Regulae ad Eosdem Spiritus Discernendos (Ad Secundam Hebdomadam)

Regulae ad Eosdem Spiritus Discernendos (Ad Secundam Hebdomadam)

Other useful guidelines for a fuller discernment of spirits, especially suitable for the second week. The first is that it is proper to God and to each good angel to truly infuse spiritual joy into the soul, which they move, after all sadness and disturbance have been removed, a disturbance that the devil has caused, while here, on the contrary, some sophistical arguments, preferring the appearance of truth, often oppose that joy found in the soul. Second, it is solely God's to console the soul, with no prior cause of consolation, since this is the Creator's own prerogative: to enter into His creation and wholly transform it into love for Himself, drawing it and changing it. We say that there is no cause preceding it when there is nothing in our senses, intellect, or will that could cause such consolation by itself. Third, whenever the cause of consolation has preceded, its author can be either a bad angel or a good one, but they aim at opposing ends: the good one, so that the soul may grow in good thoughts and actions; the bad one, so that it may act wrongly and perish. Fourth, it's the nature of a wicked spirit to first appear as an angel of light, transforming itself, and once it knows the good intentions of the soul, to initially entice it, and then gradually lead it to its own perverse desires. Indeed, it simulates from the very beginning to follow and nurture the good and holy thoughts of a person, but then it gradually entangles them in hidden snares of its own deceit. Fifth, we must diligently and carefully examine our thoughts regarding their beginning, middle, and end. If these three aspects are in order, it’s a sign from the good angels suggesting those thoughts. However, if during our mental discourse something arises that is inherently evil, or that distracts us from good, or pushes us toward something less good than what our soul had previously intended to follow, or if it tires, angers, or disturbs the soul, removing the peace, calm, and tranquility that were present before, then it will be clear evidence that a malignant spirit is the author of such thoughts, as it is always opposed to our benefit and salvation. Sixth, whenever you find yourself sensing the enemy in some suggestion with its serpentine tail, that is, with an evil end that it always tries to insinuate into us, it’s very helpful to review the entire discourse and note what it initially pretended to be good thoughts, and how it gradually sought to remove the sweetness of spiritual taste and the serenity of the soul, and to infuse its poison, so that through this kind of experience, you can more easily guard against its known deceptions in the future. Seventh, both spirits insinuate themselves into the souls of those who promote the good of salvation in different ways: the good spirit gently, peacefully, and sweetly, like a drop of water slipping into a sponge; the evil spirit, however, harshly, restlessly, and violently, with a certain noise, like rain falling on a rock: for those who tend daily toward worse things, the exact opposite happens. The reason for this diversity is that the disposition of the soul is similar to an angel in one way, or dissimilar in another. For if either spirit finds something contrary to itself, it joins itself to that with noise and a pulse that can be easily noticed. If it conforms, however, it enters quietly, as if into its own open home. Whenever consolation comes to us without any prior cause, even if it seems to be sent from God, we must still carefully and diligently distinguish this present moment of consolation from the next, in which the soul still burns with longing and feels the remnants of divine favor recently received. For it often happens in this later time that we may feel or deliberate about something either from habit, discourse, and our own judgment, or from the prompting of good or evil spirits, which, since they do not come from God directly, require careful discernment before we give our assent or act on them.