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Chapter 12NocheOscura.1.12

Libro Primero — Capítulo 9

The Three Signs of Purgative Dryness

The author introduces three essential signs to distinguish between spiritual purgation and mere lukewarmness or physical indisposition.

Of the signs by which it will be known that the spiritual person is on the path of this night and sensory purgation 1. However, because this dryness often stems not from that night and purging of the sense appetite, but from sins and imperfections, or from slackness and lukewarmness, or from some ill humor or physical ailment, I will list here some signs by which you can tell whether it is that purging, or whether it arises from one of those other faults.1 I find there are three main signs for this. 2. The first is whether, just as the soul finds no pleasure or consolation in the things of God, it also finds none in any created thing; because, since God places the soul in this dark night in order to dry up and purge its sensory appetite, He lets it take no relish in anything or find any savor. From this, one can know with high probability that this dryness and lack of satisfaction doesn't come from sins or newly committed imperfections. If that were the case, one would feel in one's nature some inclination or desire to take pleasure in something other than the things of God; for whenever the appetite gives way to some imperfection, one immediately feels inclined toward it—to a greater or lesser degree—depending on the pleasure and attachment involved.2 But because this lack of taste for things either above or below could come from some indisposition or melancholic humor—which often keeps a person from finding pleasure in anything—the second sign and condition is needed.

The Interior Concern for God

The second sign of purgation is a persistent, anxious concern for God, which distinguishes the soul's state from the indifference of lukewarmness.

3. The second sign by which this can be believed to be the purgation just mentioned is that the memory is ordinarily fixed on God with anxious care and painful concern, thinking that one is not serving God but falling back—as is seen in that distaste for the things of God. From this, you can see that this distaste and dryness doesn't come from slackness or lukewarmness; the nature of lukewarmness is to not care much and to have no interior concern for the things of God. From this it follows that there's a great difference between dryness and lukewarmness; because lukewarmness has a great deal of slackness and laxity in the will and in the spirit, with no concern for serving God; whereas pure purgative dryness carries with it a habitual concern, with care and distress, as I say, that one is not serving God. Even when this dryness is compounded by melancholy or another physical condition—which is often the case—it still performs its purgative work on the appetite, as one is deprived of all relish and keeps one's focus solely on God. When dryness is merely a result of physical humor, it ends only in disgust and harm to the body, lacking those desires to serve God found in purgative dryness. In that state, even though the senses feel fallen, slack, and weak because they find so little pleasure, the spirit remains ready and strong.3

The Exchange of Sense for Spirit

God withdraws sensible consolations to strengthen the spirit, requiring the soul to remain in quiet, passive rest.

4. The reason for this dryness is that God transfers the goods and strength of the senses to the spirit. Because the senses and natural strength aren't capable of receiving these, they are left fasting, dry, and empty. For the sensory part has no capacity for what is pure spirit, and so, as the spirit tastes, the flesh loses its relish and grows slack for action; but the spirit that is receiving the food goes strong, and more alert and careful than before in its concern not to fail God—and if at first it does not yet feel the spiritual savor and delight, but only dryness and tastelessness, that is because of the novelty of the exchange; for, having had the palate trained to those other sensory tastes (and still keeping its eyes fixed on them), and because the spiritual palate is also not yet fitted or purged for so subtle a taste, until it is gradually prepared through this dry and dark night it cannot feel the spiritual taste and good, but only the dryness and tastelessness left in place of the taste it once enjoyed so easily.45 5. For those whom God is beginning to lead through these lonely wastes of the desert are like the children of Israel: as soon as God began to give them, in the desert, the food of heaven—which of itself held every flavor—and, as it says there (Wis. 16:20–21), it turned into whatever flavor each one wanted—still, they felt more the lack of the tastes and flavors of the meats and onions they used to eat in Egypt, because their palate had been trained and spoiled on those things, than the delicate sweetness of the angelic manna, and they wept and groaned for meat among the foods of heaven (Num.6 11:4–6). Our appetite sinks so low that it makes us weep over our miseries and grow weary of heaven’s incommunicable good.7 6. But as I say, when these dry spells come from the purgative life of the sense appetite, although at first the spirit does not feel the savor—for the reasons we have just given—it does feel the strength and vigor to act in the substance the interior food gives it; and that food is the beginning of dark and dry contemplation for the sense. That contemplation, which is hidden and secret even from the one who has it, ordinarily, together with the dryness and emptiness it produces in the sense, gives the soul an inclination and desire to remain alone and at rest, without being able to think of any particular thing, or even wanting to think of it. And then, if those to whom this happens knew how to quiet themselves—letting go of every interior and exterior work, without anxious concern to do anything there—they would soon, in that unconcern and rest, delicately feel that interior refreshment. It is so delicate that, ordinarily, if a person is eager or careful to feel it, they don't feel it; because, as I say, it works in the soul's greatest rest and unconcern. It is like the air: the moment you try to close your fist around it, it slips out.8

