Contemplative Haven: Ecstatic Prayer (Part 2 of 2): A Snippet from the 6th 
Ecstatic Prayer (Part 2 of 2): A Snippet from the 6th
Another kind of rapture, different from what has already been described, is often referred to as, “flight of the spirit.” Let us look at what St. Teresa says about it:
“Sometimes the soul becomes conscious of such rapid motion that the spirit seems to be transported with a speed which, especially at first, fills it with fear…”. She also writes, “as quickly as a bullet leaves a gun when the trigger is pulled, there begins within the soul a flight…”
Referring back to the Fourth Mansions, St. Teresa recalls the metaphor she used, that of the soul as a basin, being gently filled with water (the beginnings of infused contemplation). Now, she says, it is as if God has loosed the source of the water, which comes rushing into the soul, “and with tremendous force there rises up so powerful a wave that this little ship – our soul – is lifted up on high.”
St. Teresa tells us that with this flight, or transport, of the spirit, “the soul really seems to have left the body; on the other hand, it is clear that the person is not dead, though for a few moments he cannot even himself be sure if the soul is in the body or no. He feels as if he has been in another world, very different from this in which we live, and has been shown a fresh light there…”
St. Teresa expresses some frustration at her inability to describe this phenomenon. She tells us, “If the soul is in the body or not while all this is happening I cannot say; I would not myself swear that the soul is in the body, nor that the body is bereft of the soul.” She goes on to say that she believes it is possible for the soul and the spirit to still be inside the body, but for some “higher part of them to rise above itself.”
Although St. Teresa does not use the word ‘levitation’ specifically, she tells us that sometimes, “the body is transported as well as the soul”. One can imagine the fear associated with this, for as St. Teresa says, the person does not know where he is going or who is taking him away, for at the outset there is no assurance that it is God.
One purpose of ‘flights of the spirit’, according to St. Teresa, appears to be that God desires to show the soul that He is all-powerful, and that, since the person has offered himself to the Lord unconditionally many times, the Lord decides to, so to speak, 'take him up on the offer.' St. Teresa reveals that no resistance is possible, and “only makes matters worse.” She describes these experiences as, “jewels which the Spouse is beginning to give to His bride”, but jewels which require great courage to accept: “Do you suppose it causes but little perturbation to a person in complete possession of his senses when he experiences these transports of the soul?”
St. Teresa warns us that not only great courage is required, but faith, confidence and great resignation, “so that Our Lord may do with the soul as He wills.”
“Sometimes the soul becomes conscious of such rapid motion that the spirit seems to be transported with a speed which, especially at first, fills it with fear…”. She also writes, “as quickly as a bullet leaves a gun when the trigger is pulled, there begins within the soul a flight…”
Referring back to the Fourth Mansions, St. Teresa recalls the metaphor she used, that of the soul as a basin, being gently filled with water (the beginnings of infused contemplation). Now, she says, it is as if God has loosed the source of the water, which comes rushing into the soul, “and with tremendous force there rises up so powerful a wave that this little ship – our soul – is lifted up on high.”
St. Teresa tells us that with this flight, or transport, of the spirit, “the soul really seems to have left the body; on the other hand, it is clear that the person is not dead, though for a few moments he cannot even himself be sure if the soul is in the body or no. He feels as if he has been in another world, very different from this in which we live, and has been shown a fresh light there…”
St. Teresa expresses some frustration at her inability to describe this phenomenon. She tells us, “If the soul is in the body or not while all this is happening I cannot say; I would not myself swear that the soul is in the body, nor that the body is bereft of the soul.” She goes on to say that she believes it is possible for the soul and the spirit to still be inside the body, but for some “higher part of them to rise above itself.”
Although St. Teresa does not use the word ‘levitation’ specifically, she tells us that sometimes, “the body is transported as well as the soul”. One can imagine the fear associated with this, for as St. Teresa says, the person does not know where he is going or who is taking him away, for at the outset there is no assurance that it is God.
One purpose of ‘flights of the spirit’, according to St. Teresa, appears to be that God desires to show the soul that He is all-powerful, and that, since the person has offered himself to the Lord unconditionally many times, the Lord decides to, so to speak, 'take him up on the offer.' St. Teresa reveals that no resistance is possible, and “only makes matters worse.” She describes these experiences as, “jewels which the Spouse is beginning to give to His bride”, but jewels which require great courage to accept: “Do you suppose it causes but little perturbation to a person in complete possession of his senses when he experiences these transports of the soul?”
St. Teresa warns us that not only great courage is required, but faith, confidence and great resignation, “so that Our Lord may do with the soul as He wills.”
posted by Gabrielle at 8:06 PM
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