Oftentimes we hear “Dark Night of the Soul” as a euphemism for depression. Although the symptoms are very similar, the Dark Night of the Soul is means of spiritual growth. You might not recognize it until you’re on the other side. St. John of the Cross wrote about this spiritual maturation in his book, Dark Night of the Soul. It is a time when your old ways no longer give you sensory pleasure. You experience an aridity, but you also feel a deep sense of grounding. You know you’re being led even though you have no evidence of it.