The Dark night of the Soul and the Anam cara Experience

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Dark Night of the Soul and St John of the Cross

Loreena writes in the CD booklet about this song:

May, 1993 - Stratford ... have been reading through the poetry of 15th century Spain, and I find myself drawn to one by the mystic writer and visionary St. John of the Cross; the untitled work is an exquisite, richly metaphoric love poem between himself and his god.

It could pass as a love poem between any two at any time ... His approach seems more akin to early Islamic or Judaic works in its more direct route to communication to his god ... I have gone over three different translations of the poem, and am struck by how much a translation can alter our interpretation. Am reminded that most holy scriptures come to us in translation, resulting in a diversity of views.

Music by Loreena McKennitt
Lyrics by St. John of the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz), arr. and adapted by Loreena McKennitt

From: The mask and mirror (1994).

Loreena McKennett's music and vocals "The Dark Night of the Soul", inspired by the Mystic words of St. John of the Cross, may God be pleased with him.

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

Oh night thou was my guide
of 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

Within my pounding heart
which kept itself entirely for him

He fell into his sleep
beneath the cedars all my love I gave

From o'er the fortress walls
the wind would brush his hair against his brow

And with its smoothest hand
caressed my every sense it would allow

I lost myself to him
and laid my face upon my lover's breast

And care and grief grew dim
as in the morning's mist became the light

There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
there they dimmed amongst the lilies fair.

(Lyrics credit via News4All)

For more click here

Ronda Larue

The Gift of the Darkness: Birthing the Holy One!
The Dark Night of Soul

If you and I can stand in presence of our worst fears and insecurities and open to a faith that does not deny this pain with fix-it efforts on the one hand, and yet not indulge them with self-pity on the other, but rather open to the unknowing with a true vulnerable presence, then what is birthed in that moment is true authenticity of being, true unshakable beingness. And it will resonate with and heighten the vibration of everyone in contact with this kind of unconditional presence.

I’ve been an avid reader of sacred texts, new thought metaphysics, psychology and physics for years. But none of that prepared me for my own undoing and the great mythic journey that is required when we heed the call of reclaiming Soul as the seat of our life’s authority and highest purpose.

What I hope and see that this book can do for others is to shine night light on the invitation that is being presented through our challenging life circumstances and struggles - and the inevitable times of darkness and decent into the realms of death that purges old patterns and foreshadows our eventual realization and stepping more firmly into an a priori and inextinguishable light – the light of our True Authentic Being.

Read full article here

The Anam Cara Experience and the Dark Night of the Soul

Please send Anamcara Experience Ezine together with FREE Report "7 Ways to a Wonderful Life.

Radiant Update/s

New Radiant Article

The Tuatha De Danann and the Law of Attraction

The meaning of Anam cara Friendship

All mystics, all great souls, invite you to do one thing in order to be happy. This is that you give your life away.

This is not an invitation to martyrdom but service.

One of the growing dynamics in this Western world is increase in depression. The writer Frank Mac Eowen says in The Celtic Way of Seeing that the answer to depression is devotion.

to read more click here

Interview with Mystic Andrew Harvey at Grace Cathedral

CO: Given the current economy and state of world affairs, many people feel they're undergoing some sort of dark night.

ANDREW HARVEY:

The entire world is now going through a massive crucifixion on all levels. It's going through an environ- mental crucifixion -- hundreds of species are vanishing every month.

It's going through a personal crucifixion. There are two billion people living on less than a dollar a day. It's going through a crucifixion of all the patriarchal systems -- look at Enron and what it has shown us about Corporate America.

Look at the Catholic Churches' scandals of pedophilia and what it shows us about authority.

Look at the growing disillusionment of politicians of all kinds. All of the systems are being exposed as illusory and as fantasy ridden -- as deeply corrupt and exploitative.

There's another kind of crucifixion going on -- crucifixion of purpose and hope. Everybody is totally bewildered. They know that the world is potentially on the brink of total apocalypse.

There's a tremendous danger that as people wake up to the horror of what is going on, they will run into political extremism or into fundamentalism of one kind or another.

So it's extremely important that the wisdom of the dark night gets across because if people understand the necessity for this crucifixion, and understand that it's preparing the resurrection and the birth and an empowerment, then they will be prepared to go through it without fear -- or without too much fear -- trusting in the logic of the divine transformation.

Read full article click here

Dark night of the Soul and Andrew Harvey

How can tragedy in fact act as a spiritual catalyst in our lives? Mirabai Starr has translated the 16th century Spanish mystics, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, revealing the balance they each had for the masculine and feminine natures in their relationship to God.

