The Dark Night of the Soul

Upon a darkened night
the flame of love was burning in my breast
And by a lantern bright
I fled my house while all in quiet rest

Shrouded by the night
and by the secret stair I quickly fled
The veil concealed my eyes
while all within lay quiet as the dead


Chorus
Oh night thou was my guide
oh night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover
to the beloved one
transforming each of them into the other


Upon that misty night
in secrecy, beyond such mortal sight
Without a guide or light
than that which burned so deeply in my heart


That fire t'was led me on
and shone more bright than of the midday sun
To where he waited still
it was a place where no one else could come


Chorus


Within my pounding heart
which kept itself entirely for him
He fell into his sleep
beneath the cedars all my love I gave
And by the fortress walls
the wind would brush his hair against his brow
And with its smoothest hand
caressed my every sense it would allow


Chorus


I lost myself to him
and laid my face upon my lovers breast
And care and grief grew dim
as in the mornings mist became the light
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair

The \"Dark night of the soul\" sounds very onymous and has evn a negative touch. Although it is often associated with a crisis of faith, this is not an uncommon experience for those who are trying to find God. It almost seems to be a necessary experience before entering into the profound joy of God`s presence. Despite its neccesity anyone found in this \"Dark Night\" seems to suffer a indiscribeable endless pain. This experience can be terrifying (loneliness without hope or light), hence the perceived \"darkness\"

The \"Dark Night\" is what is experienced when the \"I\" lets go, allowing for change that can bring about a complete transformation of a person's way of experiencing the self and relations to God. Christians (John of the Cross...) during this time developed a strong prayer life and consistent devotion to God. Traditional forms of prayer prove to have little meaning or use. It is as if God has turned away, leaving prayers unanswered.

Father Jon, Cardinal Bishop of the Order

I have heard about the Dark Night of the Soul and also of the Spirit but I have never read the poem. I have read an anaylisis of it and describing the journey from the dark night of the spirit to the dark night of the soul. Similar ideas are also found in the teachings of the Coptic Desert Fathers.

MTFBWY

Kassohoedi63 wrote:

Father Jon, Cardinal Bishop of the Order

I have heard about the Dark Night of the Soul and also of the Spirit but I have never read the poem. I have read an anaylisis of it and describing the journey from the dark night of the spirit to the dark night of the soul. Similar ideas are also found in the teachings of the Coptic Desert Fathers.

MTFBWY

It might be interesting for us all if you indicated the thoughts of the Coptic Desert Fathers. I am only really familiar with the masterpiece written by St. John of the Cross.

Father Jon, I have just got a book called The Wisdom of the Desert - a selection of sayings of the Desert Fathers.

Here are a few of the sayings of the Dessert Fathers:

A certain brother went to Abbot Moses in Scete, and asked him for a good word. And the elder said to him: Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teaching you everything.

A certain brother inquired of Abbot Pastor, saying: What shall I do? I lose my nerve when I am sitting alone at prayer in my cell? The elder said to him: Despise no one, condemn no one, rebuke no one, God will give you peace and your meditation will be undisturbed.

Abbbot Pastor said, again: Malice will never drive out malice. But if someone does evil to you, you should do good to him, so that by your good work you may destroy his malice.

Another brother asked the same elder, Abbot Theodore, and began to question him and to inquire about things which he had never yet put into practice himself. The elder said to him: As yet you have you have not found a ship, and you have not put your baggage aboard, and you have not started to cross the sea: can you talk as if you had already arrived in that city to which you planned to go? When you have put into practice the thing you are talking about, then speak from knowledge of the thing itself!


MTFBWY