Now in paperback: a distinguished psychiatrist, spiritual counsellor and bestselling author shows how the dark sides of the spiritual life are a vital ingredient in deep, authentic, healthy spirituality. Gerald G. May, MD, one of the great spiritual teachers and writers of our time, argues that the dark 'shadow' side of the true spiritual life has been trivialised and neglected to our serious detriment. Superficial and naively upbeat spirituality does not heal and enrich the soul. Nor does the other tendency to relegate deep spiritual growth to only mystics and saints. Only the honest, sometimes difficult encounters with what Christian spirituality has called and described in helpful detail as 'the dark night of the soul' can lead to true spiritual wholeness. May emphasises that the dark night is not necessarily a time of suffering and near despair, but a time of deep transition, a search for new orientation when things are clouded and full of mystery. The dark gives depth, dimension and fullness to the spiritual life. “[An] excellent offering.... With its clear writing and strong psychological foundation, this is a relevant resouce for readers of all spiritual persuasions.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A gifted and insightful writer, Gerald May’s book uses the same title in an attempt to both clarify and amplify St. John of the Cross’s original work, and to place it in a modern setting. May’s book sets John in his historical context and opened me up to a vivid picture of a young man with a deep love for God and brilliant intellect.” - Conversations Journal “May’s book uses the same title in an attempt to both clarify and amplify St. John of the Cross’s original work, and to place it in a modern setting.... A vivid picture of a young man with a deep love for God and brilliant intellect.” - Conversations Journal Now in paperback: a distinguished psychiatrist, spiritual counsellor and bestselling author shows how the dark sides of the spiritual life are a vital ingredient in deep, authentic, healthy spirituality. Gerald G. May, MD, one of the great spiritual teachers and writers of our time, argues that the dark 'shadow' side of the true spiritual life has been trivialised and neglected to our serious detriment. Superficial and naively upbeat spirituality does not heal and enrich the soul. Nor does the other tendency to relegate deep spiritual growth to only mystics and saints. Only the honest, sometimes difficult encounters with what Christian spirituality has called and described in helpful detail as 'the dark night of the soul' can lead to true spiritual wholeness. May emphasises that the dark night is not necessarily a time of suffering and near despair, but a time of deep transition, a search for new orientation when things are clouded and full of mystery. The dark gives depth, dimension and fullness to the spiritual life. Gerald G. May, M.D. (1940-2005), practiced medicine and psychiatry for twenty-five years before becoming a senior fellow in contemplative theology and psychology at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, Maryland. He was the author of many books and articles blending spirituality and psychology, including Addiction and Grace , Care of Mind/Care of Spirit , Will and Spirit , and The Dark Night of the Soul . The Dark Night of the Soul A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth By Gerald G. May HarperSanFrancisco Copyright © 2005 Gerald G. May All right reserved. ISBN: 9780060750558 Chapter One Half a Friar The Story of Teresa and John That Jews and Christians, together with Muslims, can live in amity, respecting differences while honoring commonalities -- that this is no pipe dream -- is proven by the fact that, for centuries, they did just that. -- James Carroll Jews, Christians, and Muslims did indeed live in harmony in a time and place that "some remember as a kind of paradise." It is known as the convivencia, the "living together." The time was between the ninth and twelfth centuries, and the place was Spain. As Carroll recounts it, it was a time when Muslims opened the doors of their mosques for Christian worship services and when Jews were schoolmasters for Christian children. This rich cross-fertilization of faiths and cultures produced famous universities and renowned thinkers, including the great Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides, who chose to write not in Hebrew, but in Arabic. Religious warfare originating outside Spain began to dismantle the convivencia in the twelfth century, but vestiges of its rich heritage lasted into the sixteenth century, the time of Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross. In many ways, Teresa and John inherited the creative legacy of the convivencia. John of the Cross will forever be credited for the idea of dark night of the soul, but the inspiration wasn't his alone. John acknowledged his indebtedness to a number of previous authors, including an obsc