In this interview Starr gets personal, diving deep into her own journey, sharing her pain and passion of the dark night of the soul, and the refuge she found in exploring the wisdom of these ancient texts. "The dark night of the soul is about the spiritual value of suffering and the stripping away of everything we have ever believed and relied upon."

Starr shares some of the practical teachings and inspiring visions in this engaging dialogue.

Mirabai Starr has studied a wide variety of religious traditions, including Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity and is an adjunct professor of philosophy and religious studies at the University of New Mexico.

We stand at the threshold of a new era in medicine and healing. Today, instead of looking at the human body as a biological machine, we know it is a vast energetic network, where spirit, matter, and power intersect.

On Energy Anatomy, you will learn to view your health through a spiritual/biological lens to offer a new picture of how the human body heals.

Your body has a physical anatomy, which is the basis of conventional medicine, but it also has an energetic system -- as well defined as bones and tissue -- that represents your energy anatomy.

According to Dr. Caroline Myss, the human mind encodes thought, converts it into matter, and stores it within the body. These areas -- also known as chakras -- are the power centers of a complex energetic database that records your entire life.

After working with thousands of patients, Myss decoded the process of how these energy centers work -- linked specific illnesses with past emotional traumas -- and solved the puzzle of why some people heal, while others don't.

Now Dr. Myss teaches you how to take back control over your life and your health. Over nine hours of personal instruction with Dr. Myss.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

- Your own spirit's unlimited capacity for self-healing and divine connection
- How to view yourself as an energetic being
- Power symbols and their biological counterparts
- How your body reflects the lessons of your life
- How to consciously take back your power

The Dark Night of the Soul

"You cannot find the Light unless you enter the darkness. "

Dark night of the soul, spiritual crisis, spiritual madness, spiritual emergency, divine madness, holy madness... these are various phrases that have been used to describe a unique experience - a profound test of faith and spiritual endurance - that seems to be a necessary part of walking the path home to God.

Today, many people on this planet are searching for a deeper meaning and purpose to life. Struggling for survival and happiness in the material world just doesn't seem to satisfy the human potential anymore. More and more we're becoming bored and frustrated with the routines of everyday life, whether it's with our careers, our personal lives or our relationships with other people.

Deep inside, we're beginning to realize that our hunger for the material comforts and pleasures of life eventually leaves us feeling empty and incomplete. We then begin to suspect that lasting peace and happiness is an "inner" thing. As a result, many of us are looking into the spiritual or mystical realms for a greater sense of purpose, direction and meaning.

In the process we find ourselves asking "Who am I, what am I doing here, or what's my real purpose on this planet?" If we are ready, these kinds of questions will awaken a yearning deep within that inspires us to look for answers. Other times a serious life crisis can have the same effect. In the end, we find that we're really searching for God.

Our search for the truth helps us to awaken spiritually and, more importantly, to remember who we really are. This new insight can be the most profound experience of one's lifetime, an ecstatic rush of joy and enlightenment that is difficult to describe to those who have yet to reach this point.

After this awakening experience or shift in awareness occurs, we begin to look at the old ways and false beliefs of life with less interest, while our re-connection with the divine becomes clearer and feels more natural. The old way simply doesn't interest us anymore, while the new way is all that matters.

Somewhere along the journey of remembering who we really are, we may find ourselves in a very uncomfortable space, a void in which we realize that we haven't totally let go of our old beliefs, and on the other hand we have yet to fully plug into the new truths we have discovered. This awkward "place of mind" can bring on an internal crisis of uncertainty, instability, confusion, frustration, and a most unspeakable despair as the "dark night" sets in and makes its presence felt.

It is ironic that along with the rapture of remembering our divine connection, there can be intense feelings of depression, madness, detachment, hopelessness and an extraordinary loneliness that is not only relentless but may last for months or years on end. Then comes the waiting, and the wondering if and when the dark night will ever end. Ultimately, it feels as though we have lost control over our lives and, most importantly, that God has truly abandoned us.

St. John of the Cross went through it, Edgar Cayce spoke of it, several recent books and tapes have described it, and throughout history various cultures provided special care and loving support for their tribal members in spiritual crisis.

If this kind of intense and prolonged crisis has entered your life, please don't give up! When the madness is over, when one finally "lets go" in an act of surrender, acceptance and trust in what God is accomplishing with you - without resignation and with gratitude for the experience - the dark night will end.

