St. John of the Cross

Written in the 16th century by a reform-minded Carmelite monk, Dark Night of the Soul is a treatise focusing on the metaphor of a dark night to represent a lonely phase in one's personal spiritual life. Saint John was a Roman Catholic mystic and a Spanish poet, and this work reflects his mystical stages toward union with God. Written on a scroll smuggled to him by one of his guards, his songs are the ultimate expression of the spiritual seeker's journey...

"I remained, lost in oblivion; My face I reclined on the Beloved. All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies." Thus writes 16th century Spanish poet and mystic, St. John of the Cross. In this, his third work, the author reflects on the nature of a personal union with Christ, found in the abandonment of self.