“When Love has carried us above all things into the Divine Dark, there we are transformed by the Eternal Word Who is the image of the Father; and as the air is penetrated by the Sun, thus we receive in peace the Incomprehensible Light, enfolding us, and penetrating us.’
This video is a part of a series on the seminal work by Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism: The Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness, 1911.
The Dark Night of the Soul
Underhill’s greatest book, Mysticism: A Study of the Nature and Development of Man’s Spiritual
Consciousness, was published in 1911, and is distinguished by the very qualities which make it
inappropriate as a straightforward textbook. The spirit of the book is romantic, engaged, and
theoretical rather than historical or scientific. Underhill has little use for theoretical explanations and
the traditional religious experience, formal classifications or analysis. She dismisses William James’
pioneering study, The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902), and his “four marks of the mystic
state” (ineffability, noetic quality, transcience, and passivity). James had admitted that his own
constitution shut him off almost entirely from the enjoyment of mystical states thus his treatment was
purely objective. Underhill substituted (1) mysticism is practical, not theoretical, (2) mysticism is an
entirely spiritual activity, (3) The business and method of mysticism is love. (4) mysticism entails a
definite psychological experience.
(Wiki)
Librivox recording by:
Joy Chan
I think with this Underhill is speaking of those mystics for whom real effort is expended, an active mysticism as opposed to a passive state. The dark night then is characterized by continued effort but with little result, and although she doesn’t clarify it clearly in this portion of the reading (only 9 mins of a 45 min discussion) it is ego involvement which causes clouded perception, pain, intense loneliness, and suffering. Being unable to experience the true joy of the illuminated state until a sort of critical mass of ego involvement implodes on itself freeing the higher consciousness. While Underhill seems to describe the Christian mystic, the occurence of the dark night is described in many different spiritual traditions. For example, this might be compared with anatta of Buddhist doctrine.
http://librivox.org/
Duration : 0:9:24
[youtube SWJoEQC1yGA]
The Dark Night! …
The Dark Night! deep stuff my friend, thanks for the lift!
I always think of …
I always think of the dark night of the soul as the time period likened to a mother teaching a child to walk, she is always there holding you up because you cannot, but when you are able to walk on your own…she lets go. It’s not so much dark as it is learning to be a spirit on one’s without so much support. It is your time then to find your own way on your own.
Great video….great knowledge! There seems to be many great books written in the early 1900′s isn’t there?
“He was despised …
“He was despised and was avoided by men, a man meant for pains and for having acquaintance with sickness. And there was as if the concealing of one’s face from us. He was despised, and we held him as of no account.”
Isaiah 53:1
“Because of the …
“Because of the trouble of his soul he will see, he will be satisfied. By means of his knowledge the righteous one, my servant, will bring a righteous standing to many people; and their errors he himself will bear.”
Isaiah 53:10
Beautiful vid sis, …
Beautiful vid sis, truly being, and understanding of being, needs to come before one truly knows where they belong in the greatwork.
@alchemistra and …
@alchemistra and instead of being a hinder in spiritual evolution, the mystic allows the forces to flow in and out, directing him/herself wherever above forces decree. It’s not about you…at all. It’s about everyoneelse around you. There is no paradox, only truth beyond truth.
Peace Profound
That agrees with my …
That agrees with my experience I think. Thanks Alchemistra.
Thank you : ) I …
Thank you : ) I plan to continue the series on Underhill, but if your interested, check out the link in the sidebar, Librivox has the whole book recorded.
This experience too …
This experience too is not uncommon, nor has it ever been described as easy. It is the ego that would have a kind of carefree, feel-good spirituality. Underhill was acutely aware of this and the dark night experience is appropriately shown to come after the first touches with higher consciousness, in a sort of no pain, no gain scenario.
Very true, although …
Very true, although I believe that in the dark night experience, feelings of worthlessness, or better yet, hopelessness, are likely to prevail. This experience is described as intense, terrifying even, requiring no small amount of courage to push through. Hence, Underhill’s departure from James’ idea that mysticism is a passive state, one does not push through anything passively.
Our dark side.. I …
Our dark side.. I believe.. is born out of our frustrations..
Mystics may achieve a lot within themselves.. but they achieve very little in the world. So.. they may feel rich inside.. while at the same time feeling worthless. Its one of those truths that are embedded in paradox.
Frustration.. in turn.. lends itself to depression and anger.
Whoever wants to …
Whoever wants to live and enjoy his life today must not be like you and me.
Whoever wants music instead of noise, joy instead of pleasure, soul instead of gold, creative work instead of business, passion instead of foolery, finds no home in this trivial world of ours.
I do want more. I am not content with being happy. I was not made for it. It is not my destiny. My destiny is the opposite.”
Hermann Hesse
hmmmmmm
hmmmmmm
This is so true …
This is so true Alchemistra =) Indeed You need Alot of Polarization to Manifest and understand and to be your Higher self…
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for this. …
Thank you for this. Was very helpful for me, and strangely appropriate.
What is the answer …
What is the answer if your whole life has been one long dark night without the earlier visions and voices of the higher levels of consciousness?
If you can’t achieve the higher consciousness in the first place are you scuppered?