The Dark Night Of The Soul. Aldivan Teixeira Torres

enough to give me safety at the top of the sacred and dangerous mountain. Despite that, I don’t give up and believe in my capabilities. I take a few steps and make another decision: I would be starting to walk on the top’s west side, where the majestic cave is located. I did that, because I had an inner suspicion.

      Determined, I go to the nearest path. Half way I start hearing noises from wild animals. And now? How was I going to protect myself? Afraid, I begin to repeat a silent praying and the noises abate immediately as if by miracle. I feel more relaxed and carry on walking, concentrating on the challenge. Again, the doubts appears incessantly and I ask: Will it be possible for me to overcome this so difficult first challenge? Well, from my side I would be making every effort to do my best to start to accomplish my objectives: The search for the answers about the dark night and my desire for knowledge.

      I carry on walking, and with the intense cri-cri of the insects I lose concentration. As an alternative, I decide to gamble with my instincts and experience so that I don’t get lost on the path. After some time, with my steady and quick steps I get closer to the cave of despair, place where I became the seer of the books. By walking forward and standing in front of it, the memories from the last time I was here came back to me. I remember all the details, including that I was only a dreamer who had climbed the mountain in search of an unknown destiny. By climbing it completely, I had the pleasure of knowing the guardian lady, a miraculous spirit capable of understanding the most profound mysteries of the human being. With her help, I accomplished three challenges, one more difficult than the other. Still on the mountain, I have faced the ghost and the youth with the objective of asserting what I wanted for myself. After all those stages, finally I could enter the cave of despair, the cave that was capable of making the impossible possible. Going in, overcoming all the obstacles, went through scenes until I got to the secret chamber. There, my natural gifts were strengthened and ended up becoming the seer, a being capable of making miracles in time and space. With everything realized I left the cave, and travel through time, I corrected injustices, helped someone to find himself and finally I gathered my opposing forces as well as the ones from the last time. I have succeeded in my mission and now I felt prepared for a new adventure, penetrate the dense dark night of the soul, something that no one ever did. Full of enthusiasm, I walk further, stand at the entrance to the cave waiting for a sign from the supernatural, but nothing happened. As time went by, I had convinced myself that the cave had nothing to do with the actual challenge and I went away from it and looked for another path, towards the north side of the mountain. I find it straight away, helped by the torch’s light and carry on walking.

      Picking up a new path, I feel my faith and hopes renewed, because I believe that I am going to accomplish the plans and find the so desired success. Assured and following the developed instincts of seer, at a certain point, I decide to leave the path and enter the thicket. Even facing difficulties, like the thorns that hurt me, I carry on walking in the same direction, because I had an inner assurance. I continue at this pace for about ten minutes, until out of nowhere a clearing appeared. In front of me there were four distinct paths and I have to choose one of them. Under pressure, I begin to analyse all the possibilities. In this case it is not just luck or fate, simply knowledge. Among the paths there is the path of light, the path of passivity, that of repentance and the path of the dark night of the soul. The first one belongs to all those that give themselves to the call of the Father, his mission. Certainly, this is the most difficult path, because requires renunciations and choices that the majority are not prepared to make. However, the second, the passivity path, represents all of those that persist with their mistakes without concern for the consequences, such as the others’ pain. In the case I choose this path I may even reach madness. In relation to the path of repentance, this one belongs to all and any human being that is prepared to change life, to forgive and try to understand the other side. However most people cannot tread it for very long, mainly because of pride, exactly the cardinal sin that I will try to understand to the bottom in this particular challenge. In the instance of me opting for this path, I will observe and feel a lot of suffering. At last, there is the path of the dark night of the soul that represents the knowledge and mystical experience of the darkness that everybody goes through at certain point in life. After pondering for a while, I end up deciding that the path of the dark night of the soul is the most appropriate to follow at that moment. Before continuing the journey, however, I recall my past challenges specifically when I had to choose, at the last adventure, between the two opposing forces. In that instance, the path on the right was the most correct one, because it represented the path of light, whilst the one on the left represented the path of darkness. Now the situation was different, because there were four paths and only one was the most appropriate choice. I ponder for a while longer, I decide to invert the roles and denominate the path to the extreme left the one of the pure light and the one next to it the one of the repentance. So, the path on the extreme right, I denominate it as one of the dark night of the soul and the one next to it the one of passivity. In order to confirm my hunches, I create an aura round the paths and this plan gives me the desired result. Then I follow the path on the extreme right searching for the truth that few know. After walking for a while longer, my steady pace takes me to a flat place, exuberant and enormous, with a lake in the middle. On its banks, a woman is waving to me, calling me. By curiosity, I answer her call and get closer. As I reach her, I start the conversation:

      — Are you the owner of the mystery of the origin of the dark night of the soul?

      —No, my dear. But I can help.

      Saying that, the woman moves quickly and in a few seconds places herself behind me, pushing me into the lake. Defenceless, I go into the water. At this moment, the mountain shakes, the gravitational forces are affected, the sky darkens and my body ascend at an enormous speed. Gradually I lose my senses and then the visions appear. I concentrate on one of them, and as if it was travelling through time, I see a great explosion and its consequences. In that particular vision, I am aware of the creation of the solar systems and all their constituent elements, representing the creation of matter. Besides this one, occur simultaneously the spiritual creation of all human beings. In this one, in particular, I watch the armies of angels under the command of a sole master, helped by a servant called Lucifer, an angel helpful and efficient. Everything was going alright in the spiritual plan, until one day the Master of the Armies had to go away with the objective of creating new galaxies in distant universes, and so left Lucifer in charge of Heaven. Soon after the Master left, Lucifer grew in importance and the power got to his head. In an instant he decided that he would no longer be a servant and rebelled with some other angels. He obtained supporters from all the hierarchies: Thrones, powers, ikiriris, archangels, angels, etc. However, Lucifer’s plans were discovered in time by another servant: Michael. This one did not agree with the ambitions of his brother Lucifer and with other angels he organised a counterattack. So, war started. On one side, those who supported Michael and Jave as their only master. On the other side, those who supported Lucifer as their supreme. This moment was the most delicate of all the Universe because many lives were lost (billions) for the sake of power, that is, a meaningless cause. After numerous battles, Michael and his angels were able to surround Lucifer and his followers, defeating them, and locking them up in the feared Earth’s abysm, in unsurmountable rooms. Thus, ended the war and the Master returned from the trip, occupying his rightful and deserved place. On his return, He made sure of rewarding Michael and his followers for their bravery in battle and gave them higher places in the administration of the Kingdom of Heavens. As for Lucifer, as punishment, was made into the shape a horrendous dragon and the fire of the abysm was lit, burning little by little those in there. It is at this precise moment that the feared dark night of the soul emerges and the seat of power and pride being its primitive causes. After witnessing all these facts, the visions disappear from my mind and in a jiff, I am back, to my surprise on the banks of the lake. I look around and see nobody. I decide then to return immediately to the cabin, for most of the night had passed. In a hurry, I cover the way back in no time and in a few strides, I am back at the cabin. I go straight to my bed looking for a refreshing sleep. Getting near I promptly fall on it. Tomorrow will be another day and I will carry on walking the feared path of darkness searching for such arduous knowledge.

Another day

      The day finally dawns and the first rays of sun hit my face, waking