Part III. Italy Chapter 58. The Dark Night [July 26, 1349] Cultural Explanations

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In this chapter, Bávlos experiences a spiritual crisis known in Christian mysticism as the "dark night of the soul." The person's access to divine communication abruptly stops and instead becomes replaced by depression, anxiety, and confusion. In Bávlos's case, the experience fuses Christian and shamanic visions, with visitations from both the plant juopmu and Nieiddash (in human form). The links between the experiences of Job and the word juopmu form part of Bávlos's distraught contemplation.