Spiritual Dryness vs Spiritual Desolation: A Simple Guide

Many seekers eventually reach a season where spiritual practices lose their spark. Prayer feels like reciting words into the void. Meditation feels like sitting in silence with no presence, no warmth, no flow.

This is often described as spiritual dryness. But in deeper spiritual traditions, a different word appears: desolation. The two are related, but not the same. Understanding the difference can help you navigate your journey with more compassion and wisdom.

In this guide, we’ll explore:

• The meaning of spiritual dryness.

• The meaning of desolation.

• The key differences.

• Why distinguishing them matters.

• Practical steps for navigating each.

• How these experiences fit into the wider journey of being spiritually lost.

For a complete map of lostness itself, see the cornerstone article: Spiritually Lost? The Complete Guide to Finding Your Way.

What Is Spiritual Dryness?

Spiritual dryness is a temporary lack of feeling or emotion in spiritual practice. You may:

• Pray or meditate but feel nothing.

• Experience rituals as flat and uninspiring.

• Feel distant from God, Spirit, or your own soul.

Dryness is often circumstantial. It can come from fatigue, stress, or changes in life. It may pass quickly with rest, reflection, or minor shifts in practice.

This experience is described in detail in Signs You’re Spiritually Lost (and What It Really Means), where dryness is often the first clue that a deeper journey is unfolding.

What Is Spiritual Desolation?

Desolation is a deeper, more unsettling state. It’s not simply a lack of feeling. It is the felt absence of God or Spirit, often accompanied by despair.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, defined desolation as:

• Darkness of soul.

• Disturbance of spirit.

• Inclination to low and earthly things.

• Disquiet, moving to lack of confidence and hope.

In other words, desolation is dryness combined with discouragement and hopelessness.

This often overlaps with the Dark Night of the Soul: A Modern Reading, though not all desolation is a dark night, and not all dark nights feel like desolation.

The Key Differences

Aspect Spiritual Dryness Spiritual Desolation Feeling Lack of emotion or inspiration Deep discouragement, despair, loss of hope Duration Often short-term Can last longer, persistent Impact Practices feel flat Practices feel unbearable or abandoned Cause Stress, fatigue, life changes Deeper soul transition or profound loss Response Rest, gentle shifts Patience, guidance, spiritual companionship

Why It Matters to Distinguish

If you treat desolation like ordinary dryness, you may miss the depth of what’s happening. If you treat dryness like desolation, you may over-dramatize a temporary state.

Recognizing which season you’re in allows you to choose the right response.

• For dryness, practical shifts may help.

• For desolation, surrender, patience, and sometimes professional guidance are needed.

See When to Get Help: Therapy, Coaching, or a Meraki Guide? if despair feels overwhelming.

Causes of Spiritual Dryness

Dryness often arises from:

• Fatigue: Physical exhaustion saps emotional energy.

• Routine: Practices become mechanical.

• Stress: Anxiety blocks presence.

• Life distractions: Overwhelm dulls awareness.

Gentle shifts can restore vitality:

• Rest and self-care.

• Adjusting your rhythm of practice.

• Introducing fresh forms of prayer, meditation, or embodiment.

Explore practical grounding in Breathwork When You Feel Spiritually Disconnected or Qi Gong for the Spiritually Lost: Ground, Centre, Reconnect.

Causes of Spiritual Desolation

Desolation, by contrast, has deeper roots:

• Profound grief or loss: See Grief, Loss, and Feeling Spiritually Cut Off.

• Faith collapse or deconstruction: See Faith Deconstruction: Losing Beliefs, Finding Integrity.

• Existential or cultural void: See The Meaning Crisis: Why Life Feels Empty (and What Helps).

• Soul growth: Mystical traditions frame desolation as the breaking apart of the false self.

Practical Responses

How to Navigate Spiritual Dryness

• Take breaks from rigid practices.

• Explore creativity: art, music, or journaling. See Journaling Prompts for Lostness, Doubt, and Dryness.

• Reconnect with the body through Somatic Safety First.

How to Navigate Spiritual Desolation

• Patience: Desolation rarely lifts quickly.

• Companionship: Seek trusted guides or communities. See Relationships During a Spiritual Crisis: Boundaries & Repair.

• Surrender: Allow what is dissolving to dissolve. This is often the entry to Shadow Work Without Overwhelm: A Gentle Path Back to Self.

Stories of Dryness and Desolation

• Michael: A pastor who, after months of overwork, found prayer flat and uninspiring. Rest and gentle breath practices restored his sense of presence. This was dryness.

• Anna: After the death of her mother, Anna entered a season where she felt abandoned by God. Prayer felt like shouting into silence. Over time, companionship and journaling helped her move through. This was desolation.

When to Seek Help

Dryness rarely requires professional support. But desolation sometimes does. If despair is deepening or safety feels at risk, see When to Get Help: Therapy, Coaching, or a Meraki Guide?.

Beyond Dryness and Desolation

On the other side of these seasons lies renewal:

• A deeper, more authentic faith.

• Practices rooted in love rather than obligation.

• A resilient trust in life, even when feelings fade.

For those in midlife, this can be part of the Midlife Spiritual Crisis. For empaths, it may intertwine with spiritual numbness.

Taking the Next Step

If you are in dryness or desolation, you do not have to walk alone.

As a Meraki Guide, I offer compassion-based energy work, reflective psychology, and embodied practices to help you move through these seasons with gentleness and wisdom.

Book your Free Soul Reconnection Call to explore your next step.

I look forward to connecting with you in my next post.

Until then, be well and keep shining.

Peter. :)

FAQs: Spiritual Dryness vs Desolation

What is spiritual dryness?

A temporary lack of feeling in practice, often due to fatigue or stress.

What is spiritual desolation?

A deeper discouragement where hope and connection feel lost.

How do I know the difference?

Dryness feels flat but manageable; desolation feels overwhelming and despairing.

How do I respond to dryness?

Rest, change your practices, and try gentle embodiment.

How do I respond to desolation?

Seek patience, companionship, and deeper reflection. See Dark Night of the Soul: A Modern Reading.