Dark Night of the Soul

Posted on 25 January 2018 by Juan de la Cruz

A 16th century mystic, St John of the Cross was also a Carmelite monk who helped reform the Order In this book, he addresses pride, avarice, envy, and other human imperfections He also provides an extended explanation of Divine love, and describes methods of conversion through prayer, submission, and purification. Free Download [ Dark Night of the Soul ] Author [ Juan de la Cruz ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr Although I received some insight from reading this treatise on spirituality, I feel I am too much of a beginner to comprehend many of the interior experiences that are touched upon here, particularly in the latter part of the work I suspect my own darkness and aridity which is at times considerable is neither as dark, nor as potentially luminous, as the darkness that lies in the heart of this great saint I would however recommend it anyway there is much here for even a beginner to treasure Although I received some insight from reading this treatise on spirituality, I feel I am too much of a beginner to comprehend many of the interior experiences that are touched upon here, particularly in the latter part of the work I suspect my own darkness and aridity which is at times considerable is neither as dark, nor as potentially luminous, as the darkness that lies in the heart of this great s...I took this book up on my 10 day Mount Shasta retreat and it became the reverberating background of my whole experience In the translation by mystic scholar Mirabai Starr, St John of the Cross s description of the phases of the soul as she el alma nears unity with God far transcends the confines of Catholicism The Dark Night of the Soul is not merely a period of intense depression it is the annihilation of the ego, the final stage when spiritual rituals, symbols and beliefs no longer I took this book up on my 10 day Mount Shasta retreat and it became the reverberating background of my whole experience In the translation by mystic scholar Mirabai Starr, St John of the Cross s description of the phases of the soul as she el alma nears unity with God far transcends the confines of Catholicism The Dark Night of the Soul is not merely a period of intense depression it is the annihilation of the ego, the final stage when spiritual rituals, symbols and beliefs no longer suffice and there is no comfort but emptiness the awareness that I Am Nothing In every major religion from Buddhism to Judaism, enlightenment or spiritual union or perfect consciousness is described as the...First edition, it appears, came out in the fifties Today I got my own copy in Arabic from the Carmelites of Lebanon It is a sheer delight to read In the first chapter he draws a beautiful image of the loving mother who is God likened to She has to wean her child I just loved this paragraph and we are fortunate that the book is also online for reading and on the Carmelites s site themselves, straight from the mouth of the hourse Here is what John of the Cross says,2 It should be known, the First edition, it appears, came out in the fifties Today I got my own copy in Arabic from the Carmelites of Lebanon It is a sheer delight to read In the first ch...I finally managed to make my way through this It s remarkable reading, but it sure ain t easy reading This book was so heavy I might only be able to read blogs by the Real Housewives for the rest of my life.One fine day in the fourth grade at Immaculate Conception School, one of my classmates raised her hand and asked how were your sins cleaned out of you in Purgatory The old nun sneered, They re burned out of you Now I know where she heard that It s all right here in this book According to St John of the Cross while your soul is in Purgatory the love of God ignites it like a log And, like a log, its composition changes as the fire burns The entire month or so that it took me to read this One fine day in the fourth grade at Immaculate Conception School, one of my classmates raised her hand and asked how were your sins cleaned out of you in Purgatory The old nun sneered, They re burned out of you Now I know where she heard that It s all right here in this book According to St John of the Cross while your soul is in Purgatory the love of God ignites it like a log And, like a log, its composition changes as the fire burns The entire month or so that it took me to read this difficult book I kept asking myself the same question of St John of the Cross that I asked secretly about Sr Gertrude Margaret s answer How do you know Did you visit Purgatory and come back to tell us So why did I read this book One fine Saturday morning during Advent I went to mass It wasn t Sunday, but I wanted to appreciate that Advent is diffe...There are two ways of thinking and speaking of God The first is the apophatic way, or the via negativa, the way of negation This way of thinking and speaking focuses on the transcendence of God and the inability of human language and experience to encompass all that God is and does The second is the kataphatic way, or the via affirmativa, the way of affirmation This way of thinking about God focuses on His immanence and His presence with us in and through His creation Charles Williams has r There are two ways of thinking and speaking of God The first is the apophatic way, or the via negativa, the way of negation This way of thinking and speaking focuses on the transcendence of God and the inability of human language and experience to encompass all that God is and does The second is the kataphatic way, or the via...Songs of the SoulOn a dark night,Inflamed by love longing O exquisite risk Undetected I slipped away.My house, at last, grown still.Secure in the darkness,I climbed the secret ladder in disguise O exquisite risk Concealed by the darkness.My house, at last, grown still.That sweet night a secret.Nobody saw me I did not see a thing.No other light, no other guideThan the one burning in my heart.This light led the wayMore clearly than the risen sunTo where he was waiting for me The one I knew Songs of the SoulOn a dark night,Inflamed by love longing O exquisite risk Undetected I slipped away.My house, at last, grown still.Secure in the darkness,I climbed the secret ladder in disguise O exquisite risk Concealed by the darkness.My house, at last, grown still.That sweet night a secret.Nobody saw me I did not see a thing.No other light, no other guideThan the one burning in my heart.This light led the wayMore clearly than the risen sunTo where he was waiting for me The one I knew so intimately In a place where no one could find us.O night, that guided me O night, sweeter than sunrise O night, that joined lover with Beloved Lover transformed in Beloved Upon my blossoming breast,Which I cultivated just for him,He drifted into sleep,And while I caressed him,A cedar breeze touched the air.Wind blew down from the tower,Parting the locks of his hair.With his gentle handHe wounded my neckAnd ...I ve been wanting to read St John of the Cross for some time, and awhile ago I happened to have picked up this little hardcover cheaply I finally began digging into it, and after reading about half, I have decided to read it later in a different translation It seems Mirabai Starr has taken it upon herself to take a few liberties with the text, two of which are bound to annoy me The first is that she has minimized all direct Christian references The second is that she has translated El I ve been wanting to read St John of the Cross for some time, and awhile ago I happened to have picked up this little hardcover cheaply I finally began digging into it, and after reading about half, I have decided to read it later in a different translation It seems Mirabai Starr has taken it upon herself to take a few liberties with the text, two of which are b...not for the faint of heartThis is not a book for everyone Well, it s potentially for everyone Anyone who not only believes in Christ, but desires to be as close to God through Him as possible The trick is that it comes at a terrible price few are willing to pay Yet, for those who will, the rewards are infinite.This is a work of classic mystical theology from the Catholic Reformation period by a Spanish mystic popularly known as St John of the Cross Read this book, and you ll fi...

English
25 January 2018

Juan de la Cruz