In mystical literature, one will repeatedly encounter the term “The Dark Night of the Soul.”
The Spanish mystic John of the Cross (16th century) used this title for a poem in which he describes the purifying experience—one that profoundly shakes both body and soul—which the disciple sooner or later undergoes on the path of following Jesus, the archetype of our being.
The painter Albrecht Dürer in one of his copperplate engravings, “Melencolia I” (1514), created a very striking depiction of this exceptional state. It is one of the most complex works in art history and is well worth contemplating.
Virtually every Rosicrucian student has, at some point on their path, been “shaken” to a greater or lesser degree by this experience of the “Dark Night of the Soul.” Yet they had hoped that, with the help of their studies, their life would henceforth proceed more smoothly and without friction—indeed, that they would master their life.
Instead, they continue to be struck by illness, financial problems, and misfortunes in the external world.
But even more painful are the feelings of meaninglessness, disorientation, the dissolution of one’s own identity, and a sense of being forsaken by God.
If these experiences (often several small ones) can be viewed as trials indicating that a new, higher stage of development is imminent, that is a helpful and encouraging perspective.
Now it is time to prove whether one has already attained the necessary maturity for the next step in development.
How earnestly, steadfastly, and with how much devotion is the goal of wholeness, perfection (Christ consciousness) pursued?
What befalls our body (the “cross” imposed upon us), known as the “dark night of the soul,” is comparable to the process that takes place in the “athanor” as the fire is stoked under the alchemist’s care.
In this crucible, we too are repeatedly refined and purified until the cross—our body—has become “golden.” Only then can the higher vibrations of the spiritual world be received.
Only when one draws closer to this goal can the red rose (Christ consciousness) bloom upon the golden cross and exude its unique fragrance.
