This term has become quite popular in spirituality circles during the last couple of decades. It’s been used to describe everything from bouts of depression and neuroses to periods when God’s absence seems to predominate. Sometimes these don’t seem to have any connection with spiritual growth, which is the context in which the phrase was originally stated. Generally, St. John of the Cross is credited with this phrase as it is the title of one of his books.

Dark nights of the soul, as described by St. John, are transition times in the spiritual life usually associated with the emergence of contemplative consciousness. Typically, the first dark night, which is called the night of the senses, happens to most individuals within a couple of years after they embrace a regimen of serious spiritual disciplines. As Fr. Thomas Keating describes this in his book, Invitation to Love, it is as though God says, "This person is serious about the spiritual journey. Let’s go to work and clean out the junk." God turns up the voltage and, as a conseqence, our inner world begins to crawl, so to speak; the damage that our emotional programs for happiness are doing to us and to our relationships becomes apparent. From this perspective our good deeds look like piles ofr dirty dishrags.

The relationship between the night of the senses and spiritual practice is clearly indicated in Fr. Keating’s quote, as it is in the writings of John of the Cross. As a consequence of spiritual practice and deepening prayer, one’s inner defenses are weakened and dismantled, allowing repressed feelings and memories which are incompatible with one’s emerging spiritual consciousness to be eliminated. Fr. Keating calls this the divine therapy--God healing us so that we can become more spiritually awakened. But the emotions and memories which are “shaken loose” are often quite unpleasant; we might even find that we need the support of therapy during this time.

It is not uncommon for many to turn away from spiritual practice during the onset of the night of the senses. Not only do unpleasant emotions become more manifest, but one’s sense of God can often be clouded over as a consequence. Where God was once known as sweetness, love and joy, with contemplative resting coming more and more frequently, the night of the senses brings aridity and unpleasant emotions. Faith is still there, as is the hunger for God, but the consolations of the Spirit can be few and far between. I recall when going through this period years ago thinking that I wouldn’t be so miserable if I weren’t a Chrisitan, and feeling little desire to lead others to this misery. This isn't unusual. Also, if one is in a close relationship with others, one may find it difficult to be as caring and empathetic as in times past.

The duration of the night of the senses depends on how much emotional healing one must undergo and how faithful one continues to be to spiritual practice. Typically, one moves through this period in 12 - 18 months, and although emotional unloading goes on for the rest of one’s life, I’m convinced, there does come a time when one senses that the intensity of this phase subsides. This has been the case with many I've worked with in spiritual direction. The intensity of cleansing and purgation goes on for some months, but then comes a deeper peace, with less emotional compulsivity and greater ease in the Spirit. It is a new and beautiful time in life, with what I’ve called the Spirit-centered-Ego emerging as one’s new identity. Henceforth, one belongs to God and can never be satisfied with anything other than God.

St. John describes a second dark night period which he calls the night of the spirit. This is a time when the roots of one’s attitudes are purged so that the mind itself becomes more attuned to the ways of the Spirit and no longer obstructs things through preconceptions and projections. For some, this can be another intense period characterized by aridity, difficulties focusing in the realm of thought, and even confusion. One’s sense of identity in terms of self-concept is also being purified, as the deeper spiritual True Self is eclipsing one’s ideas of self which have been rooted in self-concept. From my work with others in spiritual direction, I’ve come to believe that this night is often not such an intense and concentrated time, but an ongoing purgation.

This brings us to the acknowledgement that everyone’s journey is unique. Some have both the night of the senses and spirit going on at a low-level intensity for years without any great disruption in their lives. Others have distinct and classical episodes of cleansing and purgation. Most of us are somewhere in between.

The dark nights of the soul heal us of the damage done through years of living out of false self conditioning. St. John of the Cross considered them “purgatory,” hinting that this purification must happen either in this life or the next. We will never know God fully without purity of heart and poverty of spirit. The dark nights help to produce these beatitudes in us so that the gifts of the Spirit will grow and flourish in our lives.

This is just an overview on the meaning of the dark nights of the soul. Please consult the links below for a deeper exploration of this transformative process.

Further Reading and Study

Transformation of the Ego. Taken from my book, Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality, this series of images depicts the movements through the nights of senses and spirit.

St. John and the Beginning of Contemplation. Chapter from James Arraj's book on St. John of the Cross and Dr. C. G. Jung, describing the movement from meditation to contemplation and the night of the senses which generally accompanies this transition. This is an excellent presentation of the classical understanding of the night of the senses.

Dark Night of the Soul. Online publication of St. John of the Cross's work from the Christian Ehtereal Classics library.

Mystic.org discussion of the dark nights. Includes some helpful counsel for getting through this time.

The Dark Night of the Soul. An interesting account of this phenomenon from the perspective of an evangelical Christian.

Reflection and Discussion

1. What questions or comments do you have from this presentation?

2. Have you been through dark night periods? If so, what was it like? What helped you to hang in there through this time? What were the positive benefits of going through this?