Chapter 131: first half
In the first part of Chapter 131, the Soul expresses a radical and absolute surrender to the will of God, desiring nothing for herself apart from what pleases Him. She contemplates her own nonexistence, torment, loss, or annihilation as preferable to even the slightest deviation from His will. Her meditations reveal a pure, self-emptying love that values God’s pleasure above all things-even above divine gifts, eternal glory, or her own salvation. She would rather Christ suffer again, or all creation return to nothingness, than commit a single act contrary to God’s desire. This chapter reveals the height of mystical detachment and love: the soul’s total conformity to the divine will, where even suffering or loss is embraced joyfully if it arises from God and serves His purpose.
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1. “I pondered, in light of my wretchedness and in light of His goodness, what I could do to calm myself about Him. And I placed myself in meditation by the pondering of a comparison with the consent of my will without turning back.”
The soul reflects deeply on her own unworthiness and God’s immeasurable goodness. Her response is not despair but surrender-she consents to the divine will absolutely, anchoring herself in unwavering meditation on God’s desire, not her own.
2. “If it were possible that I never had existed, so that I never would have done evil against His will, if this would please Him, it would be my pleasure.”
This expresses an extreme form of humility and submission. The soul would prefer to have never existed-erasing her own being-if such nonexistence would better serve God’s will. This radical self-negation arises not from self-hatred, but from pure love for God’s pleasure and will.
3. “If He could give me as great torments as He is great in power to avenge Himself of me and of my sins, if it would please Him, it would be pleasing to me.”
Here the soul’s love reaches the point of willingly accepting unimaginable suffering-not for purification or merit, but simply because such suffering, if pleasing to God, would itself be a joy. This is the language of oblative love, empty of self-interest.
4. “I might suffer as much poverty, rejection, and torments as He has goodness, wisdom, and power in Him… it would be my pleasure.”
There is a desire here to mirror God’s greatness in her own suffering-not as equivalence, but as surrender. The soul desires a kind of metaphysical symmetry, where her suffering is proportional to His perfection, if it pleases Him.
5. “I would sooner return to nothingness than try or will to keep something which did not come from Him.”
The soul utterly rejects autonomy. Even worthiness or goodness possessed independently of God is seen as something to be relinquished. Existence itself has no value unless it is entirely derived from God and ordered toward Him.
6. “If I might have… as much worthiness as He has of Himself… I would love better that all things should return to nothingness… than if I should have something which came not from Him.”
The soul’s contemplative insight intensifies into metaphysical clarity: she would rather see all of creation vanish than cling to any good not directly from God. Her allegiance is not to being, but to divine origin and intentionality.
6. “Before I would do anything which might be contrary to His pleasure, I would prefer that the humanity of Jesus Christ suffer again…”
In a startling claim, the soul declares she would rather see Christ re-suffer His Passion than displease God. While shocking, it shows the extremity of her love and the priority she places on God’s will-above even compassion and reason.
7. “I would rather that all things… proceed toward nothingness, than that I do evil or will to do it.”
This radical stance reiterates the annihilation of self and cosmos as preferable to disobedience. It reflects an ascetic mysticism that sees sin not just as a moral error, but as an ontological affront to God’s will.
8. “Even if I did no evil against His will, I would rather suffer [eternal torments] than do something… displeasing to His will.”
The soul differentiates between moral fault and divine pleasure. Even without sin, if she suspected that a deed did not align perfectly with God’s will, she would embrace eternal torment over committing it. Her aim is not mere innocence, but ecstatic conformity.
9. “I would not love the goodness except for His sake… I would not take it except for His sake.”
Every good-spiritual, natural, or supernatural-is meaningful only in relation to God’s will. Detached from Him, it has no appeal. Even beatitude is subordinated to His delight.
10. “If I possess… as well as He possesses it… and if I knew that it would please Him more that I have as many torments as He has goodness, I would love it better that it be so.”
The soul imagines herself possessing infinite glory and still preferring infinite torment-if that would delight God more. This contemplation seals her complete renunciation of self and total immersion in divine will.
This chapter’s first half is a stunning display of annihilating love and the soul’s complete abandonment to the will of God, shaped by metaphysical humility and mystical self-effacement.
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1. Why does the Soul contemplate her own annihilation or nonexistence?
The Soul expresses a willingness to have never existed if such nonexistence would mean she had never offended God. This radical self-negation is not motivated by self-hatred but by an all-consuming desire to please God and align with His will. For her, the highest good is not her existence or salvation, but that God be pleased-even if that entails her own undoing. This reflects the mystical logic of love that places God’s pleasure above all personal interest.
2. What is the significance of the Soul accepting torment and suffering from God?
The Soul declares that if it pleases God to give her torments equal to His power, she would welcome them with joy. Suffering, in this context, becomes a medium of union with God’s will. Her love is so pure that even torment, when originating in God’s will, is preferable to joy gained apart from Him. This shows that her ultimate allegiance is not to comfort, merit, or reward, but to the divine pleasure itself.
3. How does the Soul view her own worth and independence?
The Soul categorically rejects any worthiness or goodness that is not derived directly from God. Even if she were hypothetically capable of possessing infinite dignity, she would prefer to return to nothingness than to possess anything independent of God’s gift. She does not desire autonomy but pure receptivity. This reveals a metaphysical humility, in which selfhood has no meaning outside of divine origin and ordering.
4. What extreme declaration does the Soul make regarding Christ’s Passion and God’s will?
The Soul says that she would rather Christ suffer again all the torments of His Passion than that she commit even the slightest act contrary to God’s will. While shocking, this statement emphasizes her intense love of God’s will, even above all else-even above gratitude for Christ’s suffering. The will of God is placed at the absolute center of her affections and decisions.
5. Why is the Soul willing to let all creation return to nothingness?
She states that if doing evil against God’s will were the alternative, she would prefer that all things, including herself and the entire cosmos, be annihilated. This affirms her belief that it is better for being itself to cease than for the divine will to be violated. It reveals an intense theological absolutism where obedience to God’s will supersedes even the value of existence.
6. What does the Soul say about the gift of divine goodness?
Even if given divine goodness as vast as God’s own worthiness, the Soul says she would love it only for God’s sake. If she lost it, she would grieve not for herself, but because it would grieve God. If it were returned, she would accept it only out of love for Him. This expresses pure, disinterested love-love not of the gift, but of the Giver alone.
7. How does the Soul contrast God’s attributes with her own condition?
Though not stated as systematically in this portion, the Soul consistently contrasts God’s infinite power, wisdom, and goodness with her own weakness, ignorance, and wretchedness. She uses this disparity not to despair, but to ground her total surrender. Her self-awareness enhances her perception of divine greatness, which in turn fuels her absolute devotion.
These questions and answers highlight the radical self-surrender, total preference for God’s will, and metaphysical humility that define the Soul’s mystical disposition in this part of Chapter 131.
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Chapter 131: second half
In this climactic chapter, the Soul undergoes the final and most painful purification: the martyrdom of her will and love. Tested by God through unimaginable scenarios-where she might love another more than Him, where He might love another more than her, or where she might receive blessings not solely from His will-the Soul is driven to the brink of spiritual collapse. Yet, through this torment, she comes to a total surrender: she affirms that if such things are truly God’s will, she would embrace them wholly out of love for Him, without seeking anything for herself. This marks the death of all self-love, even in its most subtle and spiritual forms. No longer desiring even a “good will” of her own, the Soul reaches a state of pure union, living solely by God’s will and love, emptied of all self-interest, and fully transformed into divine conformity.
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1. “If it were thus, I would refuse forever and remain in the torments rather than take the gift, since I would not have it by His will alone …”
The Soul declares that even eternal relief and salvation would be unacceptable if not given purely from God’s will. Not even the intercession of Christ’s humanity, the Virgin, and all the saints can suffice if the gift is not from God’s unmediated love. This reveals the soul’s radical attachment to divine will, not to its effects or benefits.
2. “I could not tolerate it if I did not have the gift from the pure love which He has for me of Himself … as a lover has for his beloved.”
Here the soul expresses her longing for a love that is personal, pure, and exclusive, mirroring the union between lovers. Her desire is not just for divine generosity but for that generosity to be motivated by divine love itself.
3. “Then He asked me how I would fare if it could be that He could love another better than me … Again … that another might love me better than He.”
These three hypothetical tests shake the soul to her core. Each one imagines a rival love-God loving another more, the soul loving another more, or another loving the soul more than God does. In each case, the soul’s sense of equilibrium fails. These scenarios expose the last remnants of self-will and attachment to her relational identity before God.
4. “So I could have no peace until He had my response … I was held in bondage … I loved myself so much along ‘with’ Him …”
This confession reveals that as long as the soul held onto any attachment to herself-even alongside her love for God-she could not give a pure and undivided answer. Her love had to be purified of self-interest. This is a deep mystical insight: self-love masquerading as divine love can prevent true union.
5. “The heart alone has this battle … It is the heart who responds in the anguish of death …”
The soul highlights the interior martyrdom involved in surrendering the will. This is not an intellectual or rhetorical decision but a crucifixion of desire itself. The “anguish of death” is the cost of abandoning even holy consolations if they are not God’s pure will.
6. “Lord … I will say to you, by you, and for your sake, what I would will for the sake of your love.”
Finally, the soul finds her voice-not out of self-will but through divine empowerment (“by you”). She offers her response entirely as an act of surrender and love, reflecting a will that no longer belongs to her but is fused with God’s own.
7. “My will is martyred, and my love is martyred: You have guided these to martyrdom.”
The soul concludes that both her will and her love have undergone a mystical death. This is not despair but fulfillment: martyrdom not of the body but of the soul’s independent operation. This is the death of all that is not-God within her-the highest expression of union.
8. “My heart formerly always thought about living by love through the desire of a good will. Now are these two things dead in me …”
Even her previous aspiration-to live through the desire of a good will-must die, because even that noble desire contains an “I.” This is the spiritual death that makes space for divine life alone to act. Her infancy is over; she has entered the nakedness of divine simplicity.
This second half of the chapter reveals the soul’s journey into complete annihilation of self-will, not through despair but through a love that will only accept union on God’s terms. It’s the mystical consummation of the soul’s desire for God to be all in all, even if it costs everything, including herself.
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1. Why does the Soul refuse the return of divine gifts if they are given through the intercession of the saints rather than God’s will alone?
The Soul insists that any gift, even one as significant as deliverance from eternal torment, must come solely from God’s will and pure love, not mediated by the desires of others-even the humanity of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or the saints. She views such a mediated gift as insufficient because it does not arise directly from God’s own free and loving will. This reflects the soul’s radical commitment to divine will as the only acceptable motive for any grace, highlighting her total self-emptying and singular desire for union with God, untainted by secondary causes.
2. What internal crisis does the Soul experience when God proposes hypothetical situations where divine love or the soul’s love might be directed elsewhere?
The Soul is thrown into profound distress and interior collapse when faced with the idea that God might love another more than her, that she might love another more than God, or that another might love her more than God. Her “sense fails” at each scenario, indicating a breakdown of her faculties-she cannot will, deny, or respond. This crisis reveals the remnants of self-love still clinging to her identity. The thought of displacement in the divine affection reveals that her union with God is not yet wholly detached from her own need to be uniquely loved. It is the testing ground for perfect detachment and the death of the spiritual ego.
3. What is the deeper spiritual significance of the Soul’s inability to respond immediately to God’s questions?
The Soul’s inability to respond reflects the tension between a purified love for God and a residual clinging to self-she admits that she still “loved herself along with Him.” This co-love, even in a holy form, prevents full surrender. Her delay and interior turmoil show the process of purification and the martyrdom of the will: she must die not just to sin or the world, but to her own need to be near God on her terms. True peace, she finds, comes only when self-will is annihilated and the soul can say with perfect honesty: “Your will be done, not mine,” even in the most unimaginable tests.
4. How does the Soul ultimately resolve her trial, and what is the nature of her final answer?
The Soul resolves the trial by finally surrendering her will entirely to God’s. She states that if God’s will truly desired those difficult scenarios to be so, then she would choose them entirely out of love for Him, and would never will anything else. This is not a resignation but a loving consent to the divine will-even when it appears painful, obscure, or contrary to natural inclination. She calls this the martyrdom of her will and love: a mystical death where her deepest desires are offered up to God and replaced by pure, passive receptivity. Her union is now absolute because it is based not on shared affection, but on total conformity to divine will.
5. What does the Soul mean when she says, “My heart formerly always thought about living by love through the desire of a good will. Now are these two things dead in me”?
The Soul is indicating that even the holy aspiration to “live by love through a good will” had to be relinquished. These were spiritual ideals she once clung to-noble, yes, but still her own. Now, both love (as she previously understood it) and will (even a “good” will) are dead in her, because they were rooted in her own identity and effort. This death marks the final transformation: the soul no longer lives by personal initiative but by divine movement alone. It is the realization of St. Paul’s declaration: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
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In Chapter 132, the Soul reaches the summit of spiritual maturity, moving beyond infancy into the “Land of Freeness,” where she refuses both clemency from Justice and aid from Mercy, desiring nothing for herself. Instead, she encounters Love-who offers all things-and responds with complete self-emptying, calling herself “Pure Nothingness” and expressing no will of her own. This radical renunciation marks the death of her own will, works, and even her previous modes of loving, as she dissolves into the all-sufficiency of divine Love. The chapter climaxes with a mystical revelation through a divine Spark, in which she simultaneously perceives God’s absolute majesty and her utter incapacity, leading to a new birth of her true good in God. Yet this mystery is so deep that it defies articulation, and to speak of it is, she says, to lie-for the reality can only be lived, not explained.
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1. “Then appeared the Land of Freeness, and there Justice came to me, and asked me what sort of clemency I wished from her. And I answered her, such as I was, that I wished no clemency from her, nor from anything which could torment me.”
The “Land of Freeness” symbolizes the Soul’s entrance into spiritual maturity and liberty-a state beyond reward or punishment. When Justice approaches, asking what clemency the Soul desires, the Soul denies needing any. This shows that she no longer fears justice or suffering, having surrendered every desire, even the desire for mercy in the face of judgment. Her will is dead to self-interest; she accepts whatever may come, not seeking reprieve.
2. “Then came Mercy, who asked what help I wished from her. I responded immediately, as I was, that I wished no aid from her nor from anything which could be a blessing for me.”
The Soul likewise declines assistance from Mercy, signifying her complete detachment from any form of spiritual consolation or benefit. She refuses both torment and blessing, preferring only the will of God. Her disinterest in even heavenly aid indicates that her will has become perfectly aligned with divine love-not seeking comfort, only surrender.
3. “Then to me came Love, filled with goodness, who had so many times set me outside of my mind, and in the end gave me the death about which you have already heard.”
Love is now personified and remembered as the force that repeatedly annihilated the Soul’s selfhood-bringing about the “death” of the will described in earlier chapters. Love, both fierce and tender, has been the midwife of her transformation, stripping her of every last attachment until only God remains.
4. “Beloved, what do you wish from Me? I contain all things which were, And are, and shall be… What you will, we will.”
Love offers everything. It contains all that exists and declares perfect union: “What you will, we will.” But this overwhelming gift is not met with human desire. The Soul does not ask for anything, because she no longer has a will of her own to exercise. This mutuality-Love’s all-giving, the Soul’s all-surrendering-defines the perfection of mystical union.
5. “Then I responded quickly that I was Pure Nothingness. Alas, what would I will? Pure Nothingness never had any will at all, and I will nothing.”
In a climactic moment of spiritual realization, the Soul names herself Pure Nothingness. She is empty of self, identity, will, or claim. She acknowledges that Love is all, and she is nothing. Her will has not just died; it has dissolved into non-existence. This is not despair but divine absorption-true annihilation of self in God.
6. “Then I began to depart from my infancy and my spirit began to become old when my will died and my works finished and my love ended which made me charming.”
Departing from “infancy” symbolizes spiritual maturity: the end of a childish, self-concerned love of God. Her personal works, affections, and even her earlier forms of spiritual devotion-what once made her charming-are now renounced. She is beyond doing or being. She has become a vessel.
7. “For the overflowing of the divine Love, which showed itself to me through divine Light by a Spark piercing me from the height, revealed suddenly Him and me; that is, He the Most High, and I so low that I cannot raise myself ever so little or help myself. And there was born my good.”
This “Spark” of divine illumination brings about a simultaneous vision: of God’s absolute supremacy and her utter nothingness. Yet, paradoxically, “there was born my good”-her ultimate fulfillment. In knowing that she is nothing, and He is all, she discovers the perfection of her being: not in herself, but in God.
8. “If you do not understand, I cannot help you. This is a miraculous work, of which one can tell you nothing, unless it is a lie.”
The ineffability of this final transformation is emphasized. What has occurred is beyond language, beyond doctrine. It must be lived, not explained. Any attempt to fully describe it would betray its mystery. This humility before the mystery of union closes the chapter with awe and silence.
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1. What is the significance of the “Land of Freeness” in the spiritual development of the Soul?
The “Land of Freeness” symbolizes the Soul’s arrival at a state of spiritual liberty, where she is no longer bound by desire for reward or fear of punishment. It marks her departure from spiritual “infancy” and the beginning of true maturity. In this state, the Soul encounters the personifications of Justice, Mercy, and Love, but no longer seeks anything from them-not clemency, help, or blessings-because her will has died, and she is totally surrendered to God’s being and will alone.
2. Why does the Soul refuse clemency from Justice and aid from Mercy?
The Soul refuses clemency and aid because she is beyond the dualities of torment and blessing. Her spiritual maturity has led her to a state of utter detachment and pure receptivity to God’s will. She seeks neither reprieve from judgment nor consolation, as she no longer views herself as a subject to be saved or comforted, but as “Pure Nothingness” dwelling solely in God’s being. This refusal illustrates the Soul’s absolute renunciation of self-will and self-interest.
3. How is Love different from Justice and Mercy in this passage?
Unlike Justice and Mercy, who offer assistance or judgment based on merit or need, Love speaks as one who “contains all things” and is the source of all that is, was, and shall be. Love’s invitation is total and mutual: “What you will, we will.” Love offers full union, asking the Soul what she desires. This shows that Love is the final and highest of the three, encompassing and transcending both Justice and Mercy. It represents the ultimate reality of God as pure giving, into which the Soul dissolves completely.
4. What does the Soul mean by declaring herself “Pure Nothingness”?
By calling herself “Pure Nothingness,” the Soul expresses that she has fully abandoned selfhood, will, and identity. She claims no part in the goodness of Love, recognizing that Love (i.e., God) is all, and she is nothing apart from Him. This radical humility and self-emptying is the culmination of her spiritual journey. It echoes the mystical tradition of annihilatio, the complete surrender of the soul into divine union, in which even the desire to will is extinguished.
5. What does the Soul mean when she says, “my spirit began to become old”?
This phrase marks the Soul’s transition from spiritual “infancy”-marked by desire, emotion, and spiritual activity-to spiritual “old age,” a metaphor for contemplative maturity. In this state, the Soul no longer operates from her own will or love, but is governed entirely by divine action. Her “works finished,” “will died,” and even the “love which made her charming” has ended. This suggests a stripping away of all that was previously seen as virtuous or spiritually fruitful, in order to enter the pure being of God.
6. What is revealed to the Soul by the divine “Spark piercing from the height”?
The divine Spark reveals simultaneously two realities: God’s absolute transcendence (He the Most High) and the Soul’s complete lowliness (I so low that I cannot raise myself ever so little or help myself). This revelation strips the Soul of any illusion of spiritual capability or agency. Yet, it is precisely in this recognition that “my good” is born-because it marks her perfect receptivity to God and the fruition of divine union.
7. Why does the Soul conclude that no one can explain this transformation without lying?
The Soul insists that the experience is beyond language and conceptual grasp. Any attempt to fully articulate the reality of union with God would necessarily distort it, since it belongs to a level of being and knowing that transcends reason and speech. This is a common theme in apophatic (negative) mysticism: true union with God cannot be communicated directly and must be lived in silence, love, and surrender.
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Chapter 133 teaches that the soul must move beyond the emotional and self-referential stage of spiritual infancy-where sorrow and tender affection often masquerade as love for God-into the true freedom of complete self-abandonment. The soul comes to see that even her desire for God was entangled with a hidden love of self. Only by relinquishing all self-will and entering into the state of “Willing-Nothing,” where she no longer seeks consolation, virtue, or reward, can the soul become truly free and united to Divine Love. This naked, unencumbered soul is no longer moved by her own works but by God’s work alone, and her understanding is sustained not by miracles or spiritual emotion, but by faith, which opens her to divine life beyond the grasp of reason or self-interest.
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1. “Now you have heard some considerations, says this Soul, which I contemplated in order to unencumber myself and find the way. Such is what I contemplated when I was sad, for all those who are sad possess affection of spirit.”
The Soul reflects that her earlier meditations arose during a time of spiritual sadness, marked by affection of spirit-a kind of pious sentimentality. These considerations were necessary for a time, to “find the way,” but they are now recognized as partial and immature.
2. “And these considerations are in the life of the spirit, through affection of the tenderness of the love which the Soul possesses toward herself. But she thinks that she possesses this love toward God, by whom she is wounded; but, to be sure, it is herself whom she loves, without her knowing it and without her perceiving it.”
The Soul discovers that her earlier spiritual emotions, while appearing to be love for God, were subtly self-centered. What she took to be divine love was actually an affectionate self-love masquerading as devotion. This is a sharp critique of emotional religiosity that confuses tender feeling with true self-emptying love.
3. “And there they are deceived who love through the tenderness which they have by affection, which does not allow them to arrive at understanding. And thus they remain as children in the works of children, so they remain as long as they have affection of the spirit.”
Spiritual immaturity is defined here as remaining in the realm of feelings and sentiments. Such souls may be sincere, but they are unable to attain deeper understanding or union with God, remaining at a childlike stage.
4. [Divine Love speaks]: “Ah, God, says Divine Love, who reposes in the Annihilated Soul, how long a road it is and a great distance from such a sad life to the life of freeness, for over such a life of freeness, Willing-Nothing has lordship!”
Divine Love acknowledges the vast gap between the sentimental, spiritually self-involved soul and the soul that lives in true freedom. This freeness comes only when the soul wills nothing-complete self-surrender and dispossession. The phrase “Willing-Nothing” signifies the soul that no longer asserts her own will, but rests entirely in God’s will.
5. “Such a seed can never fail, but so few folk are disposed to receive such a seed.”
The divine seed-sown by “Willing-Nothing” and drawn from the heart of divine will-is powerful and unfailing, but only those souls who have emptied themselves can receive it. This lament emphasizes the rarity of true detachment and divine receptivity.
6. “I have found many who are lost in the affection of the spirit by means of the works of the virtues in the desires of a good will, but I have found few of the gentle sad ones. And even fewer have I found who are free…”
This is a radical distinction between external virtue and internal freedom. Many souls perform good works out of good intentions, yet remain bound by self-love or emotional clinging. Fewer pass through the valley of true sorrow and even fewer attain true detachment or “freeness.”
7. “Fine Love makes one have one love and one will, and thus my will has become one Willing-Nothing.”
Perfect love simplifies the soul: she has one love-God-and one will-His. The soul’s own will is annihilated in pure union. “Willing-Nothing” means not willing anything for oneself, even virtue or merit.
8. “Such a Soul is naked and so she does not fear, in such nudity, that the serpent might bite her.”
The naked soul, stripped of all self-regard and self-will, is no longer vulnerable to temptation. She does not fear because she has nothing to lose or protect-not even her spiritual progress. Her simplicity is her invincibility.
9. “If [the Soul] were moved by her work, she would be there for herself; but if she is naked, this cannot be.”
True detachment means that the soul is not moved by her own works or spiritual accomplishments. Any growth that proceeds from self-activity would return her to self-love. Nakedness ensures all comes from God alone.
10. [Unencumbered Soul speaks]: “This is true, says the Unencumbered Soul, I am at such a point through relinquishing perfectly myself; miracles are subservient to Faith, and such miracles give me true knowledge of the divine gifts: Faith is the cause of this.”
The Unencumbered Soul affirms her transformation: she has given up all self-ownership and now lives purely by faith, not by signs or experiences. Miracles themselves are subordinate to faith, which alone opens the soul to the divine reality.
This chapter is a turning point in which earlier meditations are recognized as preparatory but ultimately insufficient. The mature soul moves beyond even “holy” sadness to the radical detachment of Willing-Nothing, which alone makes space for the divine seed of Love to grow.
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1. What does the Soul reveal about the nature of her earlier spiritual considerations?
The Soul discloses that her earlier spiritual reflections-those “considerations”-were born during a time of sadness and were intended to help her “unencumber” herself and find the way to God. However, she now sees that these reflections arose not from pure love of God, but from an affective tenderness that was actually self-directed. Though she believed she loved God, in truth she was loving herself through her spiritual sensitivity and pain. This misperception highlights the deceptive nature of spiritual affection when it is not fully purified.
2. How does this chapter distinguish between affective spirituality and mature spiritual freedom?
Affective spirituality, rooted in emotional tenderness and self-involved love, keeps the soul in a state of spiritual infancy. It appears devout but lacks true detachment. Mature spiritual freedom, by contrast, is marked by the soul’s self-emptying and entry into “freeness”-a state governed not by personal desire or even religious fervor, but by Willing-Nothing, total surrender to the divine will. This freedom is devoid of self-interest and emotional dependency.
3. What is meant by “Willing-Nothing,” and why is it central to the life of freeness?
“Willing-Nothing” refers to the soul’s total renunciation of self-will-even the will to be holy, virtuous, or spiritually fulfilled. It is not passivity but a radical alignment with God’s will alone. In the life of freeness, the soul wills nothing for herself, neither consolation nor merit. This self-dispossession allows the “divine seed,” drawn from God’s own will, to be sown in the soul. “Willing-Nothing” thus becomes the fertile ground for divine union.
4. According to Divine Love, what hinders most souls from reaching this life of freeness?
Most souls are hindered by the “affection of the spirit,” which keeps them caught in the pursuit of virtue through personal effort and emotional attachment to good will. Even though these souls desire God, they do so in a self-referential way-loving the feelings or satisfaction they get from the pursuit of God. Divine Love laments that few people are “gentle sad ones” who have begun to detach from this state, and even fewer live in true spiritual freedom.
5. What role does nakedness play in the soul’s union with God in this chapter?
Nakedness symbolizes complete vulnerability, detachment, and simplicity. A soul that is naked no longer fears temptation (symbolized by the serpent) because she has nothing left to lose-no spiritual ego, no clinging to virtue, no self-will. This nakedness ensures that her joy and motion come only from God’s own work, not from her own. She is no longer moved by personal accomplishments or spiritual experiences but lives entirely in God’s action.
6. What final affirmation does the Unencumbered Soul make, and how does it relate to faith?
The Unencumbered Soul affirms that she has reached her current state through perfect self-renunciation. She recognizes that even miracles are subservient to faith, and it is faith that has opened her to the true knowledge of divine gifts. Her life is no longer guided by signs, consolations, or even her own virtue, but by the supernatural gift of faith, which anchors her entirely in God’s will without reliance on her own self.
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Chapter 134 teaches that the soul, in the greatest perfection of being, surpasses all external models-even Holy Church-because she is entirely possessed by God in a state of radical freeness, humility, and self-annihilation. In this state, she no longer lives by the virtues as discrete practices, nor does she require fear, merit, or mediators, for she lives wholly from divine love and will. Detached even from her own spiritual desires, she rests in a nakedness of being that cannot be understood by those who remain attached to the works of the spirit. This soul is no longer governed by the affection of virtue but by the undivided will of Love itself, emptied of all self-concern, and thus unreachable by anything less than God’s own fullness.
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1. “Such a Soul, says Love, is in the greatest perfection of being, and she is closest to the Farnearness, when she no longer takes Holy Church as exemplar in her life.”
This paradoxical statement introduces a deeply mystical concept: that ultimate spiritual maturity transcends even the visible models of sanctity presented by Holy Church. The “Farnearness” evokes God’s absolute transcendence and intimate indwelling presence. The soul who no longer imitates Church-sanctioned virtue does not reject the Church, but has so fully internalized divine life that she now lives from the Source directly, rather than from mediated forms.
2. “The Soul is thus under the work of Humility, and so is beyond the work of Poverty and above the work of Charity.”
This soul is governed by true humility, a humility so deep that it surpasses even the classical evangelical virtues. Poverty and charity, though noble, are now interiorized and transcended. The soul no longer practices virtue for its own sake, but is possessed entirely by God, who is beyond all categories of human effort.
3. “She is so far from the work of the Virtues that she cannot understand their language.”
The soul’s union with God renders her foreign to the dialect of moral striving. She has passed beyond the stage of active virtue into pure being. The virtues, though once teachers and companions, are now integrated so completely that their distinct voices fall silent in the overwhelming presence of Divine Love.
