Should one embrace, accept or resist the dark night of the soul?

Question

Why?

Just trying to make Y!A R&S a better place.

I was putzing around in the writings of St. John of the Cross and this question seemed like it would annoy folks. Pagan or Christian, you pick, I'm interested in what folks have to say.

Answer 1

Grimmy,
Define the Dark Night of the Soul experience for me please. Are you talking about the Catholic version or the pagan one?
While similar, they are different and I want to be sure I understand you.

#2. I still like your other avatar better ;)

Edit: ooh the cool avatar is back!
Ok well, the pagan dark night of the soul experience is one that we embrace. Much like the descent of Persephone into the Underworld, we view this as a death/rebirth type experience that brings us new enlightenment (simplified here for the sake of space). It is similar to the Catholic view of that experience, in that it can feel as if we've been abandoned by the "Gods".

Catholic version:
The "dark night" could generally be described as a letting go of our ego's hold on the psyche, making room for change that can bring about a complete transformation of a person's way of defining his/her self and their relationship to God. The interim period can be frightening, hence the perceived "darkness". In the Christian tradition, during the "dark night" one who has developed a strong prayer life and consistent devotion to God suddenly finds traditional prayer extremely difficult and unrewarding for an extended period of time. The individual may feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them, or that their prayer life has collapsed. Rather than being a negative event, the dark night is believed by mystics and others to be a blessing in disguise where the individual is trained to grow from vocal and mental prayer, to a deeper contemplative prayer of the soul. Particularly in Christianity, it is seen as a severe test of one's faith. The Dark Night comes in two phases: a first "Night of the Senses," and a second "Night of the Spirit."

Answer 2

Accept it, all emotions have a true purpose in our lives. Listen to the Music of the Night...

Answer 3

Embrace it, because it moves you to a better place. It's a wake up call.

Answer 4

I accept.

Answer 5

yah sure