Nothing, nothing, nothing: John of the Cross

John of the Cross, the sixteenth century Spanish mystical author, is known for his way of "nada" - of nothing, or "no-thing" - leading us beyond all created things and concepts and attachments to a direct experience of union with God. In this, we pass through a "dark night of the soul," when it might seem at first that all is lost, but the emptiness secured by our freedom from worldly attachments makes it possible for God to draw us toward himself.

This is part four in a four-part series on Christian mysticism:
1. "God is not good": Pseudo-Dionysius (   • "God is not good": Pseudo-Dionysius  )
2. God beyond God: Meister Eckhart (   • God beyond God: Meister Eckhart  )
3. Chambers of the soul: Teresa of Avila (   • Chambers of the soul: Teresa of Avila  )
4. Nothing, nothing, nothing: John of the Cross (   • Nothing, nothing, nothing: John of th...  )