4. “The works of the Virtues, who obey the Soul without contradiction, are completely enclosed within such a Soul, and because of this enclosure, Holy Church does not know how to understand her.”
The soul is so transformed that virtues arise spontaneously, without effort or conscious intention. This effortless sanctity makes her incomprehensible even to the Church, whose categories and discernment are tied to visible, structured forms of virtue. Her interior life is hidden and surpasses conventional understanding.
5. “Holy Church singularly praises Fear of God, for saintly Fear of God is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Still, Fear of God would destroy the being of freeness if she could penetrate such being.”
The soul in this state no longer lives by fear-not even holy fear-because she abides in perfect love, which casts out fear (cf. 1 John 4:18). While Fear of God is a legitimate spiritual gift, it cannot touch the freeness of a soul that is fully surrendered, emptied of self, and moved only by divine love.
6. “Perfect freeness possesses no why.”
This is a core mystical axiom: true love asks for no reason, no justification. The soul loves without cause or motive, just as God loves gratuitously. This groundless freedom is divine and immune to introspection or justification-it simply is.
7. “She has placed all her love beneath her feet, and she is concerned with herself no more than if she were not.”
The soul is utterly detached from self-love, even from love of her own spiritual progress. She stands in self-forgetfulness, so profoundly empty of self-concern that her own existence becomes negligible to her. This is the radical kenosis that opens her fully to divine indwelling.
8. “The greater part has delivered her from the debts which she owed to Jesus Christ and therefore she owes Him nothing, however much she may have been obligated.”
This startling claim must be read in a mystical key: the “greater part”-God’s infinite love and grace-has swallowed up all notions of merit and debt. The soul no longer relates to God on a transactional or juridical basis but in total communion. Gratitude, obligation, and guilt dissolve in the overwhelming experience of divine generosity.
9. “The more, or the greater part, wills to have total possession without any mediary within her.”
Here is the heart of deifying union: God wills to possess the soul entirely, without the mediation of virtue, sacrament, or even conscience. This is not a rejection of mediation in principle, but a description of a soul in whom mediation has fulfilled its purpose and given way to direct union.
10. “They are not able to understand the nakedness of this depth, nor to believe the goodness of God generously given for their sakes.”
Those who cling to spiritual effort, merit, and self-generated virtue cannot grasp this radical vision of divine generosity. They remain trapped in the economy of exchange and cannot believe that God gives everything-even deification itself-as pure gift.
Final Reflection:
This chapter challenges the reader to contemplate a state of being where virtue, effort, fear, and even ecclesial models are transcended by the soul’s total absorption into God. The teaching is not anti-Church, but beyond the Church as a visible structure-pointing instead to the hidden mystical church of the annihilated, free soul in whom God alone lives, wills, and loves.
—
1. What does it mean that the Soul is in the “greatest perfection of being” when she no longer takes Holy Church as exemplar in her life?
The phrase expresses a radical mystical teaching: the soul has reached such intimacy with God that she no longer relies on external forms, teachings, or even the visible Church as models for her life. This does not imply disobedience or rejection of the Church but rather indicates that the soul has interiorized divine life so completely that she now lives directly from God, not through mediated instruction. The “Farnearness” suggests both her closeness to God and her distance from familiar spiritual categories.
2. What is the significance of the soul being “under the work of Humility” and “beyond the work of Poverty” and “above the work of Charity”?
This sequence shows a mystical hierarchy. Being “under the work of Humility” means she is grounded in radical self-emptying. Being “beyond Poverty” and “above Charity” indicates she no longer consciously practices these virtues-they are no longer separate acts, but her entire being. Her identity has become infused with divine life so totally that distinct virtues have ceased to function as discrete efforts; they are now her very nature.
3. Why can the Soul “no longer understand the language of the Virtues”?
Because she has transcended the stage where virtues are deliberate actions. Virtue is now natural to her, flowing from her union with God. She doesn’t “practice” virtue; she is virtuous through and through, without calculation or intention. The “language” of virtue-effort, merit, growth-belongs to earlier stages of the spiritual life and has become foreign to her.
4. How does Holy Church relate to such a soul, according to this chapter?
Holy Church cannot understand this soul because her spiritual life surpasses the recognizable frameworks of ecclesiastical theology and virtue. Though she is not against the Church, her mode of life has become hidden and inaccessible. She lives by a direct and total union with God, which surpasses the boundaries of institutional understanding, though it does not contradict true doctrine.
5. Why would “Fear of God” destroy the being of freeness if it could enter it?
Fear of God, even as a gift of the Holy Spirit, introduces a duality-fear versus love, concern for self versus abandonment to God. In the soul’s state of perfect freeness, there is no self left to protect or fear. Freeness rests in God’s love alone, with no reason, no “why,” no concern. Fear would disrupt this simplicity and undermine the purity of her trust and union.
6. What does it mean that “Perfect freeness possesses no why”?
This means that true love and surrender to God are without reason, cause, or expectation. The soul who lives in perfect freedom no longer asks “why” she serves, loves, or exists. She is moved only by love itself, without seeking reward or understanding. Her will is no longer self-referential-it is simply absorbed into God’s will.
7. How has the soul become detached from herself?
She has “placed all her love beneath her feet” and regards herself “no more than if she were not.” This profound self-forgetfulness reveals the climax of mystical detachment. She is no longer interested in herself, her state, her progress, or even her salvation as such. Her only reality is God, and she lives in total surrender to Him.
8. What does it mean that “the greater part has delivered her from the debts she owed to Jesus Christ”?
This bold statement reflects the soul’s realization that divine grace has so overtaken her that all sense of debt, merit, or recompense disappears. The “greater part” (God’s absolute generosity and mercy) swallows up any “lesser part” (her own efforts or obligations). She owes Christ nothing in the legalistic sense-not because she is ungrateful, but because Love has fulfilled and transcended all.
9. Why does the soul no longer need any “mediary” within her?
The soul is now directly possessed by God. No longer needing intermediaries like virtues, methods, or even rational mediation, she is completely permeated by divine will. This is not a denial of Christ or the Church, but a fulfillment of all mediation in perfect union-where God Himself is her interior guide and life.
10. What prevents most souls from understanding this nakedness and freedom?
Most remain trapped in “the great sense of nature,” that is, the desire to manage and understand the spiritual life through effort, affection, or reasoning. They struggle with themselves and cannot believe in the radical generosity of God. Their depth is “destroyed” by self-reliance and attachment to spiritual identity. Only the naked, poor, annihilated soul can receive this divine freedom.
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Chapter 135 presents the soul’s final consummation in divine union, where all spiritual striving and self-willed virtue dissolve into the nothingness of perfect receptivity. The soul realizes that no creaturely work, however virtuous, holds any value before the infinite wisdom and goodness of God, who gives Himself not because of merit, but out of His own self-sufficiency. One encounter with this eternal, ever-new Goodness surpasses all the works of the Church across time. In this union, God’s infinite “farness” becomes the soul’s deepest nearness, stripping her of all separation, selfhood, and will. She becomes “nothing” in order to be wholly filled with divine being, restored to the point before her creation, where she lived only in God’s will. This transformation by love is not achieved through effort but through the utter abandonment of self into God’s sufficiency, where “He is, and she is not.”
—
1. “Oh, how greatly they are deceived who remain content to struggle with themselves in this!”
The Soul opens with a stark warning against spiritual self-effort and introspective struggle. Those who remain caught in inner conflict, even for the sake of virtue, are fundamentally mistaken. This statement critiques the dominant model of ascetic and moral striving, insisting that such exertion reflects a subtle form of self-reliance that blocks true union with God.
2. “Because whatever a creature can do of the works of goodness, it is nothing in the presence of divine wisdom.”
All human works, however virtuous or well-intentioned, amount to nothing before the immensity and purity of divine wisdom. The soul is taught here to distrust even her best efforts and to recognize their utter inadequacy compared to God’s transcendent goodness.
3. “Therefore, divine goodness does not give its goodness to the soul on account of this, but only for the sake of His own goodness.”
God bestows His goodness not as a reward for human virtue, but out of His own self-sufficient love. This affirms the utter gratuity of grace: it cannot be earned, only received. The soul’s emptiness becomes the condition for receiving divine fullness.
4. “One sole encounter or one meeting with that ultimate eternal ancient and ever-new goodness is more worthy than anything a creature might do, or even the whole Holy Church, in a hundred thousand years.”
The value of one direct experience of God’s eternal goodness infinitely outweighs even the collective works of the Church across millennia. This stark comparison is meant to destabilize reliance on institutional or moral achievement and point toward the primacy of contemplative union.
5. “His farness is greater nearness, because, from nearby, in itself, it better knows what is far…”
A paradox is introduced: God’s “farness” is actually a greater form of nearness. The mystery of God is such that His transcendence and immanence are one; He is both beyond all and more interior than the soul herself. This experiential paradox sustains the soul in union even when God seems distant.
6. “All things are one for her, without a why, and she is nothing in a One of this sort.”
Having been emptied of all self-reference, the soul sees all things as unified in God. She lives without reasoning or justification (“without a why”), having become nothing in the divine One. This is not nihilism, but radical receptivity.
7. “Thus the Soul has nothing more to do for God than God does for her. Why? Because He is, and she is not.”
The soul is fully passive before the divine action. She does nothing because she is not-her identity has been fully surrendered. God alone is, and in this ontological poverty, the soul rests.
8. “She retains nothing more of herself in nothingness, because He is sufficient of Himself…”
The soul’s journey culminates in total self-emptying: she holds back nothing, not even a shred of selfhood. God’s self-sufficiency makes all her effort unnecessary. She returns to the place she occupied “before she was”-the primordial point in God’s will where her being was conceived.
9. “Thus she has from God what He has, and she is what God is through the transformation of love…”
Through love’s radical transformation, the soul becomes what God is-not by nature, but by union. This is the apex of mystical theology: deiformity in the soul, where she no longer has a separate being but exists wholly in and through God, as she was before her created existence.
10. “…in that point in which she was, before she flowed from the Goodness of God.”
The journey concludes in a return to the eternal origin-what Meister Eckhart would call “the ground of the soul.” She returns to her uncreated source, having transcended all separation, identity, and effort, resting forever in God’s eternal Now.
This chapter is a powerful articulation of apophatic mysticism, the soul’s return to God not by effort but by ontological surrender.
—
1. Why does the Soul denounce those who remain content to “struggle with themselves”?
The Soul condemns self-struggling because it represents a misguided reliance on human effort and self-generated virtue. Such struggle, even if it appears holy, remains within the realm of creaturely limitation and cannot reach the depths of divine union. It distracts the soul from true surrender and perpetuates the illusion of spiritual progress through one’s own works.
2. What does the chapter say about the value of creaturely works in relation to divine wisdom?
Creaturely works, no matter how noble or virtuous, are “nothing” when placed before divine wisdom. The Soul recognizes that divine wisdom is of an entirely different order than any created act of goodness. As such, God’s gifts are not earned through moral action but are given freely, out of God’s own self-sufficient goodness.
3. How does the Soul describe the worth of a single encounter with God compared to religious observance?
A single, intimate meeting with the eternal and ever-new divine Goodness is said to surpass in worth even the cumulative works of the entire Church over hundreds of thousands of years. This highlights the radical primacy of contemplative union over all institutional, sacramental, or moral observances-emphasizing direct experience of God over mediated religion.
4. What is meant by the phrase “His farness is greater nearness”?
This paradox means that God, though infinitely transcendent (“far”), is more intimately near than anything else. His mysterious, unknowable distance brings about a deeper kind of nearness than anything familiar. This evokes the mystical truth that God’s inaccessibility does not imply absence, but a profound hidden presence that unites the soul to Him beyond sensory or intellectual grasp.
5. What does it mean that “all things are one for her, without a why”?
The soul has reached a state beyond reasoning or duality. She sees all reality as unified in God, without needing explanations or purposes. “Without a why” signals her freedom from causality, merit, or justification. She exists entirely in God’s being, resting in simplicity and without self-will.
6. How does the Soul interpret her own being as “nothing”?
The Soul declares that “He is, and she is not,” meaning that her separate existence has been annihilated in union with God. This is not a denial of existence per se, but an ontological and mystical surrender of selfhood. Her nothingness is a spiritual emptiness that allows God’s fullness to dwell in her without obstruction.
7. What is meant by saying she is “where she was before she was”?
This cryptic phrase refers to the soul’s return to her uncreated origin in God. Before she had a separate existence, she existed in God’s eternal will. Now, through complete detachment and love’s transformation, she returns mystically to that primordial point-beyond time, form, and identity.
8. How is divine transformation described at the end of the chapter?
The Soul becomes what God is “through the transformation of love,” meaning that love so completely unites her to God that she shares in His being. While not identical to God in essence (as in pantheism), she is divinized-utterly filled, defined, and animated by God alone. She no longer lives as herself but as one who dwells entirely in divine simplicity.
——————–
In Chapter 136 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, the soul is portrayed as having reached the summit of divine union-a state beyond prayer, beyond virtue, beyond even love as commonly understood. Here, she no longer acts, chooses, or desires, for she exists in the pure simplicity of God’s being, where all distinction between self and God has been effaced. She receives all from the “noble Farnearness” of divine goodness without merit, effort, or sorrow, having transcended both the power to do good and evil. Freed from spiritual struggle and wholly receptive, the soul affirms her intimate belovedness by the Trinity-Father, Brother, and Lover-and experiences the radical mercy that surpasses justice. All things are hers because she is nothing in herself and everything in God, resting in a love that has never ceased and cannot be surpassed.
—
1. “There she does not pray, no more than she did before she was.”
In the soul’s final union with God, prayer ceases-not because of negligence or irreverence, but because all distance has been overcome. Just as she did not pray before her creation, in the divine essence she is now beyond all discursive acts, including prayer. She simply is, suspended in divine simplicity, beyond need or petition.
2. “She receives what she has from divine goodness by the seed of His love, from that noble Farnearness.”
Her entire being flows from God’s gratuitous gift, described paradoxically as a “noble Farnearness”-a phrase pointing to God’s transcendent immanence. The “seed of His love” is not earned but planted in her by God Himself. This evokes mystical passivity: reception rather than acquisition.
3. “This does not disturb her, for what she loved the most she hates the more. This is the way.”
She has passed through the painful detachment even from the highest spiritual consolations. What she once loved-likely her own spiritual experience, virtue, or will-she now despises. This is the narrow way of annihilation, where even holy affection must die in favor of pure love.
4. “She has no greater part, nor middle, nor lesser part in His love; therefore she is not saddened by anything, whatever happens.”
In God’s love there is no gradation for her-no “more” or “less”-because her soul has entered into love’s totality. In this state, there is no possibility of loss or gain, and so, she remains unmoved by circumstance. Her joy is perfectly stable because rooted in God alone.
5. “She has no bottom, therefore she has no place; if she has no place, therefore she has no love.”
This is a radical claim of transcendence. “No bottom” implies boundlessness, uncontainability. Without location or limitation, she has gone beyond created forms of love. The “no love” here means no possessive, particular love-only divine, non-referential, ungrasping love remains.
6. “All work is prohibited to her in the simple existence of divinity.”
The soul is no longer capable of “works,” whether good or evil, because she lives in God’s own stillness. Just as God does not act out of necessity, neither does she. Her life is pure receptivity, divine being alone.
7. “It is just, says this Soul, that all things be subordinate to me, because all things are made for my sake.”
This may sound arrogant, but it reflects a mystical truth: the soul, in union with God, sees the whole cosmos as a gift of love meant to glorify divine intimacy. All things are for the soul-not in pride, but because God made them as a means of His self-gift.
8. “You have loved me, you do and you will do with all your power as Father… wisdom as Brother… goodness as Lover.”
This beautiful trinitarian invocation shows the soul’s complete trust in God’s enduring, multifaceted love. She experiences divine love as paternal, fraternal, and spousal-each one infinitely tender and total. God’s love has never failed her, not even for an instant.
9. “Therefore I can indeed say that you love no one more than me.”
In the singular intimacy of union, the soul feels uniquely and supremely loved-not in exclusion of others, but in totality. This is not egotism, but the experience of being personally and eternally cherished by Infinite Love.
10. “I receive as much of your never-ending mercy as you have of power in respect to what I suffer.”
The soul sees her suffering transfigured in divine mercy. God’s infinite power ensures that mercy corresponds precisely-and overwhelmingly-to her pain. There is no suffering left unattended or unloved. Even her torment is taken up into God’s omnipotent compassion.
This chapter shows the soul’s final repose in perfect divine union: beyond prayer, beyond place, beyond works-resting in the eternal, boundless love of God, who has always and forever loved her with the fullness of His power, wisdom, and tenderness.
—
1. Why does the Soul no longer pray in this state?
The Soul no longer prays because she has returned to the state she was in before she existed-completely immersed in the divine being, where all acts, including prayer, become unnecessary. Prayer presupposes a distance between the soul and God, but here, union is so complete that there is no longer a “self” to petition or a “God” to petition to; all has been absorbed into divine simplicity.
2. What does the phrase “noble Farnearness” signify in the context of divine union?
“Noble Farnearness” is a paradox expressing God’s simultaneous transcendence and immanence. Though God is infinitely beyond the soul (farness), He is also closer to her than her own being (nearness). In the state of union, the soul receives everything from God-not by merit or effort, but as a pure seed of divine love, rooted in this transcendent intimacy.
3. Why does the Soul now “hate what she loved most”?
This refers to the soul’s radical detachment, even from spiritual consolations or self-centered love for God. What she once clung to-perhaps her own virtue, feelings, or spiritual experiences-are now seen as obstacles to pure union. Her hatred is not malicious but purgative: she rejects all that could separate her from the naked simplicity of divine love.
4. What does it mean that she “has no bottom, no place, and therefore no love”?
These phrases reflect the soul’s complete transcendence of created categories. “No bottom” means she is no longer rooted in any finite foundation. “No place” suggests she no longer exists within definable limits. “No love” does not mean the absence of love, but rather the absence of any finite, particularized, possessive love. Only the ungrasping, all-embracing divine Love remains.
5. Why is all “work prohibited” to her in this state?
In the “simple existence of divinity,” there is no more doing-only being. She no longer acts or chooses in the moral-spiritual realm of good and evil works, because she is suspended in God’s pure act, which contains all goodness. As Christ Himself lived beyond human categories in His divine will, so now does the soul, resting entirely in God’s initiative.
6. How does the Soul express her sense of belonging and lordship over all things?
She declares that “all things are made for my sake,” not from arrogance, but from the recognition that God created the universe as an expression of His love for the soul. In union, she receives all things as hers, in total freedom and without restriction, because she is perfectly aligned with God’s will, in whom all things find their purpose.
7. What roles does the Soul attribute to God as Father, Brother, and Lover?
She describes God as Father (acting with power), Brother (with wisdom), and Lover (with goodness). These titles reflect the totality and intimacy of God’s love: paternal care, fraternal companionship, and spousal union. This trinitarian affirmation of God’s unwavering love confirms the soul’s security and identity in Him.
8. Why does the Soul say that “you love no one more than me”?
This is not a claim of superiority but a mystical expression of total intimacy. In perfect union, the soul feels as though she is singularly beloved-because divine love is infinite and wholly personal. Each soul in union with God experiences being loved to the fullest, as if no one else existed.
9. How does the Soul understand divine justice and mercy in light of her suffering?
She recognizes that just as God’s goodness cannot be denied to the saints beyond their merit, so too His mercy cannot allow her to suffer what she deserves. God’s infinite power and mercy meet her in her suffering and grant her a share in His eternal compassion-not as reward, but as pure grace.
10. What is the central paradox of this chapter’s teaching?
The soul has reached a state where she does nothing and is nothing-and yet she receives all, is loved fully, and possesses all things. This is the paradox of divine union: by losing all selfhood, she gains God; by relinquishing all effort, she receives perfect rest; by dying to love, she becomes Love itself.
This chapter is a profound contemplation of the end point of the mystical journey: the soul’s entry into divine simplicity, where even the highest spiritual activities fall away, and only God remains as the soul’s all.
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Chapter 137 teaches that the soul in its highest perfection fulfills the rule of religion not through external observance, but by being utterly dissolved in divine Love through annihilation of self. This annihilation returns her to the state of pre-existence, where she is received by Love beyond all works and merits. The most painful part of this transformation is the renunciation of spiritual “friends”-a metaphor for good desires, virtues, or supports that once helped her but must now be surrendered. True union requires the death of every attachment, even holy ones, so that the soul may be healed and transformed entirely by God’s action alone. Having passed through this ultimate trial, the soul goes beyond even her own being, dwelling in a state of silent, unmediated union with God, where all presumptions dissolve in the divine mystery.
—
1. “Such is she in her professed religion, and she has fulfilled its rule. What is its rule? It is that she is dissolved by annihilation into that prior existence where Love has received her.”
The Soul’s “professed religion” is not a set of outward observances but the radical inner path of annihilation-a return to the primordial state before distinct selfhood. This “prior existence” is where Love receives her, meaning she now rests in the eternal embrace of Divine Love, having passed beyond the need for spiritual practices or structured virtue. The “rule” she has kept is ontological, not behavioral-it is self-emptying to the point of being reabsorbed into Divine Being.
2. “Now she has passed the trial of her testing, and she has overcome the opposition of all powers. But the above was exceedingly difficult for her.”
The soul’s purification has involved confronting and overcoming every inner and outer resistance-spiritual, psychological, relational. These “powers” may include temptations, attachments, virtues clung to too tightly, or even consolations from God. The process is portrayed as deeply painful and arduous, echoing a spiritual death and rebirth.
3. “For there is no graver opposition than the opposition of friends: whoever puts them to death must pass through sword points.”
One of the most painful aspects of this journey is detachment not only from sin or worldly things, but from one’s deepest supports-friends, helpers, even spiritual companions. The “friends” symbolize both actual people and interior faculties (e.g., reason, devotion, affection) that once aided the soul but now must be relinquished. This “death of the friends” is not betrayal but the necessary sacrifice to enter pure union with God.
4. “Then all ability is carried off, without recovery, and she is given the healing of all her infirmities.”
The soul is stripped of all her own powers-agency, effort, merit-until she can do nothing on her own. This radical passivity is not a loss but the condition for divine healing. The soul becomes whole not by striving, but by ceasing to act apart from God.
5. “Oh, what great pity it is in the death of the friends who would assist the Soul to conquer her enemies, and in the end she must put them to death!”
There is a real tragedy and pathos in this stage: the very things that once served the soul’s holiness must now be “killed.” This is not a rejection of goodness but a passing beyond the need for intermediaries-virtues, affections, even spiritual consolation-as she rests in God alone. The “death” of these companions marks the painful but holy transition into divine simplicity.
6. “God does blessings of Himself as it is proper for Him to do, and so it is that this Soul no longer wishes to be in this place.”
The soul recognizes that God’s gifts are freely given and not earned. Her desire “no longer to be in this place” indicates a longing to remain always in God’s being, transcending not only the world but even spiritual frameworks. She is not suicidal or escapist; rather, her will is fully absorbed into divine will, where all location, time, and selfhood are transcended.
7. “Her thoughts, which placed her where God is, have been presumptuous; but this is because she is beyond her being.”
Even the thought of being “with God” is revealed as presumptuous in the final stages, because it still presupposes a duality-God and the soul. But this presumption is not sinful; it is the limit of language and thought. The soul is now “beyond her being,” which means she no longer even exists as a separate subject who can think of herself in relation to God. Her union is so total that she simply is-but not as herself: she is only in and through God.
—
1. What does it mean that the Soul has fulfilled the rule of her professed religion?
To “fulfill the rule” of her religion does not mean merely conforming to external practices or ecclesial regulations. Rather, the rule is identified as complete self-annihilation-the soul is “dissolved” into that primordial state of non-being or divine origin, where Love originally received her. This is a mystical interpretation of religious profession: union with God through total relinquishment of self, identity, and spiritual striving. The true “rule” is not discipline but ontological transformation.
2. Why is the Soul’s passage through testing described as particularly difficult?
The passage is described as exceedingly difficult because the opposition the Soul faces comes not from enemies, but from friends-those aspects of life or spiritual companions that were once helpful or even essential. These friends must be “put to death,” meaning that the Soul must detach even from what is good, holy, and supportive if it stands in the way of total union with God. The struggle with friends implies an interior crucifixion of familiar forms of piety, virtue, and affection.
3. What is the significance of the phrase “all ability is carried off, without recovery”?
This phrase highlights the Soul’s radical powerlessness at this stage. She is stripped of all capacity for independent thought, will, or action-even for spiritual effort. In losing every faculty, she becomes completely receptive, healed of all spiritual infirmities precisely through the loss of agency. This is not a collapse, but the culmination of surrender. God alone becomes the agent; the Soul now only is through God.
4. Why must the Soul put her “friends” to death, and what does this mean spiritually?
Putting her friends to death means renouncing all intermediary aids-affections, virtues, spiritual desires, or religious consolations-which once supported her journey. These must now be relinquished because they uphold a dualistic structure (self and God, means and end). In perfect union, even the most cherished supports become impediments. The death of friends signifies the transition from mediated love to direct, unmediated union with God, where all that remains is Divine Being itself.
5. What is the Soul’s attitude toward her current state, and how does it reflect her transformation?
The Soul expresses a detachment from her own state of being, even questioning the presumption of having once “placed herself where God is” through her thoughts. This humility stems from the realization that she is now beyond her own being-she has transcended self-consciousness and spiritual ambition. Her transformation is complete: she no longer acts, claims, or even thinks as an individual. All has been absorbed into the simplicity and sufficiency of Divine Love.
6. How does this chapter portray the soul’s relationship to God in the highest state of union?
The chapter portrays the Soul’s relationship to God as one of nonduality and total dependence. She no longer exists “beside” God but is drawn into the pre-personal reality of God’s being, where she is “dissolved by annihilation.” This union is not just affective but ontological: the soul is where she was “before she was,” participating in God’s being through the transformation of love. She retains no will, no works, no distinction-only divine sufficiency remains.
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Chapter 138 teaches that the soul, through complete self-emptying and surrender of her will, returns to her “prior being” – a state of pure simplicity in God that transcends all distinction, feeling, and thought. In this state, she is “melted” into the divine essence and exists only by and in God’s will, having abandoned all self-willed action. Her will becomes one with the divine will, and she is placed in divine being itself, beyond all ascent or descent, clothed in the radical nakedness of her origin in God. To attain this nakedness and simplicity, the Soul must remain vigilant against all self-deception, for Nature always seeks to subtly assert itself.
—
1. “Now this Soul is in the stage of her prior being, and so has left three and has made of two One.”
The “prior being” refers to the soul’s original state in God before creation – a state of undivided simplicity. “Leaving three” likely symbolizes transcending the composite structure of creaturely existence (such as body, soul, and spirit, or memory, intellect, and will). “Making of two One” signifies the final unification of the human and divine wills. This is the full return to unity beyond division, where all dualities and multiplicities are dissolved in divine simplicity.
2. “This One is when the Soul is melted in the simple Deity, who is one simple Being of overflowing fruition, in fullness of knowledge, without feeling, above all thought.”
The soul becomes one with God through a complete spiritual liquefaction – “melted” – meaning she is no longer distinct from Him in the mode of being. The Divine is described as “simple,” which in mystical theology means indivisible, unchanging, and without complexity. The union transcends sensory experience (“without feeling”) and rational reflection (“above all thought”), existing instead in pure fruition – the joyful, effortless enjoyment of God beyond any image or concept.
3. “This simple Being does in the Soul through charity whatever the Soul does, for the will has become simple.”
Once the soul has reached this state, she no longer acts independently. Rather, it is the Divine Being acting in and through her, specifically by means of charity (agape), the highest divine gift. The soul’s will is now “simple” – utterly unified with God’s will, stripped of all self-interest or multiplicity. There is no distinction between divine initiative and human response.
4. “Such a simple will has nothing to do in her, since it conquered the necessity of the two natures at the moment when the will was given up for the sake of simple being.”
In this state, the soul’s own will becomes so surrendered that it is inactive in the ordinary sense. The “necessity of the two natures” – likely referring to the duality of human nature (spirit and flesh, or divine and created nature) – is transcended. The soul no longer operates from the natural tension between body and spirit, or between God and self. Her will, surrendered entirely to God, no longer performs works or choices distinct from divine action.
5. “And this simple will, which is divine will, places the Soul in divine being.”
Here, we see the mystical culmination: the soul doesn’t just receive divine graces but is placed in the divine being itself – a full participation in God’s very life. The soul is not merely united to God externally or morally; she now is in God’s being through a radical transformation wrought by divine charity.
6. “No one can ascend any higher nor descend more deeply, nor can anyone be more naked.”
This state is the absolute summit and the deepest depth of spiritual life – the complete stripping away of self (nakedness), the highest ascent (into divinity), and the lowest descent (into one’s nothingness). There is nothing further to attain. The soul lives beyond merit, beyond effort, beyond perception – purely in God.
