Dark Night of the Soul

Preface to Dark Night of the Soul: A Modern Translation, by Peter Northcutt

Many Christians can attest that the initial phases of a spiritual journey often brim with excitement. When God first ignites a spark within our frozen hearts, it feels like a blazing wildfire. But what happens when the honeymoon ends and that spark goes out? It could be weeks, years, or even decades later, but many of us eventually find ourselves in seasons of spiritual drought. We desperately want to feel the presence of God but we just can’t, and the things in life that once brought joy now seem like meaningless chores. Taking these worries to God feels like a waste of time, too, because we may begin to question if He exists ­­– or worse, if He cares.

If you’ve experienced what I’m describing (maybe you are in the midst of it), take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. In fact, this sensation is so common that the Christian tradition has a term for it: the “dark night of the soul.” And for that, we owe our gratitude to a sixteenth-century Spanish monk named St. John of the Cross.

As the son of two impoverished silk weavers, John was well-acquainted with the lows of life from an early age. At 14, he began working at the hospital of Medina, tending to patients with incurable diseases and madness. This early exposure to poverty and suffering shaped him profoundly, directing his focus more towards spiritual fulfillment than earthly contentment. At the age of 21, after hearing in prayer that he was meant to serve God, John became a monk in the Carmelite order.

Shortly thereafter, John met St. Teresa of Ávila‎, now known as one of the most prominent Christian mystics and reformers of her time (shameless plug: check out our translation of Teresa’s own masterpiece, The Interior Castle.). After their meeting, Teresa wrote to her sisters, saying, “(John) is a man whose home is in heaven, full of God.” Teresa, also a member of the Carmelite order, had grown tired of the increasingly careless atmosphere prevailing in their monasteries, and recognizing John's maturity, she enlisted his help in returning the order to its contemplative and prayerful roots. Together, they established the Discalced (meaning "barefoot") Carmelites, opening the first Discalced monastery just a year later in 1569.

But, as Bishop Robert Barron once noted, “Reformers are not very popular with those they are trying to reform.” Indeed, John and Teresa faced significant resistance within their own order to the point that, in 1577, the Carmelite brothers in Toledo took John captive and held him in a cramped, lice-infested cell. Despite the brutal conditions, including cold, hunger, and beatings, it was during this suffering that he composed his most beautiful poetry. After nine months in the cell, he managed to escape through a small window, carrying only the poetry he had penned.

After his escape, John committed himself to spreading the love of God, founding and overseeing monasteries across Spain until his death at the age of 49. Over time, his detractors within the Church came to recognize their misjudgment of him. Beatified in 1675 and canonized in 1726, St. John of the Cross is now revered as one of the leading mystics and spiritual masters. He is not only revered within the Church, however, as he is universally regarded as one of Spain’s greatest poets. His timeless writings include "The Ascent of Mount Carmel," "A Spiritual Canticle,” which he wrote in his cell, and, of course, the poem you are about to read.

Yes, Dark Night of the Soul is, first and foremost, a poem; in an attempt to express the sublime, John employed a metaphor, one of a traveler journeying through the darkness. But, as you can tell by the weight of this book, there is more than just a brief poem in these pages. That’s because John himself later wrote a lengthy commentary in which he dissects his metaphor line by line, relating it to the two types of dark nights the soul can experience: the night of the senses and the night of the spirit. The original poem and its commentary constitute what we now know as St. John of the Cross’ Dark Night of the Soul.

The primary objective of John’s book is to tackle a fundamental question that often arises: why does God allow us to enter these spiritually dark nights where it’s so difficult to sense Him? Well, according to John, God doesn’t merely allow us to undergo these experiences; rather, He leads us there purposefully, intending to mature us from spiritual “beginners” to spiritual “proficients.” Like a mother weaning her child from milk, God strips away our reliance on sweet spiritual comforts. These comforts encompass various aspects of our relationship with Him, including active prayer, reading, music, nature, and other mediums through which we typically encounter Him. “Through this,” John says, “God brings the soul to die to everything that isn't Him, shedding its old skin so He can begin clothing it anew.”

