Facing the Fire: A Journey into Darkness with the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius

Facing the Fire: A Journey into Darkness with the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius has been a classic of Christian spirituality since its publication in the 16th century, with many Christians still completing either the entire 30-day retreat or over a longer period in daily life. Yet the opening section of the text is largely ignored in the present day, in part due to its focus on disorder, sin, and hell. With so much darkness in the world, we tend to focus on the lighter, more hopeful side of the Christian faith. But what if a little bit of darkness is exactly what we need right now? In this retreat, Eddie looks at the first week of the Spiritual Exercises as a medieval example of ‘Shadow work’, a confrontation with the unacknowledged dark side of our personality that we must come to terms with if…