Dark Night

Oh, night that guided me, Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved!

-From Dark Night of the Soul

St. John of the Cross

This July, Theology and Spirit decided to read Dark Night of the Soul by Gerald May.   It is an exploration of the concept of the dark night and what it might mean for us today.

As a spiritual director I have often heard this phrase bandied about, most often in connection with depression or a difficult passage in life.  While these times may definitely be dark, and we may feel lost as we move through them, the dark night of the soul is something else.

The word used in John’s manuscript is la noche oscura, which translates literally as the night obscure.  The classic understanding of dark night is God working with the soul in mystery or obscurely.

Gerald May describes the divine work of the dark night in this way:

It is the secret way in which God not only liberates us from our attachments and idolatries, but also brings us to the realization of our true nature.  The night is the means by which we find our heart’s desire, our freedom for love.

As we have so often on this blog, we return to the theme of freedom.

God is consistent and steadfast.  We are called to freedom.

Like a skilled surgeon, God uses the dark night to remove those things that inhibit our experience of freedom.  Some of our attachments need to be released at a very deep level.

What we gain from the dark night is soul clarity.

Blessings,

Debra

 



Full Text of The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross