 12th century at Mt. Carmel, where Elijah defeated the priests of Baal.

In Elijah's 'dark night' angels came to feed him. We are always loved and cared for. No matter how we feel. And then God spoke to him at Mt Horeb not in the mighty wind, but with an intimate whisper of someone very near.

~d.allan