Dark Night Of The Soul

[aalpha1989]

Hey...
I was just wondering if some people could help me out with Dark Night of the Soul. I've seen a couple people mention it here before, but the search option isnt working for me for some reason...

Anyway I was just wondering [u]exactly[/u] what a Dark Night is. Does one have to know what it is to experience it? For a while I've been experiencing something that fits the very vague descriptions that i have heard, but I would like to know more. Basically when I pray I feel like God isn't listening....I know he's there. I just don't feel answers. I've been going to Confession weekly, and my prayer life has actually gone up, starting before this started happening to me. It feels almost alone when I pray. So I know its not that I'm disconnected from the Body of Christ 'cause I've been keeping myself in a State of Grace . Anyway....help me out! Thanks...

[Maggyie]

My impression is that Dark Nights of the Soul are periods during which the consolations of God are absent. This is very different from, say, a depressive disorder, although sometimes people confuse the two. People going through a dark night are not necessarily unhappy; on the contrary, they may derive a great deal of satisfaction from their daily, secular activities. Typically they have deep prayer lives and previously experienced prayer as a great sweetness. God's closeness was evident and He was generous in giving inspirations and warmth.

When a dark night occurs, it is no longer clear that God is close or is listening. Prayer life becomes very dry and perseverance requires discipline. I have heard that it is not unusual for Christians to wonder if they still love God or if God still loves them, although intellectually they are still convinced of both statements. Of course, coming through a dark night in fact proves love of God, since love is ultimately not based on feelings but on what one is willing to do for the loved one. God permits the dark night in order to draw the Christian closer to Himself and more clearly teach him or her that Christ, not attaining spiritual "highs," should be the focus of the Christian life.

I don't know if this is any different from what you already know... Or if it is even completely accurate! Just my impressions. Anybody else?

[aalpha1989]

*bump*

[magnificat]

I concur with what Maggie said. I would only add that God sometimes seems to be absent or to remove consolations as a "test" of sorts. I believe St. Catherine of Sienna describes it as weening a child from his mother's milk to solid food...(I may have the reference wrong).

St. John of the Cross wrote a book by that name from which I think we get our primary understanding of the term. In the book, he describes some of the stages, etc. It's pretty heavy duty reading.

I don't think you necessarily have to know what it is to experience it, after all, we often experience something without certainty what it is we're going through. Whether what you're experiencing now is a "dark night" is something you're probably best talking to a spiritual director about since it tends to be a very personal and complicated matter.

[aalpha1989]

Thanks guys. i understand it a little better. thanks for answering.

[aalpha1989]

Thanks guys. i understand it a little better. thanks for answering.

[catholimaniac]

I started reading St. John of the Cross's [u]The Dark Night of the Soul[/u] last Lent. It freaked me out so bad I had to put it down after six chapters. I'm revisiting [u]The Dark Night[/u] this Lent, so it is interesting you have brought this up.

Like others have suggested, The Dark Night is an extended period of spiritual dryness. This is something the Lord does to us in order to purge our soul of it's spiritual and sensual imperfections. St. John uses the analogy of the narrow gate and the rocky path to explain why it is necessary for God to send us into the Dark Night.

Personally, I have never experienced a Dark Night. I'm a recent convert and St. John says that God nurtures the spiritual beginner like a mother nurtures a child at her breast, but as magnificat pointed out:

[quote]I believe St. Catherine of Sienna describes it as weening a child from his mother's milk to solid food...(I may have the reference wrong).[/quote]

This may be from St. John as it sounds very similar to a point he makes. He also refers to a verse from one of the letters of St. Peter (can't remember which one) which repeats the same sentiment. But, yes, at some point the child has to crawl down from his mothers lap. This is what is called the Dark Night. It's when we stop getting sensual rewards for our spiritual devotions and God starts to make our spirit one with His spirit. It is actually a time of grace. As the first stanza begins:

[center]On a dark night,
Kindled in love with yearnings
- oh, happy chance!-
I went forth without being observed,
My house being now at rest.[/center]

Anyways, I would love to discuss this more. It gets pretty deep, but it amazes me how the Saint can describe the spiritual path we are on perfectly.

Here's a link if you want to read along:

[url="http://www.catholicfirst.com/thefaith/catholicclassics/johnofthecross/dark_night/darknight1.cfm"] THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL[/url]


I hope I haven't confused you too much. I confess, I barely know what I'm talking about.

God bless,

Tad

[philosophette]

[quote name='catholimaniac' post='1210445' date='Mar 8 2007, 03:41 PM']I started reading St. John of the Cross's [u]The Dark Night of the Soul[/u] last Lent. It freaked me out so bad I had to put it down after six chapters. I'm revisiting [u]The Dark Night[/u] this Lent, so it is interesting you have brought this up.

God bless,

Tad[/quote]

Glad to know that I am not the only one who was freaked out upon reading the Dark Night of the Soul. I am usually pretty cautious about telling anyone to read it. I think that it can lead people to think they have all kinds of things going on when there is just a simple answer to it. Its not the easiest work to read and understand.

At any rate, the dark night is a time without consolations in prayer where we learn how to love not for the feelings, but for love alone. It is very difficult to not become discouraged during it. Ones faults also seem especially exaggerated during this time so I think it is important to have a spiritual director to help you to keep your head on. lol. That's just my experience. I agree with what everyone else has been saying.