7. “Whoever wishes to attain this nakedness, must guard against the ways of Nature, who lures in a subtle fashion as sun draws water from cloth.”
To attain these spiritual heights, the mystic must remain vigilant. “Nature” – meaning the lower, self-seeking tendencies of the human person – is subtle and deceptive. Like evaporation, its influence is often invisible. Unless one watches with extreme care and ongoing discernment, these tendencies can assert themselves, pulling the soul back into selfhood.
8. “One cannot see it happen no matter how intently one stares. So Nature deceives herself without her knowing it if she does not pay attention with much great testing.”
Self-deception is easy, even (or especially) at high levels of the spiritual path. Nature’s luring is imperceptible – subtle attachments, spiritual pride, or clinging to the experience of God can slip back in. Therefore, constant testing, purification, and divine guidance are necessary to maintain true nakedness and avoid regression.
This chapter expresses Marguerite Porete’s most sublime teaching: the soul, in pure annihilation and stripped of self-will, returns to her divine origin – not as a separate being, but dissolved into God’s simple, eternal love.
—
1. What does it mean that the Soul “has left three and has made of two One”?
This symbolic language refers to the dissolution of multiplicity within the soul. “Leaving three” likely represents transcending the triadic faculties of the soul (e.g., memory, understanding, will) or body-soul-spirit distinctions. “Making of two One” implies the merging of the soul’s will with the divine will – the unification of creature and Creator in simplicity. The result is no longer a duality of wills or being, but a singular divine life lived in and through the soul.
2. How is the soul described once it has returned to its prior being?
The soul is “melted in the simple Deity,” fully immersed in God’s own being. This means she no longer acts apart from God, but is completely united in divine simplicity – a state of “overflowing fruition,” of perfect knowledge without discursive thought, beyond feeling or image. She exists in pure being, resting in God as she was before creation, without identity apart from Him.
3. What is the significance of the soul having a “simple will”?
The “simple will” refers to a will that is no longer fragmented or self-directed. It is entirely unified with God’s will – no longer choosing, resisting, or acting from itself. This simplicity is the result of the soul renouncing both natural inclinations and spiritual striving, surrendering all into the hands of divine love. The simple will does nothing of itself, for it is now the divine will working within the soul without resistance or duality.
4. What does the text mean by saying that “no one can ascend any higher nor descend more deeply”?
This line emphasizes that the soul has reached the ultimate height of mystical union – complete immersion in God – and simultaneously the deepest humility, recognizing her own nothingness. To ascend higher would imply a separate self still seeking God; to descend more deeply would suggest a further stripping away of self, which is no longer possible. The soul is now “most naked,” having shed all that is not God, existing solely by divine grace.
5. What warning is given about Nature, and why is vigilance necessary?
For the soul to achieve union with God, vigilance is essential because “Nature” – the subtle movements of selfhood – continues to exert a hidden influence. Nature deceives gently and invisibly, “like the sun draws water from cloth,” without immediate perception. Even highly advanced souls may unknowingly be drawn back into subtle forms of attachment, self-will, or self-satisfaction unless they remain attentive and undergo continual testing and purification.
6. How does this chapter reflect the concept of annihilation in Porete’s mysticism?
The chapter illustrates the final stage of annihilation, in which the soul has relinquished all sense of separate identity. She has no personal will, no desire, no sense of ownership – only God’s being remains. Her annihilation is not destruction, but complete transformation and participation in divine simplicity. She lives not for herself, nor even as herself, but as an empty vessel through which God lives freely.
7. How does the soul’s return to her “prior being” relate to the pre-creational state?
The “prior being” points to the soul’s existence in the eternal will of God before she was created – a mode of being beyond time, individuality, or separation. In mystical terms, the soul is returned to this uncreated source, no longer as a distinct person laboring to merit union, but as one who simply is in God, as she was when known and willed by God from all eternity.
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Chapter 139 of The Mirror of Simple Souls warns of the profound subtlety of Nature, which can disguise self-will and spiritual pride under the appearance of goodness and necessity, thereby deceiving even advanced souls. The Soul reflects on her own experience of being misled by these false cloaks, only to be brought through humility to a deeper truth by divine knowledge. True freedom and union with God require not only the renunciation of external attachments but also the vigilant stripping away of internal illusions. Even relationships between kindred spirits, though rare and intimate, can become occasions for hidden self-seeking if not founded in complete spiritual freedom. The chapter ends with an exhortation to spiritual fecundity and transparency before God, whose gaze purifies and simplifies the soul, drawing it into a state of divine simplicity. The concluding “Deo gratias” signals a final surrender and gratitude for the divine work accomplished through both trial and grace.
—
1. “Ah, God, how Nature is subtle in many ways, in demanding in the form of goodness and in the guise of her necessity what is not hers to have.”
The soul laments the deceptive cunning of Nature, which disguises its selfish impulses as goodness or necessity. Even when pretending to relinquish control, Nature subtly retains dominion. This false humility can derail the spiritual journey. The soul must discern this counterfeit virtue from true divine abandonment. Nature here represents the self-life and ego, always seeking to reclaim ground under noble pretexts.
2. “Certainly what she demands often can be menacing: for with these deceits she receives often what is not hers, in pretending to disrobe herself of her power and vigor and by her apparent gentle manner.”
Nature seduces by appearing meek or weakened, but this is only a guise. The soul warns that these strategies are deeply dangerous, as they allow Nature to reclaim control under the appearance of virtue. True surrender to God cannot coexist with such cunning manipulations. Spiritual vigilance is therefore essential.
3. “I certainly have proved this to my great condemnation, but even more to my great good by surpassing or completing what I had to do on the basis of my own maliciousness in divine knowing, without my understanding.”
The soul admits having been deceived by Nature but also affirms that God brought good from it. Even in error, divine knowledge guided her beyond herself. This line reflects the paradox of divine providence: even self-deception can be transformed into grace when surrendered to God.
4. “This divine knowledge and that hiding of mine impeded me in the way of the homeland by covering me with matter in which I had to take on humility in order to attain what is mine.”
The soul recognizes that divine knowledge itself can become a form of pride or disguise, becoming a hindrance if not matched by humility. The “matter” of her own condition-her weakness, limitations-was necessary for her to re-enter true union through humility, revealing the fine balance between illumination and self-effacement.
5. “It is common most of the time that one would not find in a kingdom two persons who would be of one spirit. But when it happens…they open themselves to each other, and cannot hide themselves…on account of the condition of their spirits.”
True spiritual unity is rare. But when it occurs, such souls are drawn into mutual transparency. Their shared constitution and calling compel openness. Yet even this deep communion is dangerous if not anchored in perfect detachment. The subtle ego may still lurk in such intimacy, so vigilance is required.
6. “Such folk have a great need to be on their guard, if they have not attained the crown of the perfection of freeness.”
Even in spiritually aligned companionships, the risk of spiritual possessiveness or hidden ego remains unless perfect freedom has been attained. The “crown of freeness” refers to the total loss of self-interest and self-will, a prerequisite for uncorrupted spiritual relationship.
7. “And thus I say to you, in conclusion, as God has given you highest creation and excellent light and singular love, be fertile and increase this creation without deficiency, for His two eyes always see you.”
The chapter ends with an exhortation. The soul reminds the reader of the divine gifts-creation, light, and love-and urges them to cooperate fruitfully with grace. God’s unceasing gaze is both a comfort and a call to spiritual integrity. The soul is invited into simplicity by contemplating this divine attention.
8. “And so ponder and consider that this seeing makes the Soul Simple.”
The simplicity of soul is the fruit of living under God’s gaze. In divine vision, all illusions are stripped away. Simplicity here means purity, transparency, and undivided will. The soul becomes what it sees, and seeing herself seen by God, she is drawn into the oneness and clarity of His being.
9. Final Line: “Deo gratias.”
A final offering of thanks. The journey has reached its final word: gratitude. All has been grace, and now all is returned in praise.
—
1. What is the soul’s warning about Nature’s subtlety, and how does it manifest?
The soul warns that Nature is exceedingly subtle and deceptive, especially when she demands things under the appearance of goodness or necessity. Nature often pretends to be weak, humble, or surrendered-disrobing herself of power in a gentle manner-while secretly maintaining control and asserting self-will. These subtle deceptions allow Nature to claim what does not rightfully belong to her, threatening true spiritual detachment and union with God.
2. How does the soul describe her own experience with Nature’s deception?
The soul confesses that she has personally fallen prey to Nature’s deception, to her “great condemnation,” but also notes that God brought good from it. Her own maliciousness-likely meaning her self-will and pride-was surpassed by divine knowing, even though she didn’t understand it at the time. God used this fall to guide her beyond herself, revealing both the danger of spiritual pride and the mercy of divine providence.
3. What does the soul mean by saying divine knowledge and her hiding “impeded [her] in the way of the homeland”?
Here, the soul reflects that even divine gifts, such as deep spiritual knowledge or the inclination to spiritual withdrawal (“hiding”), can become obstacles if they cloak hidden self-interest. These became “matter” she had to assume with humility to attain what was truly hers-that is, her identity in God. Without humility, even spiritual insight can serve ego rather than self-emptying union.
4. What is said about spiritual companionship, and what caution is given?
The text notes that finding two people of one spirit is rare, but when it happens, they become completely transparent to one another. However, even such relationships carry risks. If these souls have not yet attained perfect spiritual freedom-the “crown of freeness”-they must be very vigilant. Their mutual openness can turn into spiritual attachment or subtle ego affirmation unless rooted in complete detachment and union with God.
5. What final exhortation does the soul offer the reader, and what is its spiritual meaning?
The soul exhorts the reader to be “fertile” and increase the divine creation within them, without deficiency, since God’s eyes are always upon them. This is both an encouragement and a caution: to live transparently and fruitfully under God’s gaze is to grow in spiritual simplicity. The soul becomes “Simple” when she lives consciously in the sight of God, stripped of duplicity, ego, and self-deception.
6. How does the chapter define spiritual simplicity, and what leads to it?
Spiritual simplicity is defined as the condition of the soul when she is fully transparent, undivided, and completely open to God. This state arises when the soul recognizes that she is always seen by God and allows that divine vision to purify her. The soul no longer acts out of self-assertion or spiritual pretense but rests in the single, unifying gaze of God.
7. What does the final “Deo gratias” imply in the context of the chapter’s teachings?
The concluding “Deo gratias” (“Thanks be to God”) encapsulates the soul’s final attitude: gratitude for all that has been revealed and endured. It marks the culmination of the spiritual journey-beyond struggle, beyond deception, and into a simple, grateful rest in God’s being. It also acknowledges that all progress, even when made through error, was ultimately the work of divine goodness.
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The final chapter and prayer of The Mirror of Simple Souls offer a culminating vision of mystical humility and divine authorship. The anonymous author effaces herself entirely, attributing the book’s origin to God alone and seeking no recognition beyond God’s secret will. The chapter frames the work as a divinely inspired seed meant for hidden souls prepared by grace, not for public acclaim or indiscriminate distribution. Three ecclesiastical figures-representing Franciscan, Cistercian, and scholastic traditions-affirm the book’s orthodoxy and depth, while warning that its teachings are too elevated for most. Ultimately, the text is offered as a spiritual gift for those called to the path of total annihilation in divine love, and it is sealed with a prayerful hope that, like seed in fertile ground, it may bear fruit a hundredfold in the hidden garden of the soul.
—
1. Final Prayer:
“For the sake of the one who has written this book,
By the goodness of your heart, I pray you
That you pray the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit
And the Virgin Mary
That after this present life
In the company of the angels
They might render to her grace and praise.
Amen.”
This humble closing prayer reflects the author’s anonymity and detachment, even as she petitions readers to remember her in prayer. It does not ask for fame or recognition but only for divine grace and the companionship of angels after death. The invocation of the Trinity and the Virgin Mary places the entire work under the protection of orthodox Christian devotion, despite its radical spiritual teachings. The tone is reverent and trusting, consistent with a soul entirely abandoned to divine will. The anonymity emphasized throughout the text culminates here in self-effacing love and hope in divine mercy.
2. “I [am] a creature from the creator by whose mediation the Creator made this book of Himself…”
The author effaces herself completely, presenting herself only as a created vessel through whom the Creator has expressed Himself. The language reveals her complete humility and alignment with the mystical doctrine of annihilation: she is nothing, and God is all. The book is described not as her work, but as God’s work, offered in hope and hidden wisdom, reinforcing the themes of detachment and divine simplicity.
3. “I greet them through love of the peace of charity in the highest Trinity, who deems them worthy of direction…”
The greeting is offered in the spirit of divine charity, not out of personal attachment or human interest. The Trinity is the source of peace and the agent of spiritual direction. This reinforces the idea that the work is meant only for those prepared by divine grace to understand and live its radical message, not for casual or unprepared readers.
4. “[Brother John] said… this book was truly made by the Holy Spirit… and that if all the clergy of the world heard only what they understood [of it], they would not know how to contradict it…”
Brother John, a respected Franciscan, affirms the divine origin of the text and acknowledges its transcendence even over the learned clergy. His testimony supports the claim that the book is rooted in authentic mystical theology. He warns, however, that it should be read with reverence and discretion-a message consistent with earlier themes that only the annihilated and simplified soul can truly comprehend divine mysteries.
5. “Dom Franco… said that he proved through Scripture that truth is what this book speaks.”
Dom Franco’s testimony aligns the mystical teaching with Scripture, countering accusations of heresy. This connection to the biblical tradition affirms the orthodoxy of the book’s spiritual insights, despite their radical and nonconventional expressions.
6. “Master Godfrey of Fontaines… counseled that not many should see it… because… they could set aside the life to which they were called in aspiring to the one at which they will never arrive…”
Godfrey’s concern is pastoral: that ordinary souls might misunderstand or misuse the text. The way described in the book is not for everyone-only for those truly called to divine union through annihilation. His remark that this is the only “divine practice” underscores the book’s extreme demands and exalted vision of spiritual life, while cautioning against superficial appropriation by those unprepared.
7. “This approval was made for the sake of the peace of the hearers… that this seed might be made fruitful a hundredfold…”
The final note affirms that the book is a seed-hidden, potent, and generative. Its fruitfulness depends not on widespread popularity but on the quiet work it performs in those who are “worthy,” i.e., purified by grace. The phrase echoes Christ’s parable of the sower, tying the mystical message back to Gospel truth. The approval is meant to reassure cautious readers that this book, while radical, is grounded in true spiritual insight and confirmed by notable theological authorities.
—
1. What does the final prayer reveal about the author’s spiritual disposition?
The final prayer is marked by humility, detachment, and trust in divine mercy. The author makes no mention of herself by name and asks not for recognition or fame, but for grace and praise after death from the Trinity and the Virgin Mary, in the company of the angels. This reflects the soul’s self-annihilation and desire to be remembered only in the hidden charity of God. It exemplifies the book’s overarching theme: that the soul must become nothing so that God may be all.
2. How does the author describe the origin and purpose of the book in Chapter 140?
The author identifies herself only as a “creature from the Creator” and insists that the book was made by God, through her, for others whom she neither knows nor desires to know. This signals her deep detachment and spiritual humility. The book’s origin lies in divine wisdom and love, not in human authorship. Its purpose is to speak to those who are prepared by divine grace-not for the curious or uninitiated, but for souls whom God chooses to direct inwardly through love.
3. What is the significance of the three ecclesiastical endorsements included in this chapter?
The three endorsements serve to legitimize the book and protect it from accusations of heresy.
* Brother John, a Franciscan of reputed sanctity, affirms that the book was made by the Holy Spirit and that no clergy could justly contradict it if they truly understood it.
* Dom Franco, a Cistercian monk, confirms that its truths are scripturally sound.
* Master Godfrey of Fontaines, a noted theologian, adds that the work is of such spiritual height and intensity that few can attain it, and it should be read with care lest some abandon their proper state of life to imitate what is beyond them.
These endorsements underscore that the text, though radical in its mystical language, is in continuity with Christian doctrine and approved by discerning, orthodox readers.
4. Why is discretion and limited distribution of the book emphasized?
Because the book describes a path of mystical annihilation and divine simplicity that few can understand or live, the text warns against casual or widespread reading. Master Godfrey’s concern is that some might aspire to the mystical life described without being called or prepared for it, and thereby abandon their actual duties. The message is not elitist, but protective: the book is for those whom God has already led inward, not for those still on the way or tied to more active, external forms of religious life.
5. How does this final chapter frame the book’s place within the tradition of Christian spirituality?
This chapter firmly places the book within the stream of Christian mystical theology. It aligns the teaching with divine inspiration, ecclesial approval, and scriptural truth. While acknowledging the book’s extraordinary depth, it affirms that its teaching-of union with God through love, self-emptying, and inner transformation-is the highest form of spiritual life, surpassing all “human practices.” This is not meant to invalidate other paths, but to point to the full maturity of divine union as the fulfillment of the soul’s journey. The book is thus framed as a seed for contemplatives, bearing fruit only in the hidden garden of God’s grace.
6. What is the theological significance of calling the book a “seed” and wishing it to bear fruit “a hundredfold”?
Referring to the book as a “seed” emphasizes its hidden, spiritual power. It evokes Christ’s parable of the sower, suggesting that the teaching, though veiled and difficult, will bear abundant fruit in those who are prepared. The wish that it may be fruitful “a hundredfold” echoes Gospel language and expresses hope that the work will lead souls to transformative union with God, even if only a few understand and receive it rightly. The seed must fall into fertile ground-the purified and simplified soul-where it can grow unseen and yield eternal life.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 13 of 14
Chapter 121 presents a sublime affirmation of the Soul’s transformation and union with God, celebrated by Holy Church, the Soul herself, and the Holy Trinity. The Soul is praised as one who lives entirely by the divine essence (“the kernel”), surpassing all dependence on human will, reason, or law-not in opposition to them, but in fulfillment of their highest aim. Her purity, constancy, and inner illumination set her apart as a banner who precedes the King, a soul beyond the confines of servile fear and rational striving. The Holy Trinity confirms that she has dined at the divine table and been filled with heavenly wine, rendering her permanently inebriated with divine love and unable to be drawn back to lesser spiritual states. Yet she is also instructed to keep silence about the mysteries she knows, lest others-still bound by reason and will-misunderstand and condemn themselves. Yielding to Love’s counsel, she agrees to conceal what is incommunicable, expressing instead her devotion through symbolic song.
—
1. “Courteous and well taught lady, says Holy Church, how this is wisely said. You are the true star, who brings the dawn, And the pure sun without spot, who receives no impurity, And the fullest moon, who never wanes; And so you are the banner, who goes before the King.”
Holy Church praises the Soul with exalted imagery: she is likened to celestial bodies-star, sun, moon-symbolizing purity, constancy, and spiritual illumination. Calling her a “banner before the King” identifies her as a forerunner and exemplar, someone who precedes Christ the King in readiness and spiritual authority. This imagery frames the soul as having surpassed ordinary sanctity, embodying divine presence in herself.
2. “You live completely by the kernel, who no longer has will, And those live by straw and by chaff… who have retained the practice of human will.”
This contrast between “kernel” and “chaff” refers to the distinction between the soul who has surrendered her will entirely to God and those who still act out of self-will, even under the guise of religion. The kernel, or inner essence, is divine life; the chaff is empty effort. The soul that lives by the kernel is beyond human striving and religious legalism.
3. “Such folk are servants of the law, But this Soul is above the law, Not contrary to the law.”
This crucial statement establishes that the soul who is emptied of self-will is not in rebellion against divine or ecclesiastical law, but has transcended its external necessity. She embodies the law’s deepest intention: love. This aligns with St. Paul’s teaching that love fulfills the law (Romans 13:10). She is “above the law” because the law now lives within her.
4. “Ah sweetest Love Divine, who art within the Trinity, The hour is such that I marvel how those can continue, Those who are governed by Reason and Fear, Desire, Work, and Will …”
The Soul expresses amazement that others can persist in spiritual effort governed by lower faculties like reason, fear, or will. This critique isn’t against effort per se but points to a deeper state: she has entered into a union where divine Love is the only principle. She sees “being ordered by nothingness”-the state of full detachment-as the highest nobility.
5. “O heavenly rock, says the Holy Trinity… You have been at my table… you have savored my feast so fully … That the bouquet alone makes you inebriated, and you will never be other.”
The Trinity itself addresses the soul, affirming her complete transformation through divine nourishment. “Feast” and “wine” symbolize interior participation in divine life. The Soul has tasted the mystery of God so deeply that even the aroma-“the bouquet”-of divine truth leaves her perpetually “inebriated,” i.e., overwhelmed by love and unshakably fixed in divine joy.
6. “No one but you knows how to speak of it, And thus you will not be able to give your heart In any other practice for any price.”
This reveals the exclusivity of the soul’s union with God. Because she has entered into the inner reality of divine Love, no external practice or discipline could attract or substitute for what she has received. Her heart is sealed, irrevocably claimed by the Divine.
7. “I pray you… That you no longer will to tell the secrets Which you know: The others will condemn themselves because of it…”
The Trinity warns the Soul against revealing too much of this spiritual path. The danger is not the truth itself, but the unpreparedness of others who, governed by reason and desire, may misunderstand or reject it and thus harm themselves spiritually. Divine discretion is required at these depths.
8. “Paradise? says this chosen one, would you not accord them something else? Thus indeed murderers will have it, if they wish to cry for mercy!”
In a striking moment, the Soul questions the generosity of God’s mercy, recognizing its vastness to the point where even the most undeserving (symbolized by murderers) may attain paradise by sincere repentance. Yet she yields and submits to divine will, agreeing to remain silent, showing obedience and humility even in her spiritual insight.
9. “But in spite of this I will keep silence about it, since you wish it. And thus I will say a verse of song, with the leave of Fine Love.”
The Soul, out of reverence for divine will, agrees to veil the secrets of her experience. Yet she expresses herself through a song-a poetic form of praise and intimacy that conveys without fully disclosing. This closing line preserves the tension between hiddenness and revelation, mystery and expression.
This chapter represents the culmination of the Soul’s journey: she is not only praised by the Church but also personally addressed and claimed by the Trinity. Her state transcends religious practice and doctrine, becoming pure participation in divine life, yet always under the guidance and discretion of Love.
—
1. Who is the main speaker at the beginning of this chapter, and how does she address the Soul?
The main speaker is Holy Church, who praises the Soul in exalted poetic terms. She addresses the Soul as a “courteous and well taught lady,” calling her a true star, pure sun, fullest moon, and banner who goes before the King. These images emphasize the Soul’s purity, constancy, spiritual authority, and precedence in divine intimacy. Holy Church acknowledges that the Soul has transcended ordinary spiritual categories and lives entirely by divine essence.
2. What does Holy Church mean by saying that the Soul “lives completely by the kernel”?
To “live completely by the kernel” means the Soul lives from the innermost essence-the divine life-without dependence on her own will. In contrast, others live by “straw,” “chaff,” and “gross silage,” which symbolize superficial or self-driven religiosity. The kernel refers to the pure substance of divine union, while the chaff represents spiritual activity still tied to self-will and ego.
3. How is the Soul described in relation to the law?
Holy Church proclaims that this Soul is above the law, but not contrary to it. She no longer lives by external observance or self-regulation, because divine will fully governs her. The law has been internalized and fulfilled in her through love. Her state surpasses legal observance but does not reject or violate it; instead, it transcends it in perfect charity.
4. How does the Soul express amazement about others’ spiritual lives?
The Soul marvels that others can continue in a spiritual life governed by Reason, Fear, Desire, Work, and Will, unaware of the “grand nobility of being ordered by nothingness.” She is astonished that anyone would choose to remain in the lesser way of self-effort when a higher path of complete surrender and divine ordering is available. Her comments critique the limitations of conventional spirituality.
5. What does the Holy Trinity say to the Soul, and how does it confirm her state?
The Holy Trinity affirms the Soul’s transformation, stating that she has “been at my table” and partaken of the divine feast and wine, so deeply that even the bouquet-its aroma-makes her perpetually inebriated with divine love. She is praised as one who knows the inner mysteries that no one else can speak of, and who can never return to lesser forms of practice. This marks her as fully claimed by God.
6. Why does the Trinity ask the Soul to be silent about what she knows?
The Trinity urges her not to reveal the inner secrets of divine union because others, governed by Reason, Desire, and Will, might misinterpret or reject them, causing their own condemnation. The concern is pastoral discretion: deep truths are not always safe for general revelation. Her silence protects others from spiritual harm and honors the ineffable nature of divine union.
7. What is the Soul’s reaction to the idea that such people will receive paradise?
The Soul responds with righteous indignation, asking if something greater could not be given to those truly united to God, since even murderers can obtain paradise through repentance. This moment reflects her desire for perfect justice, yet she ultimately submits to God’s will, choosing silence out of obedience.
8. What does the Soul say she will do instead of revealing the secrets she knows?
Instead of disclosing the hidden truths, the Soul says she will sing a verse of song, with the leave of Fine Love. This poetic gesture allows her to express love and devotion without fully revealing divine secrets. It reflects the mystical tradition’s use of symbol and poetry to gesture toward what cannot be plainly spoken.
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In Chapter 122, the Soul begins her ecstatic song, celebrating her complete liberation from self, others, the world, and even the Virtues, through the gracious action of Divine Love. She recounts her former servitude to Reason and the Virtues as a beast-like state, now surpassed by Love’s unmerited intervention, which freed her and elevated her into the divine school of contemplative union. In this union, thought, speech, and action lose all value, as Love alone acts within her. The Holy Spirit, described as the Lover without a mother, indwells her heart and fills her with ineffable joy. Her union with the Trinity leads to an identity beyond selfhood, where she affirms that only God is, and she is not. Traditional religious authorities and virtue-based systems are critiqued as bound by Reason, Desire, and Fear, and thus unable to grasp the mystery of divine Love. The chapter climaxes in the Soul’s radical confession of total annihilation: she does not love God-He alone loves, acts, and is. This is the divine seed, Loyal Love, implanted in the soul through willed nothingness.
—
1. “In view of the ascent on high and the precious entry, and the worthy indwelling of human creation by the sweet humanity of the Son of God… Fine Love separated me through courtesy.”
The Soul begins by anchoring her song in the mystery of the Incarnation and the glorification of Christ’s humanity. This divine movement sets the precedent for her own spiritual ascent. Because of this divine mercy, Fine Love-a personified divine love-separates her from all attachments, including herself, others, and even virtue-as-effort. This is not a rejection of goodness, but a liberation into something higher: pure receptivity to divine love.
2. “Such a beast I was… That I could not express it to you from my heart.”
Looking back, the Soul sees her former life of striving through Reason and Virtue as bestial-incapable of true divine expression. This is a radical humility, even disdain, for the religious life governed by human effort. Her transformation is not through intellectual ascent or moral achievement but by grace alone.
3. “And when Love saw me think about her, on account of the Virtues, she did not refuse me, but instead she freed me… There I was filled and satisfied by her.”
Love responds not to merit but to desire. When the Soul, even in her imperfection, thinks of Love, Love comes to her and frees her from the burdensome service of Virtue-as-task. In Love’s “divine school,” no labor is required-only receptivity. Fulfillment comes from being, not doing.
4. “Thought is no longer of worth to me, / Nor work, nor speech.”
The Soul renounces all intellectual, active, and verbal modes of spiritual life. Divine Love has drawn her so high that these faculties no longer serve her ascent. This is pure apophatic mysticism: a knowing that transcends knowing, a love that transcends action.
5. “It is [of] the Deity pure, / About whom Reason knows not how to speak, / And of a Lover… / His name is Holy Spirit…”
She now sings of the Holy Spirit as both divine and Lover-an interior presence beyond Reason’s grasp. This indwelling is intimate and ecstatic: the Holy Spirit brings union, joy, and transformation. The Lover is not external, but is her own divine interiority.
6. “You do not will to do anything, / Lover, without my will.”
In the paradox of divine union, the Soul affirms that her will and God’s will are no longer separate. God wills in her and through her, and thus her will is entirely God’s. This is not absorption, but a nuptial alignment of wills in love.
7. “Ah, but to whom will I say it? / Seraphim know not how to speak of it.”
The ineffability of divine union is so profound that even angels cannot express it. The Soul acknowledges the unutterable beauty and mystery of what she experiences, hinting at the limits of theology and even mystical discourse.
8. “Willing pure nothingness purifies [the heart]…”
This is the heart of Porete’s spirituality: willed nothingness. By willing nothing, the Soul is made ready for divine union. This is the purification that prepares the Soul for the indwelling of divine fullness, beyond thought and beyond self.
9. “I used to be enclosed / in the servitude of captivity…”
Desire, will, and affection are described as imprisoning forces. Even natural piety and reason were forms of captivity. Only the light of divine love can break these chains and make possible the “enterprise” of full union with God.
