Dark Night of the Soul in the Mystery School Traditions

There are seasons on the spiritual path that feel nothing like light, love or bliss. The practices that once lit you up go flat. Your old identity unravels. You might feel abandoned by life, by your guides, even by your own intuition. Many traditions call this the Dark Night of the Soul.

In the Mystery School lineages, the Dark Night is not a punishment. It is a profound, initiating passage. But it is also hard, and it needs tenderness, context and good support.

In this article we’ll look at how different mystery school traditions understand the Dark Night, how it can show up in modern seekers, and how to walk through it as safely as possible.

New to mystery schools? Start with our overview article “What Are Mystery Schools?” and then visit the Mystery School hub for classes, courses and next steps.

• What Are Mystery Schools?

• Mystery School hub

What do we mean by “Dark Night of the Soul”?

The phrase “Dark Night of the Soul” comes from the Christian mystic St John of the Cross. He used it to describe a time when familiar spiritual sweetness falls away, and the soul feels stripped, empty and alone.

Since then, the term has spread into many spiritual contexts. Today people use “dark night” to describe:

• A deep spiritual crisis where God, meaning or guidance feels absent

• A collapse of old beliefs, identities or roles

• A feeling that nothing “works” any more – even meditation or prayer

It’s important to say gently:

• Some Dark Night experiences overlap with depression, trauma or nervous-system overload

• You may need medical or therapeutic help as well as spiritual framing

• Naming something as “Dark Night” does not mean you should suffer alone or refuse support

The Mystery School perspective can offer meaning and map. But it should sit alongside, not instead of, appropriate care.

Dark Night in the mystery school traditions

Mystery schools in different cultures have long held stories of descent, death and rebirth:

• The Egyptian story of Osiris, dismembered and reassembled

• The Greek descent of Persephone into the underworld

• Alchemical stages like Nigredo (blackening) before renewal

• Hermetic teachings about cycles of dissolution and recombination

These myths are not just stories. They are maps of inner process.

From a Mystery School lens, the Dark Night can look like:

• The collapse of an outdated self-image

• The burning away of spiritual fantasies and ego agendas

• A period where hidden material surfaces to be seen and healed

You could say that parts of you “die” so that a truer, more spacious self can come forward. The problem is that from the inside, it often just feels like loss.

Dark Night vs depression: a gentle distinction

This is a delicate area. There is overlap between mystical Dark Night and clinical depression. You may not be able to sort them out on your own. That’s okay.

A few gentle contrasts that some teachers notice:

• Dark Night: often tied to a spiritual opening, shift or big insight that came before. Meaning feels absent, but there is a faint sense of being “worked on” at depth.

• Depression: may feel more flat, heavy and disconnected from any sense of purpose or process.

But these are not hard rules. You can be in a Dark Night and depressed at the same time. You can be depressed without any spiritual crisis at all.

What matters for our purposes is this:

If you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm, complete hopelessness or inability to function, please treat that as a health priority, not just a spiritual phase.

Mystery School practice and courses, including anything from Bright Beings Academy, are not a substitute for medical or psychological care.

How mystery school work can trigger a Dark Night

Certain kinds of teaching and practise can bring on Dark Night phases more clearly. For example:

• Intense contemplation of Hermetic or mystical principles

• Deep third-eye, initiation or “inner temple” work

• Big life shifts triggered by seeing through an old identity

You might experience:

• Loss of taste for old habits, roles or relationships

• Feeling “in between worlds”, no longer who you were, not yet who you’ll become

• Prayer or meditation going quiet, dry or empty

• Old fears or wounds surfacing without your usual buffers

None of this means you’ve done something wrong. In many Mystery School maps, it means the work has become real. But it does mean you need extra care.

If you’re working with teachings like those in The Emerald Tablet and As Above So Below: A Plain-English Explainer or The Kybalion: A Simple Guide to a Complex Text, it’s normal for your worldview to shake.

Common themes in a Dark Night

Everyone’s experience is unique, but many people recognise these themes:

1) Loss of spiritual “highs”

Practices that used to bring warmth, visions or bliss feel dry. You may think you’ve “lost your connection”.

From a Mystery School view, this can be the soul being weaned off spiritual sugar so you can love truth for its own sake, not just for pleasant feelings.

2) Seeing shadow more clearly

You notice selfishness, fear, jealousy or old trauma patterns more starkly. It can feel like you’re getting “worse”.

Often you are actually seeing what was already there, but without your old defences. This is uncomfortable, but it can be profoundly healing when held well.

3) Collapse of old meaning

Beliefs that comforted you before may stop working. Identity labels feel thin. You may ask, “What if everything I believed is wrong?”

Mystery traditions frame this as a necessary unknowing. The old map must crack before a truer, more spacious understanding can emerge.

4) Silence where there used to be guidance

You might feel abandoned by guides, God, the universe – whatever language you use. Prayers seem to fall on deaf ears.

Some mystics suggest that in Dark Night, the soul is held more deeply than ever – just not in ways the mind can track. That does not remove the pain, but it can soften the self-blame.

Walking the Dark Night safely: wise support, not heroic isolation

One of the most harmful myths around Dark Night is that you must walk it alone, in heroic isolation. Mystery School traditions often show the opposite: initiates are held by a community, by ritual, or by a wise guide.

In modern life, safe support might look like:

• A trauma-aware therapist or counsellor

• A grounded spiritual director or mentor

• Simple, kind community with no need to fix you

Healthy guides will not rush you or claim magical fixes. They will sit with you, help regulate your nervous system, and remind you that this season will not last for ever.

At Bright Beings Academy, the Spiritual Wellness Class is designed as a gentle space where you can bring your real experience – including confusion, dryness or doubt – and work with simple practices that support your whole being.

For those who recognise themselves clearly in this terrain, Dark Night of the Soul (Course) offers a structured Mystery School map through this process, with strong emphasis on safety, embodiment and discernment.

Simple practices for a Dark Night season

None of these “solve” the Dark Night. They help you walk it kindly.

1) Stay with the simple

Short, honest practices often serve you better than elaborate rituals. For example:

• Three slow breaths with one hand on the chest, one on the belly

• A few minutes of gentle Qi Gong or stretching each morning

• A simple phrase such as “I am here, breathing this breath”

If you’d like guidance with this, 21-Day Qi Gong for Beginners can give you a non-overwhelming daily rhythm to support your body.

2) Limit new input

During a Dark Night, it is tempting to binge teachings to “get out of it”. Often this just overloads your system. You might instead:

• Pick one core text or course to sit with slowly

• Take regular days off from spiritual content and social media

• Spend more time in nature, silence and simple routines

3) Let honest feelings be part of your prayer

You do not have to present a “spiritual” face to the Divine. Lament, anger, confusion and numbness can all be offerings. You might write, speak or simply feel:

• “I don’t understand, but I’m still here.”

• “If this is you, please hold me anyway.”

The Mystery School path is about truth, not performance.

How this sits in your Mystery School map

Within the wider Bright Beings Academy Mystery School cluster, this article sits alongside:

• Foundations and context
  What Are Mystery Schools? Ancient Wisdom Today

• Key texts and Hermetic framing
  The Emerald Tablet and As Above So Below: A Plain-English Explainer
  The Kybalion: A Simple Guide to a Complex Text

• Safety, discernment and ethics
  Online Mystery Schools: 7 Red Flags and 7 Green Flags
  Mystery School vs Cult: How to Tell the Difference (Gently)
  How to Vet a Mystery School: Ethics, Fees, Promises & Red Flags

The Dark Night is one possible chapter in your Mystery School journey – not the whole book.

Next Steps On Your Mystery School Path

If you recognise yourself in these words, please know this: you are not broken and you are not alone. Many sincere seekers, across cultures and centuries, have walked through similar darkness.

When you feel ready, you might:

• Visit the Mystery School hub and see how your current season sits in the bigger map of teachings and courses.

• Explore Dark Night of the Soul (Course) if you’d like a structured, compassionate container for this exact territory.

• If you need something gentler, begin with the Spiritual Wellness Class or 21-Day Qi Gong for Beginners to support your body and nervous system first.

Choose the step that feels kindest, not the one that seems most dramatic. In a Dark Night season, kindness to yourself is never a distraction. It is part of the path.

FAQs — Dark Night of the Soul in the Mystery School Traditions

Q1) How do I know if I’m in a Dark Night of the Soul or just “off my practice”?
A Dark Night tends to last longer than a few off days, and it often reaches into your sense of meaning, identity and relationship with the Divine. If your usual practices feel flat for weeks or months, and life feels strangely emptied out, you may be in a Dark Night season. That said, it is always wise to check in with a professional if you are concerned about your mental health.

Q2) Does a Dark Night mean I am spiritually advanced?
Not necessarily. Dark Night experiences can happen at different stages. They are less about being “advanced” and more about being willing to let go of what no longer serves. It is better to approach them with humility and honesty than to make them part of your spiritual image.

Q3) Should I keep doing intense practices during a Dark Night?
Sometimes the kindest move is to simplify rather than push harder. Many people benefit from reducing intensity, shortening sessions and focusing on grounding, breath and gentle movement. If a practice consistently leaves you more fragmented or despairing, it may be time to pause or adapt it with guidance.

Q4) How long does a Dark Night usually last?
There is no fixed timeline. Some phases are relatively short – weeks or a few months. Others unfold in waves over years, with lighter periods in between. Rather than measuring how “fast” you’re going, it can help to focus on how resourced, supported and honest you can be within the experience.

Q5) Can a Dark Night return after I’ve already gone through one?
Yes, many people report multiple Dark Night-like periods at different layers of their life. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Often it means you’re meeting new material with deeper honesty. The skills and supports you build in one season can make later passages gentler and more navigable.

Educational note: This article is for learning and wellbeing. It does not replace medical, psychological or legal advice. Please seek qualified professional support if you are struggling to cope.

I look forward to connecting with you in my next post.
Until then, be well and keep shining.
Peter. :)