For those unfamiliar with Christian mysticism, this idea of transcending our usual encounters with God may strike you as odd. How can we “move beyond” our favorite ways of relating to God, and why would we even want to? Nevertheless, mystics like John would insist that these familiar activities serve as training wheels that must come off if we are to fully experience the deepest aspects of the spiritual life.

According to Christian mysticism, the spiritual journey is typically divided into two phases of prayer: the phase of “discursive” prayer and the phase of “infused” prayer. Initially, as spiritual novices, we engage in the discursive type of prayer, also called “meditation.” This involves the intellect actively thinking about God, often initiated by spiritual reading. As St. Padre Pio says, “Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds Him.” However, once we learn to talk to God and hear from Him using our brains and human senses, mystics suggest that God often steers us away from this kind of prayer, guiding us through the dark night towards the second phase of our spiritual journey.

When God deems a person ready, He leads them into infused prayer, also known as “contemplation.” This second phase is the apex of spirituality for the Christian mystic, as it is less about studying God and more about experiencing Him. Contemplative prayer can be challenging to define precisely, but fundamentally, it involves simply beholding God, sitting in silence with Him, and allowing His love to envelop you. As pastor John Mark Comer says in his book Practicing the Way, “at its most basic, (contemplation) just means looking at God, looking at you, in love.” While the mystics certainly don’t neglect intellectual study (for example, John was known to immerse himself in the academic books of Thomas Aquinas) they are more concerned with simply being with God, free from the “work of meditation.” John’s friend Teresa may have summed up mysticism best in The Interior Castle: “In order to make rapid progress (in the spiritual journey), it’s not so essential to think much as it is to love much.” But, as John emphasizes in these pages, we will never experience the deepness of this prayer without first feeling the dryness of the dark night. 

Nearly five centuries later, John's earnest and honest exploration of spiritual drought continues to provide guidance to seekers navigating the complexities of their own spiritual journeys, making Dark Night of the Soul an enduring masterpiece of Christian mysticism. For those fumbling through the shadows of life, this book offers reassurance that God is still walking with you whether you sense Him or not. James Catford of the British and Foreign Bible Society says, “Even to receive a few pages of truth from this book and the Church will be set on fire with a renewed love of God.” And in a time when mental, emotional, and spiritual darkness looms large, we believe this renewal is needed now more than ever.

In order to maintain the profound impact of this book, we at Modern Saints have revitalized the classic text through a faithful and contemporary translation. Our aim was to craft a version of the book that would resonate with readers in the 21st century in both style and substance. Here are the three basic ways in which this book was adapted:

• Sentence structures and vocabulary were updated to better suit modern readers,

• Paragraphs were broken up or consolidated for clarity,

• And, while nearly a word-for-word translation, short bits of text were added or removed intermittently to help the flow of reading or to provide necessary context.

The result of these adaptations is a fun and fresh reading experience void of needless struggle, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the wisdom of a spiritual master without being hindered by outdated language.

It's important to acknowledge that St. John of the Cross was undeniably a spiritual master; after all, he dedicated his entire life to the pursuit of God through contemplation. This might seem daunting as you delve into his writings, as his mystical perspective may feel inaccessible (or even bizarre). But, of course, it is precisely this depth of spiritual understanding that has drawn generation after generation back to John’s life and teachings. His undeniable testimony of finding joy in suffering, combined with a humble yet holy relationship with God, has led countless people to cherish his advice. So, while this book may initially seem intimidating, it ultimately provides a vision of what is possible in the spiritual life and extends an invitation to you to simply take the next step, no matter where you are on your own walk with God.

I pray that Dark Night of the Soul becomes a source of light in your life. In moments of dryness and doubt, sometimes all we need is a companion to journey alongside us, and by delving into this book, you are not only joining John on his journey through the dark night but also the millions of fellow readers across centuries who have found encouragement in his wisdom. But in the end, John reminds us that our greatest friend is God, who never leaves us nor forsakes us, even when it feels like He has. As John writes, there is no feeling so perfect as when “God takes your hand and guides you in the darkness, as if you were blind, towards an end and along a path that you do not know.” Today, your path has led you to this remarkable book. I hope you feel God's comforting hand guiding you through the darkness even now.