10. “This gift no human understands, / As long as he serves any Virtue whatever…”
Porete’s controversial theology is on full display here: as long as one serves virtue, one cannot understand the gift of divine union. Virtue, in its ordinary sense, must be transcended. Only the annihilation of self-will and moral striving opens the soul to divine Love.
11. “Beguines say I err, / priests, clerics, and Preachers…”
Here she anticipates the scandal of her doctrine. The institutional Church and religious orders reject her teaching because it undermines the systems of Reason, Will, and Fear on which they depend. She attributes their rejection not to truth but to spiritual blindness.
12. “Truth declares to my heart, / That I am loved by One alone…”
Truth speaks internally, not externally. The Soul is loved by God alone, and this love is a gift with no expectation of return. The delight of this love annihilates even her own thought and raises her to eternal joy. This is not a reward-it is a transformation.
13. “He is, and I am not…”
This is Porete’s ultimate expression of self-emptying. The Soul no longer claims even to love God; it is God alone who loves in her. She no longer is. Only God is. This annihilation is not nihilism but the deepest union, the soul’s participation in Divine Being.
This chapter is a high point of The Mirror of Simple Souls, offering poetic, ecstatic testimony to the Soul’s journey beyond virtue, reason, and will into the pure freedom of divine love.
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1. What is the theological basis the Soul offers for her separation from self, others, and the world?
The Soul roots her separation in the mystery of the Incarnation and Ascension: Christ’s elevation to the right hand of the Father sanctifies human nature. Because of this divine act, Fine Love (personified Divine Love) separates her from all created attachments: herself, others, the world, the Virtues, and even the spirit of affection. This separation is not a rejection of creation, but a movement into divine union. Her detachment is an act of divine courtesy that liberates her from the domination of Reason and brings her to the divine school of Love.
2. Why does the Soul denounce her former service to Virtues? What is the tone and significance of this reflection?
She calls her past self a “beast” for serving the Virtues through effort and Reason. Her tone is one of utter disdain and regret. This is because she now sees that effort-based virtue (as practiced under Reason) obstructed her intimacy with Divine Love. It was only when she began to desire Love herself that Love responded-not to her virtue, but to her longing. Thus, her spiritual maturity is marked by a shift from moralistic striving to pure receptivity.
3. What role does Love play in the Soul’s transformation?
Love is both initiator and sustainer of the Soul’s transformation. When the Soul merely thinks about Love, Love responds and delivers her from servitude to virtue. Love then brings her into a divine school where she learns without doing. There, she is filled and satisfied without any effort. Love elevates her beyond thought, speech, and work, drawing her into a contemplative state where she no longer has intent or will. This movement is entirely initiated by Love’s gaze and gift, not the Soul’s merit.
4. How does the Soul describe the Holy Spirit and His role in divine union?
She describes the Holy Spirit as her Lover without a mother, begotten of the Father and the Son. He enters into her heart and causes joy to remain within her. This is a deeply intimate and interiorized experience of the Spirit: not doctrinal or rational, but unitive and ecstatic. The Holy Spirit is both gift and the giver of joy, drawing the Soul into divine peace and nourishment through love.
5. Why does the Soul say, “Thought is no longer of worth to me”?
This line encapsulates her apophatic stance. Thought, work, and speech-hallmarks of conventional spiritual life-have become worthless in comparison to the divine union she experiences. Her soul has been lifted beyond these faculties by Love’s divine gaze. This signals a move beyond kataphatic theology into a silent, receptive, and utterly passive state where only God’s will remains active.
6. What is the Soul’s attitude toward traditional religious life, including the Beguines, priests, and religious orders?
She expresses strong criticism and even sorrow that these groups reject her teaching. They accuse her of error because she has spoken of “the being of the one purified by Love”-a state they do not understand because their minds are still governed by Reason, Fear, Will, and Desire. She sees their attachment to virtue-practice and theological systems as barriers to divine union, and this lack of understanding causes them to condemn what they cannot grasp.
7. How does the Soul define “pure nothingness” and what role does it play in union with God?
Pure nothingness is a willed dispossession of self. It is not passivity or self-hatred, but an active surrender of all that is not God: will, intellect, virtue, and desire. Through this willed nothingness, the Soul is purified and made ready for divine union. It allows the divine seed-Loyal Love-to impregnate the Soul. In this state, she becomes receptive to the full indwelling of divine goodness.
8. What does the Soul mean by “I have said that I will love Him. I lie, for I am not”?
This is the Soul’s most radical expression of annihilation. She no longer claims agency even in loving God. She asserts that only God is; she is not. Her identity has been so absorbed into divine will and being that she no longer maintains even the illusion of separate action or merit. This is not despair, but exaltation-the total fusion of Lover and beloved in which only Divine Love remains.
9. What critique does the Soul make of Reason and its place in spiritual understanding?
She repeatedly states that Reason is incapable of comprehending divine Love, the Holy Spirit, or union with God. Reason can only operate in the realm of virtues and moral behavior, not in the ineffable mystery of divine union. This is why the religious authorities, grounded in Reason, condemn her experience. She doesn’t oppose Reason per se, but sees it as wholly inadequate for the depths of Love’s mystery.
10. How does this chapter encapsulate Porete’s central theological vision?
This chapter distills Porete’s radical mystical theology: the soul must be annihilated-emptied of all faculties, virtues, and self-will-to be filled with God alone. Divine union is not earned but given, and it cannot be spoken of by Reason or understood through religious systems. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Lover, transforms the soul entirely. In this state, only God acts; the soul is nothing, and this nothingness is the space for divine fullness.
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Chapter 123 teaches that the soul’s journey toward divine freedom requires a transformation of love-from natural, human affection to pure, divine love. The Soul reflects on a key moment in Scripture when Jesus told His Apostles that He must go away so they could receive the Holy Spirit, revealing that their attachment to Him was still rooted in natural love, not yet refined by the Spirit. This departure, though painful, was necessary to make way for a deeper union with God through the indwelling of divine grace. The Soul uses her past experience of spiritual immaturity to guide those still seeking the path, emphasizing that while natural love does not separate one from God’s grace, it must be transcended for the full reception of the Holy Spirit, whose gifts require a love untainted by the self or nature.
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1. “I wish to speak about some considerations for the sad ones who ask the way to the land of freeness… For by questions one can wander very far, and by questions one is directed to the way.”
The Soul begins with pastoral concern for “the sad ones” – those who are still bound to serve the virtues, but know that there is a higher state, a land of freeness and willing nothing (Chapter 57). She acknowledges her own past ignorance, positioning herself as once one of them, thereby grounding her authority in experience. The act of questioning becomes a double-edged sword: it can mislead or guide, depending on the disposition of the seeker. This signals a turning point, where the narrative shifts from mystical heights to a compassionate pedagogy for those beginning the path.
2. “I asked, first of all, in my thought, why Jesus Christ said to His Apostles: ‘It is necessary that I go away; and if I do not go away, you cannot truly receive the Holy Spirit.'”
The Soul’s first inquiry concerns a key scriptural moment-the departure of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. This choice underscores the theme of spiritual maturation. The Apostles, like many today, are still in an early stage of attachment and are not yet disposed to receive the fullness of divine indwelling. The Soul models how to read Scripture contemplatively, with inner questioning leading to insight.
3. “Righteousness… told me that Jesus Christ said this to them because they loved Him too tenderly according to human nature, and feebly according to His divine nature.”
Here we receive the mystical interpretation: the Apostles’ love, though genuine, was too grounded in the affections of nature and not yet elevated into pure, divine love. Christ’s departure is necessary not because of absence, but to detach them from sentimental clinging and make space for a deeper, interior union with the Spirit. This reflects the text’s broader spiritual doctrine: divine love requires the purgation of natural attachments, even to holy persons or things.
4. “The truth of hearing this was both grievous and strange to them… for thus were they gross in their love. Nevertheless, they still possessed the sweet grace of God.”
Their reaction-grief and confusion-is not condemned but presented as a necessary purification. The Soul affirms that God’s grace remains with them even in this imperfect love, emphasizing God’s gentleness. The “grossness” is not sin but immaturity. This is consistent with the Soul’s overall pedagogical tone: consoling but demanding, calling for detachment without rejecting those not yet detached.
5. “[Such love] impedes the gifts of the Holy Spirit, [gifts] which can sustain only divine love, which is pure, without mingling from nature.”
The conclusion clarifies the spiritual consequence of human affection: while it does not sever one from grace, it obstructs the Spirit’s deeper work. Divine love must be unmixed with natural inclination to fully receive the Spirit’s gifts. This underscores a central teaching of the book: transformation requires purification not just from sin, but from all that is “mingled,” even good and pious emotions if they are not surrendered to divine ordering.
This chapter begins a new didactic section, where the Soul offers concrete meditations to those earlier in the spiritual path. She begins by interpreting Scripture with a mystical lens, revealing how divine love surpasses even holy natural affections and prepares the soul for pure union with God.
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1. Why does the Soul begin speaking of “considerations,” and who are they intended for?
The Soul introduces “considerations” as a form of spiritual guidance for those who are still “sad” or seeking the “way to the land of freeness.” These are souls still bound in service to the virtues, but know of, and long for, a higher spiritual state – just as the Soul herself once did. By offering these reflections, she hopes to help them endure, find the path, and understand the stages of spiritual growth. She emphasizes that questioning, while potentially misleading, can also direct the soul back toward God when properly guided.
2. What is the Soul’s first question in this chapter, and what scriptural moment does it reference?
The Soul asks why Jesus told His Apostles: “It is necessary that I go away; and if I do not go away, you cannot truly receive the Holy Spirit.” This refers to a moment in the Gospel of John (John 16:7), where Christ explains the necessity of His departure for the coming of the Paraclete. The Soul uses this moment to introduce a key mystical insight about divine love and the purgation of natural affections.
3. What answer does the Soul receive from Righteousness regarding Jesus’ words?
Righteousness tells the Soul that Jesus spoke this way because the Apostles loved Him “too tenderly according to human nature” and “feebly according to His divine nature.” Their love, though sincere, was grounded in natural affection, which impeded their openness to receiving the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ departure was necessary to wean them from clinging to His physical presence so that they might receive divine love in a more interior and pure form.
4. How does the Soul interpret the Apostles’ grief and confusion at Christ’s words?
The Soul sees the Apostles’ grief and confusion not as a flaw of sin but as a mark of their spiritual immaturity. Their grief was “grievous and strange” to them because they could not yet understand the spiritual necessity of Christ’s absence. This reaction highlights the difference between natural and divine love. Nevertheless, the Soul insists they still possessed the “sweet grace of God,” affirming that even imperfect love does not exclude one from grace.
5. According to the Soul, what effect does natural love have on the reception of the Holy Spirit?
Natural love-rooted in emotional or sentimental attachment-does not sever the soul from God’s grace but impedes the reception of the Holy Spirit’s gifts. These gifts can only be fully received through pure divine love, which is free from “mingling from nature.” Thus, a soul must be purified of even good but merely natural affection in order to receive the Spirit’s transformative presence in full.
6. What broader spiritual principle is illustrated by the Apostles’ example, according to the Soul?
The broader principle is that spiritual growth involves a detachment even from holy and natural affections in order to make room for the indwelling of divine love. The Apostles, though close to Christ, still had to undergo a purgation of their too-human love in order to receive the Holy Spirit. This mirrors the spiritual journey of every soul: from natural devotion to the pure, unmixed love that God alone gives and sustains.
This chapter is an invitation to contemplation for those still beginning their journey toward divine freedom. It teaches that while natural love and affection are not sinful, they must ultimately yield to a purer love if the soul is to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s gifts.
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In Chapter 124, Porete presents Mary Magdalene as the exemplar of the soul’s journey from active love to contemplative union, using the metaphor of tilling and sowing a field to depict the necessary human labor in the spiritual life. Mary labors through acts of penance and pure intention, cultivating her “earth” (her body and soul) with devotion and the desire for God. Yet this work, though good, remains marked by the “sin of deficiency”-a necessary stage where the soul is still active in itself. True fruitfulness comes only when this labor ceases, when the soul surrenders all striving and rests in divine love. At that point, God alone acts within her, bringing about the hundredfold increase not through her, but in her, and for her. The chapter teaches that spiritual maturity lies in passing through the limits of self-willed goodness into the stillness where God’s love can work freely and unopposed, as seen in Mary when she is no longer seeking but resting in silent union.
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1. “Next, I considered the sweet Magdalene … But she did this for the sake of nothingness … to love Him was accorded only to [Mary].”
Mary Magdalene’s love was not driven by any need or external compulsion, but arose from a pure, selfless desire to love Jesus in freedom. Her hospitality and devotion were acts of spiritual nobility, not servitude. This sets up the central contrast of the chapter: action driven by divine love versus action constrained by obligation or desire for results.
2. “Mary sought the true Sun who created the angels, and thus she could not receive comfort from the angels.”
Mary’s longing was so centered on Christ Himself that even the appearance of angels could not console her. This illustrates the soul’s movement beyond secondary goods-even holy ones-toward union with God alone, a divine dissatisfaction that refuses anything less than the Source.
3. “Ah, Mary! Who were you when you sought and loved humanly … Who were you … when you no longer sought but were united in the divine love …”
Porete contrasts two phases of Mary’s spiritual journey: one characterized by human affection and seeking, and another marked by union and rest in divine love. The turning point is not effort but transformation through grace-Mary moves from restless yearning to repose in being.
4. “For she sowed wheat there, without mingling anything … her master made this bear fruit one hundredfold … Mary rested without doing any work of herself, and God accomplished His part gently in Mary, for Mary’s sake, without Mary.”
Mary cultivates her soul (likened to land) through ascetic work and pure intention, but fruitfulness comes only when she stops working and lets God act within her. This image of the soul as a field highlights the necessity of human cooperation up to a point-then the soul must become passive, receptive, and empty for divine operation to take place.
5. “It is important that the wheat decay in the earth before there can be any new fruit … no one knows but God who alone does this work …”
Fruitfulness requires a kind of death: the grain must decay, just as the soul must be stripped of self-will and activity. This mystery-how grace multiplies and produces divine life-is hidden from all but God. The soul must entrust the process entirely to Him after doing her part.
6. “The earth which Mary worked was her body … by which she worked the earth of herself … to yield the true seed of God’s grace.”
Mary’s spiritual labor includes ascetic practices that discipline the body, purify desire, and ready the soul to receive God’s grace. The “true seed” of grace can only grow in a soil that has been tilled-signifying a life of purity, devotion, and inner intention without mixture.
7. “Now you have heard how Mary worked … now I will tell you about the wheat … it was the pure intention which she had directed toward God.”
Porete emphasizes that the value of Mary’s actions lies in her pure intention toward God. Without this, even great works are empty. With it, even the smallest acts are fertile soil for divine transformation. It is not effort but intention that sows the seed of divine life.
8. “These two works we must do because of our sin of deficiency, but beyond this our labor cannot penetrate, and thus it is necessary that God do the rest.”
Because of original and personal sin, humans must first labor in spiritual discipline. But no amount of effort alone leads to perfection. Beyond human striving lies divine initiative. The soul must come to an end of its own capacity before God’s transformative grace can act.
9. “For insofar as we have in us works of goodness … we cannot have along with it the gentle divine being, for He cannot dwell with this; He is too great to have a strange guest dwell with Him.”
Even “goodness” can become an obstacle if it remains self-directed or clings to self-merit. The divine being requires an empty soul, free even from attachment to virtue. This radical teaching warns against mistaking religious works for union with God.
10. “Mary thus attained the course of her being not when she was speaking and seeking, but when she was silent and at rest.”
Mary Magdalene reaches the fullness of her vocation not through activity, but through contemplative stillness. The path of divine union ends in rest-silence, surrender, and receptivity become the highest form of love. God’s work is completed when the soul stops striving and becomes wholly His.
This chapter is one of Porete’s most profound meditations on the balance of active and passive cooperation with grace. It emphasizes the necessity of initial labor-asceticism, intention, virtue-but culminates in a radical letting go, where divine love alone acts in the soul.
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1. What motivates Mary Magdalene’s acts of hospitality and love toward Jesus, and how does Porete interpret their significance?
Porete emphasizes that Mary Magdalene’s actions were not motivated by Jesus’ bodily needs or social expectations but were done “for the sake of nothingness”-that is, out of pure, disinterested love. Her love was not a response to need or obligation but a voluntary gift flowing from divine affection. She allowed Martha to care for Jesus’ physical needs, but Mary chose “to love Him,” which Porete identifies as the higher path. This demonstrates a mystical insight: the truest service is not merely material help but pure, contemplative union grounded in love alone.
2. Why does Mary receive no comfort from the angels at the tomb, and what does this signify spiritually?
Mary’s refusal of comfort from the angels reveals her radical longing for Christ Himself, not merely for spiritual consolations or intermediaries. She was seeking the “true Sun who created the angels,” and anything less-no matter how holy-could not satisfy her. Porete uses this to show that the soul, when consumed by divine love, becomes indifferent to secondary goods. The angels, representing spiritual consolation, are shadows compared to the direct experience of God. This stage marks a transition from seeking God through created means to desiring Him alone, purely and absolutely.
3. How does Porete explain Mary’s spiritual labor using the metaphor of farming?
Porete likens Mary’s spiritual efforts to a farmer tilling land and sowing seed. The “earth” is her body, which she disciplines through penance and good works. The “seed” she sows is the pure intention directed solely toward God. The farmer must prepare the soil and sow, but cannot make the seed bear fruit-this is left to God’s power. Similarly, Mary must labor in virtue and intention, but true spiritual fruit-the hundredfold increase-comes only when she ceases from her own efforts and rests, allowing God to act in her. This illustrates the interplay between human cooperation and divine initiative.
4. What does Porete mean by “the sin of deficiency,” and how does it relate to even good works?
“The sin of deficiency” refers to the limitations of the soul’s initial efforts in the spiritual life, even when those efforts appear virtuous. Good works done from self-will, even with pure intentions, still fall short of divine union because they arise from the soul’s own activity rather than God’s. These works are necessary to begin the path, but they remain “deficient” because they do not yet embody divine being. Perfection requires the soul to be stripped even of the self in its virtues. Thus, these early efforts are called “sin” not in the moral sense, but as a necessary imperfection that must be transcended.
5. Why must the wheat “decay” in the earth before bearing fruit, and what does this represent spiritually?
The decay of the wheat signifies the death of self-will and self-activity in the spiritual path. Just as literal grain must die to yield new life, the soul must be emptied of its own striving, intentions, and images of God to become fertile ground for divine life. This dying is mysterious and can only be accomplished by God. Porete insists that after the soul has done all it can (tilling and sowing), it must stop, surrender, and rest-only then can God act freely and produce fruit “one hundredfold.” This marks the transition from active to contemplative life.
6. What role does pure intention play in Mary’s spiritual labor, and why is it emphasized?
Pure intention is the seed of all true spiritual fruit in Porete’s theology. It is the soul’s single-hearted direction toward God, untainted by self-interest or mixed motives. Mary’s entire labor, despite being rooted in bodily and mental effort, gains its true value from her unwavering intention to love and serve God alone. Even the most arduous acts are spiritually barren without such intention, while even simple acts become rich with meaning when offered purely. This focus on intention reflects Porete’s insistence that what matters is not the deed itself but the love that animates it.
7. How does Porete describe the point at which Mary becomes unencumbered of herself, and why is this important?
Mary becomes unencumbered of herself only after she has completed her necessary labor and rests completely in God’s will. At that point, she ceases all self-driven effort, holds on to nothing, and allows God to act in her without resistance. This state of “repose” is essential for divine union, which cannot coexist with even the noblest forms of self-activity. Mary’s example teaches that divine life begins not with doing, but with surrender. The soul must be emptied of itself-even of its own virtue and spiritual striving-to become the vessel of God’s pure activity.
8. What does Porete mean when she says Mary “attained the course of her being” not by seeking, but by resting?
Porete underscores that Mary reaches her true identity-not through seeking or active longing-but through silence, receptivity, and rest. “The course of her being” refers to the fulfillment of her vocation and union with God. This occurs not in exertion, but in surrender, when divine love alone acts in her. Seeking implies desire and separation; resting implies union and presence. Mary’s transformation is complete when she no longer seeks Christ externally but is interiorly united with Him in the quiet fullness of being.
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In chapter 125, Porete presents Saint John the Baptist as the model of supreme sanctity because of his complete detachment, humility, and receptivity to Divine Goodness. Though sanctified from the womb and granted extraordinary experiences-such as baptizing Christ and witnessing the Trinity-John neither sought these gifts nor took pride in them. He remained silent, hidden, and faithful to his calling without clinging to Jesus even in His human presence, content to let God act in him without interference. His lack of self-concern and refusal to seek even spiritual consolation reflect the perfection of the contemplative life: a soul so possessed by God that it neither strives outwardly nor attaches inwardly, but rests entirely in God’s will, allowing divine love to accomplish its work in stillness and purity.
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1. “Next I considered the supreme saint, that is the very sweet Baptist, and how he was sanctified in the womb of his mother, though it was not of concern to him.”
Porete begins with a reflection on Saint John the Baptist’s sanctification even before birth-an action entirely divine and independent of John’s own will or awareness. This introduces the theme of passive receptivity to divine grace, which contrasts with the more active seeking present in earlier spiritual stages. John exemplifies the soul that is holy without striving, sanctified by divine initiative alone.
2. “And I pondered in my amazement why it was that he showed Jesus Christ to two of his disciples so that they might follow him, and yet he remained completely quiet.”
John redirects his disciples to Christ, but does not himself pursue Christ. This silence is not indifference but a profound stillness rooted in interior union with God. Porete marvels at this paradox: John, the forerunner, does not follow Jesus in his visible humanity. His stillness reveals a contemplative posture beyond external devotion, embodying pure fidelity to divine will.
3. “One cannot find that Saint John left the desert to go see Jesus Christ in human nature. This was sufficient to his status without his seeking Him.”
John’s refusal to seek out Jesus physically suggests a spiritual state beyond the need for tangible signs. His solitude is not a rejection of Christ, but a sign of completion: he dwells in a union that does not require external movement. The desert here symbolizes the interior space where God acts freely, without the soul’s interference.
4. “Divine Goodness accomplished Her works in him, Goodness who satisfied him without impeding him by seeking the humanity [of Christ].”
Porete highlights the feminine aspect of Divine Goodness, which both fills and restrains the soul. In John, divine action completes its purpose without being diverted by sensory devotion to Christ’s humanity. The emphasis is on the sufficiency of divine grace: it fulfills the soul without stirring restless pursuit.
5. “John kept himself from holding onto Jesus Christ in his human person, and from following him.”
Even when Christ approached him, John refrains from attaching himself to the visible, tangible Christ. This restraint indicates an interior freedom: the detachment needed for the soul to be wholly given to God without clinging to even holy consolations.
6. “So much had the divinity taken over his intention.”
John’s will is fully overtaken by divine intent. There is no mingling of human affection or ambition. This reflects the height of spiritual union: not only does the soul surrender to God, but its very intention becomes divine. John becomes an instrument whose only motive is God’s own.
7. “He held God the Son, and so he heard the voice of the Father and so he saw also the Holy Spirit.”
In baptizing Christ, John experiences the full manifestation of the Trinity. Yet his experience is not for personal exaltation. He does not publicize or cling to it; he is content to serve and remain hidden. Porete emphasizes that divine intimacy does not always manifest in outward glory but often in humility and hiddenness.
8. “Did he not hide it? Did he take pride in himself in this? Not at all. He had no concern about it except to please the One who accomplished such a work by His goodness.”
John’s humility crowns his sanctity. He neither boasts of divine favor nor centers his identity around his spiritual privileges. His only concern is to please God who acted through him. This marks the perfection of simplicity: no self-interest, no attachment to status, only pure orientation to divine pleasure.
Conclusion:
This chapter presents John the Baptist as the model of the soul fully possessed by God. Unlike those who seek signs or labor for spiritual progress, John rests in what God has done without anxiety or striving. He redirects others to Christ, but remains hidden himself, content to be the silent witness. His life illustrates the ultimate humility and receptivity in union, where divine action fulfills the soul without noise, ambition, or grasping.
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1. Why does Porete describe Saint John the Baptist as “the supreme saint,” and what does this imply about his spiritual state?
Porete calls Saint John “the supreme saint” because of his unparalleled humility, divine union, and receptivity to God’s action. His sanctification in the womb, which occurred without his own striving, signals a soul entirely formed by grace. He lives in perfect surrender, embodying the highest form of contemplative life: one that neither seeks consolation nor grasps for experience, but rests in God’s will and acts only as God directs. His greatness lies in this complete dispossession and divine absorption.
2. What is the significance of John directing his disciples to Jesus while remaining silent and still himself?
John’s redirection of his disciples to Jesus while personally remaining silent and motionless illustrates his spiritual detachment. He plays his role as forerunner without clinging to his followers, refusing even to seek Christ in His visible humanity. This restraint highlights John’s radical self-effacement and his contentment in invisibility. It also shows that his love for God is free of possessiveness. He points the way for others but does not interfere with the divine action in his own soul by externalizing his devotion.
3. Why, according to Porete, did John never seek out Jesus in His human nature, and what does this reveal about his relationship with God?
Porete explains that John did not need to seek out Jesus in His humanity because Divine Goodness fully satisfied him without such seeking. His relationship with God was interior, spiritual, and complete-he was already united with the divine will. This reveals a depth of union where the soul is fed not by images, consolations, or even direct human contact with Christ, but solely by God’s inner working. John embodies a pure receptivity where no outward sign is necessary.
4. How does Porete interpret John’s refusal to cling to Jesus even when they were in direct contact during the baptism?
John’s refusal to cling to Jesus during the baptism is not coldness but the expression of a soul that has completely transcended self-interest. Though he physically holds Christ, hears the Father, and sees the Holy Spirit, he does not boast, possess, or even disclose the experience. He remains inwardly detached, giving all glory to God and taking no satisfaction for himself. This points to a sanctity that is hidden, humble, and purely oriented to God’s pleasure-not personal gain.
5. What is the spiritual lesson Porete draws from John’s complete indifference to the extraordinary graces he experienced?
The key lesson is that the highest spiritual maturity involves no attachment even to extraordinary spiritual experiences. John does not revel in his unique grace of witnessing the Trinity, nor does he publicize it or center his identity around it. He is entirely void of spiritual pride. Porete presents this as the ultimate sign of divine union: the soul no longer seeks anything for itself, not even the knowledge or affirmation of its own sanctity, but is fully content to let God work in silence.
6. How does this chapter contribute to Porete’s larger teaching on spiritual union and divine freedom?
This chapter reinforces Porete’s core teaching that union with God involves radical humility, silence, and the cessation of self-will. John the Baptist’s example shows that divine union is not about intense spiritual activity, seeking, or emotional attachment, but about being acted upon by Divine Goodness. The soul that reaches this point no longer asks, seeks, or holds on, but allows God to accomplish His will in and through it without interference. John’s life becomes a template for the soul that has moved beyond even holy desire to a state of total receptivity.
7. Why is it significant that Porete does not describe John as seeking Jesus, but rather Jesus as seeking John?
This inversion reflects the essence of divine election and spiritual rest. John does not go in search of Christ; Christ comes to him. This passive stance underscores the contemplative soul’s freedom from striving. The initiative belongs entirely to God. It reveals the mystery that in the highest states of spiritual life, it is not we who seek God, but God who seeks, finds, and transforms us. John, resting in the desert, becomes the symbol of the soul that awaits and receives without demand.
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In chapter 126, Marguerite Porete reflects on the Virgin Mary as the supreme exemplar of divine receptivity, humility, and love. Mary neither clung to nor displayed her perfect sanctity, embodying a selfless detachment from all personal claim to grace. Her virginity is presented as the unwavering integrity of her will, so attuned to divine goodness that she would not abandon it even for the world’s salvation-knowing that Christ’s Passion alone sufficed. Porete portrays Mary’s conception of Christ as the moment of highest spiritual illumination in creation, surpassing even the saints in glory. At the foot of the Cross, Mary’s compassion reached its pinnacle, as she desired pardon for Christ’s executioners and would have offered her own life for them if needed. This meditation culminates in awe at Christ’s abundant and ineffable suffering-more intense than all human anguish combined-which causes the soul to be drawn out of itself to live wholly by divine love, as Mary did.
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1. “Next I pondered the sweet Virgin Mary, who was so perfectly sanctified. To whom did she show it, or reveal it, or [from whom did she] hide it? No one. She had no concern on account of such a work, nor did she hold on to it.”
Mary’s sanctity was not self-reflective or self-proclaimed. Her perfection was entirely hidden in humility. Porete underscores the Virgin’s utter self-forgetfulness: she neither exhibited nor clung to her sanctity. This illustrates the model of annihilated being, where sanctity exists without egoic attachment or awareness-Mary is the mirror of the soul perfectly surrendered.
