Libro Primero — Capítulo 4
The Nature of Spiritual Lust
The author introduces the concept of 'spiritual lust' as an involuntary impurity that arises in beginners during spiritual exercises.
Of other imperfections these beginners often have concerning the third vice, which is lust 1. Beyond the many imperfections I'm describing under each vice, many of these beginners have others that I'm leaving out to avoid being long-winded, touching only on the main ones, which act as the origin and cause of the rest. Regarding this vice of lust—setting aside the actual sin of falling into it, since my goal is to address the imperfections that must be purged by the dark night—many people have imperfections that could be called spiritual lust. They aren't truly lust in the literal sense, but they arise from spiritual things. For it often happens that in the very spiritual exercises themselves, without being under their control, impure movements and acts rise up and occur in the sensory appetite—and sometimes even when the spirit is deep in prayer, or while receiving the Sacraments of Penance or the Eucharist.1 These impulses, as I said, are beyond their control and come from one of three causes:
Causes of Sensual Rebellion
The author details the three primary causes of impure movements: the overflow of sensual delight, demonic interference, and the fear of the movements themselves.
2. The first: they often come from the pleasure nature takes in spiritual things; because, as spirit and sense both take delight, with that refreshment every part of the person is moved to enjoy itself according to its share and character; for then the spirit is moved toward the refreshment and delight of God, which is the higher part; and sensuality, which is the lower share, is moved toward sensual pleasure and delight, because it does not know how to have or take any other, and so it takes what is nearest to itself—namely, crude sensual pleasure. And so it happens that the soul is in deep prayer with God according to the spirit, and on the other hand, according to the sense, it feels rebellions and movements and sensual acts passively, not without great reluctance on its part; this often happens at Communion, where, as in this act of love the soul receives joy and delight because this Lord is given to it—for that is why he gives himself—sensuality also takes its own share, as we have said, in its own way.2 For, since in the end these two parts are one subject, ordinarily both share in what one receives, each in its own way; because, as the Philosopher says, whatever is received is in the receiver according to the mode of the receiver itself.3 So in these early stages, and even when the soul has made progress, sensuality remains imperfect and often receives the spirit of God with that same imperfection. When this sensory part is reformed by the purgation of the dark night we will describe, it no longer has these weaknesses. It is no longer the one that receives; rather, it is received into the spirit, and so it then holds everything in the mode of the spirit. 3. The second cause for these rebellions is sometimes the devil, who tries to unsettle and disturb the soul while it is at prayer or trying to pray by stirring up base impulses in its nature—and if the soul yields to them at all, he does it great harm. For not only do they grow slack in prayer out of fear of this — which is what he intends — by setting themselves to fight against these movements, but some leave prayer altogether, thinking that those things happen to them more in that exercise than outside it, as is the truth, because the devil plants them more in prayer than in anything else so that they will abandon the spiritual exercise.4 And not only that: he even comes to present to them, very vividly, things that are foul and base, and sometimes closely bound up with any spiritual things or persons that help their souls, in order to terrify them and make them lose heart; so that those who make much of it no longer dare look at anything or fix their attention on anything, because they immediately stumble into that. And this happens with such force and frequency in those who are touched by melancholy that one must feel great pity for them, because they live a sad life—for in some people this affliction goes so far, when they have this bad humor, that it seems clear to them they feel the devil has access to them, and they are not free to avoid it, though some of these people can keep that access off with great strength and effort.5 When these impure things happen to such people because of melancholy, they usually aren't freed from them until they are healed of that humor—unless the soul enters the dark night, which gradually strips it of everything. 4. The third origin from which these impure movements usually arise and make war is usually the fear that such people have already developed toward these impure movements and images; because the fear that sudden recollection of what they see or deal with or think about gives them makes them suffer these acts through no fault of their own. 5. There are also some souls whose natures are so tender and fragile that, as soon as any delight of the spirit or of prayer comes to them, the spirit of lust is right there with them; it so intoxicates and pampers their sensuality that they find themselves as if plunged in that juice and pleasure of this vice; and the one lasts along with the other passively; and sometimes they notice that some base and rebellious acts have occurred.6 The reason is that since these natures are, as I said, fragile and tender, any disturbance stirs their humors and blood, and these movements arise from that; the same thing happens to them when they burn with anger or experience any agitation or distress.7
Discernment of Spiritual Attachments
The author provides a practical test for discerning between holy spiritual attachments and those rooted in sensual vice.
