Great commentary JT and AO
No point me putting my twopennorth in as I'd have been more or less saying the same as AO. Perhaps you are right James, maybe the Bible might be something else which clouds the 'whisper', there may come a time on my journey when I can let that go, much as I did with *religion*, but for now, I see there is truth within the pages which help me on this particular stage of my journey.
I have metaphorically jumped of the cliff - yes, let go of absolutely everything, experienced total, indescribable blackness with my entire being - I cannot explain how or why my fall was broken by a 'branch' (To me, God. To you, whatever) on the way down, but I was left with a completely different perspective on life. I don't believe I'll land at the bottom off the cliff until I leave this plane of existence and when I make that last short jump, I will neither land with a thud or end up in several pieces!
peace
Amazing - I could have said that myself !
My "awakening" came a month before my "darkness". Then God (however you perceive him) sort of revealed himself as working in my life during the darkness - and as he did, patches of the darkness became the clearest parts of my life allowing me to "see through and beyond" them into another world.
... that world was not a world of churches, clerical clothing and liturgical teachings - it was the world of the truth which is buried deep beneath those things - a spiritual x-ray vision if you will.