I’ve fallen out of favour.
I don’t know what to do.
My overlords of high esteem.
Have left me all a-blue.

I tried my best, I really did.
Despite the vague instruction.
I manned the trench, whilst others fell.
And witnessed their destruction.

“Healer-priest thy role is set,
To push beyond mundanity.”
Yet when I rose to face the dark.
They feared my new profanity.

Now my tools are grief and loss,
I side with all that’s bleak.
My trials are over, the damage done.
A purpose must I seek.

I have no edge, no cut nor thrust.
My power is extinguished.
Yet here I am, without my light.
Identity relinquished.

What role am I now all is gone?
Abandoned and defenceless.
Yet here I am, without my light.
One who wields the darkness.

Story Summary

“Black Cloak” is a deeply introspective poem that explores themes of spiritual crisis, loss of purpose, and transformation through darkness. The narrative follows a healer-priest figure who has fallen from grace after pursuing spiritual depths that frightened their superiors. The six-stanza structure creates a descent into increasingly dark territory, mirroring the alchemical process of nigredo or blackening. Through carefully crafted imagery of abandonment, loss of power, and embracing darkness, the poem captures the essence of spiritual initiation where one must lose everything familiar to find authentic purpose. The repeated motif of lost light and growing darkness suggests this is not just about personal crisis, but about the necessary death of the ego that precedes spiritual rebirth.

Author Context

Dr. Simon Robinson brings his background in both spiritual practice and psychological understanding to this work. As evidenced in the larger text, his approach combines Western alchemical traditions with Buddhist psychology and modern therapeutic frameworks. The poem reflects his deep understanding of the dark night of the soul experience, where practitioners must confront their shadow aspects before transformation can occur. His writing style characteristically weaves together mystical symbolism with accessible emotional truth, making esoteric concepts relatable through personal narrative.

Book Context

This poem appears in “A Course in Modern Alchemy: Nigredo,” serving as both an artistic expression and teaching tool about the first stage of spiritual transformation. The book explores how contemporary seekers can apply ancient alchemical wisdom to their own psychological and spiritual development. The poem exemplifies the raw emotional territory one must traverse when undertaking serious spiritual work. For readers interested in depth psychology, Western mysticism, or personal transformation, this text offers a unique bridge between ancient wisdom and modern understanding.

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