6. Sometimes, too, in these spiritual people—both in speaking and in doing spiritual things—a certain boldness and dash rises up with the awareness of the people they have before them, and they carry it on with a kind of vain pleasure; this also springs from spiritual lust, as we understand it here; and it ordinarily comes with complacency in the will.8 7. Some of these people form attachments to certain persons by a spiritual path, attachments that often spring from lust and not from the spirit—which you can tell is so when, with the memory of that attachment, the memory and love of God do not grow more, but only remorse in the conscience. For when the attachment is purely spiritual, as it grows, the love of God grows too; and the more one remembers it, the more one remembers God and longs for God; and growing in the one, one grows in the other—because that is what the Spirit of God does: good increases with good, since there is likeness and conformity. But when such love is born of that sensual vice, it has the opposite effects; because the more the one grows, the more the other decreases, and the memory of God along with it. For if that love grows, you will soon see that the person is growing cold in the love of God and forgetting him, with that memory and with some remorse in the conscience; and on the contrary, if the love of God grows in the soul, the person grows cold toward the other love and forgets it—because, since they are contrary loves, not only does the one not help the other, but rather the one that predominates extinguishes and confounds the other and strengthens itself in itself, as the philosophers say. This is why our Savior said in the Gospel (Jn. 3:6) that what is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the spirit is spirit. 3:6) that what is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of spirit is spirit—that is: the love that is born of sensuality ends in sensuality, and the love that is born of spirit ends in the Spirit of God and makes it grow.✦9 And this is the difference between the two loves by which they may be known.
The Purgative Work of the Dark Night
The chapter concludes by explaining how the dark night of the soul ultimately orders and purifies these loves.
8. When the soul enters the dark night, it puts all these loves in order. It strengthens and purifies the love that is according to God, while it removes and ends the other. At the beginning, it makes both of them disappear from view, as will be explained later.
Read the original Latin
De otras imperfecciones que suelen tener estos principiantes acerca del tercer vicio, que es lujuria
1. Otras muchas imperfecciones más de las que acerca de cada vicio voy diciendo tienen muchos de estos principiantes, que por evitar prolijidad dejo, tocando algunas de las más principales, que son como origen y causa de las otras.
Y así, acerca de este vicio de lujuria (dejado aparte lo que es caer en este pecado en los espirituales, pues mi intento es tratar de las imperfecciones que se han de purgar por la noche oscura) tienen muchas imperfecciones muchos, que se podrían llamar lujuria espiritual, no porque así lo sea, sino porque procede de cosas espirituales. Porque muchas veces acaece que en los mismos ejercicios espirituales, sin ser en manos de ellos, se levantan y acaecen en la sensualidad movimientos y actos torpes, y a veces aun cuando el espíritu está en mucha oración, o ejercitando los Sacramentos de la Penitencia o Eucaristía. Los cuales, sin ser, como digo, en su mano, proceden de una de tres causas:
2. La primera, proceden muchas veces del gusto que tiene el natural en las cosas espirituales; porque, como gusta el espíritu y sentido, con aquella recreación se mueve cada parte del hombre a deleitarse según su porción y propiedad; porque entonces el espíritu se mueve a recreación y gusto de Dios, que es la parte superior; y la sensualidad, que es la porción inferior, se mueve a gusto y deleite sensual, porque no sabe ella tener y tomar otro, y toma entonces el más conjunto a sí, que es el sensual torpe. Y así, acaece que el alma está en mucha oración con Dios según el espíritu, y, por otra parte, según el sentido siente rebeliones y movimientos y actos sensuales pasivamente, no sin harta desgana suya; lo cual muchas veces acaece en la Comunión, que, como en este acto de amor recibe el alma alegría y regalo, porque se le hace este Señor, pues para eso se da, la sensualidad toma también el suyo, como habemos dicho, a su modo. Que, como, en fin, estas dos partes son un supuesto, ordinariamente participan entrambas de lo que una recibe, cada una a su modo; porque, como dice el Filósofo, cualquiera cosa que se recibe, está en el recipiente al modo del mismo recipiente. Y así en estos principios, y aun cuando ya el alma está aprovechada, como está la sensualidad imperfecta, recibe el espíritu de Dios con la misma imperfección muchas veces. Que, cuando esta parte sensitiva está reformada por la purgación de la noche oscura que diremos, ya no tiene ella estas flaquezas; porque no es ella la que recibe ya, mas antes está recibida ella en el espíritu; y así lo tiene todo entonces al modo del espíritu.
3. La segunda causa, de donde a veces proceden estas rebeliones, es el demonio, que, por desquietar y turbar el alma al tiempo que está en oración o la procura tener, procura levantar en el natural estos movimientos torpes, con que, si al alma se le da algo de ellos, le hace harto daño. Porque no sólo por el temor de esto aflojan en la oración, que es lo que él pretende, por ponerse a luchar con ellos, mas algunos dejan la oración del todo, pareciéndoles que en aquel ejercicio les acaecen más aquellas cosas que fuera de él, como es la verdad, porque se las pone el demonio más en aquella que en otra cosa, por que dejen el ejercicio espiritual. Y no sólo eso, sino que llega a representarles muy al vivo cosas muy feas y torpes, y a veces muy conjuntamente acerca de cualesquier cosas espirituales y personas que aprovechan sus almas, para aterrarlas y acobardarlas; de manera, que los que de ello hacen caso, aun no se atreven a mirar nada ni poner la consideración en nada, porque luego tropiezan en aquello.
Y esto en los que son tocados de melancolía acaece con tanta eficacia y frecuencia, que es de haberlos lástima grande, porque padecen vida triste, porque llega a tanto en algunas personas este trabajo cuando tienen este mal humor, que les parece claro que sienten tener consigo acceso el demonio, sin ser libres para poderlo evitar, aunque algunas personas de éstas puedan evitar el tal acceso con gran fuerza y trabajo. Cuando estas cosas torpes acaecen a los tales por medio de la melancolía, ordinariamente no se libran de ellas hasta que sanan de aquella calidad de humor, si no es que entrase en la noche oscura el alma, que la priva sucesivamente de todo.
