Book Review of Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross

Although it may first appear to be a work which highlights a night in which the soul seems to be abandoned by God, Dark Night of the Soul should be seen as a work in which St. John discusses the purgation of the soul, a method by which the soul is detached from all earthly perceptions and planted firmly on a path focused towards achieving the ultimate goal of unity with God. The dark night is not simply a time of loneliness and it is not necessarily a time of great suffering. Instead, it is a time in which the soul transitions from desiring earthly things to desiring heavenly things. St. John reveals the differences between meditation, contemplation, and the fact that the greatest constants of the spiritual life are always the same for everyone. This “purgation,” or Dark Night is explained by St. John to be a process by which the soul “lets go” of its comfort zone and its love of self, while growing to love God and others more, as well as raising its self-awareness in its true identity before God. Dark Night of the Soul helps us to realize that dark nights come and go and however dramatic they may seem to be, they are always of a quiet and inner nature and the more we are drawn to the things of God, the more we hope and trust in God, relying upon Him to carry us through, for even though dark nights may seem dark and unclear, our trust in God acts as the light with which we must continue on in our spiritual journey towards God and our ultimate goal: eternal life in Heaven.