[aalpha1989]

Thanks all! This really helps. I have tried pretty hard to get a spiritual director (a priest specifically). i asked my vocations director if he knew of anyone i could use (he lives in another city, so he won't work), and all i got was an "ill think about it".....3 times. i also talked to my high school chaplain about how i was looking around for one and i mentioned that the priests i am in contact with the most and so would be the easiest were him and this other priest who's parish is near my house. he said he would think about it, but that he would leave it up to the vocations director. so i havent had much luck . You guys have helped a lot, and no, you haven't confused me. you said mostly what i had thought, but added some new stuff. i wasnt sure about what i thought, anyway, because i hadnt specifically talked to anyone about it. more comments and explanations are welcome .
oh also, about our faults being exaggerated....that has happened to me recently as well. i get so upset when i make mistakes and start apologizing and downplaying myself to others...and then realize that downplaying myself and beating myself up is wrong too! and then i start feeling bad about THAT and....so anyway. i really hope that this is a dark night, not just me being cold in my faith. i will keep praying, and i id like to ask for your prayers too! even if you just take two seconds to offer me up to the Virgin Mary, i would really appreciate it. thanks!

Jonathan

[jeffpugh]

I think I might be entering one. I am finding prayer a bit dry, no matter how much I concentrate. I trust in the LORD, not much else I can do otherwise.

[AccountDeleted]

I read an interesting book by a psychotherapist called [url="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Night-Soul-Psychiatrist-Connection/dp/0060750553"]The Dark Night of the Soul[/url]: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth

It describes the dark night of the soul as an integral part of spiritual growth. I enjoyed it.


BOOK
The dark night of the soul : a psychiatrist explores the connection between darkness and spiritual growth
May, Gerald G.

Summary
Distinguished psychiatrist, spiritual counselor, and bestselling author Gerald G. May argues that the "shadow" side of the spiritual life has been trivialized and neglected to our serious detriment. In The Dark Night of the Soul, Dr. May shows that the dark side is a vital ingredient for deep, authentic, healthy spirituality. Superficial and naively upbeat spirituality does not heal and enrich the soul; nor does our tendency to relegate deep spiritual growth to mystics and saints help us cope with the fullness of what we experience in life. Only honest, sometimes difficult encounters with what Christian spirituality calls "the dark night of the soul" can lead to true spiritual wholeness. May emphasizes that the dark night is not necessarily a time of suffering and despair, but rather one of deep transition, during which our lives are clouded and full of mystery as we move through a time of trial and uncertainty to freedom and joy. The darkness of the night implies nothing sinister, but rather that our liberation takes place mysteriously, in secret, and beyond our conscious control. May draws on the great Christian spiritual teachings and writings on the "dark night," especially by John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, on other spiritual traditions, psychiatric ideas and resources, and on poetry and literature. The Dark Night of the Soul embraces the universal spiritual experience of disorientation, doubt, fear, emptiness, "dryness," and despair, all of which are ingredients in developing a mature, authentic spiritual life. Book jacket. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Review
"Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again." These lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel's famous song could be the guiding theme of this excellent offering by psychiatrist and spiritual counselor May. As May delves into the meaning and purpose of "the dark night of the soul," we come to see it as a comforting and necessary friend, ushering in a time of transformation, rather than a gloomy blackness to avoid. In order to illuminate the dark night, May draws upon the lives of the Carmelite mystics, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, as well as psychiatric research and scripture. Like the contemporary scholars of psychiatry, both Teresa and John had early insights into the unconscious dimension of life that goes on beneath our awarenessan obscure and mysterious arena that they both called "the dark." Since humans are so skilled at denialespecially denying the power of their compulsions and attachmentsthey would never enter into this spiritual night of reckoning if they could see in advance what it would entail. This is why we need the darkness in front of us. May, who also wrote Addiction and Grace, eventually moves into a strong discussion about depression and addiction, showing why the dark night is necessary to overcome both. Ultimately, he becomes a messenger of hope, reminding readers that every dark night brings the sweet dawn of awakening. With its clear writing and strong psychological foundation, this is a relevant resource for readers of all spiritual persuasions. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Appeared in: Reed Elsevier Inc. © Copyright 2006, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Author Biography
Gerald G. May, M.D., practiced medicine and psychiatry for twenty-five years before joining the full-time staff at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, Maryland, where he is now Senior Fellow in Contemplative Theology and Psychology

[aalpha1989]

That's cool.....i'm learning a lot of stuff. i actually dont think that i AM experiencing a dark night...well not anymore. maybe it was more like a dark 'phase'....but today i went to a 'nightly reflection' run by opus dei priests and numeraries! it was amazing! and my prayer definitely wasn't dry at all. im so joyful right now...and they had confession. that might have been the best confession i've ever had. anywayses me happy!

[Maggyie]

[quote name='aalpha1989' post='1211143' date='Mar 10 2007, 12:21 AM']That's cool.....i'm learning a lot of stuff. i actually dont think that i AM experiencing a dark night...well not anymore. maybe it was more like a dark 'phase'....but today i went to a 'nightly reflection' run by opus dei priests and numeraries! it was amazing! and my prayer definitely wasn't dry at all. im so joyful right now...and they had confession. that might have been the best confession i've ever had. anywayses me happy! [/quote]

I'm glad to hear that

[aalpha1989]

I got Dark Night of the Soul today....I'm gonna start reading probly tomorrow. we'll see how it goes...