The Cessation of Discursive Meditation

The third sign is the inability to meditate discursively, signaling the transition to simple contemplation where God works directly upon the soul.

7. With this in mind, we can understand what the Bridegroom said to the Bride in the Song of Songs (6:4): "Turn your eyes away from me, for they make me fly." God places the soul in this state and leads her along such a different path that if she tries to use her own faculties, she hinders rather than helps the work God is doing in her—which, before, was quite the opposite. The reason is that in this state of contemplation—when the soul leaves behind discursive reasoning and enters the state of the proficient—it is God who works in the soul. That is why He binds her interior faculties, leaving her no foothold in the understanding, no savor in the will, and no discursive thought in the memory.9 At this time, whatever the soul tries to do on its own only serves, as we have said, to hinder the interior peace and the work that God, in that dryness of the senses, is doing in the spirit. That work, being spiritual and delicate, is quiet, delicate, solitary, satisfying, and peaceful—very far from all those earlier consolations, which were highly tangible and felt by the senses; for this is the peace of which David speaks (Ps.10 It is when God speaks in the soul to make her spiritual. And from this comes the third.11 8. The third sign of this sensory purgation is that you can no longer meditate or reason discursively through your imagination as you once did, no matter how hard you try. For here God begins to communicate himself no longer through the sense, as he used to by means of discursive reasoning that composed and divided bits of knowledge, but through the pure spirit, in which successive discursive reasoning has no place, communicating himself to the soul by an act of simple contemplation, which does not reach the senses of the lower part—neither exterior nor interior. From this it follows that the imaginative faculty and the fantasy can no longer find support in any consideration, nor get a foothold in it from this point on.1213 9. Regarding this third sign, one must keep in mind that this blockage of the faculties and of the pleasure they take does not come from some bad humor; because when it springs from that, as soon as that humor has ended (for it never stays in one state), then with some care the soul takes, it can again do what it could before, and the faculties find their foothold—which is not so in the purgation of the appetite, because as soon as the soul begins to enter it, the inability to reason with the faculties always goes first.14 It's true that for some people, it doesn't always start with such continuity that they never return to their sensory pleasures and discursive meditations. Perhaps because of their weakness, it wouldn't be fitting to wean them all at once. Still, if they are to move forward, they must keep going deeper into it and finish with the work of the senses.15 Those who aren't on the path of contemplation take a very different course, because for them, this night of dryness isn't usually continuous. Although they have these dry spells at times, at other times they don't; and although sometimes they can't reason discursively, at other times they can. God puts these people into this night only to exercise them, humble them, and reform their appetite so they don't keep developing a vicious craving for spiritual things—not to lead them into the life of the spirit, which is contemplation (why God doesn't lead everyone who practices the way of the spirit into contemplation, not even half, only He knows). That is why He never fully weans their senses from the breasts of considerations and discursive meditations, but only for certain stretches at specific times, as we have said.16

Read the original Latin

De las señales en que se conocerá que el espiritual va por el camino de esta noche y purgación sensitiva

1. Pero, porque estas sequedades podrían proceder muchas veces no de la dicha noche y purgación del apetito sensitivo, sino de pecados e imperfecciones o de flojedad y tibieza, o de algún mal humor o indisposición corporal, pondré aquí algunas señales en que se conoce si es la tal dicha purgación, o si nace de alguno de los dichos vicios. Para lo cual hallo que hay tres señales principales.

