The Dark Night of the Soul
The spiritual life for Teresa and John has nothing to do with actually getting closer to God. It is instead a journey of consciousness. Union with God is neither acquired nor received; it is realized, and in that sense it is something that can be yearned for, sought after, and—with God’s grace—found.
Gerald G. May • The Dark Night of the Soul
First, although many of Teresa’s original manuscripts have survived, almost none of John’s has. Thus even the Spanish editions of John’s work are taken from handwritten copies, many of which are known to contain inaccuracies.
Gerald G. May • The Dark Night of the Soul
One of the developments that the morning light reveals is growing freedom, experienced as the energy of desire is liberated from the attachments that have kept it restrained. A second change is the classical transition from meditation to contemplation in prayer and the equivalent movement in the rest of life: a metamorphosis of the soul from
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To participate in the active nights, John says it is best to take up one’s cross and to imitate Christ to the best of one’s ability. This involves not only following Jesus’ external behavior, but also his inner attitude of self-emptying and willingness. With Christ as the model, John emphasizes that liberation comes neither through understanding,
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Physical nights are for completely letting go most of your physical practices, habits, and work, even if some may deepen your spiritual awakening (paradoxical) - a total detachment and surrender
To achieve satisfaction in everything, Desire it in nothing. To possess everything, Desire to have nothing. To be everything, Desire to be nothing. To know everything, Desire to know nothing.17
Gerald G. May • The Dark Night of the Soul
“functional atheism…the belief that ultimate responsibility for everything rests with me.”7
Gerald G. May • The Dark Night of the Soul
As our dark nights deepen, we find ourselves recovering our love of mystery. When we were children, most of us were good friends with mystery. The world was full of it and we loved it. Then as we grew older, we slowly accepted the indoctrination that mystery exists only to be solved. For many of us, mystery became an adversary; unknowing became a
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Union with God is neither acquired nor received; it is realized, and in that sense it is something that can be yearned for, sought after, and—with God’s grace—found.
Gerald G. May • The Dark Night of the Soul
When Teresa and John speak of the soul, they are not talking about something a person has, but who a person most deeply is: the essential spiritual nature of a human being.