Thomas Moore's book lights the dark nights

Jess writes about reading Thomas Moore's Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life’s Ordeals in her blog entry "With No Other Light or Guide than the One That Burned in my Heart" on the blog, A 40-Something Fool's Journey. She shares:

"My name is Jess, and I am a food addict. I have closed my eyes in the darkness before, using the drug of food to avoid the fear and pain and suffering. I have caused myself more fear and pain and suffering being unwilling to face the things I fear most. And as they hide in the recesses of my self, rarely jumping out at me (because they are part of my fear-driven self, unwilling to face the potential eternal flame that guides my way), I do not confront them – either gently or with courage."

Earlier in the blog post, Jess suggests, "The introduction to St. John of the Cross’s poem and its subsequent analysis by Mirabai Starr years ago gave me the understanding I needed when I reached Dr. Viktor Frankl’s book. With logotherapy in hand, I was able to finally approach Dr. Thomas Moore’s book with an open mind; because of Mirabai Starr’s book, I recognized the name and that alone drew me to pull it from the library shelf so I could read it. And, today, I am finding that to walk through the darkness with no more than the light inside myself to guide me is about the most compassionate thing I can do for myself. I am the person who was given the least compassion in my own life. I am the person who was made to suffer the most. I get why I worry I cannot love, because I have not shown love to the one person I cannot walk away from – myself."