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Part poetic masterpiece, part mystic treatise, The Dark Night of the Soul by 16th century Carmelite monk St. John of the Cross, addresses the feeling of being forgotten by the Presence of the Almighty that every Christian desirous of walking more closely with God must pass through in order to learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

Gerald G. May, MD, one of the great spiritual teachers and writers of our time, argues that the dark "shadow" side of the true spiritual life has been trivialized and neglected to our serious detriment. Superficial and naively upbeat spirituality does not heal and enrich the soul. Nor does the other tendency to relegate deep spiritual growth to only mystics and saints. Only the honest, sometimes difficult encounters with what Christian spirituality has called and described in helpful detail as "the dark night of the soul" can lead to true spiritual wholeness.

Every human journey is filled with emotional tunnels: the loss of a loved one or end of a relationship, aging and illness, career disappointments, or just an ongoing sense of dissatisfaction with life. Society tends to view these "dark nights" in clinical terms as obstacles to be overcome as quickly as possible.

With His gentle hand He wounded my neck And caused all my senses to be suspended. Part poetic masterpiece, part mystic treatise, The Dark Night of the Soul by 16th century Carmelite monk, St. John of the Cross, addresses the feeling of being forgotten by the Presence of the Almighty that every Christian, desirous of walking more closely with God must pass through in order to learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

At the center of The Dark Night of the Soul (La noche oscura del alma) is a poem written by the 16th century Spanish poet and mystic St John of the Cross. Consisting of eight stanzas, each of five lines, the poem outlines the journey in pursuit of divine union, within which the only source of light comes from the soul. This recording in English includes the poem itself and St John's two accompanying treatises (1584-1585), essentially commentaries, which offer line-by-line explanations of the poem. Many modern listeners have found guidance and consolation in this work.

In Dark Night of the Soul, Saint John of the Cross presents for us a portrait painted from his own experience of one who advances successfully through the struggles of the spiritual life. The "dark night" that St. John describes is not abandonment by God but special consideration from him for those who desire to purify and perfect their souls. With a soul purified from earthly attachments, we can advance through the much quoted but oft misunderstood dark night of the souls into unity with God.

Have you ever heard of the Dark Night of the Soul? You’ll likely go through the Dark Night of the Soul at least twice in this lifetime. And typically, each time will take a few years to complete. During the process, it’ll seem like you’ve descended into hell. Hence, its name is the Dark Night of the Soul. While it’ll be the worst of times, you’ll have growth opportunities, unlike at any other moment. That is, provided you go all the way through to the new day's dawn. I’ve had epic fails going through the Dark Night of the Soul and suffered intensely. But you don’t have to! In ...

Review "This is a great little book on the place of Lament in the life of a believer, as well as how God uses the difficult times in our lives. Much more than a simple grin and bear it theology, it gets into the nitty gritty and shows that there will be times that we feel that we are almost completely pressed out, and that isn't all bad if we handle it well." - Rocky Woolery "Chapter 6 alone makes the book worth purchasing." - Alistair "I found this to be a very readable and helpful analysis of Psalm 88. Those who in their own life can relate to Heman's words should find help and comfort/...

Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul is about the soul’s journey from fear, lamentation, and confusion to sacred love. Based on the timeless teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, this contemporary guide to yoga’s ancient wisdom shows us how to overcome life’s greatest challenges, how to follow our life purpose, how to engage our heart in our yoga practice, and how to write our life story with love and compassion.

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same. Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran-and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

In this profound and intelligent book, Fiona Robertson acts as companion and guide through the dark night of the soul, one of life’s most challenging experiences. The dark night - or spiritual emergency - is the underbelly of awakening, an aspect of inner transformation that is often minimized, misunderstood, or denied. Fiona has captured the essence of the dark night journey with compassion and clarity.

Fr. William Meninger, OCSO, is one of the leading figures in the centering prayer movement. In this concise and beautifully written exposition, he guides the listener through two of the basic works of inner development by one of the most significant and influential of all Christian mystics, St. John of the Cross (1542-1591). These two texts - The Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Dark Night of the Soul - explore the inner spiritual journey in all its revelations and challenges, its moments of joy, and its moments of profound torment.

When you feel God has abandoned you…when your life just does not make sense…when you have unsatisfied soul desires…you need answers. You need healing! You have taken the metaphoric red pill; this will lead you down the rabbit hole into darkness first and then to light. Your journey in the darkness or your suffering process is your Dark Night of the Soul. Most of the great beings in our history who have a positive legacy have a story of suffering behind them. This includes Christ, Buddha, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Oprah, Superman, and many others.

Framed around the nighttime prayer of Compline, Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary, explores themes of human vulnerability, suffering, and God's seeming absence. Where do we find comfort when we lie awake worrying or weeping in the night? This book offers a prayerful and frank approach to the difficulties in our ordinary lives at work, at home, and in a world filled with uncertainty.

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills 3,000 years of the history of power into 48 well-explicated laws. This bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other infamous strategists. The 48 Laws of Power will fascinate any listener interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.

My husband and I are fighting for our lives in hospital after a terrible car accident. But despite my pain, all I can think about is what our families will find behind our front door. The scarf that has been all over the news, belonging to a dead young woman with honey-coloured hair. I have to speak to the police before my husband can. I’m drifting in and out of consciousness, but when I hear my wife talking to the police, accusing me of the murder of an innocent woman, a cold fear grips me. I know I’ve got a temper.

A Beast as Dark as Night is the epic finale to The Winter Souls Series, a Christmas themed collection with holiday myths and folklore. Ideal for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms by Meredith Rusu and Ashleigh Powell.

Bestselling Letting Go author Guy Finley's encouraging and accessible message is one of the true bright lights in our world today. His ideas cut straight to the heart of our most important personal and social issues: relationships, success, addiction, stress, peace, happiness, freedom and lead the way to a higher life.

Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God - but it is a neglected dimension of the Christian life for many Christians today. We need to recover the practice of honest spiritual struggle that gives us permission to vocalize our pain and wrestle with our sorrow. Lament avoids trite answers and quick solutions, progressively moving us toward deeper worship and trust.

"I remained, lost in oblivion; My face I reclined on the Beloved. All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lillies." Thus writes 16th century Spanish poet and mystic, St. John of the Cross. In this, his third work, the author reflects on the nature of a personal union with Christ, found in the abandonment of self.