Dark Night of the Soul question

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LoveTherese

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Hi everyone,
I just picked up Dark Night of the Soul to read and St. john of the Cross wrote “Upon my flowery breast, kept wholly for himself alone, there he stayed sleeping , and I caressed him”…”I parted his locks”
i’m not sure how to phrase my next question except to ask to those familiar with his writings if this is to be interpreted as a soul caressing Jesus? Sorry if i’m not clear, i am a bit confused at the moment. Thank you for any insight.
 
Yes, mystics can definitely be hard to understand sometimes but when i read those verses from St. john of the Cross i figured there is something he’s saying in a spiritual sense that i’m missing because if i read it in a physical sense it doesn’t seem to mean the same thing.
 
thank you so much for thoughtfully adding this, I did actually read this (i should have mentioned that) and I guess it means that the soul is so enraptured it wants to caress its maker but something about parting his locks seem too “earthly physical “ for me to easily attribute to the joy of the soul. Not a lot of information on the internet that i’ve found with explanations. As usual it can just be my confused mind not seeing what might be obvious to others. Thank you again
 
It could also just be the writing style.
I’ve heard that a lot of Spanish religious writing is very romantic, and sometimes people who aren’t used to that find it a bit unusual.
 
Thank you! i’m Spanish myself so perhaps i should find the original wording and maybe its meaning will resonate a bit more clearly. Appreciate that great idea thank you
 
St John of the Cross provides commentary for his poems which explain this.

I recommend the versions produced by ICS Publications, which are translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD

The language is contemporary and upto date making for much easier understanding.

Jim
 
“Upon my flowery breast, kept wholly for himself alone, there he stayed sleeping , and I caressed him”…”I parted his locks”
There is something amusing about this. Like a mother who combs their child’s hair ready for school?
 
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