Chapter 10
Learning to Let Go and Wait
Of the way in which these souls are to conduct themselves in this dark night. At the time of the dryness of this night of sense (when God effects the change from meditation to contemplation), spiritual persons suffer great trials because they do not understand what is happening to them. God is now beginning to communicate Himself to them, not through sense, as before, through considerations and images, but through the spirit in an act of simple contemplation, without the soul having to use any discourse. Therefore, the attitude to be observed in this night of sense is to pay…
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Key Quotes & Analysis
"God is now beginning to communicate Himself to them, not through sense, as before, through considerations and images, but through the spirit in an act of simple contemplation"
Context: Explaining why the old methods of finding answers aren't working anymore
This describes how growth sometimes requires a completely different approach than what worked before. The analytical mind that got you this far might not be what gets you to the next level.
In Today's Words:
John says God now speaks by pure spirit in simple contemplation without your discourse, not through sense and images as before. The upgrade feels like silence. When thinking harder fails, shift from manufacturing experience to receiving quiet attention. In trauma chaplaincy Juan learns to stay present in the stripping without rebuilding the old self from
"the attitude to be observed in this night of sense is to pay no heed either to discursive meditation, since this is not the time for it, or to desire to feel or find pleasure, for this would hinder the principal thing which God is now effecting."
Context: Giving advice on how to handle difficult transition periods
Both analysis and craving pleasure block the work God does in dryness.
In Today's Words:
John commands souls to ignore discursive meditation and the hunt for pleasure because both hinder what God effects in dryness. This is not the season for lists or emotional proof. Put down the old toolkit and stop grading the prayer. This is not abstract mysticism but the felt collision between divine purging and human frailty
"Thus the soul has only to leave the soul free and disencumbered and at rest from all knowledge and thought, troubling not itself in the least about what it shall think or meditate upon"
Context: Describing the proper response to feeling lost and confused
Rest from thought is active surrender, not laziness.
In Today's Words:
John says the soul should rest free from knowledge and thought without fussing over what to meditate on next. Empty agenda is the point. Schedule ten minutes with no problem to solve and no feeling to force. Juan the hospital chaplain sees the same pattern when consolation ends and the soul must learn patience without
"contenting itself with merely a peaceful and loving attentiveness toward God, without anxiety, without the ability and without the desire to have experience of Him or to perceive Him."
Context: Describing the ideal mindset during difficult transitions
Loving attentiveness excludes anxiety and demand for perceptible consolation.
In Today's Words:
John calls for peaceful loving attentiveness without anxiety, ability, or desire to feel God. Presence without receipt. Show up at the bedside, the chapel, or the silence without needing proof that anything is working yet. John maps this for beginners who mistake dryness for failure instead of purgation ordered toward union with God.
Thematic Threads
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
John describes spiritual growth as requiring the abandonment of familiar comforts and methods
Development
Central theme throughout - growth always involves letting go of what feels safe
In Your Life:
You might notice this when promotion requires leadership skills you've never needed, or when parenting teenagers demands completely different approaches than worked with small children.
Identity
In This Chapter
The 'dark night' challenges who we think we are as capable problem-solvers
Development
Building on earlier themes of identity transformation through difficulty
In Your Life:
You might face this when illness forces you to redefine yourself beyond your work role, or when empty nest syndrome challenges your identity as active parent.
Class
In This Chapter
Working people often can't afford long periods of uncertainty or 'finding themselves'
Development
Implicit throughout - spiritual growth must happen while bills still need paying
In Your Life:
You might feel this tension when you need time to process major changes but can't take time off work, or when financial pressure demands immediate action but wisdom requires patience.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Society expects us to always have answers and be actively working toward solutions
Development
Introduced here - the pressure to appear productive even during necessary fallow periods
In Your Life:
You might struggle with this when others expect you to 'bounce back' quickly from loss, or when family members pressure you to make major decisions before you're ready.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Even our relationship with God/meaning requires different approaches at different life stages
Development
Evolution of earlier themes about relationships requiring adaptation and growth
In Your Life:
You might experience this when long-term friendships need to evolve as you both change, or when marriage requires new forms of intimacy after major life transitions.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
Why do spiritual persons suffer trials in the night of sense?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
They do not understand that God is shifting them from meditation through sense to simple contemplation in spirit.
- 2
What two desires must souls reject during this night?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Discursive meditation and the desire to feel or find pleasure, since both hinder God's work in dryness.
- 3
When have you tried harder with an old method that had stopped working?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Name a situation where doubling effort increased frustration instead of growth.
- 4
What would loving attentiveness look like in a practical situation you face now?
application • deepOne way to read it
Describe showing up with care without scripts, anxiety, or demand for immediate feeling or results.
- 5
How could you practice resting from knowledge and thought this week?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
Set a short period of prayer or presence with no agenda to analyze, fix, or feel proof of God's nearness.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Toolkit Transition
Think of a current challenge where your usual strategies aren't working. Draw two columns: 'Old Tools I Keep Reaching For' and 'What This Situation Might Actually Need.' Be honest about what you keep trying versus what might be required. Then identify one small way you could practice 'loving attentiveness' instead of forcing a solution.
Consider:
- •Notice the difference between what feels familiar versus what feels right for this situation
- •Consider whether your frustration comes from the problem itself or from your tools not working
- •Ask yourself what you might be trying to control that actually needs to unfold naturally
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to completely change your approach to solve a problem. What did you learn about yourself in that transition? How might that experience help you navigate your current challenge?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 11: Breaking Free from Inner Turmoil
Having learned the importance of patient waiting, John will next explore the specific signs that indicate whether someone is truly in this transformative dark night or simply dealing with ordinary spiritual dryness that requires a different approach entirely.
