Emily Rose Meditations

What's happening to us when the storms of life roll our way?

Through the Dark Night, we begin to rely less on our feelings or experiences, and more on the deep peace which only God can provide.

The Dark Night, far from depriving our vision, sharpens its spiritual acuity. We can see ourselves, others, and God much more truly than when all our senses are flooded, loud, and demanding our attention.

This whole work is, of course, an explication of the poem composed by St John of the Cross, and in this chapter he illumines three lines: Kindled in love with yearnings. Oh, happy chance! I went forth without being observed.

What do we do when we find ourselves in this Dark Night? St John of the Cross advises that this travail isn't the moment to advance or to learn spiritual backflips, but to "remain in peace and quietness." What might it look like for us to seek rest and ease in trials instead of redoubling our efforts?

You'll find that "aridities" is one of St John of the Cross's favorite words in describing the Dark Night (or perhaps a favorite of his translator!). But "drynesses" does seem pretty fitting when we come down to understanding the ways to notice and identify this Dark Night into which many pilgrims enter.

Here St John of the Cross begins in earnest, describing the different aspects of a dark night -- of the senses and of the spirit -- especially considering the purging and asphyxiating qualities of darkness on the senses.

Aligning God's will to our own, or our own will to God's? This is the quandary of spiritual sloth. Envy is easy to spot: desiring for oneself the praise (in spirituality) of another, or begrudging someone else their good fortune in God's communion.

Is it really so honorable to kill yourself with penances? (St. John of the Cross says: NO) Sometimes we think trying harder is the answer, but here St John suggests that trying softer is what God desires.

St John of the Cross spends this chapter and the next few explaining how he sees beginners in the spiritual journey falling to vices, organized as the 7 deadly sins. Especially of note is the distinction between the "sensual" and the "spiritual" selves, somewhat mapping on to the "flesh" and the "spirit," though he pointedly does not flagellate our earthly, physical bodies as inherently evil.

St John of the Cross continues his survey of deadly sins with a short examination of how wrath might play out in our spiritual lives.

More ways in which "beginners" often stumble, especially getting fixated on spiritual/religious things rather than our inward hearts.

St John of the Cross describes more deeply the vices into which "beginners" (let's be real: ALL of us) often fall.

St John of the Cross begins to explain levels of spiritual maturity; we learn that he's got some sass.

St John of the Cross expresses in poetry the experience of walking through the valley of the shadow of death, what might befall us, and how we might grow well with God.

As we trod this road, let us always remember that it may or may not be the right road for us at a time; a way to tell us noticing our joy and our sorrow. Let us be evermore aware of our condition, our responses, our longings for God.

Maybe this isn't the perfect volume, but being offered in a sincere and humble (and holy!) spirit, hopefully it can be an aide to those who seek God in the quietude of contemplation.

Contemplation is, at root, a vehicle for grace, for God to bestow upon us his goodness and to reveal himself as we wait upon him and direct those darts of love. We receive grace in different ways at different times, Scripture can reveal these to us.

Using the Ark of the Covenant, and Moses, Aaron, and Bezalel as a template, our author expounds on the ways we might experience God differently within the practice of contemplation. Contains 2 chapters.

The way to sense God is so different from our bodily senses, and yet, especially in this modern world (of technology) our bodily senses can sometimes best help us to hone our spiritual sense.

This mental/spiritual state of nothingness can seem like a desert, but it can also provide the sparkle of God's grace.

Continuing to plumb the depths of our mind-state in contemplation, we're urged to seek "nowhere" and "nothingness." This allows our spiritual home to be where ever we are, and it is assuredly where God is!

Our author outlines levels of attention, material, spiritual, and God alone. We learn how our attention might look in contemplating God alone.

In addition to the warping that sin can cause in our reason and will, in a post-fall world, we struggle to manage our imaginations and our senses. Flights of fancy quickly pull us from our stated direction and desire.

Sin has its effect on our bodies and our minds. We struggle to keep our focus and even to choose the good we want.