The Dark Night of the Soul

[LadyCelt]

I am pretty sure of what this is but, could it last longer than onenight and how do you know it is or isn't happening? could it also be a feeling of being down or unmotivated aobutthings other than your path or magick?

[Cassie]

I would interpret 'Long Night of the Soul' as a period of being tormented by doubts and confusions about your religious/spiritual beliefs. As such I think it is a normal part of life that most of us go through from time to time and, yes, it can go on for more than one night.
I'm sure it can, and usually is, affected by other things going on in our lives. I don't think our spiritual side can or should be divorced from other aspects of our persona.
The good news is that such times often preceed a period of dramatic spiritual growth; so while they can be painful to go through, we often emerge from such periods stronger and more secure in our beliefs.

[Jolantru]

It happens and sometimes, it lasts more than a night. It could be a combination of the things you have mentioned, LadyCelt. It could also entail other things in your life. I would agree with what Cassie has said: our spiritual sides should not be divorced from other aspects of our personas.

How do one know? Well, it might vary from person to person here, as each of us is different. Some might experience internal conflict. Some might experience dullness and lack-luster of self. Some might experience emptiness. Sometimes, all three could be experienced at the same time. The main thing is that it is not a pleasant situation to be in. To some, it might be uncomfortable and to others, it might be downright painful. However, we emerge from it stronger and tougher.

Cheers,
Jolantru

[RainInanna]

I found this article on the Dark Night extremely useful - http://www.themystic.org/dark-night/

[Ben Gruagach]

If it only lasted one night I would be inclined to say it wasn't the real deal. Something so temporary as to last just one night would not likely be the immense thing that is the dark night of the soul.

It's much more likely to be something that last weeks, months, or even years. And I suspect that it can happen to a person more than once.

[SageofThyme]

Well I've been through a dark night (which lasted over 2 years) - all I can say it if it ever happens you will know if it happens to you. for me I was beyond despair

[AlleyCat]

Yeah lasts more like the rest of your life than a night..

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

that is me. that is me. this is me now. For the past three months...no longer than that...four or five... depression, sadness, dispair, darkness, alone...so very alone. but last night...my imbolc ritual...it was not like that...i felt happy again, i felt the gods again. i realized...

i am a witch.
to forsake my connection w/ the divine is to forsake myself,
they are me, and i am them, and we are connected.
To forget i am a witch,
to forget the gods,
is to forget who i am.
to be lost in darkness.

but to be a witch, is to know
from darkness comes light,
from death come life.

[Londubh]

The dark night of the soul most definitely lasts more then one night. You will know what it is if it happens to you. You will be exiled from the lush forest of your faith to a barren desert wasteland. And you, and only you, will be there. And you will wander through this wasteland looking for your way back, without a map. And you will wander, and wander, and wander until you have lost all hope. You will wander until the faith that once burned so brightly inside you has been reduced to nothing but a dim flickering flame. So you sit down and wait to die. And you wait. And wait, and wait. But you don’t die, the dark night does not grant death, your fate is much worse. You are stuck.

Then it slowly dawns upon you. The only way around something, is through it.

[LadyCelt]

I feel I may be going through it but not sure. I have been moody and withdrawn lately. Maybe also that it is a lonely path to find people of similar interests (besides online.)

[RhiannynWildseed]

I feel I may be going through it but not sure. I have been moody and withdrawn lately. Maybe also that it is a lonely path to find people of similar interests (besides online.)

May I suggest that, if you can afford it, go to the bookstore and pick up "Pagan Spirituality: A Guide to Personal Transformation" by Joyce and River Higgenbotham. It's a rather enlightening read. It's all about personal and spiritual development, and they take many modern views such as Spiral Dynamics and apply them to Paganism.

They also get into what Jim Marion (I think he's a psychologist) calls the "Dark Night of the Senses" and, also, the Dark Night of the Soul. Marion believes these are both two distinct experiences. The Higgenbothams describe Marion's view this way:

The Dark Night (of the Senses) comes on unexpectedly and can last from weeks to months. The enjoyment the self felt in discovering and using its new spiritual, psychic powers disappears. The pleasure the self felt in prayer, meditation, and ritual evaporates. Everything becomes difficult, dry, and stripped of meaning. All rich sensory images and feelings disappear and the self finds no pleasure in spiritual experiences and exercises it used to enjoy.
-Pagan Spirituality, Higgenbotham, Pg. 15

The Dark Night of the Soul is said to be able to last for years. It seems to be more of a period when one feels abandoned by the Divine. This often causes great spiritual, and sometimes physical, pain, hopelessness, and fear. It is believed that a person can not leave this Dark Night until they come to the realization that they can never "leave" or "be left" by the Divine. Usually when this realization is reacted, the person having the experience begins to relax and move into the next stage of spiritual development.

Like I said, this is an excellent book if you want to try to get an idea of where you think you are spiritually. It gives overviews of some common themes for different developmental states, and positive and negative traits of each. You may find it very interesting.

[LordHelmet]

I would relate The Dark Night of the Soul to The Valley of despair in Pilgrim's Progress. Faith is solid, like a rock. It's comfortable, easy and it leaves little to worry about. But when that rock breaks it's like baby birds falling out of a nest. It's frightning and painful, but there's hope to acompany you. When I end up in the dark night it's usualy because I questioned something. there's three ways out. I can forget my questions and retreat to where I started, not asking those questions again, I can find myself an answer that I like and fit it to my question, making my own solution. Or, I can follow my questions out to there logical conclusions, no matter how painful, and continue to ask more and study, seek and look for correct answers, whatever they may be. This is the hardest path to take but it's the one that leads to progress. Sure you could return to Vanity Fair and tell them all how bad it is in the valley and how good they have it, but the rewards are far greater on the other side.

gotta go

[Tranquility]

I think it could also have some other roots. I went through a process sort of like this a couple years back. I felt like a didn't really know where I was going, I was completely lost.. and I wasn't sure if anything I had spent learning about pagan religions was worth it. Then about a year ago I found Druidry and it has totally been a coming home. ANyway, I think that this dark night of the soul is a necessary process at one point or another for most. Sometimes it is GOOD to take a break from the spiritual path. Focus on mundane things for a while and eventually you will feel that calling again.

[Canace]

St. John of the Cross wrote "The Dark Night of the Soul." You can find it online, if you're interested. I've been meaning to read it myself, but I haven't yet had time. From what I understand (although I may be wrong) the Dark Night is a period of spiritual dryness, meant to make us stronger and to purge our bad habits. We endure in our faith, even though we feel so far away and disconnected from the Divine. I heard the Mother Theresa went through many Dark Nights, and even died in the middle of a Dark Night.

Maybe someone here has read St. John's Dark Night and can provide some insight.

[LadyCelt]

I know of the book by him. thanks for the paganism Spirituality suggestion too. I will look into it after i get more money since i've spent so much for my research reports.


I feel i went through it in the summer of 2004 and I found God. But, it was the christian dogmatic way. And, now I feel a bit of guilt for not having the same feelings, but I know that you can't really fool the Lord by lying that you don't feel that way (at least in my beliefs.) But, hopefully it means a spirtual awakening again liek before.