2. “If the whole world were to be saved by her mediation in return for her withdrawing from her status of virginity, she would never consent to it…”
Porete presents Mary as unwavering in her singular dedication to divine purity. Even the salvation of the world could not tempt her from what she was called to be. This is not stubbornness but perfect alignment with divine will. Virginity here is not merely physical but symbolic of interior singularity and undivided love.
3. “She had in this moment more understanding and love and praise of the divine Trinity than all those who are in glory, except her.”
Porete exalts Mary’s interior life at the moment of the Incarnation as surpassing all created spiritual glory. Her union with the Trinity is not just one of grace but of direct knowledge and ecstatic love. She is the one soul who most perfectly receives and responds to God, making her the paradigm of divine-human communion.
4. “Lady, He could only be what you were, and so He could not be what you were not.”
This bold statement expresses the necessity of Mary’s perfection: Christ’s humanity could only be received from a vessel completely prepared and untainted. Porete emphasizes that Mary’s being was already so divinely aligned that nothing of imperfection could enter the Incarnation through her.
5. “If there were need of it, you would have in this hour given your life so that they would have had pardon from God for this evil deed.”
Porete imagines Mary’s perfect charity at the Cross-not only does she endure the unspeakable sorrow of witnessing her Son’s death, but she would have offered her life for the very ones who crucified Him. This reveals the heights of her selfless love, mirroring Christ’s own redemptive love.
6. “The amount of His blessed blood which one could put on the point of a pin would have been sufficient for redeeming one hundred thousand worlds… yet nevertheless He gave it in so great abundance that none remained in Him.”
Here Porete emphasizes the superabundance of Christ’s love and suffering. While the smallest drop of His blood suffices, He gives all-excessively and gratuitously. This is divine generosity beyond measure. Mary’s response, her silent and sorrowful participation, is thus grounded in this same logic of gratuitous, total self-gift.
7. “All the sufferings… from the time of Adam up until the time of the Antichrist… still would not be but one point of suffering compared to the suffering which Jesus Christ had…”
Porete concludes with a meditation on the immeasurable agony of Christ’s Passion, which surpasses all human suffering in intensity and dignity. This immense pain-freely endured-is the measure of divine love. Mary’s contemplation of this suffering leads the author to a mystical departure from self, living henceforth only by divine pleasure.
This chapter encapsulates Mary as the archetype of pure receptivity, hidden sanctity, and perfect conformity to divine will. Her humility, unshakable purity, and silent consent even at the Cross make her the supreme human example of the soul emptied of self so that God may fully dwell.
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1. What does Porete emphasize about Mary’s sanctity and her attitude toward it?
Porete emphasizes that Mary was perfectly sanctified yet showed no concern for demonstrating or claiming this sanctity. She neither revealed nor concealed it, nor did she hold onto it as something self-possessed. This reveals her utter humility and detachment from any self-regard-even for her own holiness. She simply was sanctified, without the interference of ego, making her the model of pure receptivity and self-emptying.
2. How does Porete portray Mary’s virginity in relation to her identity and mission?
Mary’s virginity is portrayed not merely as physical integrity but as spiritual and ontological integrity-total wholeness and singleness of will. Porete insists that Mary would never relinquish this status, even if the salvation of the whole world depended on it, because her identity was so singularly aligned with God’s will. However, this is not obstinacy, but rather a recognition that salvation does not require compromise, since Christ’s own passion is sufficient.
3. What does Porete say about Mary’s understanding at the moment of the Incarnation?
At the moment of conceiving Jesus through the Holy Spirit, Mary had, according to Porete, more love, understanding, and praise of the Trinity than all the saints and angels in glory-excluding herself in her glorified state. This profound insight reflects Mary’s unique and unparalleled union with the divine at that moment, making her the most spiritually illumined creature in creation.
4. How does Porete compare John the Baptist’s sanctity with Mary’s?
Porete acknowledges the greatness of John the Baptist, saying he was more filled with divine light in the womb than even the Apostles were at Pentecost. Yet she emphasizes that he was still in need compared to Mary. Mary was so fully perfected and divinely disposed that Christ could only become man through her; He “could only be what she was,” meaning she had to be utterly free of all deficiency for the Incarnation to occur.
5. What is Mary’s role at the foot of the Cross, and how does Porete describe her reaction?
Mary, fully aware of Christ’s innocence and the injustice of His execution, does not respond with bitterness or vengeance. Instead, Porete presents her as so full of love and charity that, had it been necessary, she would have willingly died to secure forgiveness for Christ’s killers. This act, though not required due to Christ’s sufficiency, reveals the totality of her maternal and spiritual love, even for enemies.
6. What does Porete teach about the abundance and anguish of Christ’s Passion?
Porete asserts that a single drop of Christ’s blood could have redeemed countless worlds, but He gave all of Himself, down to the last drop, out of love. The Passion was not only sufficient but excessive in its sacrificial abundance. Furthermore, the suffering of Christ-because of His supreme purity-was greater than all sufferings of history combined. This underscores the immeasurable cost and love involved in redemption.
7. What effect does contemplating Mary and Christ’s suffering have on the author?
Contemplating Mary’s sanctity and Christ’s Passion leads Porete to a mystical self-transcendence. She is “made to depart from herself” so that she might live according to divine pleasure rather than her own selfhood. This is a hallmark of her spiritual theology: the annihilation of the self so that divine love alone may live and act in the soul.
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In chapter 127, Marguerite Porete meditates on the unfathomable mystery of the Incarnation-how divine nature is united with human nature in the person of the Son-not as a marvel of suffering alone, but as the supreme expression of divine love and humility. She emphasizes that this union is beyond anything humanity could have dared to request or imagine, and that its contemplation has the power to free the soul entirely from self if it consents to God’s transforming action. However, she confesses her own failure to yield fully to this grace, revealing that fear and attachment to self blocked the divine work. Thus, the chapter teaches that true union with God is not achieved through one’s own thoughts or efforts, but only through surrender, allowing divine Righteousness to act within and undo the soul’s self-will.
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1. “After this, I pondered how the divine nature is joined for our sake to human nature in the person of God the Son. O true God, who is the one who could sufficiently ponder this?”
Marguerite begins in awestruck contemplation of the Incarnation-the mysterious union of divine and human natures in Christ. This mystery surpasses the intellect; it is not something that can be fully grasped by human reason. The rhetorical question emphasizes the ineffable excess of God’s love and humility in becoming man. Her tone conveys reverence and holy wonder.
2. “Who is so audacious to dare to ask or to seek it if His goodness itself had not accomplished it?”
The Incarnation is not something humanity could presume to request or even imagine; it is entirely an initiative of divine Goodness. Porete underscores that this act was a gratuitous self-gift of God, not merited or conceived by any creature. God’s initiative highlights the boundless nature of divine love, which moves beyond all fittingness or comprehension.
3. “If Jesus Christ was poor and despised and tormented for our sakes, this is not a marvel. He could not be held by it, having received the overpowering love by which He loved us, since He had the humanity by which He could do this.”
Christ’s suffering is, in Marguerite’s view, understandable given His human nature and divine love. While awe-inspiring, it does not astonish her as much as the Incarnation itself, because the humanity of Christ made suffering possible. His love made it inevitable. This distinguishes Christ’s Passion as a consequence of the Incarnation, which itself is the deeper mystery.
4. “But to say that divine nature took on human nature in joining it in the person of the Son, who is the one who would dare to ask for such an excess?”
Marguerite returns to the scandal and shock of the Incarnation: not only did Christ suffer for us, but God Himself-Infinite Being-entered into finite, contingent flesh. She calls this an “excess,” pointing to the extravagance and unthinkable humility of divine condescension. No one would have dared ask for this; it is a pure gift of divine generosity.
5. “In this there is enough to ponder in order to be eternally unencumbered of ourselves, if we would allow Righteousness to work in us.”
Here she pivots to the spiritual consequence: contemplation of the Incarnation has the power to detach the soul entirely from itself. If one truly reflects on it and allows divine Justice or Righteousness to act, the self will be lost in the love and majesty of God. The Incarnation is not only a doctrine to believe but a path to self-transcendence.
6. “Alas, I have not left this work for Him [to do]! For if I had allowed Him to do what was pleasing to Him, He would have freed me as soon as He gave me this thought about Himself.”
Porete laments her resistance to divine action. She recognizes that the grace of divine contemplation was offered to her, but she clung to self-will and thus prevented God from completing His liberating work. Her confession reveals a deep awareness of the tension between divine initiative and human resistance.
7. “But I did not wish that He heal the fear of such a loss [of myself]. My thoughts have made me follow many false steps: I think to find Him by my works, but I will not accomplish it, nor do I accomplish it, except through loss.”
This final admission echoes one of Porete’s core themes: the soul’s union with God is not achieved through effort or merit, but through loss-the radical relinquishment of self. She critiques the impulse to “do” or “achieve” union by works, acknowledging that her own fear of self-loss held her back. Only when the soul consents to be undone by divine love can true union occur.
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1. What central mystery does the soul contemplate in this chapter, and why does it provoke such awe?
The soul contemplates the mystery of the Incarnation-the union of divine nature with human nature in the person of the Son of God. This provokes profound awe because it is a mystery far beyond human understanding or expectation. No one could have dared to request or even imagine such a union; it is an excessive gift of divine Goodness. The soul is struck by the unfathomable humility of God in condescending to take on human flesh, not merely to suffer, but to unite Himself to creation in a personal, intimate way.
2. How does Marguerite distinguish between the marvel of Christ’s suffering and the greater marvel of the Incarnation itself?
While Christ’s suffering for humanity is immense and full of love, Marguerite does not consider it as astonishing as the Incarnation. The reason is that Christ, having human nature, could suffer and be despised, and His divine love would naturally move Him to do so. However, the very act of divine nature taking on human nature-becoming flesh-is a far greater wonder. It is not merely an effect of love but a complete self-lowering by God that transcends all reason and expectation. This act alone, she says, is sufficient to detach the soul eternally from self if rightly pondered.
3. According to the author, what would have happened if she had fully consented to God’s will at the moment of insight into the Incarnation?
She states that if she had fully allowed God to act according to His pleasure when He first gave her this thought about the Incarnation, He would have immediately freed her from herself. That is, the contemplation would have led to total self-abandonment and union with God. However, she admits that she resisted, clinging to self and fear, and thus obstructed the work of divine Righteousness. Her confession highlights the importance of surrender in the spiritual journey-not merely receiving divine insight but allowing it to transform the soul through self-loss.
4. What spiritual error does she confess, and how does it relate to the theme of self-loss?
She confesses the error of trying to attain God through her own thoughts and works, rather than through surrender and loss of self. This is a core theme in her spirituality. Her attempts to “find Him by my works” are acknowledged as misguided, since union with God is not achieved by effort or merit but by relinquishing the self entirely. The fear of self-loss-of ceasing to be the autonomous “I”-is what holds her back. The true path is to let go and allow divine Love to do the work of transformation.
5. What does this chapter reveal about the relationship between divine initiative and human cooperation in the spiritual life?
This chapter reveals that divine initiative always comes first-God gives the insight, God initiates the union, God offers the transformation. Yet human cooperation is required: the soul must consent, must allow Righteousness to act, must let go of its own grasp. Marguerite shows that even the grace of contemplating the Incarnation can be blocked if the soul refuses to surrender its will. Cooperation, therefore, is not active striving but radical openness to being undone and remade by God’s love.
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In Chapter 128, the soul meditates on the profound mystery of the suffering, poverty, and humiliating death of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that these acts were endured entirely out of love “for my sake.” This contemplation leads the soul to realize that even a single benefit from Christ’s Passion has greater power to ignite divine love than any imaginable cosmic destruction. The soul then hears from “Truth” that no one can behold the Trinity without being utterly free from sin, as Christ’s soul was from the moment of its creation. Because Christ’s soul was perfectly united to both divine and mortal nature without impediment, the soul recognizes that she too must be transformed by grace into a child of God in order to ascend. True union with God cannot be achieved through one’s own works but only through conformity to Christ’s will and purity, revealing that divine love is not earned but received through surrender and purification.
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1. “After this, I pondered how He who was God and man was shamefully despised on earth for my sake, and [I pondered] the great poverty in which He placed Himself for my sake and the cruel death He suffered for my sake.”
Marguerite reflects intensely on the Incarnate Word’s self-emptying-His humiliation, poverty, and death-not as abstract theological facts, but as deeply personal actions done “for my sake.” The repetition underscores the interiorization of Christ’s Passion, transforming it into a direct and intimate relationship. The mystery of His suffering is not simply to be admired but internalized as an invitation to love in return.
2. “In these three facts and points are all His deeds contained without comprehension.”
Here Marguerite declares that the totality of Christ’s salvific work-His humiliation, poverty, and crucifixion-defies rational comprehension. Rather than being analyzable in detail, these mysteries form a kind of trinitarian cluster of divine self-giving that calls not for speculation but for adoration and transformation.
3. “It is a greater thing to inflame our hearts in love for you, in pondering only one of the benefits you have accomplished for our sake, than it would be if the whole world, heaven, and earth were engulfed in fire in order to destroy one body.”
This powerful hyperbole expresses the infinite worth of divine love and mercy. One act of Christ’s redemptive love is more worthy and transformative than even cosmic destruction. Love, not destruction, is the measure of true spiritual weight. Pondering Christ’s mercy is thus a path to union, far more profound than any apocalyptic awe.
4. “And then I pondered the purity of the Truth, who told me that I will not see the divine Trinity until my soul is without stain of sin, like [the soul] of Jesus Christ …”
Marguerite conveys a direct message from the Truth (Christ), linking spiritual vision of the Trinity to complete inner purification. The comparison to Christ’s soul at the moment of its creation emphasizes the absolute purity required for divine union. This reflects Marguerite’s mystical theology: the soul must be stripped of all attachment, all sin-even the subtlest stain of self-before it can gaze upon God.
5. “…which was glorified at the same point when she was created by the divine Trinity and joined to the mortal body and divine nature in the person of the Son.”
Marguerite stresses that the soul of Christ was from the very beginning perfect, glorified, and in union with both human and divine nature. This reveals both the exceptional dignity of Christ and the possibility held out for souls who are purified by grace. The soul must be like Christ’s-not just morally good, but divinely conformed.
6. “Then I pondered who it is who will ascend to heaven. And Truth told me that no one will ascend there except the one who descended from there, that is, the Son of God Himself.”
This recalls Christ’s words in John 3:13. Marguerite interprets it to mean that only those who are joined to the Son through divine grace can ascend-only those who, like Him, originate in the divine will. True ascent is not moral or human effort, but participation in the divine filiation granted by grace.
7. “This means that no one can ascend there except only those who are sons of God through divine grace.”
Spiritual ascent depends entirely on divine adoption. Marguerite is articulating a radical doctrine of deification: salvation is not simply being saved from sin, but being made a child of God, possessing divine nature by grace. Only those transfigured by this grace can enter into communion with the Trinity.
8. “And thus Jesus Christ Himself said that my brother, my sister, and my mother is the one who does the will of God my Father.”
Concluding with Christ’s own words, Marguerite underscores that divine sonship is not biological but spiritual-rooted in obedience to the divine will. Union with God is not a privilege of status, but of surrender. Doing God’s will is the family resemblance that marks the soul as Christ’s true kin.
This chapter weaves together Christ’s suffering, the mystery of His pure soul, and the conditions for divine union, presenting a vision of salvation that centers entirely on divine grace, radical transformation, and the soul’s total self-offering.
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1. What three aspects of Christ’s earthly life does the soul focus on in this chapter, and why are they significant?
The soul contemplates three aspects of Christ’s earthly life:
* His shameful rejection and humiliation,
* His voluntary poverty, and
* His cruel death.
These three comprise the totality of Christ’s deeds “without comprehension”-that is, they surpass human understanding in their depth of love and divine purpose. They are not merely historical facts but eternal realities that reveal the immensity of divine charity. Christ’s suffering is portrayed as personally directed toward the soul-“for my sake”-inviting a reciprocal interior response of love, humility, and surrender.
2. How does the soul interpret the spiritual value of reflecting on Christ’s Passion compared to cosmic destruction?
The soul declares that pondering even one benefit Christ has done for us-particularly His Passion-has greater spiritual power to ignite love than if all heaven and earth were set ablaze to destroy a single body. This hyperbolic image conveys the incomparable value of Christ’s love, suggesting that divine love is more awe-inspiring and transformative than even the most violent or dramatic event imaginable. Reflection on the Passion is not a passive act but a spiritually explosive encounter with divine truth.
3. What does the soul learn from “Truth” about the vision of the Trinity, and how does it relate to the soul’s purity?
“Truth”-a personification of Christ-tells the soul that she will not see the Trinity until she is entirely without sin, just as Christ’s soul was at its creation. This implies that the beatific vision is reserved for those who have been made wholly pure, free from every stain. Since Christ’s soul was created already glorified and joined to both divine and human nature, it sets the standard for spiritual perfection. The soul realizes she must be conformed to this purity to be admitted into divine vision.
4. How does the soul describe the moment of Christ’s incarnation in relation to the perfection of His soul?
The soul affirms that Christ’s soul was glorified at the very instant of its creation and was immediately united to both mortal flesh and divine nature in the person of the Son. This moment is portrayed as one of absolute fullness, where nothing was lacking. The mortal body, though capable of suffering, did not diminish the soul’s perfection. This theological insight emphasizes Christ’s complete sanctity from the beginning and serves as a mystical blueprint for the kind of union the soul herself desires.
5. What does the soul learn about who may ascend to heaven, and how is this connected to divine sonship?
The soul hears from Truth that no one ascends to heaven except the one who has descended from there-namely, the Son of God. This is interpreted to mean that only those who become sons and daughters of God by divine grace can ascend. Entry into heaven is not based on natural capacity but on supernatural adoption: only those conformed to the Son, doing the will of the Father, are spiritually capable of rising to God. The quote from Christ about His true family-those who do the Father’s will-underscores this point.
6. How does this chapter reflect Marguerite Porete’s understanding of mystical union and self-loss?
The chapter reflects Porete’s core theme: that mystical union with God requires total self-loss, which comes not through works or self-effort, but through divine grace and conformity to Christ’s example. The soul realizes that pondering Christ’s suffering should liberate her from self-centeredness. True transformation happens when she ceases striving to find God through her own works and instead yields to God’s action in her. This is a spirituality of surrender rather than merit, rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation and Passion.
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Chapter 129 teaches that the highest spiritual perfection, exemplified by the Seraphim, consists not in possessing particular divine gifts or understanding the works of God-such as the Incarnation-but in being wholly united to the divine will itself. The Seraphim possess nothing of their own except their full participation in the eternal willing of the divine will by the Trinity. This profound and simple union reveals the path for the human soul as well: to let go of self-concern and become “unencumbered” by conforming entirely to God’s will. The chapter concludes the seven considerations by presenting this contemplative surrender as the soul’s true transformation and consolation, especially for those weighed down by sorrow.
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1. “Next, I considered the Seraphim, and I asked of them what thing it was about the works which Charity accomplished for them through the mystery of the Incarnation in the humanity of Jesus Christ.”
The soul turns contemplatively to the Seraphim-the highest angelic order associated with burning love-and seeks to understand what benefit they received through the Incarnation. This question is profound, for the Incarnation is primarily a redemptive act for humanity, and not for angels. The speaker is probing whether even the highest of beings were transformed by divine Love’s self-revelation in Christ.
2. ” …whether it was that the divine Trinity created them; or whether [the Trinity] will do eternally whatever [work] in the creature by [divine] goodness for the sake of the creature.”
Here the speaker ponders two alternatives: whether the greatest benefit for the Seraphim lies in their creation by the Trinity or in the eternal workings of divine goodness toward all creatures. This formulation reflects a deep theological sensitivity-recognizing both the origin and ongoing action of divine generosity.
3. “But Love told me that none of these was theirs except for one thing, and this thing is for the purpose of the divine willing of the divine will by the whole Trinity.”
The answer from Love is striking: the Seraphim claim no work or benefit for themselves except this one-the divine willing of the divine will. Their complete union lies not in any specific action done for them, but in being one with the divine volition itself. This describes a state of absolute surrender and harmony with God’s own desire, transcending any personal benefit or created work.
4. “And this is a sweet consideration, and profitable, which can unencumber the self in drawing near to the being which one ought to be.”
This realization-that the Seraphim live in perfect accord with the divine will-is not only doctrinally beautiful but also practically liberating for the soul. It suggests that to become what one “ought to be” requires letting go of one’s own striving and resting in the divine will. This “sweet consideration” offers spiritual consolation, especially for those burdened by sorrow or spiritual weight.
5. “Now we have seven considerations, which are fitting for those who are sad.”
The soul shifts from vision to pedagogy, presenting these seven contemplations for the sad ones who are still bound to the virtues, but long for the land of freeness where the Soul wills nothing (Chapter 57). Each contemplation reveals an aspect of divine love-from the Apostles to the Seraphim-that can uplift the sorrowful soul. The series concludes with the Seraphim precisely because their total self-emptying union with God epitomizes the goal toward which the soul must move: losing itself entirely in divine Love.
6. “The seventh concerns the Seraphim, how they are one in the divine will.”
The final summary reinforces the core insight: the highest joy and perfection consists not in receiving something from God, but in being one with His will. The Seraphim model this highest union-not through works, merit, or even understanding, but through pure love and consent to God’s being and desire.
This chapter encapsulates a mystical theology of total surrender: the Seraphim serve as luminous icons of what the soul is called to become-not active achievers but living flames of divine intention.
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1. What question does the soul pose to the Seraphim regarding the mystery of the Incarnation?
The soul asks the Seraphim what benefit or work of Charity was accomplished for them through the mystery of the Incarnation in the humanity of Jesus Christ. This is a profound inquiry, since the Incarnation primarily concerns humanity, not angels. The soul wonders whether any of the works accomplished by God in this mystery-such as creation itself or God’s eternal works in creatures-belong to the Seraphim as a particular grace or possession.
2. How does “Love” respond to the soul’s question?
Love answers that none of these works-the creation of the Seraphim, nor God’s eternal works in creatures-belongs to them in the way the soul expects. Instead, what belongs to the Seraphim is one thing alone: the divine willing of the divine will by the whole Trinity. This means that their sole possession, so to speak, is their total union with and consent to God’s will. They exist in perfect alignment with divine intention, without self-seeking.
3. What is the significance of this “one thing” that the Seraphim possess?
This “one thing”-the divine willing of the divine will-is of supreme spiritual significance. It indicates that the Seraphim are not united to God by receiving specific works or benefits, but by participating wholly in God’s own will. Their union with God is not based on created grace or activity, but on an unmediated, pure conformity to divine intention. It is a model of the highest contemplative union, wherein selfhood is entirely surrendered in love.
4. Why is this consideration described as “sweet and profitable”?
It is described as “sweet” because it conveys a deep and peaceful truth about divine union that consoles and uplifts the soul. It is “profitable” because it offers practical spiritual guidance: namely, that the path to becoming what one “ought to be” involves being unburdened of self-will and becoming united to God’s will. In contemplating the Seraphim, the soul sees a reflection of its own final vocation: total participation in divine desire.
5. What is the role of the seven considerations in the spiritual life, according to the author?
The author says these seven considerations are “fitting for those who are sad”, those who are still in service to the virtues but long for the land of freeness. Each consideration reveals a different aspect of divine union – through figures such as the Apostles, the Virgin Mary, and finally the Seraphim – culminating in the ultimate example of self-emptying love. Together, they lead the soul from the land of sandness to the land of freeness where all self-will is annihilated.
6. What does the seventh consideration reveal about the nature of angelic perfection and how it relates to human sanctity?
The seventh consideration reveals that angelic perfection, particularly that of the Seraphim, consists in pure alignment with God’s will. They do not possess personal merits or distinct works but are perfected in love by being one with divine intention. This reveals that the highest form of sanctity-both angelic and human-is not based on action or achievement, but on self-surrender and union with God’s desire. For humans, this provides a contemplative ideal: to love God’s will so purely that one becomes transparent to it.
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In Chapter 130 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, the Soul engages in a profound contemplation of the radical contrast between God and herself, arriving at a mystical understanding that true knowledge of the divine is inseparable from a deep recognition of her own misery. She meditates on God’s supreme power, wisdom, and goodness, confessing that she knows nothing of these except insofar as she knows her own weakness, ignorance, and wretchedness. The chapter expresses a spiritual paradox: that self-knowledge and God-knowledge are proportionally linked-one can only grasp the infinite glory of God to the extent that one sees one’s own nothingness. This dual awareness fosters a transformative humility that prepares the soul for union with God, not through comprehension but through surrender.
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1. “Now I will tell you the considerations which I had in such a life, named above, that is, in the sad life, the time when I knew not how to restrain myself or how to endure.”
The soul situates this reflection within a period of spiritual desolation or trial – “the sad life” – a time when she was still in service to the virtues but longed for the higher spiritual state of willing nothing, the so-called land of freeness. This chapter arises from a deep interior struggle, and the reflections that follow emerge as a kind of medicine for the soul’s inability to “restrain” or “endure” this state. The soul is speaking from the perspective of one who has been humbled by suffering and disoriented by divine hiddenness.
2. “First I considered myself, and then I considered God, and I pondered how I willed great desires for His sake. I praised and delighted in these three things above all the others, and these considerations gave me the means to restrain myself and to endure.”
The soul turns inward first and then upward. Rather than being lost in introspection, she uses this double movement of contemplation to deepen her relationship with God. The “three things” are unnamed here but become evident in what follows: power, wisdom, and goodness-both divine and humanly inverted. This contemplation of opposites becomes her source of endurance and discipline, not in self-assertion, but in accepting her dependence and emptiness.
3. “Lord God, I do not know whence you are… what you are… who you are… for only your supreme divine eternal power… wisdom… goodness comprehends this.”
The soul articulates the unknowability of God: His origin, essence, and identity are shrouded in divine transcendence. Each aspect of God’s being-power, wisdom, and goodness-is beyond created comprehension, known only by God Himself. This Trinitarian echo sets the framework for the contrast with the soul’s own limitations and introduces the rhetorical balance that structures the rest of the chapter.
4. “I do not know whence I am… what I am… who I am… your power… wisdom… goodness comprehends this.”
The soul mirrors the divine unknowability with her own mystery. But whereas God’s mystery is majestic and infinite in excellence, hers is a mystery of lack-her origin, nature, and identity are shrouded not in glory but in weakness and insufficiency. She can only know herself as God knows her, underscoring her utter dependence on divine knowledge.
5. “Lord, I know not whence you are… I know not what you are… I know not who you are…”
The soul moves from a formal structure into a more plaintive repetition. She doesn’t merely state God is unknowable-she feels it. Her repeated “I know not” becomes a spiritual lament and confession, not of failure but of reverent awe. She acknowledges the abyss between her perception and divine reality.
6. “Lord, I know not whence I am… what I am… who I am… for I know nothing of my excessive weakness… ignorance… wretchedness.”
This triplet affirms the soul’s radical poverty. Just as she cannot comprehend God because of His transcendence, she cannot comprehend herself because of her depth of fallenness. Her sinfulness is not just moral but metaphysical-her very being is shaped by lack and infirmity. The balance between divine greatness and human misery becomes clearer and sharper.
7. “Lord, you are One Goodness… I am One Wretchedness… Lord, you are… and I am not…”
Here the chapter reaches its most direct and uncompromising contrast: God as total Being and Goodness, the soul as total Non-being and Wretchedness. This is not nihilism, but mystical realism-an acknowledgment that the soul’s only true being is in God. Apart from Him, she is not only sinful but ontologically void.
8. “Lord, you are all power, all wisdom, and all goodness… and I am all weakness, all ignorance, and all wretchedness…”
A Trinitarian inversion continues: divine attributes versus human miseries. The rhythm of this opposition serves a purgative function-emptying the soul of any self-reliance or pride. She is unworthy and knows it deeply, but in that recognition, a certain clarity is born: the greatness of God is seen precisely in contrast to the soul’s own smallness.
9. “Lord, you are one sole God in three persons… and I am one sole enemy, in three miseries…”
The author’s most daring inversion: she contrasts the Holy Trinity with her own “unholy trinity” of weakness, ignorance, and wretchedness. This radical confession frames her as God’s enemy-not by choice, but by condition. It is theologically sobering and mystically honest: unless God intervenes, the soul remains trapped in this triple misery.
10. “Lord, how much do I comprehend of your power… wisdom… goodness? Only as much as I comprehend of my weakness… ignorance… wretchedness.”
The soul affirms a spiritual principle of proportionality: one can know God only to the extent that one knows oneself, and vice versa. This echoes classical Christian mysticism (e.g., Augustine, Bernard), where humility is the foundation of spiritual knowledge. Self-knowledge and God-knowledge are mutually deepening.
