Before the light, there is darkness. The Genesis creation account begins with a profound void [Greek: ἄβυσσος; Hebrew: תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔, English: abyss], a darkness which cloaks the face of the deep. Here, the Spirit [Greek: πνεῦμα; Hebrew: רוּחַ; English: breath] of God moves with quiet purpose, to bear new-life. This primordial darkness is not merely absence nor lack, but a space of fecund possibility, the womb of creation itself.
This presentation explores mystical darkness as a transformative space for purification, societal change, and divine encounter, drawing from the works of San Juan de la Cruz, Howard Thurman, and Raimon Panikkar. While differing in historical and religious contexts, each theologian utilizes the symbol of darkness to illuminate pathways toward liberation—whether through spiritual purification, social resistance, or metaphysical unity. This study situates mystical darkness as a sacred and generative space rather than an absence or void, challenging dominant theological paradigms that prioritize light as the primary metaphor for the divine presence.
San Juan de la Cruz’s noche oscura del alma reframes darkness as the crucible in which the soul is purged of attachments, ultimately uniting with the divine. His mystical poetry and commentaries emphasize darkness as a necessary stage in the journey toward God, where suffering and silence refine the soul’s capacity for love.
Howard Thurman’s luminous darkness emerges from the historical and existential reality of racial segregation in America, yet it becomes a fertile space for spiritual depth, nonviolent resistance, and the radical ethic of love. His theological reflections invite those on the margins to find strength in an inner light that no external oppression can extinguish.
Raimon Panikkar extends mystical darkness into a nondualistic framework through his advaitic (nondual) and cosmotheandric (cosmos-human-divine) theology. His interreligious approach to mysticism situates silence and darkness as essential spaces for encountering the ineffable Mystery beyond dualistic Western epistemologies.
In light of the 2025 AAR Presidential Theme on Freedom, this presentation explores how mystical darkness can serve as both a crucible and a catalyst for liberation. As President Leela Prasad reminds us, freedom remains a contested condition—desired, yet co-opted… resisted, yet imperiled… While dominant cultural narratives often equate freedom with visibility, light, and power, mystical darkness offers an alternative vision: one in which freedom is forged in hiddenness, interiority, and newness. Thurman’s luminous darkness embodies this paradox, which uses the double meaning of darkness as segregation and yet also a luminous darkness where the inner life—cultivated in silence, contemplation, and mystical depth—becomes the very ground from which liberation movements emerge.
Emerging psychological investigations into Thurman’s spirituality suggest that his emphasis on the inner life functions as both a coping mechanism and a radical site of identity formation. His understanding of mystical darkness resonates with trauma-informed therapeutic approaches, which recognize that healing does not always occur through immediate relief but through deep, internal reorientation. By engaging Thurman alongside San Juan de la Cruz and Raimon Panikkar, this presentation explores how mystical darkness serves as a transformative space for psychological and spiritual integration. (For Thurman and the other mystics, this is a journey towards Love). In psychotherapy, as in the mystical pilgrimage (Cavanaugh, 2008; Brouillette, 2022), the liminoid space (Turner, 1978) of the unknown can be faced rather than feared… suffering must be entered rather than escaped.
By placing these three figures in dialogue, this presentation expands upon a vision of mystical darkness that moves beyond passive suffering or mere absence. Instead, mystical darkness invites transformation—through the purgation of the soul (San Juan), the liberation of the oppressed (Thurman), and the dissolution of rigid theological binaries (Panikkar).
In conversation with liberation theologies (Gutierez, 1988; Lanzetta, 2005; Anzaldúa, 2009) and psychotherapeutic frameworks, this presentation challenges the privileging of light over darkness in theological discourse, reclaiming mystical darkness as an active, fecund space where God’s presence is most profoundly encountered.
The primordial darkness [Greek: ἄβυσσος; Hebrew: תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔, English: abyss] is not merely absence nor lack, but a space of fecund possibility, the womb of creation itself. This presentation explores mystical darkness as a transformative space for spiritual purification, social resistance, and divine encounter through the works of San Juan de la Cruz, Howard Thurman, and Raimon Panikkar.
Each theologian reframes darkness—not as absence or despair but as a site of re-creations: San Juan’s noche oscura purifies the soul, Thurman’s luminous darkness resists racial oppression, and Panikkar’s advaitic mysticism dissolves dualistic thought.
In dialogue with liberation theologies, this presentation reclaims the spaces of mystical darkness as a sacred, generative force, challenging theological traditions that privilege light and offering a vision where transformation unfolds within the shadows of the dawn of new life.