St. John of the Cross for Beginners

Imagine a traveler setting out on a daunting journey, the sky above slowly dimming into twilight, the path ahead shrouded in mist and shadow. This is the beginning of a profound spiritual expedition, known as the Dark Night of the Senses. Here, the soul is called to relinquish its attachments to the pleasures that once brought comfort—those sensory delights that tether us to the world. This mortification of desires is not a punishment but a necessary purification, a way to prepare the soul for the greater light that awaits.

Consider the analogy of a window clouded with grime; no matter how bright the sun shines outside, the light inside remains dim until the window is cleaned. The soul, in its attachment to worldly things, is like that window. The more it clings to created things—be it wealth, honor, or physical pleasures—the less capable it is of receiving the pure light of God. Love, when misplaced, equalizes and sometimes even diminishes the lover, binding the soul to the finite and detracting from its infinite destiny.

One striking image comes from a vision of a fragile hazelnut resting in the palm of a hand, symbolizing the entire created world—small, delicate, and fleeting. To give oneself to anything less than God is to give oneself to this frail object, whose sustenance depends entirely on divine love. Only by setting our affection solely on God can the soul rise above this frailty and enter into true freedom.

During this phase, the soul may experience dryness and a loss of pleasure in prayer or spiritual exercises. This is not a failure but a sign of progress, for the soul is being weaned off the consolations that once sustained it. Like a child learning to walk, it struggles against the desire to cling to familiar comforts. Such trials are a blessing, for they teach the soul to rely not on feelings but on faith and trust in God’s guidance.

It is important to recognize that this detachment is not a rejection of the world but a transformation of the soul’s relationship to it. The world remains, but the soul no longer desires it for its own sake. It learns to use creation as a means to God rather than an end in itself. This subtle shift is the essence of spiritual freedom.

As the traveler ascends this misty mountain, the fading light signals the coming of night, but also the promise of dawn. The soul’s journey through the Dark Night of the Senses is the first step on the path to divine union. Having begun to loosen the bonds of desire, the soul is now prepared to enter the deeper darkness of the spirit, where faith alone will be its guide.

Let us now turn to this next stage, where the darkness deepens, and the soul’s journey becomes even more profound.