11. “If I could comprehend your goodness, I would comprehend my wretchedness… And if I could comprehend my wretchedness, I would comprehend your goodness…”
This is the heart of the paradox. The soul’s descent into self-knowledge is not a detour from divine knowledge but its gateway. True humility is not psychological self-loathing, but theological clarity. The more one sees one’s own nothingness, the more one beholds the all-sufficiency of God.
12. “This is so little that one could say better that this is nothing compared to what remains…”
The soul ends by confessing that even her insights-painful, luminous, transformative as they are-barely scratch the surface of reality. Both her misery and God’s glory are so vast that what she sees is “nothing compared to what remains.” This is the mystic’s final gesture: adoration in the face of mystery.
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1. What is the context in which the soul begins these considerations?
The soul begins these reflections during what she calls “the sad life,” a time marked by spiritual desolation, inner instability, and incapacity to restrain or endure herself. This sets the stage for the contemplative contrast between divine perfection and human misery, showing how such insights arise from suffering rather than spiritual comfort. In this state, she turns to contemplation of both herself and God to regain stability and perspective.
2. What three divine attributes does the soul meditate upon, and how does she relate them to her ignorance of God?
The soul meditates on divine power, wisdom, and goodness, recognizing that she does not know whence, what, or who God is. She acknowledges that only God’s own power comprehends His origin, only His wisdom understands His essence, and only His goodness knows His identity. These attributes are not accessible through human understanding but are fully comprehended only within the Godhead.
3. How does the soul mirror her reflections on God in her understanding of herself?
Just as the soul confesses her ignorance of God’s origin, nature, and identity, she similarly admits she does not know whence, what, or who she herself is. She says that only God’s power, wisdom, and goodness comprehend her reality. This symmetrical pattern of self and God highlights the depth of her humility: she does not even understand herself apart from divine illumination.
4. How does the soul define her own nature in contrast to God’s?
The soul describes herself as all weakness, all ignorance, and all wretchedness, while God is all power, all wisdom, and all goodness. Furthermore, she says that God is “One Goodness… all in [Him]self,” while she is “One Wretchedness… all in [her]self.” This absolute contrast presents the soul as the inverse of God-He is fullness of being, she is the abyss of deficiency. Yet this recognition is not despairing, but a kind of contemplative truth.
5. What metaphysical contrast does the soul draw between God and herself in terms of being?
The soul declares, “Lord, you are… and I am not,” emphasizing God as the source of all being and herself as essentially nothing apart from Him. God is the one through whom “everything is perfected,” while the soul is the one “through whom nothing is made.” This metaphysical contrast reflects a core mystical doctrine: the soul’s only true being is derived from and dependent on divine being.
6. What theological structure does the soul use to describe her own fallenness?
She uses a parodic inversion of the Trinity: just as God is one God in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-she calls herself “one sole enemy” in three miseries: weakness, ignorance, and wretchedness. This startling inversion intensifies the sense of the soul’s alienation from God and from her true self, underscoring the need for divine grace to overcome this threefold misery.
7. According to the soul, how are self-knowledge and knowledge of God proportionally related?
The soul insists that her understanding of God’s power, wisdom, and goodness is directly proportional to her understanding of her own weakness, ignorance, and wretchedness, and vice versa. If she could fully comprehend either set, she would comprehend the other. This implies that true theological knowledge is inseparable from true self-knowledge, and that humility is the condition for all spiritual vision.
8. Why does the soul ultimately claim her knowledge is “so little that one could say better that this is nothing”?
Though the soul has reached profound insights into the nature of God and herself, she confesses that this knowledge is infinitesimal compared to the full reality that remains hidden. Both divine goodness and human wretchedness are so vast that her current understanding seems like “nothing” by comparison. This final acknowledgment reflects the mystical awareness that true knowledge leads to deeper reverence and silence before mystery.
9. How does this chapter function spiritually for the reader or hearer?
This chapter operates as a purifying mirror: it reflects to the reader both the terrifying depth of human misery and the overwhelming majesty of God. But far from leading to despair, this mirroring draws the soul into humility, which is the precondition for union with God. It unburdens the self by burning away illusions of autonomy or adequacy, and it fosters a state of contemplative emptiness receptive to divine grace.
10. How does this chapter connect to the previous seven considerations mentioned earlier?
Whereas the previous considerations reflected on various figures (apostles, Mary, John the Baptist, Christ’s humanity and divinity, the Seraphim), this chapter turns inward. It shifts from external examples to an interior reckoning. If the former were meditations intended to console or edify, this one is a descent into the heart of selfhood in relation to God. It deepens the earlier contemplations by showing their fruit: complete spiritual poverty and radical dependence on divine truth.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 12 of 14
Chapter 111 explores the profound difference between the sweetness of peace, which transcends all understanding and is granted by God in the union of love, and the war of reproach or guilt, which arises when the soul clings to its own will. True peace is found only when the soul renounces its own will and enters into complete surrender to God, akin to its original creation by divine goodness without its own participation. Free will, granted by God out of pure love, becomes a source of conflict and potential ruin when misused. Through the Incarnation, Christ reconciles this fallen will by joining human nature to divine goodness. Ultimately, the chapter underscores that spiritual annihilation-the return to the nakedness and simplicity of the soul’s origin-enables the soul to be at rest in God’s love, free from inner war and reproach.
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1. “There is a great difference between the sweetness of peace, which surpasses all senses [and] which remains in the delights of full sufficiency the Lover gives through the juncture of love, and the war which creates reproach.”
Marguerite Porete distinguishes between two contrasting spiritual states. The first is a profound peace, a state of sufficiency in divine love where the soul experiences a deep union with God. This peace transcends sensory experience and intellectual comprehension. In contrast, the “war” signifies the inner conflict that arises when the will operates independently of God, creating guilt and spiritual unrest. The juxtaposition highlights the soul’s journey from self-will to divine will.
2. “One who remains in will is often in such a war, whatever good works his will might do. But that one has peace who remains in willing nothing where he was before he had will.”
This sharp distinction shows that good works driven by one’s own will, even if externally virtuous, can still produce inner discord. True peace comes only from the annihilation of personal will-a return to the state of “willing nothing,” akin to the soul’s original created state before self-assertion. This peace is a complete surrender to God’s will.
3. “Ah, God, how this is well said! says the Unencumbered Soul. But it is necessary that He do this without me, just as He created me without myself by His divine goodness.”
The Unencumbered Soul recognizes that her journey toward union with God is a work of divine grace, not self-effort. Just as she was created without contributing to her own existence, so must she surrender her will and allow God to work in her. This emphasizes the primacy of divine initiative and the soul’s radical dependence on God.
4. “Now Uncreated Goodness possesses properly of herself free will, and she gives us free will also by her goodness, free will beyond her power, without any why except for our sakes that we might be of her goodness.”
Marguerite presents a profound reflection on divine generosity. God (Uncreated Goodness) has complete freedom but grants humanity free will as a gift rooted in pure love, without necessity. This freedom is meant to enable us to share in God’s goodness, but it also carries the risk of choosing separation from Him.
5. “Now the Divine Goodness saw that we might go the way of pestilence and perdition by the free will which He gave us and which departs from His goodness. And this goodness is given to us through Goodness. Thus He joins human nature to Divine Goodness in the person of the Son in order to pay the debt which we had committed by our unrighteous will.”
This passage highlights the redemptive mystery of the Incarnation. Recognizing the danger inherent in human free will, God in His goodness unites with human nature through Christ to reconcile us. This underscores both human weakness and divine mercy, with Christ’s sacrifice providing the means for restoration.
6. “Now I cannot be, says Unrighteous Will, what I ought to be until I return to where I was before I departed from Him, where I was as naked as He is who is; to be as naked as I was when I was who was not.”
Here Marguerite dramatizes the voice of Unrighteous Will, which acknowledges the necessity of returning to a state of utter nothingness and surrender, mirroring God’s own self-sufficiency (“as naked as He is who is”). The return to nothingness-shedding all self-will-is the only way to receive what rightfully belongs to the soul: union with God.
7. “Gloss this if you wish, or if you can. If you cannot, you are not of this kind; but if you are of this kind, it will be opened to you.”
Marguerite challenges the reader to penetrate the depth of her mystical teaching. Only those already disposed through inner annihilation and spiritual transformation will comprehend. This underscores her audience: souls already on the advanced path of spiritual union, prepared to move beyond mere intellectual understanding.
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1. What are the two contrasting states Marguerite presents in this chapter?
Marguerite contrasts the sweetness of peace with the war of reproach or guilt. The sweetness of peace refers to a state that surpasses sensory understanding, found in the delights of divine love. This peace is given when the soul lives in full sufficiency through union with the Lover (God). The war of reproach arises when a person remains in self-will, even if performing good works. This internal conflict and guilt result from being separated from God’s will.
2. How does Marguerite explain the relationship between will and peace?
Marguerite argues that as long as the soul retains its own will, it experiences inner conflict (“war”) because it acts outside of God’s perfect will. Even good works done by self-will cannot bring true peace. Peace comes only when the soul abandons its own will and reposes in “willing nothing,” returning to the original state before having will. This means complete surrender to God’s initiative.
3. What does the Unencumbered Soul recognize about her relationship with God?
The Unencumbered Soul acknowledges that her creation and spiritual journey are entirely God’s work. Just as she was created without her own involvement, so too must she be placed in union with God by His action alone. The soul cannot “get there” by her own efforts but must surrender and allow God to act within her. This highlights the absolute primacy of grace.
4. How does Marguerite describe the role of free will in this chapter?
Marguerite presents Uncreated Goodness (God) as possessing true free will and generously granting it to humanity as a gift of pure love, beyond any necessity. This free will is given “without any why” so that we might participate in God’s goodness. However, human free will, when misused, can lead to “pestilence and perdition.” Recognizing this, God united human nature with divine goodness in the person of Christ to reconcile us to Himself.
5. What is the significance of the voice of Unrighteous Will in this chapter?
The voice of Unrighteous Will admits that it cannot become what it ought to be until it returns to a state of complete surrender, as it was before it departed from God. This “nakedness” represents total abandonment of self-will and a return to the simplicity and openness of the soul as created by God. This passage highlights the necessity of self-emptying in the journey back to God.
6. What does Marguerite mean by saying “Gloss this if you wish, or if you can”?
This is a direct challenge to the reader or hearer, suggesting that only those who have undergone the spiritual annihilation of self-will will be able to truly understand this teaching. It signals that the message is meant for advanced souls, capable of comprehending mystical truths through their lived experience rather than mere intellectual effort.
7. How does this chapter deepen the concept of spiritual annihilation?
This chapter emphasizes that true peace and union with God come not through self-willed action, even virtuous ones, but through radical surrender and “willing nothing.” The soul’s journey mirrors its original creation-an act entirely by God’s initiative. Spiritual annihilation, therefore, is the soul’s return to this original state: a stripping away of self-will and a complete openness to God’s transformative love.
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In chapter 112, Marguerite Porete articulates that God is the One Eternal Goodness, which is Eternal Love, inherently inclined to give and overflow His perfect goodness into creation. This eternal goodness naturally produces pleasing goodness, a way in which God’s love manifests in the soul, making divine love perceptible and delightful. The loving Love that originates from this eternal and pleasing goodness binds the Lover (God) and the Beloved (soul) in an unbreakable relationship. The soul responds by continually regarding God through this love, a perpetual, contemplative gaze born of union and surrender. Thus, Porete highlights the soul’s passive reception and active response within the dynamic of divine love, where human will is dissolved in favor of eternal goodness, allowing the soul to participate in God’s loving nature.
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1. “He is One Eternal Goodness who is Eternal Love, which tends, by the nature of charity, to give and overflow His total goodness.”
Marguerite Porete presents God as the essence of Eternal Goodness and Eternal Love, emphasizing that divine love is inherently generous and self-giving. This love is not passive or limited but naturally expansive, overflowing to share the fullness of divine goodness with creation. Charity, the highest form of love, is depicted as an intrinsic dynamic of God’s being, moving outward to communicate His love.
2. “Such eternal goodness begets pleasing goodness, and from this eternal goodness and pleasing goodness the loving Love of the Lover is in the Beloved.”
Here, Porete distinguishes between eternal goodness (the inherent, unchanging nature of God) and pleasing goodness (the way this divine goodness is experienced by creatures, especially the soul). The interplay between God’s eternal nature and His relational love for the soul is beautifully expressed: divine love is not static but is incarnate in the soul’s experience of being beloved. This generates a reciprocal relationship-God as Lover, the soul as Beloved, united in mutual delight and love.
3. “The Beloved regards the Lover forever by this loving Love.”
The chapter concludes with the enduring vision of the soul (the Beloved) turning toward God (the Lover) in a ceaseless gaze of love. This mutual regard is not based on duty or fear but flows naturally from the divine goodness and love poured into the soul. In this contemplation, the soul transcends itself and becomes a vessel of divine love, mirroring back to God the eternal love she receives.
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1. What does Marguerite Porete mean by “One Eternal Goodness who is Eternal Love”?
Marguerite identifies God as the singular source of Eternal Goodness and Eternal Love. These are not separate attributes but the same reality, expressing God’s essence. God’s goodness is eternal because it exists beyond time, and it is love because it seeks to share and communicate itself. Love is the nature of divine goodness, and charity is its expression-God’s nature as love compels Him to overflow His goodness into creation.
2. How does Porete describe the relationship between eternal goodness and pleasing goodness?
Porete distinguishes eternal goodness as the unchanging, absolute nature of God, and pleasing goodness as the way this goodness is perceived and received by creation, especially by the soul. Pleasing goodness refers to the soul’s experience of divine love, making God’s inherent goodness tangible and delightful. It represents how divine love becomes a personal experience in the relationship between God (the Lover) and the soul (the Beloved).
3. What role does “loving Love” play in the relationship between the Lover and the Beloved?
The phrase “loving Love” expresses the dynamic and relational aspect of divine love. It signifies the active movement of love between God (the Lover) and the soul (the Beloved). This love originates from God’s eternal and pleasing goodness and sustains the relationship by continually drawing the Beloved into deeper union with the Lover. It is not merely an abstract quality but an actual communication of love, whereby the Beloved is transformed by receiving and reflecting God’s love.
4. Why does the Beloved regard the Lover “forever by this loving Love”?
The Beloved’s eternal regard for the Lover is made possible by the nature of divine love itself. Since the Lover’s love (God’s love) is eternal and unchanging, the Beloved (the soul) is drawn into a perpetual response of love and contemplation. This ongoing gaze reflects the soul’s complete surrender and union with God, where love no longer needs effort or mediation. It is a state of loving contemplation, where the soul’s being and God’s being are so aligned that the soul cannot but regard God in love.
5. What does this chapter suggest about the soul’s participation in divine love?
This chapter highlights the soul’s passive yet profound participation in divine love. The soul’s role is not to initiate or merit this love but to receive it and to respond in kind. God’s overflowing love begets a reciprocal relationship in which the soul, as Beloved, mirrors back the love it receives. This participation is marked by a loss of self-centered will and a complete openness to God’s eternal and pleasing goodness. The soul, by being filled with divine love, enters into a timeless, intimate union with God.
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In Chapter 113 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, Marguerite Porete teaches that true spiritual victory comes through an interior retreat where the soul, through thoughts of devotion, works of perfection, and petitions of Reason, seeks to imitate Christ’s life. However, this imitation, no matter how noble, must eventually be surpassed by a deeper self-emptying, where the soul surrenders all personal effort and works into God’s hands. This total renunciation of self-embracing complete “naked nothingness”-allows the divine to act within the soul without its interference, replacing human striving with divine action. Porete emphasizes that God alone is Lover, Loved, and Love, and that the soul must abandon itself entirely to receive His fullness.
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1. “I will help those who will hear this book to grasp that it is necessary for us to retreat within ourselves-through thoughts of devotion, through works of perfection, through petitions of Reason-our whole life, by our power, which Jesus Christ did and which He preached to us.”
Porete calls the reader to an inward journey, mirroring Christ’s own life and teachings. This retreat into oneself, marked by devotion, good works, and reasoned prayer, represents the soul’s initial effort to align with Christ’s example. However, she subtly signals that this effort, though necessary, is only a precursor to a deeper spiritual transformation.
2. “Whoever will believe in me, he will do such works as I do, and still even greater works will he do.”
Porete references Jesus’ own words to underscore the believer’s calling to imitate and even surpass Christ’s external works. However, her deeper intent is to illustrate that external works are not the final goal but a necessary stage on the soul’s path to surrender and union.
3. “It is necessary for us to do this before we have victory over ourselves.”
Porete emphasizes that victory over the self-the renunciation of self-will and self-effort-requires the soul to engage fully in devotion, works, and rational petitions. Only by exhausting these means can the soul come to the realization of their insufficiency and move beyond them.
4. “If we were to do this by our power, we would arrive at the point where we would possess all this, in placing outside of ourselves all thoughts of devotion and all works of perfection and all the petitions of Reason, for we would not have anything more to do with those.”
Here Porete unveils a profound mystical insight: the soul’s journey of self-conquest leads not to mastery through effort, but to a radical relinquishment of effort itself. Once all striving is abandoned, the soul becomes empty-ready to receive divine action.
5. “And then the Deity would work His divine works in us, for our sakes, without us.”
This is the core of Porete’s teaching. True transformation comes not through human effort, but by divine grace acting without our involvement. The soul’s final victory is the loss of self-will, allowing God’s pure goodness to operate within.
6. “He is who is, because He is what He is of Himself: Lover, Loved, Love. And therefore we are nothing because we have nothing of our own.”
Porete contrasts God’s self-sufficient being-a trinity of Lover, Loved, Love-with the creature’s utter nothingness. The soul recognizes its complete dependency on God, shedding any claims to autonomous existence.
7. “May you see this complete naked nothing by hiding or veiling, and then you would have Him who is his true being in us.”
Porete concludes with an invitation to contemplative annihilation. By embracing spiritual nakedness-the stripping away of self and the veiling of all external faculties-the soul makes space for God’s indwelling. This is the mystical union where God is all and the soul is nothing.
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1. What does Marguerite Porete mean by “retreat within ourselves”?
Porete calls for a profound inner withdrawal from worldly distractions, achieved through thoughts of devotion, works of perfection, and petitions of Reason. This retreat involves the soul aligning its entire life with the model of Jesus Christ, who both exemplified and taught such a path. However, this inward movement is only preparatory, as it leads to the recognition that self-effort is ultimately insufficient for union with God.
2. How does Porete interpret Christ’s statement, “Whoever will believe in me, he will do such works as I do, and still even greater works will he do”?
Porete highlights that believers are called to imitate Christ’s works and even exceed them in external expression. Yet, she uses this statement to hint that these “greater works” are not necessarily outward achievements, but rather point toward a deeper spiritual transformation where the soul surpasses itself by surrendering completely to divine action, moving beyond external works to interior union with God.
3. What is the “victory over ourselves” that Porete describes, and why is it necessary?
The victory over ourselves involves the complete renunciation of self-will, self-effort, and attachment to personal merit. It is necessary because, while the soul may initially engage in devotion, good works, and rational petitions, these alone cannot achieve the union with God that Porete envisions. Victory is attained when the soul fully lets go of its striving and becomes utterly receptive to God’s presence.
4. Why does Porete say that even our good works and petitions must eventually be placed “outside of ourselves”?
Porete teaches that human works-no matter how virtuous-are still rooted in self-will and human limitation. When the soul reaches the point of placing these efforts “outside of ourselves,” it signifies that the soul has transcended its own striving and has entered a state of naked receptivity. At this stage, divine action can fully replace human effort, and God Himself becomes the actor within the soul.
5. What does Porete mean by “the Deity would work His divine works in us, for our sakes, without us”?
This phrase encapsulates Porete’s central mystical teaching: that union with God is achieved not through human action, but through God’s free and gracious action within us. The soul, having relinquished all its own works and attachments, becomes the space where God’s pure love and goodness can operate. The “without us” signals the total absence of self-will or ego in this divine union.
6. How does Porete contrast God’s nature with the soul’s nature in this chapter?
God is described as Eternal Being-the Lover, Loved, and Love-whose essence is self-sufficient and perfect. In contrast, the soul is characterized as nothing, having nothing of its own and entirely dependent on God for its being and goodness. This stark contrast highlights the soul’s need to abandon all illusions of autonomy and surrender fully to God’s reality.
7. What is the significance of the “complete naked nothing” that Porete invites the soul to see?
The “complete naked nothing” represents the soul’s radical self-emptying and the stripping away of all illusions of self-sufficiency, merit, and control. By recognizing its nothingness and embracing spiritual poverty, the soul creates space for God’s indwelling presence, achieving true union where God is all and the soul is nothing.
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Chapter 114 of The Mirror of Simple Souls delves into the profound spiritual state where the human soul, by complete self-surrender and annihilation of personal will, becomes utterly “without herself.” In this condition, the soul detaches from all natural feelings, personal efforts, honor or shame, fear, and even affection for divine things. It possesses no inner or outer work, and no personal will remains. Instead, the soul lives entirely by divine substance, allowing God to act solely through it without resistance or self-interest. This state of complete passivity and divine indwelling is accessible only to those of deep spiritual understanding and experience, for it involves an existential transformation where the soul ceases to live for itself and becomes entirely God’s own life in her.
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1. “I ask the blind, or the clarified ones who see better than do the former, if the human creature can remain in life and be forever ‘without’ herself?”
Marguerite Porete begins with a rhetorical question that probes the possibility of living a life completely detached from self. She appeals to both those spiritually “blind” and those with heightened spiritual “sight,” suggesting that only the spiritually advanced (those of “this lineage”) can comprehend the profound truth she is about to reveal.
2. “Truth says yes for her, and Love declares it, who says that the Annihilated Soul is ‘without’ herself when she has no feeling of nature, no work, nor any interior work, neither shame nor honor, nor any fear of anything which might happen, nor any affection in the divine goodness; nor does she know any longer any indwelling of will, but instead [she] is without will at all moments.”
Here Porete presents a radical vision of detachment. “Truth” and “Love” affirm that a human soul can indeed live “without” herself-that is, fully detached from natural inclinations, personal achievements, or even inward spiritual exercises. The soul becomes free from human feelings, reputations, fears, affections, and even personal will. This description points to total annihilation of self, not as death, but as living entirely in divine substance.
3. “Thus she is annihilated, ‘without’ herself, whatever thing God might suffer from her. Thus she does all things without herself, and so she leaves all things without herself.”
The soul, having surrendered all attachments and interior actions, now functions solely through God’s life within her. Even her actions, thoughts, and choices are performed “without herself,” meaning her will is no longer the origin of these acts. This state is marked by complete surrender and self-emptying, where divine action alone sustains her existence and agency.
4. “This is no marvel: she is no longer ‘for’ her own sake, for she lives by divine substance.”
Porete concludes that this complete state of detachment-far from being surprising or impossible-is a natural consequence of the soul’s union with God. The soul’s annihilation of self leads her to live entirely by divine substance, motivated and moved solely by God’s will. This is the ultimate realization of spiritual poverty and union, where personal striving ceases and God’s life alone endures.
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1. What does Marguerite Porete mean by asking if the human creature can remain in life and be forever “without” herself?
Porete is asking whether it is possible for a person to live a life entirely free from self-interest, self-will, and even the natural inclinations of human nature. This “without herself” means living in a state of spiritual annihilation, where the soul is emptied of all attachments, efforts, desires, and even its own will. The person becomes completely surrendered, living not by personal effort or identity, but purely by God’s divine life within her.
2. Who can answer Porete’s question about being “without” oneself, and why?
Porete suggests that only two types of people might answer this question: the “blind,” who represent those spiritually unaware and unable to see the truth, and the “clarified ones,” who see with spiritual insight beyond the ordinary. However, the true understanding of this mystery is reserved for those of the same spiritual “lineage”-those who have undergone profound self-annihilation and live entirely in God. Thus, it is an experiential truth, inaccessible to the unenlightened.
3. What characteristics does Porete associate with the “Annihilated Soul” who is “without” herself?
The “Annihilated Soul” is characterized by total detachment and surrender:
* She has no feelings of nature (no attachment to bodily or natural instincts).
* She performs no work of her own, neither outwardly nor inwardly.
* She experiences neither shame nor honor, nor fear of any possible outcome.
* She holds no affection, even in divine matters.
* She no longer possesses any will of her own, but lives in total passivity to God’s will.
In this state, she is completely “without herself,” having no self-originated actions or desires.
4. How does Porete explain the soul’s actions once it is in this state of being “without” itself?
In this state, all actions performed by the soul are done “without herself,” meaning that the soul has no personal involvement or ownership over them. Everything is done solely by God acting through her, and she leaves all things behind-attachments, desires, works, and thoughts. The soul has fully surrendered to divine life, allowing God to act entirely without interference from her self-will or personal striving.
5. Why does Porete say this state of living by divine substance is “no marvel”?
Porete concludes that this profound state is not surprising because it is a natural consequence of the soul’s union with God. The soul ceases to live “for her own sake” and instead lives solely by divine substance-God’s life and power. The annihilation of self is a necessary transition to living fully in God. Therefore, what may seem miraculous to some is, for the “Annihilated Soul,” the true and inevitable result of surrendering completely to divine love.
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Chapter 115 of The Mirror of Simple Souls teaches that the Trinity-comprising the Father as eternal substance, the Son as pleasing fruition, and the Holy Spirit as loving conjunction-is dynamically mirrored within the soul. Through surrender and transformation, the Annihilated, Unencumbered, and Transparent Soul participates in the divine life, with its memory reflecting the Father’s power, intellect mirroring the Son’s wisdom, and will embodying the Spirit’s goodness. This deep union leads to a state where the soul lives “being without being”-ceasing to act for itself and becoming an instrument of divine will. God’s utter simplicity and self-giving love flow into the soul, enlarging and delighting it, bringing it to rest in the boundless, unified love of the Trinity.
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1. “He is one eternal substance, one pleasing fruition, one loving conjunction. The Father is eternal substance; the Son is pleasing fruition; the Holy Spirit is loving conjunction. This loving conjunction is from eternal substance and from pleasing fruition through the divine love.”
Here, Marguerite describes the inner life of the Trinity as a dynamic interplay of substance (Father), fruition (Son), and conjunction (Holy Spirit). Each Person of the Trinity expresses an aspect of divine life: the Father as the source of being, the Son as the fulfillment of joy, and the Spirit as the bond of love. This profound mystery of unity in diversity becomes the template for the soul’s own transformation, echoing the Trinitarian nature within.
2. “Ah, Unity, says the Soul grasped by Divine Goodness, you generate unity, and unity reflects its ardor in unity.”
The soul, immersed in divine love, experiences the unity of the Godhead as a transformative and generative force. The “ardor” or fervor of unity reflects back upon itself, indicating a cyclical and self-replenishing love, where the soul not only recognizes but also participates in this unity, mirroring God’s own life.
3. “Divine love of unity generates in the Annihilated Soul, in the Unencumbered Soul, in the Transparent Soul, eternal substance, pleasing fruition, loving conjunction.”
The soul that has been stripped of all self (annihilated, unencumbered, transparent) becomes a living reflection of the Trinity itself. In its total openness to divine action, it mirrors the Father (substance), Son (fruition), and Spirit (conjunction). This implies that the soul’s journey is not just moral but metaphysical, becoming a participatory image of God.
4. “From the eternal substance the memory possesses the power of the Father. From the pleasing fruition the intellect possesses the wisdom of the Son. From the loving conjunction the will possesses the goodness of the Holy Spirit.”
Marguerite assigns the soul’s faculties (memory, intellect, will) to mirror the Trinity. Memory corresponds to the Father’s power, intellect to the Son’s wisdom, and will to the Spirit’s goodness. This establishes a deep interior alignment of the soul’s faculties with divine life, where even human faculties are deified through love.
5. “This conjunction places the Soul in being without being which is Being. Such Being is the Holy Spirit Himself, who is Love from the Father and from the Son.”
Marguerite expresses a mystical paradox: the soul is placed in “being without being”-a state of annihilation where personal existence is so surrendered that it merges into divine Being itself. The Holy Spirit, as Love, brings the soul into this mystery of divine life, not obliterating the soul but transforming it into Love itself.
6. “Such Love from the Holy Spirit flows into the Soul and she is enlarged from the abundance of delights from a very lofty gift, which is given by a spark and majestic juncture from the sovereign Lover, who gives Himself simple, and makes Himself a simple One.”
Here, the soul receives a “spark” from the Holy Spirit, symbolizing divine grace that enlarges and elevates her beyond herself. The “sovereign Lover” gives Himself in utter simplicity, emphasizing God’s generosity and humility. The soul becomes a vessel of divine abundance, united to God’s own simplicity and sufficiency.
7. “And because He gives Himself simple, He shows that there is nothing except Him from Whom all things have being. And so nothing is except Him in love of light, of union, of praise: one will, one love, and one work in two natures.”
