In an obscure night
Fevered with love’s anxiety
(O hapless, happy plight!)
I went, none seeing me
Forth from my house, where all things quiet be
La Noche Oscura del Alma, a poem by 16th-century Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross was given no title, left unfinished, and taken out of context… finding its name only much later on from his commentary The Dark Night (Noche Oscura) in which St. John narrates the journey of the soul. In his poem, St. John refers to the “dark night” (“noche oscura”) – where darkness represents the fact that the destination, God, is unknowable. AND, that in fact, the path is unknowable…
“Dark night of the soul” doesn’t refer to difficulties of life – it refers to the first of three stages in the mystical journey. The two phases of this dark night being (1) a purification of the senses called “The Active Night of the Senses” and (2) a more intense purification of the spirit called “The Active Night of the Spirit”. He writes “In this first verse, the soul tells the mode and manner in which it departs, as to its affection, from itself and from all things, dying through a true mortification to all of them and to itself, to arrive at a sweet and delicious life with God.”
Many leading and prominent spiritual teachers today have spoken of this concept of the dark night:
- “The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation. When everything is lost, and all seems darkness, then comes the new life and all that is needed.” – Joseph Cambell
- “The Dark Night of the Soul is when you have lost the flavor of life but having not yet gained the fullness of divinity. So it is that we must weather that dark time, the period of transformation when what is familiar has been taken away and the new richness is not yet our own.” – Ram Dass
- “I can see lights in the distance trembling in the dark cloak of the night… Candles and Lanterns are dancing, dancing in a Waltz on All Soul’s Night.” – Loreena McKennitt
St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle wrote of ‘ten steps on the ladder of mystical love’ and even the ancient Yogis spoke of the Madurya Rasas and the different forms of love in mystical union. The ‘steps’ these teachers share to guide us to God are often described in their work – but they are not the focus. The focus of these teachings is on Union. The focus is on Love. The IDEA of the ‘night’ is to see the soul’s witnessing of Grace – that the only light that exists is that which burns in the soul. And the Light of the Soul is like a compass… leading us Home.
Winter Solstice is the perfect time to reflect on our individual and collective journeys at being of light (Hue-Man). It’s also my birthday!! So come on out and celebrate a “Dark Night of the Soul“ on Dec 22 at P.O.S.T. Wellness by Design in downtown Petaluma from 6-10pm. Join YwN, Kirtan masters Sahib-Amar Kaur & Amar Singh, special guests Sat Santokh & Prabhu Nam Kaur…. AND Bulgarian sound healer Mica for a Winter Solstice Celebration to remember!! Registration online at www.yogawithnicole.org.