Chapter 1 – The Dark Day: On the Dark Night of the Soul. A Contemporary Interpretation of John of the Cross
Rebekka Waldesruh
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 25, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20379986 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation Mysticism |
| Keywords | Existentialism Soul Consciousness Contemplation Interpretation philosophy Spirituality Transformative learning Psychoanalysis Epistemology Order exchange Transcendence philosophy Phenomenon Religious experience Human condition Psychology of self Aesthetics Meaning existential Nothing |
| Key points | Argues that the Dark Night of the Soul is a distinct spiritual process that differs from clinical depression, requiring careful discernment to avoid pathologization or romanticization. |
Abstract
This chapter is an excerpt from a larger book project on the phenomenon traditionally described as the “Dark Night of the Soul” in the writings of John of the Cross. It combines historical, phenomenological, psychological, and contemplative perspectives in order to reinterpret this classical mystical concept for a contemporary audience. While remaining grounded in the Catholic and monastic framework of John’s original writings, the text also addresses modern readers who approach questions of existential crisis, inner transformation, spirituality, or consciousness outside explicitly religious contexts. The chapter introduces the Dark Night as a profound inner process that may outwardly resemble depression or existential despair, yet differs fundamentally from clinical pathology in mystical tradition. Particular emphasis is placed on the necessity of carefully distinguishing spiritual transformation from psychological illness in order to avoid both premature pathologization and romanticization of suffering. The text therefore explores overlaps and divergences between depressive states and the Dark Night, while reflecting on themes such as inner emptiness, loss of meaning, purification, ego dissolution, contemplation, and spiritual maturation. In addition, the chapter outlines the broader structure of the book project, whose later sections address purification, enlightenment, contemplation, existential endurance, spiritual dangers, and the transformative potential of inner darkness. The work is intended both for religious readers familiar with mystical theology and for spiritually or philosophically interested readers seeking a non-reductive interpretation of profound existential experience.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |