Dark Donde Ver

[Cherish Asleson]

TheDark Night of the Soul (La noche oscura del alma) is a phase of passive purification of the spirit in the mystical development, as described by the 16th-century Spanish mystic and poet St. John of the Cross in his treatise Dark Night (Noche Oscura), a commentary on his poem with the same name. It follows after the second phase, the illumination in which God's presence is felt, but this presence is not yet stable. The author himself did not give any title to his poem, which together with this commentary and the Ascent of Mount Carmel (Subida del Monte Carmelo) forms a treatise on the active and passive purification of the senses and the spirit, leading to mystical union.[1]

The poem of St. John of the Cross, in eight stanzas of five lines each, narrates the journey of the soul to the mystical union with God. The time or place of composition are not certain. It is likely that the poem was written between 1577 and 1579. It has been proposed that the poem was composed while John was imprisoned in Toledo, although the few explicit statements in this regard are unconvincing and second-hand.[2]

The journey is called "dark night" in part because darkness represents the fact that the destination "God" is unknowable, as in the 14th-century mystical classic The Cloud of Unknowing; both pieces are derived from the works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 6th century. Further, the path per se is unknowable. The "dark night" does not refer to the difficulties of life in general,[3] although the phrase has been taken to refer to such trials.

The Ascent of Mount Carmel is divided into three books that reflect the two phases of the dark night. The first is a purification of the senses (titled "The Active Night of the Senses"). The second and third books describe the more intense purification of the spirit (titled "The Active Night of the Spirit").[6] The active purgation of the senses comprises the first of the classical three stages of the mystical journey, followed by those of illumination and then union. The passive purgation of the spirit takes place between illumination and full union, when the presence of God has already been felt but is not stable.[7]

At the beginning of the commentary Dark Night, John wrote: "In this first verse, the soul tells the mode and manner in which it departs, as to its affection, from itself and from all things, dying through a true mortification to all of them and to itself, to arrive at a sweet and delicious life with God."

The dark night of the soul is a stage of final and complete purification, and is marked by confusion, helplessness, stagnation of the will, and a sense of the withdrawal of God's presence.[note 1] It is the period of final "unselfing" and the surrender to the hidden purposes of the divine will. The final stage is union with the object of love, the one Reality, God. Here the self has been permanently established on a transcendental level and liberated for a new purpose.[8]

The term "dark night of the soul" can be used as a synonym for a crisis of faith.[9] More generally, it is "used informally to describe an extremely difficult and painful period in one's life".[note 2]

This crisis may endure for a long time. The "dark night" of St. Paul of the Cross in the 18th century endured 45 years, from which he ultimately recovered. The dark night of Mother Teresa, whose own name in religion she selected in honor of Thrse of Lisieux, "may be the most extensive such case on record", having endured from 1948 almost until her death in 1997, with only brief interludes of relief, according to her letters.[11][12]

Inayat Khan states, "There can be no rebirth without a dark night of the soul, a total annihilation of all that you believed in and thought that you were."[13] Joseph Campbell states "The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation. When everything is lost, and all seems darkness, then comes the new life and all that is needed."[14]

"This," says St. John of the Cross again, "is one of the most bitter sufferings of this purgation. The soul is conscious of a profound emptiness in itself, a cruel destitution of the three kinds of goods, natural, temporal, and spiritual, which are ordained for its comfort. It sees itself in the midst of the opposite evils, miserable imperfections, dryness and emptiness of the understanding, and abandonment of the spirit in darkness."

Virginia State Parks has four parks designated as International Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) - Staunton River, James River, and the recently added Natural Bridge and Sky Meadows. International Dark Sky Parks (IDSPs) are parks with an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that are protected for their scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment.

As part of the designation process, the parks established an outdoor lighting policy that minimized light pollution, reached out to the local community, and organized and promoted programs for guests to enjoy stargazing.

Nighttime light pollution is common east of the Mississippi River, and natural nighttime darkness is disappearing, making stargazing more difficult. Dark Sky designation recognizes areas and organizations working to maintain spaces where the public can easily see the stars. The designation marks the beginning of our work in maintaining the dark skies, demonstrating that much of what visitors love about our dark sky parks hinges on resources and factors beyond our boundaries. It is a reminder that the designation's longevity must not be taken for granted. We hope it will inspire others to consider the impact that outdoor lighting choices at home and in their communities make on the conservation and enjoyment of our valued resources.

National parks are some of the best places in the world to appreciate dark night skies because the National Park Service works to protect these places from the increasingly prevalent effects of light pollution.

Dozens of national parks around the country have earned designations as International Dark Sky Parks and Sanctuaries. These distinctions by DarkSky International recognize exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment.

In late 2023, Saguaro National Park in Arizona earned certification as an Urban Night Sky Place, one of only nine in the world. This certification recognizes sites that are near or surrounded by large urban areas, and whose planning and design actively promote an authentic nighttime experience in the midst of artificial light. The only other National Park Service unit with this distinction is Timpanogos Cave National Monument in northern Utah.

(and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada; together, these two parks make up Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the first International Dark-Sky Park spanning an international border)

Dark oak trees with trunks consisting of 11 dark oak logs, instead of 22, can be found in two types of rooms in woodland mansions: the tree chopping room, and the nature room. These are not generated elsewhere in the world, and cannot be grown from saplings.

Growing these trees requires four dark oak saplings arranged in a 22 grid; they do not grow if planted individually. Dark oak trees grow at a much faster rate than most other trees. They require a 33 column of unobstructed space at least 7 blocks above the sapling to grow (8 blocks including the sapling itself). This column is centered on the northwestern sapling. Additionally, dark oak trees require 55 layers without obstruction for the top 3 layers of its final height. No horizontal clearance is needed at the base of the tree (saplings planted in a 22 hole 1 block deep still grow).

In Bedrock Edition and Minecraft Education, dark oaks can generate as a dying tree. Dying dark oaks generate naturally, and can be grown from normal saplings.[1][2] A dying dark oak has the standard growth pattern of any other tree, however, all exposed logs in the main trunk are covered with vines.

The early sunsets and long, star-filled nights of fall and winter make those seasons popular for northern lights trips, but despite what you may have heard, no one season is especially likely to result in a showing.

Or you could simply use your smartphone. According to longtime dark skies photographer Bob King, "If you use the night photography mode on a newer phone, you can take lovely pictures of the northern lights.... The one key is to have some way to mount the phone so it's still during the exposure. It might be as simple as just rigging something up with Velcro. As long as you can see and compose the picture, then you're good."

Of course, you won't catch the northern lights every time you go out shooting. It really depends on whether the skies are clear and the celestial forecast is leaning in your favor. Either way, you'll find plenty of other, more common night sky photo ops in the North Star State. Rural Minnesota's deep, dark skies are rich with celestial displays such as meteor showers, shooting stars, and the Milky Way.

After cleansing, apply to the full face, avoiding the eye area. Begin by applying every other night. After 2-3 weeks, increase to applying every night if tolerated. It is normal for skin dryness and peeling to occur for the first 2-3 weeks of use. If experiencing irritation, reduce application to every third night and gradually increase to every other night. You can even use this treatment to target specific dark spots by alternating every other application between the full face and directly to the dark spot itself. And because dryness is normal, it is essential to always follow with a moisturizer. In the daytime, always protect skin with a broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher and limit sun exposure while using this product.

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