2. La primera es si, así como no halla gusto ni consuelo en las cosas de Dios, tampoco le halla en alguna de las cosas criadas; porque, como pone Dios al alma en esta oscura noche a fin de enjugarle y purgarle el apetito sensitivo, en ninguna cosa le deja engolosinar ni hallar sabor. Y en esto se conoce muy probablemente que esta sequedad y sinsabor no proviene ni de pecados ni de imperfecciones nuevamente cometidas; porque, si esto fuese, sentirse hía en el natural alguna inclinación o gana de gustar de otra alguna cosa que de las de Dios; porque, cuando quiera que se relaja el apetito en alguna imperfección, luego se siente quedar inclinado a ella, poco o mucho, según el gusto y afición que allí aplicó.

Pero, porque este no gustar ni de cosa de arriba ni de abajo podría provenir de alguna indisposición o humor melancólico, el cual muchas veces no deja hallar gusto en nada, es menester la segunda señal y condición.

3. La segunda señal para que se crea ser la dicha purgación es que ordinariamente trae la memoria en Dios con solicitud y cuidado penoso, pensando que no sirve a Dios, sino que vuelve atrás, como se ve en aquel sinsabor en las cosas de Dios. Y en esto se ve que no sale de flojedad y tibieza este sinsabor y sequedad; porque de razón de la tibieza es no se le dar mucho ni tener solicitud interior por las cosas de Dios.

De donde entre la sequedad y tibieza hay mucha diferencia; porque la que es tibieza tiene mucha flojedad y remisión en la voluntad y en el ánimo, sin solicitud de servir a Dios; la que sólo es sequedad purgativa tiene consigo ordinaria solicitud con cuidado y pena, como digo, de que no sirve a Dios. Y ésta, aunque algunas veces sea ayudada de la melancolía u otro humor, como muchas veces lo es, no por eso deja de hacer su efecto purgativo del apetito, pues de todo gusto está privado, y sólo su cuidado trae en Dios; porque, cuando es puro humor, sólo se va en disgusto y estrago del natural, sin estos deseos de servir a Dios que tiene la sequedad purgativa, con la cual aunque la parte sensitiva está muy caída y floja y flaca para obrar por el poco gusto que halla, el espíritu, empero, está pronto y fuerte.

4. Porque la causa de esta sequedad es porque muda Dios los bienes y fuerza del sentido al espíritu, de los cuales, por no ser capaz el sentido y fuerza natural, se queda ayuno, seco y vacío. Porque la parte sensitiva no tiene habilidad para lo que es puro espíritu, y así, gustando el espíritu se desabre la carne y se afloja para obrar; mas el espíritu que va recibiendo el manjar, anda fuerte y más alerto y solícito que antes en el cuidado de no faltar a Dios, el cual, si no siente luego al principio el sabor y deleite espiritual, sino la sequedad y sinsabor, es por la novedad del trueque; porque, habiendo tenido el paladar hecho a esotros gustos sensibles (y todavía tiene los ojos puestos en ellos), y porque también el paladar espiritual no está acomodado ni purgado para tan sutil gusto, hasta que sucesivamente se vaya disponiendo por medio de esta seca y oscura noche no puede sentir el gusto y bien espiritual, sino la sequedad y sinsabor, a falta del gusto que antes con tanta facilidad gustaba.