4. El tercer origen, de donde suelen proceder y hacer guerra estos movimientos torpes, suele ser el temor que ya tienen cobrado estos tales a estos movimientos y representaciones torpes; porque el temor que les da la súbita memoria en lo que ven o tratan o piensan, les hace padecer estos actos sin culpa suya.
5. Hay también algunas almas, de naturales tan tiernos y deleznables, que, en viniéndoles cualquier gusto de espíritu o de oración, luego es con ellos el espíritu de la lujuria, que de tal manera les embriaga y regala la sensualidad, que se hallan como engolfados en aquel jugo y gusto de este vicio; y dura lo uno con lo otro pasivamente; y algunas veces echan de ver haber sucedido algunos torpes y rebeldes actos. La causa es que, como estos naturales sean, como digo, deleznables y tiernos, con cualquier alteración se les remueven los humores y la sangre, y suceden de aquí estos movimientos; porque a éstos lo mismo les acaece cuando se encienden en ira o tienen algún alboroto o pena.
6. Algunas veces también en estos espirituales, así en hablar como en obrar cosas espirituales, se levanta cierto brío y gallardía con memoria de las personas que tienen delante, y tratan con alguna manera de vano gusto; lo cual nace también de lujuria espiritual, al modo que aquí la entendemos; lo cual ordinariamente viene con complacencia en la voluntad.
7. Cobran algunos de éstos aficiones con algunas personas por vía espiritual, que muchas veces nacen de lujuria, y no de espíritu; lo cual se conoce ser así cuando, con la memoria de aquella afición, no crece más la memoria y amor de Dios, sino remordimiento en la conciencia. Porque, cuando la afición es puramente espiritual, creciendo ella, crece la de Dios, y cuanto más se acuerda de ella, tanto más se acuerda de Dios y le da gana de Dios, y creciendo en lo uno crece en lo otro; porque eso tiene el espíritu de Dios, que lo bueno aumenta con lo bueno, por cuanto hay semejanza y conformidad. Pero cuando el tal amor nace del dicho vicio sensual, tiene los efectos contrarios; porque cuanto más crece lo uno, tanto más decrece lo otro y la memoria juntamente; porque, si crece aquel amor, luego verá que se va resfriando en el de Dios y olvidándose de él con aquella memoria y algún remordimiento en la conciencia; y, por el contrario, si crece el amor de Dios en el alma, se va resfriando en el otro y olvidándole, porque, como son contrarios amores, no sólo no ayuda el uno al otro, mas antes el que predomina apaga y confunde el otro y se fortalece en sí mismo, como dicen los filósofos. Por lo cual dijo nuestro Salvador en el Evangelio (Jn. 3, 6) que lo que nace de carne, es carne, y lo que nace de espíritu, es espíritu, esto es: el amor que nace de sensualidad, para en sensualidad, y el que de espíritu, para en espíritu de Dios y hácele crecer. Y ésta es la diferencia que hay entre los dos amores para conocerlos.
8. Cuando el alma entrare en la noche oscura, todos estos amores pone en razón; porque al uno fortalece y purifica, que es el que es según Dios, y al otro quita y acaba; y, al principio a entrambos los hace perder de vista, como después se dirá.
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.3.6 — What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Notes
- 1 ↩Spanish 'sin ser en manos de ellos' means these movements are involuntary—not chosen or directed by the person. Rendered as 'without being under their control.'
- 2 ↩Spanish «se le hace este Señor» points to the Eucharistic self-giving of the Lord; rendered as presence given, not as a mere emotional consolation.
- 3 ↩«supuesto» is the scholastic suppositum (one personal subject). «el Filósofo» is Aristotle; the maxim is the common axiom that whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver.
- 4 ↩"por ponerse a luchar con ellos" is read as the way people slacken (by getting drawn into combat with the impure movements), which is precisely the devil's aim — not as the devil himself fighting them.
- 5 ↩mal humor / melancolía: classical humoral temperament (black bile), not modern casual 'mood'; 'acceso el demonio' is the devil's approach/access to the person, not 'access to the devil'.
- 6 ↩Spanish «jugo y gusto» keeps the source’s sap/savor image of sensory relish; rendered as «juice and pleasure» to preserve that concrete force rather than flattening to generic enjoyment.
- 7 ↩«humores y la sangre» is humoral physiology: bodily fluids and blood stirred by any emotional change, explaining involuntary impure movements. Kept as «humors and blood» rather than modernized to «nerves» or «hormones».
- 8 ↩Spanish 'brío y gallardía' names a showy spirited display before others; rendered as 'boldness and dash' rather than gallantry in the chivalric sense.
- 9 ↩Old Spanish 'para en' is rendered 'ends in' (terminates/rests in); alternative 'issues in' would be equally plausible.
Dark Night of the Soul companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
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- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent