DARK NIGHT OF THE SOULUpon a darkened night
The flame of love was burning in my breast
And by a lantern bright
I fled my house while all in quiet restShrouded by the night
And by the secret stair I quickly fled
The veil concealed my eyes
While all within lay quiet as the deadOh night thou was my guide
Of night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover
To the beloved one
Transforming each of them into the otherUpon that misty night
In secrecy, beyond such mortal sight
Without a guide or light
Than that which burned so deeply in my heart
That fire t’was led me on
And shone more bright than of the midday sun
To where he waited still
It was a place where no one else could comeWithin my pounding heart
Which kept itself entirely for him
He fell into his sleep
Beneath…
Loreena McKennitt
Ms. McKennitt was born in Morden, Manitoba. When she was in high school she was in a band with my cousin Ron Rempel. He came home one day and told his family ” that girl was going to go places”. And she did become quite successful, and has settled down here in Stratford.
Her music is haunting. It is sometimes Persian, Middle Eastern, Scottish or Irish. When I first listened it sounded the same, but on YouTube I have gotten my ear to hear the different styles she sings.She is a gifted musician .
St. John of the Cross wrote the book Dark Night of the Soul in the 16th Century. It is a classic poem of the mystical union with God. Anabaptists, in the same time period, shied away from such mysticism. We had a practical following the teachings of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. I find the poem hard, and I am still working through it. McKennitt’s music and lyrics speak to the difficult journey of a “dark night of the soul”. Finding the Spirit of God is hard, sometimes.
Grace and peace in our journey to the mystical Christ of faith.
Fred
Soaring like Vultures
lifted up by unseen Hands
Trust, silent enters my fears
Monica Pieper Landoni 2021