Noonday Demon, Again: Guest Blog, by Ron Christiansen

Had meant to read your new post after we visited Austin two weeks ago, but just now getting to it. As I think I mentioned to you, this line of thought reminds me (not surprisingly) of Andrew Solomon's book "The Noonday Demon: an Atlas of depression"--it's a much more engaging read than the title may suggest though it certainly does have an atlas-like feel. He is sometimes tedious but his intro chapter on depression and his chapter on the history of depression are quite good. 

In the history section Solomon cites the 5th century christian aesthetic as describing 6th combatant in the 19th Psalm as the noonday demon which "produces dislike of place where one is, disgust, disdain, and contempt for other men, and sluggishness." Cassian's description is a bit more active less indifferent than the one that you offer (though you do suggest the "sucking" of intellectual and spiritual energy). Solomon continues by saying that Cassian saw the noonday demon as the "thing that you can see clearly in the brightest part of the day but that nonetheless comes to wrench your soul away from God." That about gets it right I think--maybe it is the contrast between the light of day and the mood, a contradiction the mind and heart can't quite make sense of. 

Building on this idea, Solomon explains why he chose this as his title: "because it describes so exactly what one experiences in depression. The image serves to conjure the terrible feeling of invasion that attends...There is something brazen about depression. Most demons--most forms of anguish--rely on the cover of night; to see them clearly is to defeat them. Depression stands in full glare of the sun, unchallenged by recognition. You can know all the why and the wherefore and suffer just as much as if you were shrouded in ignorance." I love the thought of depression as brazen, as invasive, maybe because it is personified into something real. 

As you suggest here, action is in order. Cassian suggests manual labor. I like what you say here--meditation, routine, stimulation. It occurs to me that anything which can wet/water (in contrast to the emotional dryness you speak of) the soul is worthwhile. For me usually a show like Downton Abbey (btw Ali and I have knocked out 4 episodes since your/Cam's recommendation) or a good novel can help. But during times of extreme dryness and indifference, I have to rely on the tried and true, the ritualistic. This might be scripture for some; recently for me it is a few scenes from the LOTR or Moonstruck (learned this from Lora via you) or a long meditative hike. 

Thanks so much for the post. It found me today mid-fight with the noonday demon, having been all-out sick for two days, sun a shining, weekend hikes and plans ruined, soul needing some stirring and engagement.