At that point, ego will no longer dictate the path of your life, and a Light will shine through bringing with it a new spiritual adventure and purpose in life. Your path will then be guided by a series of divinely influenced synchronous events, and your real mission for this lifetime will unfold and fall into place as if by magic.

An example "dark night" sequence of events:

Things in life seem to be going along quite smoothly. Then, unexpectedly, we have a serious life crisis such as career failure, divorce, a health problem, a serious addiction, financial collapse, a near death experience, etc. or any combination of such events.

At some point the crisis/anguish becomes so intense that we drop to the floor and, in a climactic act of desperation, cry out "God, help me!" God begins to help immediately, most often in ways that are contrary to what we expect. (Put your seat belt on at this time!)

The crisis usually jump-starts the search for spiritual truth. Each new "insight" we discover brings on the death of an old "false belief" we've been programmed to accept throughout our lives. This starts to seriously threaten our egos, and a severe test of faith begins that can last for months or years.

The most important question you can ask yourself during a spiritual crisis is, "Can you believe in God when the night is the darkest?"

The Dark night of the Soul and Spiritual Crisis

During a dark night crisis, the individual may have any combination or all of the following symptoms:

Feelings of depression, despair, loneliness Loss of energy
Chronic exhaustion not linked to a physical disorder
Loss of control over one's personal and/or professional direction in life.
Unusual sensitivity to light, sound and other environmental factors
Anger, frustration, lack of patience
Loss of identity, purpose, and meaning to life
Withdrawal from life's everyday routines
Feelings of madness and insanity
A sense of abandonment by God
Feelings of inadequacy
Lessened feelings of attachment to family and friends
Loss of attention span, self-confidence and self-esteem
Frequent bouts of spontaneous crying and weeping

These symptoms mimic ordinary clinical depression. However, there is a major difference. Spiritual madness is an "inner thing" between you and God during which deep, rich spiritual growth is occurring. Anti-depressants may rob you of this miraculous (yet painful) experience.

Many of the above symptoms were taken from "The Stormy Search for Self" by Christina and Stanislav Grof, M.D

USEFUL REFERENCES BOOKS AND TAPES THAT ARE RELATED TO THE "DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL"

Spiritual Madness by Caroline Myss. These tapes were extremely helpful to me in terms of understanding the major components of a dark night experience such as detachment, separation, aloneness, waiting and guidance from Spirit. Overall, it is the best resource I can recommend for understanding and coping with spiritual crisis.

The Stormy Search for Self by Christina and Stanislav Grof, M.D. ISBN 0-87477-553-1. In my opinion, this book is the "bible" or a "must read," since it is very well researched and the only book I'm aware of that provides an in-depth overview of the spiritual emergency. I found Chapters 2 and 11 especially helpful. One can also contact the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 250 Oak Grove Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025...or call (415) 327-2776. This institute was founded by Christina Grof. It is an international organization that provides references and educational materials related to the spiritual emergency.

Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss, Ph.D. ISBN 0-517-70391-2. I highly recommend reading this book as well. Although not as specific on the "dark night" experience as Reference ..1, spiritual crisis is addressed in different parts of the book, especially Chapter 7. The rest of the book is extremely valuable, clearly communicated and very well thought out.

Energy Anatomy Caroline Myss, Ph.D. These excellent tapes can be obtained from Sounds True Audio, 735 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302... (800) 333-9185. This set of tapes, similar to the book above, had a major impact on how I now relate to the world around me. Again, there are several parts on these tapes that refer to the "divine madness" and, most importantly, the reasons/solutions behind the "madness" experience.

For information on workshops and seminars with Caroline Myss, contact: Holos Institute of Health, Conference Office, Rte. 1, Box 216, Fair Grove, MO 65648.
Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross. Published by Doubleday, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York. ISBN 0-385-02930-6. This book is difficult to read, but St. John's description of the "dark night" experience is extremely vivid.

THE ANAMCARA INVITATION

The invitation to Soul Friendship is always available. There is, however, a price to pay. You are invited to trade rags for riches. You are invited to give away doubts, fears, sorrows and other rags for the diamond that you already are. There is no greater invitation than to become an Anam Cara - a friend to your soul.

To learn more about this radiant diamond within YOU and how to awaken your beauty from its sleep of many years you are invited to subscribe to our FREE weekly Newsletter entitled The Anamcara Experience

This Newsletter includes articles which invite all the experiences listed above. These articles include empowering stories, articles about songs - modern and old, articles about the power of spiritual poetry and many other aspects of spiritual development and much more.

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