Totally not HIS point but...
While definately not the point of Thomas Moore, Wikipedia provides an interesting take on the original meaning behind the Dark Night of the Soul:
A term used to describe a specific phase in a Christian's prayer life. During the Dark Night, one who has developed a strong prayer life and consistent devotion to God suddenly finds traditional prayer extremely difficult and unrewarding for an extended period of time. The individual may feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them, or that their prayer life has collapsed. These feelings are generally exclusive to the prayer life, and the individual is otherwise content with his or her day to day life.
Rather than being a negative event, the Dark Night is believed by Christian mystics to be a gift from God where the individual is trained to grow from vocal and mental prayer, to a deeper contemplative prayer of the soul. The Dark Night comes in two phases: a first "Night of the Senses," and a second "Night of the Spirit."
Which reminds me, I have a voicemail saved on my cell phone ... in it there is a phone number for a Christian mystic that I know and respect. I need to have coffee with him soon. Maybe I'll call him this weekend and set something up for next week.
A term used to describe a specific phase in a Christian's prayer life. During the Dark Night, one who has developed a strong prayer life and consistent devotion to God suddenly finds traditional prayer extremely difficult and unrewarding for an extended period of time. The individual may feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them, or that their prayer life has collapsed. These feelings are generally exclusive to the prayer life, and the individual is otherwise content with his or her day to day life.
Rather than being a negative event, the Dark Night is believed by Christian mystics to be a gift from God where the individual is trained to grow from vocal and mental prayer, to a deeper contemplative prayer of the soul. The Dark Night comes in two phases: a first "Night of the Senses," and a second "Night of the Spirit."
Which reminds me, I have a voicemail saved on my cell phone ... in it there is a phone number for a Christian mystic that I know and respect. I need to have coffee with him soon. Maybe I'll call him this weekend and set something up for next week.
posted by Miroslav at 11:16 PM
2 Comments:
Wondering if you have you have read the Amazon Reviews on this book?
I hadn't... but now have! Thanks for the tip, sista'!
I appreciate what the "Lost his Moorings" reviewer had to say. I think I hung in there past the first 68 pages with Moore, but still, I agree that he does go a little off the deep end.
The review "Misleading Title" is purely off the mark. It is a deeply spiritual book. Not religious at all, but very spiritual. Definately not a Judeo-Christian sort of spirituality though.
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