Guided Through the Night

Rediscover St. John of the Cross’s Dark Night, reimagined for today with tools for growth and hope.

Preparing for the Journey: A Time of Reflection and Intention

Stepping into the Experience (Click)

DARK NIGHT

The Soul’s Journey to Union with Love

There is a road the soul takes, one not marked by clarity or certainty but by surrender and trust. It is the spiritual path that leads to perfect love—the union of the soul with God. This journey is as much about letting go as it is about stepping forward. It is about being stripped of what we thought we needed so that we can finally receive what we’ve longed for all along.

The stanzas that follow are the voice of the soul itself, describing its journey in poetic language—each word a brushstroke on the canvas of transformation. They tell the story of the soul’s movement through purgation, illumination, and finally, union with God. They speak of a process that, though difficult, is holy. It is a journey of becoming, of being remade in the image of love.

PROLOGUE

The Stanzas as a Map for the Soul

This work begins with the full stanzas of the soul’s song, each one offering a glimpse into the stages of transformation. Each stanza will be carefully unfolded, its meaning explored line by line. In the first two stanzas, we witness the work of purgation—how the soul is freed from its attachments, both physical and spiritual. This is the beginning of the dark night, the place where the soul learns to let go.

In the remaining stanzas, the soul speaks of the joy and wonder that follow. These are the fruits of illumination and union, the moments when the soul begins to live fully in the light of God’s love. Together, these stanzas form a map—a guide for those who, like the soul, are willing to step into the unknown and trust that God will meet them there.

STANZAS OF THE SOUL

  1. On a dark night,
    Kindled in love with yearnings—oh, happy chance!—
    I went forth without being observed,
    My house being now at rest.

  2. In darkness and secure,
    By the secret ladder, disguised—oh, happy chance!—
    In darkness and in concealment,
    My house being now at rest.

  3. In the happy night,
    In secret, when none saw me,
    Nor I beheld aught,
    Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart.

  4. This light guided me
    More surely than the light of noonday
    To the place where He (well I knew who!) was awaiting me—
    A place where none appeared.

  5. Oh, night that guided me,
    Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
    Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover,
    Lover transformed in the Beloved!

  6. Upon my flowery breast,
    Kept wholly for Himself alone,
    There He stayed sleeping, and I caressed Him,
    And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze.

  7. The breeze blew from the turret
    As I parted His locks;
    With His gentle hand He wounded my neck
    And caused all my senses to be suspended.

  8. I remained, lost in oblivion;
    My face I reclined on the Beloved.
    All ceased and I abandoned myself,
    Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.

THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY

Before we enter into the depths of these stanzas, it is important to understand the soul’s perspective. The voice here is one of experience, of a soul that has already walked the narrow road Jesus spoke of in the Gospels. This is the path of eternal life, the way that leads to union with God. It is not an easy road—it is steep, winding, and often lonely. Few are willing to take it, but for those who do, the rewards are beyond measure.

The soul, having endured trials and purifications, now speaks with joy. It calls this path the "dark night," a name that captures both the difficulty and the beauty of the journey. This night is not one of despair but of transformation. It is the place where the soul is unmade and remade, where it sheds the old to make way for the new.

As the soul reflects on its journey, it sings of the blessings that have come from the dark night. It celebrates the intimacy it has found with God, the union that has made all the pain and struggle worthwhile. And as we listen, we are invited to walk this road ourselves, trusting that the same God who led the soul into the night will also lead us into the light.

REFLECTION

My Own Dark Night

There was a season in my life when everything I knew, everything I had built my faith upon, began to unravel. At first, I fought it. I tried to hold on to the familiar rhythms of prayer and devotion, clinging to the sweetness that had once come so easily. But the more I held on, the more hollow it all began to feel.

And then came the silence. It wasn’t the kind of silence that soothes; it was the kind that strips. The kind that leaves you staring into the void, unsure if you will find your way out. This was my dark night. I didn’t know it then, but God was leading me deeper—away from the noise, away from my striving, and into the stillness where His love could finally reach me.

It was in that stillness, in that stripping away, that I began to see God not as I had imagined Him, but as He truly is. And I began to see myself—not as I wanted to be, but as I was, loved in my imperfection.

JOURNALING PROMPT

Take a moment to reflect on a time in your life when things began to unravel. What did you hold on to? What did you let go of? Write about how you felt in the midst of it and what, if anything, you discovered on the other side.

INTENTION

Let this dark night, however it appears in your life, be a gift. Trust that even in the silence, God is at work, reshaping you, preparing you for something beautiful.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

  1. What attachments—habits, desires, or distractions—might God be inviting you to release?

  2. How does the idea of the "dark night" resonate with your current season of life?

  3. What would it look like for you to rest, to let your "house" grow still, and allow God to lead?