5. Porque éstos que comienza Dios a llevar por estas soledades del desierto son semejantes a los hijos de Israel, que luego que en el desierto les comenzó Dios a dar el manjar del cielo, que de suyo tenía todos los sabores, y, como allí dice (Sab. 16, 20-21), se convertía al sabor que cada uno quería, con todo, sentían más la falta de los gustos y sabores de las carnes y cebollas que comían antes en Egipto, por haber tenido el paladar hecho y engolosinado en ellas, que la dulzura delicada del maná angélico, y lloraban y gemían por las carnes entre los manjares del cielo (Núm. 11, 4-6). Que a tanto llega la bajeza de nuestro apetito, que nos hace llorar nuestras miserias y fastidiar el bien incomunicable del cielo.

6. Pero, como digo, cuando estas sequedades provienen de la vida purgativa del apetito sensible, aunque el espíritu no siente al principio el sabor por las causas que acabamos de decir, siente la fortaleza y brío para obrar en la sustancia que le da el manjar interior, el cual manjar es principio de oscura y seca contemplación para el sentido; la cual contemplación, que es oculta y secreta para el mismo que la tiene, ordinariamente, junto con la sequedad y vacío que hace al sentido, da al alma inclinación y gana de estarse a solas y en quietud, sin poder pensar en cosa particular ni tener gana de pensarla.

Y entonces, si a los que esto acaece se supiesen quietar, descuidando de cualquier obra interior y exterior, sin solicitud de hacer allí nada, luego en aquel descuido y ocio sentirán delicadamente aquella refección interior; la cual es tan delicada que, ordinariamente, si tiene gana o cuidado en sentirla, no la siente; porque, como digo, ella obra en el mayor ocio y descuido del alma; que es como el aire, que, en queriendo cerrar el puño, se sale.

7. Y a este propósito podemos entender lo que a la Esposa dijo el Esposo en los Cantares (6, 4): Aparta tus ojos de mí, porque ellos me hacen volar; porque de tal manera pone Dios al alma en este estado y en tan diferente camino la lleva, que, si ella quiere obrar con sus potencias, antes estorba la obra que Dios en ella va haciendo, que ayuda; lo cual antes era muy al revés. La causa es porque ya en este estado de contemplación, que es cuando sale del discurso y entra en el estado de aprovechados, ya Dios es el que obra en el ánima, porque por eso la ata las potencias interiores, no dejándole arrimo en el entendimiento, ni jugo en la voluntad, ni discurso en la memoria. Porque, en este tiempo, lo que de suyo puede obrar el alma no sirve sino, como habemos dicho, de estorbar la paz interior y la obra que en aquella sequedad del sentido hace Dios en el espíritu. La cual, como espiritual y delicada, hace obra quieta, delicada, (solitaria), satisfactoria y pacífica, muy ajena de todos esotros gustos primeros, que eran muy palpables y sensibles; porque es la paz ésta que dice David (Sal. 84, 9) que habla Dios en el alma para hacerla espiritual. Y de aquí es la tercera.

8. La tercera señal que hay para que se conozca esta purgación del sentido es el no poder ya meditar ni discurrir en el sentido de la imaginación, como solía, aunque más haga de su parte. Porque, como aquí comienza Dios a comunicarse, no ya por el sentido, como antes hacía por medio del discurso que componía y dividía las noticias, sino por el espíritu puro, en que no cae discurso sucesivamente, comunicándosele con acto de sencilla contemplación, la cual no alcanza los sentidos de la parte inferior, exteriores ni interiores, de aquí es que la imaginativa y fantasía no pueden hacer arrimo en alguna consideración ni hallar en ella pie ya de ahí adelante.