This passage highlights the absolute primacy of God: all existence, love, light, and union flow from Him. The soul participates in this divine singularity-where all division dissolves into one unified love and will, embracing the dual nature of Christ (divine and human) yet operating as one.
8. “One sole goodness, through conjunction of the transforming power of love from my Lover, says this Soul who is at rest without obstructing the outpouring of divine Love. By such divine Love, the divine Will works in me, for me and without my possession.”
The final lines portray the soul’s complete rest and surrender, letting go of self-possession to allow divine Love to flow freely. The transforming power of Love from God (“my Lover”) makes the soul’s own will unnecessary, replaced by the divine Will. The soul becomes purely receptive, a vessel for God’s action and love.
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1. What three aspects of the Trinity does Marguerite describe, and how are they related?
Marguerite describes the Trinity as composed of one eternal substance (Father), one pleasing fruition (Son), and one loving conjunction (Holy Spirit). These aspects are interrelated in a dynamic unity: the Father is the origin of being, the Son embodies the joy of divine life, and the Spirit unites them in the bond of love. The Holy Spirit’s loving conjunction flows from both the Father’s substance and the Son’s fruition, indicating an eternal outpouring of divine love.
2. How does Marguerite portray the soul’s participation in the Trinity?
Marguerite suggests that the Annihilated Soul, Unencumbered Soul, and Transparent Soul become mirrors of the Trinity. The soul’s memory corresponds to the Father’s power, the intellect to the Son’s wisdom, and the will to the Holy Spirit’s goodness. This participation is not merely symbolic but transformative-the soul’s faculties are elevated to align with the inner life of the Trinity, enabling it to live in unity with divine being.
3. What does Marguerite mean by “being without being which is Being,” and how does it relate to the soul’s mystical experience?
The phrase “being without being which is Being” describes a mystical state where the soul surrenders its self-existence to merge with divine Being. This is a form of annihilation-not a loss of existence but a transformation of it. The soul no longer acts from its own will or nature but is infused with the divine will, becoming Love itself. This “being without being” paradox captures the mystical union where the soul abides in God’s own reality.
4. How is the simplicity of God portrayed, and what impact does it have on the soul?
Marguerite emphasizes God’s utter simplicity, where He gives Himself “simple” and becomes “a simple One.” This simplicity signifies God’s absolute sufficiency and the seamless unity of His being. For the soul, this means letting go of complexity, self-possession, and multiplicity to become a receptive vessel of divine love. As God gives Himself without reservation, the soul is “enlarged” and delighted by this abundant and majestic union.
5. What role does divine love play in the transformation of the soul?
Divine love is the transforming power that flows from the Holy Spirit into the soul. It elevates and expands the soul, allowing it to live beyond itself. By surrendering to this love, the soul experiences unity with God’s will-acting “for me, in me, and without my possession.” The soul becomes transparent to God’s presence, resting in divine love without obstructing its outpouring. Love thus becomes the soul’s new identity and mode of existence.
6. How does Marguerite’s vision of the Trinity influence her understanding of human faculties (memory, intellect, will)?
Marguerite assigns each faculty of the soul a Trinitarian correspondence:
* Memory aligns with the Father’s power (eternal substance).
* Intellect aligns with the Son’s wisdom (pleasing fruition).
* Will aligns with the Spirit’s goodness (loving conjunction).
This mapping reveals a spiritual anthropology where human nature, when transformed by divine love, reflects the Trinity itself. Each faculty participates in divine operations, not merely in imitation but in a profound union that transcends self.
7. What does it mean for the soul to act “without herself,” and how does this lead to her rest in God?
To act “without herself” means that the soul renounces her own will, plans, and actions, and becomes a pure instrument of divine will. She no longer clings to personal possession or effort but surrenders entirely to God’s action. This leads to rest in God, where she experiences perfect peace and union, no longer obstructing divine love. Her life becomes a continuous act of love, harmony, and praise in alignment with God’s nature.
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Chapter 116 explores the paradoxical delight the Soul experiences in the suffering of her neighbors, which emerges not from malice but from her profound union with God. The Soul’s intimate alignment with divine Love enables her to perceive the redemptive potential in others’ suffering, a perspective that transcends natural Reason’s limited comprehension. Reason, described as “one-eyed,” misconstrues this delight as sinful, failing to grasp the Soul’s participation in God’s eternal plan where suffering leads to salvation. Thus, the chapter illuminates the contrast between the finite judgments of Reason and the infinite, salvific Love of God, into which the Soul is fully absorbed.
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1. “This [Soul] sees in her Lover a full perfect love, and so she seeks no occasion to have His assistance, but instead she takes what is His as her own.”
The Soul’s complete union with God’s perfect love enables her to live entirely within His will, no longer seeking external aid but absorbing His love as her own. This profound union signifies the Soul’s detachment from self-interest and immersion in divine love.
2. “Within her highest part this Soul is delighted many times, without her knowledge and willingly or not, by the sufferings of her neighbors, for she discerns within his’ spirit and knows without her own knowledge, that this is the way by which they will arrive at the gate of their salvation.”
The Soul, deeply united to God, perceives (even unconsciously) that the trials of others are a path to their salvation. Her delight is not in their suffering per se but in recognizing the divine purpose at work, aligning her joy with God’s pleasure and salvific will.
3. “She discerns her light in the highest place where she is united, and so she is pleased by the pleasure of Him to whom she is united, for His pleasure is the salvation of creatures.”
The Soul’s highest union with God grants her insight into divine pleasure-namely, the salvation of all beings. Her delight in this salvation is a natural outflow of her unity with God’s will, reflecting a love so complete that it embraces even the mysterious workings of redemptive suffering.
4. “Reason always judges according to what she knows, for she wishes always to do the work which is fitting for her to do. But in this case she is one-eyed, and so she cannot see the high things, and thus she makes her complaint to the Soul.”
Reason, though essential, operates with limited sight-it cannot grasp the profound, hidden operations of divine love. It perceives the Soul’s delight in others’ suffering as sinful, not realizing this delight stems from alignment with God’s salvific purpose. The “one-eyed” Reason cannot fathom the paradox of love that transcends mere appearances.
5. “No one can see high things unless he exist eternally. And rightly Reason cannot see this for it is necessary that her being faint away.”
True vision of divine mysteries, such as delight in others’ suffering for the sake of salvation, requires an eternal perspective that transcends human Reason. The Soul’s union with God allows her to participate in this eternal vision, where Reason must “faint away” or be relinquished in favor of divine wisdom and love.
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1. Why does the Soul no longer seek God’s assistance but instead takes what is His as her own?
The Soul, deeply united with her Lover (God), perceives His perfect love so fully that she no longer seeks external assistance from Him. Instead, she lives entirely within His love, absorbing it as her own and recognizing no distinction between His will and hers. This reflects her complete detachment from self-interest and full participation in divine love, in which her identity is subsumed into God’s being.
2. Why is the Soul “delighted by the suffering of her neighbors,” and is this delight sinful?
The Soul’s delight in her neighbors’ suffering is not rooted in malice or cruelty. Rather, it arises from her deep union with God, in which she perceives, even unconsciously, that these sufferings serve as a path to salvation. She delights in God’s pleasure-the salvation of all creatures-rather than in the suffering itself. From the perspective of human Reason, which operates with limited understanding, this delight might seem sinful. However, from the Soul’s union with God’s eternal vision, it is an expression of divine love and compassion.
3. How does Reason misunderstand the Soul’s delight in others’ suffering?
Reason, described as “one-eyed,” lacks the capacity to comprehend the high things of divine love and salvation. It operates within the limits of natural understanding and assumes that any delight in others’ suffering must stem from selfishness or sin. Reason judges according to what it can grasp, failing to recognize the Soul’s alignment with God’s will and the redemptive value of suffering. Thus, Reason mistakenly reproaches the Soul, not realizing that her delight is in God’s salvific work rather than in suffering itself.
4. What is meant by “no one can see high things unless he exist eternally,” and how does this relate to the Soul’s experience?
This statement underscores that only those united with God’s eternal perspective can truly perceive the divine mysteries and workings of love and salvation. The Soul’s experience of being “delighted” in others’ suffering is rooted in her participation in the eternal life of God, where suffering has a redemptive purpose. Human Reason, limited by temporal and finite understanding, cannot grasp these high truths. Only the Soul, existing in union with God’s eternity, can perceive the fullness of divine love, which often transcends and even contradicts natural reason.
5. How does this chapter illustrate the tension between human Reason and divine Love?
The chapter highlights a fundamental tension: Reason, confined to natural understanding, cannot comprehend the paradoxes of divine Love, especially when it comes to the role of suffering in salvation. The Soul’s delight in her neighbors’ suffering, seen through Reason’s lens, appears as sin. However, from the vantage point of divine Love, it is a sign of her participation in God’s salvific will. The Soul’s union with God elevates her beyond Reason’s capacity, revealing the limitations of purely rational thought in grasping the mysteries of divine grace.
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Chapter 117 presents the Soul’s profound realization of her own total wretchedness, which paradoxically becomes the very foundation of her union with divine goodness. The Soul claims that because she contains utter wretchedness by her nature, God’s total goodness must necessarily fill her, for justice would not allow her to be left lacking. This is not achieved through any merit or good work, but solely through the righteousness and generosity of divine love. Her continuous awareness of her own deep need and helplessness makes her the exemplar of salvation and the praise of God’s glory. The Soul becomes a conduit through which all creatures understand God’s goodness, for salvation consists in perceiving and acknowledging this boundless generosity. Her transformation into God through love is likened to the stronger drawing the weaker into itself. In this way, her very poverty and brokenness are transfigured into a mysterious participation in divine life, revealing the pattern of redemption for every creature.
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1. “God has nowhere to place His goodness, it says, if He places it not in me, nor has He a dwelling place which might be appropriate for Him, nor can there be a place where He might completely place Himself, if it is not in me.”
This Soul boldly claims that she is the singular vessel where God’s goodness can dwell. The audacity here stems from a profound realization: in her own nothingness and wretchedness, she becomes a perfect receptacle for the fullness of divine love and goodness. This paradox underlines a major theme in Porete’s work as well as other mystical writers of the time – that the soul’s poverty is the very space where God fully manifests Himself.
2. “Thus I am total wretchedness and He is total goodness, and one must give alms to the poorest lest one take from them what is theirs by right.”
The Soul acknowledges her complete poverty and contrasts it with God’s total goodness. She frames divine giving as an act of justice, not merely mercy: just as it is right to give to the poor, God’s bestowal of goodness is necessary, for her utter destitution demands total divine generosity. This reversal-where wretchedness entitles the soul to divine riches-redefines salvation as rooted in God’s justice responding to human need.
3. “I am total wretchedness; for anything less than the totality of the abundance of all His goodness could not fill the abyss of the depth of my own wretchedness.”
This dramatic language heightens the contrast between divine fullness and human emptiness. The Soul’s “abyss” of wretchedness isn’t merely moral but existential: nothing finite could ever satisfy her need, only the infinite totality of God’s goodness. This vision aligns with the apophatic mysticism of knowing God through the soul’s experience of utter incapacity.
4. “Thus He knows completely this need, and through [this need] have I possessed completely [His goodness] by the knowledge of His divine wisdom, by the will of His divine goodness, by the work of His divine power.”
The Soul explains that her possession of divine goodness is entirely a divine initiative-wisdom, will, and power meet to fulfill her need. There’s a radical passivity here, where salvation isn’t earned but given purely in response to the soul’s acknowledged poverty.
5. “I am the salvation of every creature and the glory of God. As Christ by His death is the redemption of the people and the praise of God the Father, so I am by reason of my wretchedness the salvation of the human race and the glory of God the Father.”
Here Porete’s voice becomes almost shocking: she draws a direct parallel between herself and Christ. While Christ’s death reveals God’s goodness and secures salvation, her own radical poverty (wretchedness) accomplishes a similar work, because it compels the manifestation of divine goodness. This isn’t blasphemous but mystically participatory: the soul becomes a mirror of Christ’s redemptive role, showing how human need is the conduit of divine glory.
6. “For the salvation of every creature is nothing other than the understanding of the goodness of God.”
Salvation is defined here not juridically (as a legal pardon) but contemplatively-as a deepened understanding of divine goodness. This mystical epistemology reorients salvation from an external transaction to an inner transformation, achieved through the recognition of God’s pure generosity.
7. “I can never lose His goodness, for I cannot lose my wretchedness, and in this point He has assured me about His goodness.”
This is both humbling and triumphant: the Soul is assured of her unshakable possession of God’s goodness, precisely because her wretchedness is inescapable. This inversion of security-rooted in inability rather than strength-becomes a profound comfort and a radical redefinition of spiritual stability.
8. “Thus I am the same that He is through the transformation of love. For the stronger transforms the weaker into itself.”
The Soul asserts a mystical union: divine love, being stronger, assimilates her into itself. This recalls the classical theme of deification or theosis, where the human, in its weakness, is “divinized” by God’s love. The “transformation of love” describes this process as dynamic and mutual-the soul, utterly passive in her wretchedness, is actively transformed into God’s own being.
9. “There is not a pupil of the eye which is so impenetrable… as is divine love if one does something contrary to it [love], and if one is not always in the perfect fullness of her pure will.”
This striking metaphor compares divine love’s impenetrability to an eye pupil’s resistance to intrusion. Divine love brooks no resistance; any contrary will or imperfection disrupts the soul’s participation. The warning is clear: to experience the fullness of God’s goodness, one must surrender completely to His love.
10. “Now you can perceive how my wretchedness is the source of possessing His goodness, on account of the occasion of my necessity.”
Porete explicitly identifies her wretchedness as the cause of her reception of God’s goodness. This theology of necessity turns human weakness into the doorway for divine action. It reflects the mystic paradox that the soul’s poverty is the precondition for union with God.
11. “All those who are planted as seeds from the Father and are come into this world, have descended from the perfect into the imperfect, in order to attain to the most perfect.”
This profound statement suggests that human existence is a journey from divine perfection into imperfection, with the ultimate goal of reattaining a higher form of perfection. This cyclical descent and ascent underpins the mystic’s vision of the soul’s journey through fallenness into glorification.
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1. How does the Soul claim to be an exemplar of salvation and even salvation itself for every creature?
The Soul claims to be an exemplar of salvation because she represents the very height of wretchedness, just as God represents the height of goodness. By being totally wretched by nature, she becomes the perfect recipient for the totality of God’s goodness, since it is fitting that the most wretched should receive the fullness of grace. In this dynamic, her wretchedness provides the occasion for God’s total goodness to be manifest and poured out. This pouring out of divine goodness in response to her necessity is seen as the very means of salvation for every creature. The Soul declares that just as Christ’s death is the redemption and praise of God, so too is her wretchedness the salvation of humanity and the glory of God.
2. Why does the Soul claim that God’s goodness belongs to her by right?
The Soul explains that because she is “total wretchedness,” it is necessary for her to receive the fullness of God’s goodness in order to terminate her misery. Anything less than the entirety of divine goodness would leave her in her wretchedness. Moreover, God cannot act unjustly; denying her His goodness when she is the poorest would be unjust, since one must give alms to the most destitute. Thus, by divine justice and necessity, His goodness belongs to her, not because of merit but because of her utter destitution and God’s unchanging justice and pure goodness.
3. What relationship does the Soul draw between her wretchedness and God’s goodness?
The Soul presents a paradoxical relationship where her total wretchedness corresponds to God’s total goodness. Her utter destitution provides the space for the totality of divine goodness to be poured out into her. Her necessity creates the occasion for God to manifest His goodness fully. The Soul emphasizes that this relationship is not based on her own works or merit but on the unchanging nature of God’s goodness, which is revealed and understood precisely through her wretchedness.
4. How does the Soul describe her role as the cause of the salvation of every creature?
The Soul declares that salvation consists in the understanding of God’s pure goodness. Humanity comes to understand this goodness through her wretchedness because divine goodness is revealed in the act of filling her emptiness. By recognizing how God’s fullness is poured into the Soul’s emptiness, others can comprehend God’s mercy and generosity. Thus, the Soul becomes the cause of the salvation of every creature-not as an intermediary like Christ, but as the one through whom the understanding of divine goodness is made manifest. Since salvation is founded on understanding divine goodness, and this understanding comes through her, she claims to be the salvation of all.
5. How does the Soul explain her inseparability from God’s goodness?
The Soul asserts that she can never lose God’s goodness because she can never lose her wretchedness. Her state of destitution is permanent, and it is this very destitution that guarantees the continued bestowal of divine goodness. This inseparability rests not on her merits or actions but solely on her nature as utterly poor and wretched and God’s nature as pure goodness and justice. The Soul even states that good works give her neither comfort nor hope; it is solely her wretchedness that assures her of God’s goodness.
6. What is the significance of the Soul’s statement about transformation?
The Soul claims that, because she possesses the totality of God’s goodness, she becomes the same as He is through the transformation of love. In this transformation, the stronger (God’s love and goodness) changes the weaker (the Soul’s wretchedness) into itself. This process is described as “most delicious,” indicating a profound mystical union where the Soul, through love, is transfigured into God’s own likeness. However, she also notes that divine love is impenetrable and reacts sharply to anything contrary to its perfect will, just as the pupil of the eye is destroyed by any foreign object. This highlights both the joy of transformation and the demand for perfect union with God’s will.
7. How does the Soul explain the relationship between evil and good in the divine plan?
The Soul acknowledges that sometimes God allows evil for the sake of a greater good that must emerge from it. She compares this to seeds descending from perfection into imperfection in order to attain the most perfect state. The “wound” of her wretchedness is opened so that God may heal not only her but also others. This echoes the redemptive dynamic seen in Christ’s Passion, where suffering and apparent loss become the occasion for a deeper revelation of divine goodness and glory.
8. What does the Soul mean when she claims her salvation and glory are assured, independent of good works?
The Soul insists that her salvation and God’s glory are assured not because of any good works she could perform but because of her inherent wretchedness. This wretchedness necessitates God’s outpouring of total goodness, which ensures her transformation and salvation. Good works do not add to this process, for they are not the source of her hope or comfort. Instead, her unalterable wretchedness is the very basis for God’s justice and goodness to act fully upon her, thereby guaranteeing her salvation and glorifying God.
9. How does this chapter deepen the Soul’s overall teaching in The Mirror of Simple Souls?
Chapter 117 encapsulates the radical mystical teaching of the Soul’s journey: complete annihilation of self (recognition of total wretchedness) becomes the condition for the fullness of divine union (transformation into God’s goodness). It brings together earlier themes of poverty, love, divine justice, and transformation, presenting the Soul’s emptiness not as a flaw but as the gateway through which divine fullness is revealed. It also emphasizes the communal dimension of salvation: by manifesting God’s goodness through her own poverty, the Soul becomes the exemplar and instrument of the salvation and glorification of all creation.
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Chapter 118 – First through Fourth Stages
This section of The Mirror of Simple Souls presents a profound teaching on the soul’s progressive ascent toward union with God. It describes the first four of seven stages through which the soul must pass, beginning with a fearful obedience to God’s commandments, moving through voluntary self-mortification and renunciation of all things, advancing to an ardent love that surpasses mere actions, and culminating in an ecstatic delight in divine love. However, even this fourth stage is revealed to be a deceptive resting place, where the soul, intoxicated with spiritual pleasure, may mistakenly think it has attained its goal. The key insight is that true union with God demands not only detachment from sin and material goods, but also from the soul’s own will and its attachments to spiritual joys and accomplishments.
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1. “These are the degrees by which one ascends from the valley to the height of the mountain, which is so isolated that one sees nothing save God.”
Porete introduces the seven stages as a spiritual ascent from the world (the valley) to a profound union with God (the mountain). The mountain’s isolation represents the complete detachment from worldly distractions, enabling the soul to focus solely on God.
2. “The first state, or degree, is that the Soul, who is touched by God through grace and stripped of her power of sin, intends to keep for the rest of her life, that is until death, the commandments of God…”
The first stage is one of conversion and commitment. The soul, awakened by divine grace, resolves to obey God’s commandments with lifelong dedication. This stage is characterized by reverent fear and an awareness of personal limitation.
3. “At such a point and in such a stage I found myself once upon a time, says the Unencumbered Soul… But a petty heart dares not to undertake a great thing or to climb high, because of a lack of love.”
Porete’s “Unencumbered Soul” reflects on her own past experience, warning that fear and sloth prevent the soul from advancing. Courage and noble-heartedness are needed to progress beyond mere obedience.
4. “The second state or degree is that the Soul considers that God counsels His special lovers to go beyond what He commands… in mortification of nature, in despising riches, delights and honors…”
This second stage involves embracing the counsels-voluntary acts of self-denial, poverty, and humility. It marks a transition from obligatory obedience to a generous self-offering that imitates Christ’s example of radical love.
5. “For her beloved does not fear them, and so neither can the Soul who is overtaken by Him.”
The soul in this stage is so captivated by divine love that she mirrors the fearlessness of Christ, undeterred by suffering, loss, or scorn.
6. “The third stage is when the Soul considers herself in the affection of the love of the work of perfection… a boiling desire of love… to offer consolation to her beloved except in what He loves.”
Here, the soul’s love becomes intense and active, delighting in performing virtuous works for God’s sake. The “boiling desire” expresses the soul’s yearning to please God, even if it means sacrificing her own will.
7. “For no death would be martyrdom to her except abstaining from the work she loves… she puts the will to death… to destroy her own will.”
This stage reveals a profound inner struggle: the soul’s willingness to relinquish even her cherished works and surrender her own will to God’s, demonstrating a deeper form of martyrdom.
8. “The fourth stage is that the Soul is drawn by the height of love into the delight of thought through meditation… the Soul is so impenetrable, noble, and delicate that she cannot suffer any kind of touch except the touch of the pure delight of love…”
The fourth stage shifts from active works to contemplative union. The soul is absorbed in a loving meditation, tasting divine delight. However, she may become enamored with these pleasures, mistaking them for the summit of union.
9. “And thus the Soul cannot value another state, for the great brightness of love has so totally dazzled her sight that she sees nothing beyond her love… And there she is deceived…”
Porete warns that the soul, intoxicated by the sweetness of contemplation, might become complacent, thinking she has reached the highest state. In reality, greater stages of love and detachment remain.
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1. What is the Soul’s initial declaration about the seven stages or states, and how does it describe the journey?
The Soul declares her intention to describe the seven stages, called states, through which a soul ascends from the “valley” to the “mountain,” where one sees nothing but God. These degrees represent a progressive ascent from worldly attachments to spiritual union, each level building upon the one before it. The Soul emphasizes that these stages involve a transition from fear and obligation toward complete self-emptying and union with divine love.
2. What characterizes the first stage, and what kind of fear and commitment are present here?
In the first stage, the Soul is “touched by God through grace” and commits herself to obey God’s commandments for the rest of her life. This stage is marked by fear-particularly the fear of disobeying God’s commands, especially the commandments to love God and neighbor. The Soul feels overwhelmed, believing that even if she lived a thousand years, her entire strength would be needed just to keep the commandments. This is a stage of initial moral conversion and awe-filled commitment to God’s law.
3. How does the Unencumbered Soul reflect on the first stage and encourage progression beyond it?
The Unencumbered Soul shares that she once occupied this first stage but warns that one should not fear ascending higher. She encourages those with a “gentle heart and noble courage” to strive for greater love and detachment, while criticizing the cowardice of those who remain stagnant in sloth. This commentary suggests that remaining in the first stage is a form of spiritual inertia that prevents deeper union with God.
4. What is the second stage, and how does it differ from mere obedience to commandments?
The second stage involves transcending obedience to embrace counsel-that is, the voluntary pursuit of evangelical perfection beyond basic moral obligations. The Soul strives for self-mortification, detachment from wealth, honors, and bodily comforts, mirroring the example of Christ. Here, love motivates the soul to go beyond duty, renouncing everything to please the Beloved. This stage introduces voluntary poverty, humility, and the spirit of sacrifice.
5. What defines the third stage, and why is it considered more difficult than the previous two?
In the third stage, the Soul is driven by an intense, boiling desire for love, seeking to perform good works purely to delight the Beloved. However, the key challenge here is detachment even from these good works. The Soul must relinquish her own will-especially her attachment to doing good-as a form of spiritual martyrdom. This is harder than overcoming bodily desires because it requires dying to one’s spiritual ambitions and attachments. True love demands not only external renunciation but inward self-emptying.
6. What experience characterizes the fourth stage, and what deception can occur here?
The fourth stage is marked by a rapturous immersion in contemplative love. The Soul enters a realm of inward delight and joy, detached from external works and even obedience to others. She experiences such intense spiritual pleasure that she believes she has reached the summit of divine love. However, the Soul is deceived here: Love itself, through its sweetness, can lead to a false sense of completion. The Soul becomes “inebriated” with love and may fail to see that there are still higher stages beyond this delightful state.
7. What caution does the text give about the fourth stage, and what is implied about higher stages?
The text warns that although the fourth stage brings ecstatic union and joy, it is not the highest level. There are two further stages, “greater and more noble,” which surpass the joy-filled contemplation of the fourth stage. The danger is that souls, overtaken by the sweetness of love, might stop progressing, mistaking delight for ultimate union. The text hints that true love requires further stripping of the self, moving beyond even spiritual ecstasy.
8. How does this chapter reflect Marguerite Porete’s overall spiritual teaching?
This chapter illustrates Porete’s radical teaching on annihilation of the will, detachment from both sin and virtue, and the soul’s journey through increasing levels of self-emptying. It shows the Soul’s ascent from mere obedience, through active love and sacrifice, to delight in God’s love, while warning against mistaking spiritual pleasure for ultimate union. The emphasis on breaking self-will, even in good works, reveals Porete’s core insight: union with God comes only when the soul becomes entirely emptied and surrendered.
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Chapter 118 – Fifth Stage:
In this stage, the Soul’s journey reaches a profound realization of her own nothingness in contrast to God’s supreme being and goodness. She comes to see that her free will, though tarnished by sin, is a gift from God, and that only by relinquishing her own will and merging it with the Divine Will can she be truly transformed. As Divine Light penetrates her will, it leads her away from self-centeredness and aligns her perfectly with God’s will, bringing peace and rest. The Soul’s deep humility opens her fully to divine grace, transforming her into pure love and goodness. She ceases to desire anything for herself and is wholly united with God, becoming both All and Nothing in a mystical union that transcends human comprehension. This union leaves her at rest in God’s will, free from her own striving, and filled with a divine peace that is beyond measure.
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1. “The fifth stage is that the Soul considers that God is Who is, from whom all things are, and she is not if she is not of Him from whom all things are.”
The Soul reaches a realization of God’s absolute being (“Who is”) contrasted with her own non-being except as a gift from Him. This insight produces a profound humility, as she recognizes that her very existence depends entirely on God’s goodness.
2. “These two considerations give her a marvelous amazement, and she sees that He is total goodness who has placed free will in her who is not, except in total wretchedness.”
Astonished, the Soul contemplates the paradox that God’s pure goodness placed free will within her, though she is by nature wretched and nothing without God. This recognition leads to deep gratitude and awe for divine generosity.
3. “Now the will sees by the light from the overflow of Divine Light, which Light gives itself to such a will in order to dissolve this will into God, not being able to place itself there without such Light.”
Here, the Soul’s will, illuminated by Divine Light, sees that it must relinquish itself and dissolve into God’s will. This “dissolution” is impossible without divine illumination; it is God’s grace that moves the Soul to total surrender.
4. “For its nature is evil on account of the tendency of nothingness, toward which nature is inclined, and the will has placed her [the soul] in less than nothing.”
The Soul perceives that her natural will, apart from God, is inclined toward “nothingness”-not just moral evil but ontological nothingness. It traps her in “less than nothing” by clinging to her own will, which must be renounced.
5. “And thus the Soul removes herself from this will, and the will is separated from the Soul and dissolves itself, and [the will] gives and renders itself to God, whence it was first taken, without retaining anything of its own in order to fulfill the perfect Divine Will.”
This marks the Soul’s radical self-abandonment: her will is surrendered entirely to God, stripped of self-claim. It returns to God, fulfilling His perfect will, not partially but totally.
6. “Now this Soul is nothing, for she sees her nothingness by means of the abundance of divine Understanding, which makes her nothing and places her in nothingness. And so she is all things.”
Paradoxically, by seeing herself as nothing through divine understanding, the Soul is made “all things.” This reversal reflects the Christian mystery: the self-emptying into God brings a participation in God’s own fullness.
7. “Such is the flood of sin which contains within it all perdition. This Soul sees herself as such, without seeing. And who makes her see herself? The depth of humility which seats her on the throne, who reigns without pride.”
The Soul’s self-knowledge is grounded in a humility so deep that pride cannot enter. This humility becomes her exaltation-she “sits on the throne” not through pride but through recognition of her nothingness and surrender.
8. “Now this Soul is at rest in the bottomless depths, and the depths are the lowest. And this depth makes [the Soul] see very clearly the true Sun of the Highest Goodness, for she has nothing which would impede the vision.”
