Scarlett Wampus
psychonaut
This is quite an obscure topic, but after reading a thread on surrendering the self/ego I wanted to bring it up. For those who are unfamiliar with the phrase check out Wikipedia's concise entry, 'Dark Night of the Soul'.
Its important to distinguish other forms of human angst from the Dark Night because otherwise any discussion about it will get mixed up. I can't help but bring my own bias to the description, so keeping in mind that this is likely to be a skewed description, I see the two phases of the Dark Night as having something close to this signature: -
The first phase is the Night of the Senses. What was experienced as an ongoing spiritual life can become difficult in a new way when, after a certain amount of 'spiritual' experience, what had previously held much sensual value starts to conflict with an emerging spiritual awareness that is on the borderline of consciousness. For example, sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, or anything that had strongly sensual dimensions that enriched an individuals life start to feel devoid of meaning. Because the burgeoning changes in awareness are not familiar to the ego (even if they are understood conceptually), and thus not familiar landmarks in the world it has come to recognise, the individual feels as if something has gone wrong somewhere. This can typically manifest in hopelessness, confusion, sense of loss and social isolation. The ego will fight back, for example by seeking greater sensual indulgence, but dissatisfaction almost inevitably leads the individual to withdraw.
Eventually, perhaps many years later, the second phase will take hold (though imo the first is likely still-ongoing, so its a kind of progression). This is the Night of the Spirit. The core spiritual ideals of the personality begin to crumble away, and with them, their motivating force. In addition to the already present apathy concerning sensual pleasure the resulting despondency can prove crippling. Even though contemplation continues much of the result can come to be seen as dry & hollow, its significance akin to nostalgic shadows or futile daydreams. So prayer, meditation, and other practices no longer give respite like they used to but become a struggle, often seeming pointless. There is also a kind of pain that becomes stronger during all this (imo). I do not mean physical & emotional pain, or even the empathy with the physical & emotional pain of others that leads to compassion (that can become stronger too), but something more subtle yet substantial behind these. The soul hurts basically, it wants certain things, and as the impulse to deal with this grows it comes into conflict with what made life worthwhile before, though this conflict may only be dimly perceived. Seeking social status, material luxury, what was considered reaching spiritual heights, etc. all become undermined during the Dark Night, but until it is almost over it is not clear why (again, even if you understand what is happening conceptually)
Hmm, I've made a hash of that. Anyway, possible questions: Have you gone through something that you would recognise as the Dark Night? How would you describe it? What happened to you during this process?
Its important to distinguish other forms of human angst from the Dark Night because otherwise any discussion about it will get mixed up. I can't help but bring my own bias to the description, so keeping in mind that this is likely to be a skewed description, I see the two phases of the Dark Night as having something close to this signature: -
The first phase is the Night of the Senses. What was experienced as an ongoing spiritual life can become difficult in a new way when, after a certain amount of 'spiritual' experience, what had previously held much sensual value starts to conflict with an emerging spiritual awareness that is on the borderline of consciousness. For example, sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, or anything that had strongly sensual dimensions that enriched an individuals life start to feel devoid of meaning. Because the burgeoning changes in awareness are not familiar to the ego (even if they are understood conceptually), and thus not familiar landmarks in the world it has come to recognise, the individual feels as if something has gone wrong somewhere. This can typically manifest in hopelessness, confusion, sense of loss and social isolation. The ego will fight back, for example by seeking greater sensual indulgence, but dissatisfaction almost inevitably leads the individual to withdraw.
Eventually, perhaps many years later, the second phase will take hold (though imo the first is likely still-ongoing, so its a kind of progression). This is the Night of the Spirit. The core spiritual ideals of the personality begin to crumble away, and with them, their motivating force. In addition to the already present apathy concerning sensual pleasure the resulting despondency can prove crippling. Even though contemplation continues much of the result can come to be seen as dry & hollow, its significance akin to nostalgic shadows or futile daydreams. So prayer, meditation, and other practices no longer give respite like they used to but become a struggle, often seeming pointless. There is also a kind of pain that becomes stronger during all this (imo). I do not mean physical & emotional pain, or even the empathy with the physical & emotional pain of others that leads to compassion (that can become stronger too), but something more subtle yet substantial behind these. The soul hurts basically, it wants certain things, and as the impulse to deal with this grows it comes into conflict with what made life worthwhile before, though this conflict may only be dimly perceived. Seeking social status, material luxury, what was considered reaching spiritual heights, etc. all become undermined during the Dark Night, but until it is almost over it is not clear why (again, even if you understand what is happening conceptually)
Hmm, I've made a hash of that. Anyway, possible questions: Have you gone through something that you would recognise as the Dark Night? How would you describe it? What happened to you during this process?