The Dark Night of the Soul
What is the dark night of the soul?
Up until this point, our experiences can be understood through
scientific concepts about the mind, and through working with a
psychotherapist. As we reach the next stratum, we enter the world of
true spirituality. We reach what St. John of the Cross called “the dark
night of the soul.”
Suzanne Fincher calls these stages the “Gates of Death” and
“Fragmentation.” These stages have to do with destructuring the ego as
a prelude to a major reorganization of the ego. “For many, this stage
is profoundly disturbing, as they find their belief in the ultimate
order of things challenged…”
She continues, “Your understanding of the nature of reality may be
changed by what you experience here in Fragmentation. It may seem you
have completely lost contact with the Self, but the chaos experienced
here is really orchestrated by the Self. The disorganization speeds the
letting go that is necessary before your ego can be restructured in a
stronger, more complex pattern in keeping with your potential for
wholeness. The Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross knew this stage
well. He described it as the Dark Night of the Soul. This stage can
bring you intense spiritual experiences.”
In
the Riso-Hudson work, Stratum 6 is about “Our Grief, Remorse, and Ego
Deficiency.” This is different from guilt and shame that comes from the
judgments of our superego or our ego. This is a real sense of the
deficiency of our egos, that comes from an encounter with the divine,
with truth itself.
How I interpret this is that at this point we realize the extent of our
separation from our true selves, and from our God. It is that point in
the 12 step journey where we say, “I can’t do it myself.” It is what
Martin Luther talked about as being “backed up against the wall.” It is
where author Marianne Williamson, in her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles" , says we need to ask God for a miracle. It is the realm of grace.
At stratum 6, we become willing to “ask for a miracle” and release our
attachment to our habitual personalities, and jump off the cliff into
“The Void.”
Next: Into the Void
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