9. En esta tercera señal se ha de tener que este empacho de las potencias y del gusto de ellas no proviene de algún mal humor; porque, cuando de aquí nace, en acabando aquel humor (porque nunca permanece en un ser), luego con algún cuidado que ponga el alma vuelve a poder lo que antes, y hallan sus arrimos las potencias, lo cual en la purgación del apetito no es así, porque, en comenzando a entrar en ella, siempre va delante el no poder discurrir con las potencias. Que, aunque es verdad que, a los principios, en algunos, a veces no entra con tanta continuación que algunas veces dejen de llevar sus gustos y discursos sensibles, porque, por ventura, por su flaqueza no convendría destetarlos de un golpe, con todo van siempre entrando más en ella y acabando con la obra sensitiva, si es que han de ir adelante. Porque los que no van por camino de contemplación muy diferente modo llevan, porque esta noche de sequedades no suele ser en ellos continua en el sentido, porque, aunque algunas veces las tienen, otras veces no; y aunque algunas no pueden discurrir, otras pueden; porque, como sólo les mete Dios en esta noche a éstos para ejercitarlos y humillarlos y reformarles el apetito porque no vayan criando golosina viciosa en las cosas espirituales, y no para llevarlos a la vida del espíritu, que es la contemplación (porque no todos los que se ejercitan de propósito en el camino del espíritu lleva Dios a contemplación, ni aún la mitad: el por qué, él se lo sabe), de aquí es que a éstos nunca les acaba de hecho de desarrimar el sentido de los pechos de las consideraciones y discursos, sino algunos ratos a temporadas, como habemos dicho.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Spanish “mal humor” is humoral/medical: a bodily imbalance or melancholic disposition that can mimic spiritual dryness, not mere “bad mood.”
  2. 2 ↩Spanish 'sentirse hía' is archaic mesoclisis for 'sentiríase' (would feel); rendered as 'one would feel'.
  3. 3 ↩Spanish humor retains the older medical-psychological sense of a bodily temperament (melancholy and the other humors), not modern 'mood' or comedy.
  4. 4 ↩"Trueque" is rendered as "exchange": God moves goods and strength from sense to spirit, so the sensory palate is empty while the spirit is being fed.
  5. 5 ↩"Desabre la carne" is rendered as "the flesh loses its relish" (becomes distasteful / loses savor), parallel to later "sinsabor" (tastelessness).
  6. 6 ↩engolosinado: palate not merely accustomed but greedy/sweetened on the old foods—rendered as “spoiled on those things” to keep the craving force without slang.
  7. 7 ↩bien incomunicable: kept as “incommunicable good”—the heavenly good that is not handed over as a shareable sensory pleasure, not merely “unshared.”
  8. 8 ↩Spanish descuido and ocio here name deliberate non-effort and spiritual leisure, not moral carelessness or laziness; the soul must stop forcing interior or exterior work so the delicate interior refreshment (refección) can be felt.
  9. 9 ↩aprovechados rendered as "the proficient," San Juan's usual term for souls past beginners; discurso as discursive reasoning/meditation by successive acts, not ordinary conversation.
  10. 10 ↩Source has (solitaria) in parentheses; rendered as "solitary" within the adjective series for God's spiritual work. Sentence is citation-broken and continues in s6.
  11. 11 ↩de aquí es la tercera: transitional lead-in to the third sign of the purgation of sense, treated fully in the next section.
  12. 12 ↩Spanish noticias here means the mental cognitions or items of knowledge that discursive meditation builds up and analyzes, not 'news' in the modern sense.
  13. 13 ↩arrimo is rendered as 'support' (a lean or foothold for the faculties); hallar pie as 'get a foothold,' preserving San Juan's tactile image of the imagination losing traction.
  14. 14 ↩empacho: blockage/hindrance of the faculties' working; mal humor: bodily/temperamental humor in the older medical sense, not mere moodiness; potencias: the soul's faculties (understanding, memory, will, and sense powers as context requires); arrimos: supports/footholds for discursive consideration.
  15. 15 ↩destetarlos de un golpe: wean them all at once—SJC's image of gradual withdrawal from milk of sense-based meditation; obra sensitiva: the sensory/discursive mode of spiritual work.
  16. 16 ↩desarrimar el sentido de los pechos de las consideraciones y discursos: unhook/wean the sense from the breasts of considerations and discourses—extended nursing/weaning metaphor for sense-bound meditation; golosina viciosa: vicious craving/sweet tooth for spiritual consolations; sequedades: aridity/dryness.

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