Thanks Phil. I read the premium thread on dark nights, reread the article on loss of the affective ego, and listened to the presentation concerning the backlash from quietism. All good stuff. Will just let the spirit work with it for awhile and see what I learn.

Well way to go, Tim. Glad to hear you availed yourself of these resources.

BlissInTheHeart, thanks for sharing from your life experiences. That was amazing.

quote:

What i wanted to tell, is, that this 2-weeks-period of hide and seek, of an absense of the ability to meditate with all these accompanying mental and psychic depressions and break downs, the unability to do something usefull, all this was only a preparation, perhaps a purification, and maybe a test of being worth for this next step in my spiritual journey and further spiritual awakening. Certainly not "THE dark night of the soul", but "A dark night of the Soul", others still have to come, i think ....

I agree... preparation, purification, testing, all of that. You seem to sense more "darkness" on the way. So do I. I share your prayer for leadership from God.

Take care,
Tim

Yes, thank you so much, Bliss. It seems that God teaches all of us at some point that we are not in control of the journey, and that even our spiritual practices are fruitless if God decides to not show up.

We have a forum on this board for "Transformative Experiences." You've made a start in sharing something of your own, here. Perhaps you'd consider posting what you've shared here as a new topic, and eventually sharing more about what's happened in the 30 years since?

quote:

Originally posted by Phil:
... I do a teaching on this topic as part of our spiritual formation program, which I am happy to share with anyone reading this thread free of charge. If you don't have an hour to spare to listen to the presentation, you can at least check out the pdf handout.
- http://shalomplace.com/inetmin/spiritlife/2a-9rh.html
...

Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing this Phil. I just finished listening to the lesson. I'd like to buy more from this class if it's for sale. I didn't see it on your website.

Shasha, see http://shalomplace.com/inetmin/spiritlife/index.html

You can purchase the whole program with immediate online access, or we have a DVD option as well. You can also purchase individual courses or lectures like the one above.

This is our bread-and-butter program at the retreat center and it keeps me plenty busy.

Hey, thanks for the order! Now SpiritLife will keep YOU plenty busy, too.

Your DVD is in the mail and you can begin to access the classes online immediately, as I hope you've already discovered.

hi Phil... ( and everybody)

i am deeply grateful for the link that Shasha posted above. i listened to it today was so grateful to find i am far from alone in the process i find myself in currently..

i was beginning to think i had fallen out of my faith as it has been a huge dry spell for a long time. only deepening as the months go on. this link gave words to this place of being so hard to describe..

Matthew listened to it tonight and he was also impressed. i began the sharing with him with the song you shared from 'Mercy Me'.. like you i feel it hits the nail right on the head concerning this space many may be finding themselves in these days.. this quiet where God seems to be hiding. i loved the song so much i downloaded it this afternoon from itunes. the first time i have had a deep genuine cry .. a cry of relief and happiness that this is Gods design for my life and it is Ok to be here within it.

we are interested in purchasing many of these audio presentations.. which we will begin to download tomorrow.. just a little heads up on that...

how is your bird watching going? .. i feel like i have died and gone to heaven with this move to this new home by the Yellowstone river.. i have never seen so many birds!

i used to think birds were these sweet little passive creatures that sat on trees only looked pretty and sang sweet songs. ... LOL!

well let me tell you these birds out here go thru the bird seed like they are nuts( throwing it more than eating it) , fighting amongst themselves and making a general mess of the deck .. if you know what i mean they are REAL characters ... i enjoy watching these birds so much.. they are beautiful and hilarious with distinct little personalities...

warm regard to all.. and thank you too Shasha for your thoughtfulness in posting this link for us .. to say it made my day is an understatement.

love christine

Hey Christine, what kinds of birds are you seeing? If you switch over to safflower seed in the summer, that will eliminate the blackbirds and squirrels but the little birds and colorful songbirds will still come around.

Glad to hear you enjoyed my presentation. And we're all set up to handle your purchases.

hi phil .. i will get the safflower seeds .. after the flooding.. hmm this is what happens when you live by a river.. i don't think it will come into our house.. but it is very close to it..

our yard of one big bird bath.. wow!

we are in for it the next couple days ... receding slightly then cresting again...

Christine, sounds like a dark night of the home! What is the river you live next to? Keep us posted on your situation.

phil.. i live close to the Yellowstone river.. like 200 yards away.. i posted some pics on Fb of the flooding.. you can look there.. you are on my friends list. .. it got to be about a foot deep around our house.. it did get into the garage but this house was built for living on the river.. interesting.. all that water receded by this morning but the river crested again this Am and away we went again..i guess it will do this off and on throughout the week as the river rises then taper off as the snow melts in the Rockies...

also............ i posted that song on Fb the 'Mercy Me' song'.. i love that song.. everytime i hear it, tears begin...

today i am going to begin downloading some of those talks on the Spiritlife site... both Matthew and i enjoyed listening to the one on quietism...

as for birds.. pelicans ( they love the river) Eagles, woodpeckers, Evening Grosbeak, red finches, Western Meadow Lark, Long-billed Dowitcher, American Goldfinch, Cassin's Finch,Ovenbird, Redhead, Red Crossbill, wild turkeys, Mountain Bluebird, blue jays, owls, ducks robins house finch, the pain in the rear 'cowbird' and magpies.. which come in packs and are a real nuisance .. many more birds but cant think of hem off the top of my head right now...we have a lot of eagles here on the river year round..

love christine

Thomas Dubay's book is very good indeed.