From the lowest depth of self-emptying, the Soul has a clear vision of God’s infinite goodness, unclouded by self-will or pride. Her “bottomless” humility becomes the place where God’s light shines most purely.
9. “Therefore she wills only one thing: the Spouse of her youth, who is only One. Mercy shaped with justice makes peace which has transformed such a Soul into His goodness. Now she is All, and so she is Nothing, for her Beloved makes her One.”
The Soul, stripped of her own will, now desires only God, her “Spouse.” Mercy and justice join in her transformation. She is “All” and “Nothing” because she has become one with the Beloved, fully united with Divine Will.
10. “Now this Soul has fallen from love into nothingness, and without such nothingness she cannot be All.”
The Soul’s descent into nothingness-total surrender and self-emptying-paradoxically enables her to be “All” in God. This “fall” is necessary for complete union with God.
11. “And also she ought not to do it, but instead she ought always to remain there. And there the Soul loses pride and youth, for the spirit has become old… [and] she is completely in repose and placed in possession of free being.”
The Soul recognizes that she should not strive to lift herself from this abyss of humility and nothingness. Pride and youthful striving are gone, replaced by mature, peaceful repose and the possession of true freedom.
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1. What does the Soul recognize in the Fifth Stage about God and herself?
In the Fifth Stage, the Soul recognizes that God is “He who is” (the source of all being), while she herself is “not” (nothing) except through Him. This realization leads to a profound amazement as she contemplates God’s absolute goodness and her own total wretchedness.
2. How does free will feature in this stage?
The Soul realizes that her free will, though enclosed in her own wretchedness, is a gift from Divine Goodness. This gift enables her, despite her nothingness and sinfulness, to choose union with God’s will. Free will, therefore, becomes the means by which God invites her to participate in His being and goodness.
3. What role does Divine Light play in transforming the Soul?
The Divine Goodness pours out an overflow of Divine Light into the Soul. This Light:
* Illuminates her will, showing her what is right and what is not.
* Moves her will away from her own desires to align with the Divine Will.
* Dissolves her will into God’s will, stripping her of self-centeredness and uniting her with God.
4. Why must the Soul let go of her own will?
The Soul sees that her own will is inherently evil, inclined towards nothingness and self-destruction. It has led her into less than nothingness, deepening her wretchedness. Only by abandoning her own will and choosing the Divine Will can she be transformed and freed from warfare and deficiency.
5. What happens when the Soul’s will is given completely to God?
When the Soul’s will is dissolved into God’s will:
* She is transformed into Love, filled with peace and divine nourishment.
* She is no longer engaged in the war of nature (the internal conflict of human desires vs. divine will).
* Her will is returned to its source, aligning perfectly with the Divine Will, resulting in a state of rest and fulfillment.
6. How does the Soul’s self-understanding deepen in this stage?
The Soul sees her own nothingness with increasing clarity, recognizing a bottomless abyss of wretchedness within herself. This understanding is not a source of despair but of humility, making her more open to Divine Grace and less susceptible to pride. The Soul’s “not-seeing” of herself (losing herself in the depths of humility) actually makes her see herself more perfectly.
7. How does this deep humility transform her relationship with God?
In the depths of humility, the Soul sees God as the true Sun of the Highest Goodness. Her nothingness leaves nothing to obstruct divine vision. God’s Goodness draws, transforms, and unites her into itself. This union is characterized by peace, justice, and mercy, transforming her completely into God’s goodness.
8. What is the paradox about the Soul’s identity in this stage?
The Soul, having “fallen from love into nothingness,” is now both All and Nothing. She is All because she is united with God’s infinite being and goodness. She is Nothing because she has fully emptied herself of pride, will, and personal identity. This paradox reflects the mystical union with God that transcends human logic.
9. Why is the Soul now “at rest” and “free”?
The Soul, having surrendered her own will and embraced her nothingness, is now at rest in the bottomless depths of humility. She experiences no pride, desire, or restlessness. This profound rest comes from being in complete harmony with God’s will, no longer divided by her own. Her freedom arises from this complete alignment with Divine Being.
10. What is the lasting effect of this stage on the Soul’s desires and actions?
The Soul’s desires and actions are stripped away. She no longer seeks spiritual pleasure, consolation, or her own righteousness. Instead, she abides in a state of pure being, where the Divine Will alone acts. Her only desire is for the Spouse of her youth, a symbol of her original and final union with God.
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Chapter 118 – Sixth and Seventh Stages:
In this sixth and seventh stage of the soul’s ascent, the main teaching is that the soul reaches a profound depth of humility and purification, where she no longer perceives herself or even God directly, but God Himself sees His own divine majesty reflected within her. The soul is entirely clarified, emptied of all that is not God, and lives solely in the awareness that God alone exists, and everything is from Him. This stage, however, is not yet the full glorification of the soul, which is reserved for the seventh stage in eternal life-something beyond human comprehension and expressible only in the glory of heaven. Love, the guiding force, has paid the price to bring the soul to this sublime state of spiritual union, preparing her for the final transformation into divine glory.
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1. “The sixth stage is that the Soul does not see herself on account of such an abyss of humility which she has within her. Nor does she see God on account of the highest goodness which He has.”
At this stage, the Soul is immersed in profound humility, so deeply aware of her own nothingness that she cannot even see herself. Simultaneously, the immense goodness and transcendence of God is so overwhelming that she cannot directly perceive Him either. However, this absence of self-perception and God-perception is not a sign of separation but of union at a level beyond comprehension.
2. “But God sees Himself in her by His divine majesty, who clarifies this Soul with Himself, so that she sees only that there is nothing except God Himself Who is, from whom all things are.”
In this union, God takes the initiative. He sees Himself reflected in the purified Soul by His divine majesty. The Soul’s vision is not her own, but a gift-she sees that nothing exists except God. This stage emphasizes that all being originates from and belongs to God, and that the Soul’s own being is entirely dependent on His self-giving goodness.
3. “And so the Soul is at the sixth stage, freed, and pure and clarified from all things – but not at all glorified. For the glorification is at the seventh stage, which we will have in glory, of which none know how to speak.”
The sixth stage represents the final stage of purification on this side of eternity. The Soul is freed from all created attachments, perfectly pure and clarified, but not yet glorified. The glorification reserved for the seventh stage pertains to the fullness of union with God in the afterlife, a reality too sublime for human comprehension or articulation.
4. “But this Soul, thus pure and clarified, sees neither God nor herself, but God sees Himself of Himself in her, for her, without her.”
This paradox expresses the depth of union. The Soul cannot see God or herself, but God’s gaze within her maintains the relationship. The Soul’s identity dissolves in God’s majesty; she becomes a mirror in which God beholds His own image, without the Soul’s self-awareness or striving. This shows the utter self-surrender and receptivity of the Soul.
5. “For whatever is, exists by His goodness, and God loves His Goodness whatever part He has given through goodness. And His goodness given is God Himself, and God cannot separate Himself from His goodness so that it would not remain in Him.”
The passage highlights the ontological reality that all being stems from God’s inherent goodness. God’s self-giving is both the cause of creation and the bond of union with the Soul. Since God and His goodness are inseparable, the Soul’s participation in this goodness is not an external or accidental relation, but a profound sharing in God’s very life.
6. “This is the sixth stage, which we have promised to say to the hearers, by the enterprise of Love. Love of herself through her high nobility has paid the debt.”
The sixth stage is portrayed as the culmination of the Soul’s journey in this life, a state reached through Love’s own initiative. Love, in its nobility, has brought the Soul to this point of complete surrender and union, where the ‘debt’ of separation and striving has been repaid through Love’s transforming power.
7. “The seventh stage Love keeps within herself in order to give it to us in eternal glory, of which we will have no understanding until our soul has left our body.”
The text concludes by pointing beyond this life. The seventh stage, the stage of full glorification and eternal union with God, is not accessible while we are still in the body. It is a mystery that awaits us in the life to come, where Love will finally reveal her ultimate gift to the soul.
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1. What characterizes the soul at the sixth stage?
In the sixth stage, the soul no longer perceives herself because she is immersed in an “abyss of humility.” She has descended so deeply into humility that her self-awareness disappears. She cannot even see God, as she is entirely absorbed into His supreme goodness. The “highest goodness” of God that makes her unable to perceive Him. However, it is not a lack of vision but rather a profound spiritual clarity where God sees Himself in the soul through His divine majesty. The soul becomes so purified and clarified that she perceives nothing but God Himself as the sole reality, the source and being of all that exists. This stage signifies perfect detachment and self-surrender, where the soul’s vision is no longer from her own capacity but from God’s presence in her.
2. How does God’s self-revelation operate in the soul at this stage?
God sees Himself in the soul at the sixth stage, illuminating and clarifying her. While the soul cannot directly see God or herself, God sees Himself in her through His divine majesty. He illuminates the soul by uniting her with His being, so that she becomes a mirror of His goodness. In this process, the soul’s own faculties are not the means of vision; instead, God sees Himself within her without appropriation, without drawing anything from her being, because all being belongs to Him. This reveals God’s self-giving love and the deep mystery of participation in His life.
3. Why is the sixth stage considered purified but not yet glorified?
The sixth stage represents a complete clarification and purification of the soul, where she is free from all attachments and clarified from everything except God. However, glorification belongs to the seventh stage, which refers to the ultimate union with God in the life to come, beyond the limits of earthly existence. Glorification involves not only purity but also a sharing in God’s eternal glory, a reality that no human words or understanding can express in this life. Therefore, the sixth stage is a foretaste of union, but the fullness of glory is reserved for the afterlife.
4. What is the significance of the phrase “God loves His goodness whatever part He has given through goodness”?
This phrase highlights the inseparable link between God and His goodness. God’s goodness is His very essence, and everything that exists derives from this goodness. Whatever share of goodness a creature possesses comes directly from God Himself, and because God is goodness itself, He loves this goodness in the creature as an extension of Himself. God’s love is thus not merely directed at creatures in themselves, but at the manifestation of His own goodness within them. This underscores the idea that all being, life, and love are rooted in God’s unchanging nature.
5. How does the text describe Love’s role in bringing the soul to this stage?
The text attributes the soul’s arrival at the sixth stage to the work of Love. It portrays Love as a noble force that has “paid the debt” and brought the soul to this purified state. Love operates as the dynamic principle guiding the soul to the point of complete surrender and union with God. Through Love, the soul has been emptied of all lesser loves and self-perceptions, becoming a pure reflection of God’s goodness. This shows that it is not the soul’s effort but Love’s initiative that accomplishes the soul’s final transformation.
6. What is the overarching message of the sixth stage?
The sixth stage teaches that the soul, emptied of all self-will and self-perception, becomes the place where God sees Himself by His own majesty. The soul is purified and clarified by God’s light and love, understanding that everything comes from His goodness. Yet this state is not yet complete, as the fullness of glorification is reserved for the seventh stage in heaven.
7. What does the text say about the seventh stage, and why is it beyond our understanding?
The text briefly touches on the seventh stage, describing it as a mystery reserved for the afterlife. It is the stage of eternal glorification, where Love will reveal her ultimate gift to the soul. However, it remains completely beyond human understanding while we are still in the body. This stage involves a fullness of union with God’s glory that surpasses all earthly experiences and concepts. It is a reality we cannot yet comprehend or articulate, but which will be revealed after death in the beatific vision.
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In Chapter 119, the Soul offers a humble apology for the length and discursiveness of the book, recognizing that while it may seem extensive in human terms, it is profoundly insufficient to those souls who dwell in the ineffable state of divine nothingness and being. These souls, unknown to Reason and utterly united with God, have no need for words or explanations. The Soul confesses that the book was shaped by the limitations of human reason and senses, which are incapable of grasping or conveying the essence of divine love and knowledge. Though Love was the true source behind its inspiration, the Soul admits that her intellect and cowardice deferred too often to Reason. Ultimately, she declares that all speech about God falls short, even verging on falsehood compared to the inexpressible reality of God’s being. Thus, the book, though born of love, belongs to the “lower life,” as it still depends on human faculties to speak of what surpasses them entirely.
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1. “Ah, Ladies in no way known, says the Soul who causes this book to be written, you who are in being and established without separating yourselves from the Being [which] is not known, truly you are in no way known, but this is in the land where Reason has lordship.”
The Soul addresses those advanced souls who dwell in a hidden, unknowable union with God-referred to as “Ladies in no way known.” These are souls who abide in God without separation, beyond the grasp of rational understanding. The soul laments that such beings remain unrecognized precisely because they exist in realms untouched by Reason, which dominates the earthly domain. This line emphasizes the limits of reason in comprehending the deepest spiritual union.
2. “I excuse myself, says this Soul, to all those who remain in nothingness and who are fallen from love into such being. For I have made this book very large through words, [though] it seems to you very small, insofar as I am able to understand you.”
The authorial soul expresses a humble apology to those highly purified souls who abide in “nothingness”-a spiritual condition of total self-emptying and divine union. To them, her long and wordy book appears small or even insignificant. This contrast highlights the difference between discursive, reason-based theology and the simple, wordless experience of God in pure love. The soul recognizes the inadequacy of language to convey divine realities.
3. “Now please pardon me by your courtesy, for necessity has no law. I did not know to whom to speak my intention.”
The soul pleads for understanding, explaining that the book was written out of necessity-perhaps as a response to interior movements of love and longing-but without a clear audience in mind. This underscores the spontaneous and compelled nature of mystical writing, not undertaken as a systematic treatise, but as an outpouring prompted by divine motion.
4. “Now I understand, on account of your peace and on account of the truth, that [this book] is of the lower life. Cowardice has guided [this book], which has given its perception over to Reason through the answers of Love to Reason’s petitions.”
The soul now perceives that the book belongs to a “lower life,” not in a moral sense but because it operates within the framework of Reason. She admits that fear-or spiritual immaturity-caused her to rely on Reason, allowing Love only to respond within rational constraints. This reflects the tension between the unmeasurable experience of divine love and the structured explanations demanded by human intellect.
5. “And so [this book] has been created by human knowledge and the human senses; and the human reason and the human senses know nothing about inner love, inner love from divine knowledge.”
Here, the soul critiques the limitations of human faculties. While the book is shaped by knowledge and sense-perception, true inner love arises only from divine knowledge, not from anything the natural faculties can produce. This deepens her self-critique: the very tools used to create the book are unfit for its divine subject.
6. “My heart is drawn so high and fallen so low at the same time that I cannot complete [this book]. For everything one can say or write about God, or think about Him, God who is greater than what is ever said, [everything] is thus more like lying than speaking the truth.”
The soul admits the impossibility of finishing her task. Her heart is caught between the heights of mystical union and the depths of her limitations. Any language about God, she confesses, is ultimately false in comparison to the ineffable truth. This is a hallmark of apophatic (negative) theology: the acknowledgment that God surpasses all conceptual expression.
7. “I have said, says this Soul, that Love caused [the book] to be written through human knowledge and through willing it by the transformation of my intellect with which I was encumbered, as it appears in this book.”
She reiterates that Love inspired the book but had to work through the soul’s limited intellect. The intellect was an encumbrance-an obstacle to pure expression-yet Love managed to guide the process. This acknowledges both divine origin and human limitation in mystical authorship.
8. “For Love made the book in unencumbering my spirit by her three gifts, of which we have spoken.”
Love ultimately liberates the soul’s spirit, granting her three gifts that have been discussed earlier in the text. These gifts likely refer to interior purification, divine union, and the annihilation of self-will. The book, then, emerges from Love’s liberating action-even if filtered through fallible human faculties.
9. “And thus I say that [the book] is of the lower life and very small, even though it seemed to be large at the beginning of the demonstration of this being.”
In closing, the soul maintains that the book, though perhaps appearing vast in its intellectual reach, is “very small” when compared to the reality of divine being. This humility is not false modesty but a mystical awareness: nothing written, no matter how vast, can do justice to the simplicity and fullness of God.
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1. Why does the Soul feel the need to excuse herself for writing such a long book?
The Soul feels compelled to apologize because, although the book is long in words, she acknowledges that to souls who live in “nothingness” and divine union, it appears very small or even inadequate. These highly advanced souls, who have transcended reason and fallen from love into pure being, experience God directly and see little value in rational discourse. The Soul recognizes this gap and humbly excuses the prolixity of the text, admitting it was written out of necessity, guided by her limited understanding and spiritual immaturity at the time.
2. Who are the “Ladies in no way known,” and what is their significance?
The “Ladies in no way known” refer to the souls who dwell in a hidden, unknowable state of divine being. They are entirely united with God, established in a reality beyond comprehension and untouched by human reason. Their significance lies in the fact that they exemplify the highest stage of spiritual transformation-where the self is annihilated in God. These souls are invisible to the rational world, living in pure divine simplicity and love, and serve as silent witnesses to the ineffable nature of God.
3. How does the Soul contrast divine knowledge with human faculties such as reason and the senses?
The Soul draws a clear distinction between divine knowledge and human faculties. She laments that the book was created through “human knowledge and the human senses,” which, she asserts, know nothing of “inner love from divine knowledge.” Human reason and perception are incapable of grasping or communicating the profound truths of divine union. Thus, while reason was used to articulate the book’s content-often in response to Love’s promptings-its limitations render it inadequate for expressing the depths of inner love that flow only from divine illumination.
4. What does the Soul mean when she says that writing or speaking about God is “more like lying than speaking the truth”?
This statement reflects a deeply apophatic (negative) theological perspective. The Soul means that any attempt to speak or write about God inevitably falls short of the divine reality, which surpasses all human concepts and language. Therefore, even well-intentioned expressions of God’s nature are more misleading than accurate because they suggest comprehension where there can be none. True divine reality is ineffable, and the Soul acknowledges her own inability to convey it truthfully, no matter how earnest her efforts.
5. How does the Soul describe the process by which Love influenced the writing of the book?
The Soul explains that Love was the driving force behind the book, working through her limited intellect and human faculties. Although her intellect was an encumbrance, Love managed to work through it, inspiring the content indirectly. The book is thus a result of Love’s influence mediated by the Soul’s inner transformation. Love unencumbered her spirit by bestowing three divine gifts (mentioned earlier in the text), enabling her to bear witness to divine truths, albeit in a form conditioned by her humanity.
6. Why does the Soul ultimately label the book as belonging to the “lower life”?
The Soul calls the book part of the “lower life” because it remains within the realm of Reason, human speech, and discursive understanding. It was composed through the intellect and guided by cautious engagement with rational petitions, rather than from the wordless, all-consuming state of divine union. From the perspective of those in the highest spiritual state-where all is God and all is silence-the book is a mere shadow of the divine reality it attempts to express. Its written form, no matter how inspired, cannot transcend the limitations of created faculties.
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Chapter 120 presents a poetic dialogue between Truth and the Soul, in which Truth praises the Soul who has fully surrendered to Love, calling her a radiant, noble being who asks nothing of Love but to fulfill Love’s divine pleasure. The Soul responds with profound humility, denying any self-originated merit and affirming that she has never acted independently, but only through Love, who now governs all her faculties-sense, will, and reason. The main teaching centers on the soul’s complete dispossession and transformation by divine Love, such that she becomes a vessel through which God acts. Her perfection lies not in self-knowledge or mystical achievement, but in her utter abandonment of self-will and her quiet, radiant conformity to Love’s will alone.
—
1. “O emerald and precious gem, / True diamond, queen and empress, / You give everything from your fine nobility, / Without asking from Love her riches, / Except the willing of her divine pleasure.”
Truth begins with a lofty hymn of praise for the soul who has reached the heights of divine union. The soul is compared to precious stones-emerald and diamond-signifying clarity, value, and incorruptibility. She is also called “queen and empress,” pointing to her royal dignity in spiritual nobility. What makes her so noble is not any claim or grasping after Love’s gifts, but her total surrender to Love’s will-she desires nothing but Love’s pleasure. This reveals the paradox of true love: the greatest souls do not seek divine gifts, only to will what Love wills.
2. “Thus is this right by righteousness, / For it is the true path / of Fine Love, whoever wishes to remain on it.”
Truth affirms that this humble, self-emptying attitude is right by righteousness-a deeply theological statement. It is not just admirable, but in perfect conformity with divine justice and truth. Such surrender is the true and only path of “Fine Love”-a love purified of self-interest. Remaining on this path means abiding in the will of God without personal desire, which defines the sanctified soul.
3. “O deepest spring and fountain sealed, / Where the sun is subtly hidden, / You send your rays, says Truth, through divine knowledge; / We know it through true Wisdom: / Her splendor makes us completely luminous.”
The soul is called a “sealed fountain,” echoing biblical imagery from the Song of Songs (4:12), suggesting mystery, purity, and a source of life veiled in secrecy. The “sun subtly hidden” within her is the divine presence, hidden yet radiating its light. The rays she sends out are manifestations of divine knowledge, not her own. Truth, speaking for all who are illumined, proclaims that it is through Wisdom (a divine attribute, not mere intellect) that such splendor makes all luminous. This is not knowledge possessed, but light received and reflected.
4. “O Truth, says this Soul, for God’s sake, do not say / That of myself I might ever say something of Him, / save through Him; / And this is true, do not doubt it, / I was never lady by myself in this.”
The soul responds with profound humility and theological precision. She rebukes any praise that might attribute divine speech or knowledge to her own capacity. Whatever she has said of God is only because God spoke through her. She denies autonomy in divine matters: she was “never lady” of herself. This is a direct affirmation of the soul’s passivity in divine union-she is an instrument, not a source.
5. “And if it pleases you to know whose I am, / I will say it through pure courtesy: / Love holds me so completely in her domain, / That I have neither sense, nor will, / Nor reason to do anything, / Except through her, as you know.”
The soul reveals her full identity-not as an autonomous being, but one wholly possessed by Love. “Love holds me” evokes a total spiritual capture. She has surrendered all faculties: sense, will, and reason. Her every action is moved by Love, not by her own initiative. This final declaration perfectly encapsulates the doctrine of mystical annihilation: the soul becomes a vessel wholly moved by divine Love, no longer acting from herself.
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1. Who is speaking in this chapter, and what is the structure of the dialogue?
This chapter presents a dialogue between Truth and the Soul. Truth opens with a poetic praise of the soul who has attained union with Love, describing her nobility and divine radiance. The Soul then responds with deep humility, denying any self-originated worth or power and attributing everything to Love. The structure reinforces the reciprocal movement between divine recognition and humble self-effacement.
2. How does Truth describe the Soul who has attained this level of spiritual union?
Truth extols the soul using rich, regal, and precious imagery-calling her an emerald, true diamond, queen, and empress. These images signify the soul’s beauty, incorruptibility, and elevated status. Truth also praises the soul’s fine nobility, noting that she gives everything of herself without asking for any of Love’s riches, except for the fulfillment of Love’s divine pleasure. This underscores the soul’s utter selflessness and perfect conformity to divine will.
3. What is the “true path of Fine Love” according to this chapter?
The “true path of Fine Love” is the soul’s total self-emptying and willing only what Love wills. Truth calls this the path “right by righteousness,” meaning it is not merely virtuous but divinely ordered. To remain on this path, one must act with no self-interest, seeking nothing but to fulfill the divine pleasure. It is a love purified of desire for spiritual gifts, merit, or even self-awareness.
4. What theological meaning is conveyed in the image of the “sealed fountain” and the “sun subtly hidden”?
These images draw from the Song of Songs and medieval mystical symbolism. The “sealed fountain” suggests the soul’s interiority, purity, and hiddenness in God. The “sun subtly hidden” refers to the indwelling of God in the soul-His presence is real and radiant but not seen directly. The rays that go out from the fountain are divine knowledge and light, communicated through the soul. Thus, the soul is a hidden source of divine illumination, not by her own power but by union with divine Wisdom.
5. How does the Soul respond to the praise given by Truth?
The Soul responds with profound humility and theological accuracy. She insists that she can say nothing of God except through God. She declares she has never acted as her own “lady” (mistress or sovereign) in anything divine. Her entire being-sense, will, reason-is now governed by Love. She denies all autonomy and attributes everything to divine initiative, especially the transformative power of Love.
6. What does the Soul mean by saying, “Love holds me so completely in her domain”?
This line expresses the complete spiritual possession of the soul by Love. It signifies that the soul’s faculties and actions are no longer her own but are moved entirely by Love. She no longer uses her senses, will, or reason autonomously; instead, she acts only through Love. This is the culmination of mystical annihilation: the soul becomes a vessel through which Love alone acts.
7. How does this chapter illustrate the key themes of the Mirror of Simple Souls as a whole?
Chapter 120 encapsulates several central themes of the work:
* Mystical annihilation: The soul’s self is emptied so that only Love acts in her.
* Divine initiative: All wisdom, speech, and action come from God, not the soul.
* The nobility of spiritual poverty: The soul who seeks nothing but God’s will is exalted.
* Humility and hiddenness: The soul’s greatness is invisible to reason and rooted in divine union.
* Transformation by Love: Love is both the goal and the agent of transformation.
Together, these affirm that true spiritual perfection is found not in mystical experience per se, but in total dispossession and willing only what God wills, without self-regard.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 11 of 14
In Chapter 101 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, Marguerite Porete presents the Soul’s state of total union with God, where self-will and self-interest have been utterly annihilated. The Soul, now illuminated by divine Love, no longer seeks, ponders, or acts because she recognizes that God Himself lacks nothing, seeks nothing, and contemplates nothing outside His own fullness. In this profound state of unity, the Soul possesses only as much being as God is willing to manifest in her, embracing a complete self-emptying in which she no longer claims possession or desire for anything. This surrender leads to overwhelming peace, transcending human understanding and rendering the Soul’s entire existence a reflection of divine perfection. The chapter powerfully conveys the Soul’s complete identification with the divine will and the sublime tranquility that flows from such a state.
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1. “Ah, for the sake of God, why would I do something which my Lover does not do? Nothing is lacking to Him, why, therefore, would anything be lacking to me?”
Here the Soul voices a radical identification with her Lover-God. Because God is complete, lacking nothing, the Soul recognizes her own participation in this completeness. Her perfection stems not from her own striving but from her union with the One who lacks nothing. This establishes a profound metaphysical humility, where self-will dissolves in divine will.
2. “This point takes love of myself from me and gives me to Him, without a mediary and without holding back.”
This moment describes the mystical self-emptying, or annihilation of self-love, which allows the soul to belong fully to God. There is no intermediary-no self-interest, no personal agenda-only the direct relationship between soul and God, a union grounded in perfect surrender.
3. “I will do nothing, Reason, says this Soul annihilated and clarified through the lack of love of herself.”
The Soul, having transcended Reason, embraces total passivity-not as sloth or indifference, but as participation in the divine life where God alone acts. Her annihilation is “clarified,” or illuminated, through abandoning self-will, highlighting the paradoxical power found in spiritual poverty and detachment.
4. “Since the time, says the Soul, that Love opened her book to me.”
This “book” symbolizes the revelation of divine wisdom and love to the soul. The opening of Love’s book is a moment of mystical illumination, where the soul comes to comprehend divine mysteries. The soul’s knowledge and possession of “all things” comes from this inward vision, not from reason or effort.
5. “Thus I have only as much being as He is able to be of Himself in me.”
This expresses a deeply mystical insight: the soul’s existence depends entirely on God’s presence within her. Her being is not her own but God’s being manifested in her. The soul has renounced any independent identity, living wholly in the divine.
6. “Ah, for the sake of God, says this Soul, consider what He did, and what He does, and what He will do, and then you will have peace, both moderation and the height, and peace from peace, such overwhelming peace…”
The Soul invites the reader to contemplate the eternal action of God across past, present, and future. This contemplation leads to profound peace-not merely emotional calm but a transformative, overwhelming peace rooted in union with God. This peace transcends human understanding and stabilizes the soul in divine being.
This analysis captures the chapter’s core theme of annihilation of self-will and complete union with God, where the Soul does nothing except exist in God’s fullness. It invites readers into a contemplative space of peace through surrender and divine participation.
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1. Why does the Soul say she does nothing and seeks nothing?
The Soul declares that she does nothing and seeks nothing because she is wholly united with her Lover-God-who Himself lacks nothing and seeks nothing. Since nothing is lacking to God, nothing is lacking to her. This profound union removes all self-interest and self-will, leading her into a state of total surrender. She reflects the completeness of God’s own being, thus having no desire or need beyond what is divinely given.
2. What role does “Love’s book” play in the Soul’s transformation?
“Love’s book” represents the revelation of divine truth and wisdom to the Soul. When Love opens this book to her, the Soul attains immediate understanding of all things. This knowledge leads her to recognize her nothingness and God’s fullness, resulting in the perfect fulfillment of divine work in her. This illumination grants her possession of all things through God, and she accepts her total dependence on Him for her being and action.
3. How does the Soul describe her relationship with Reason?
The Soul distinguishes herself from Reason, which represents the rational mind or the desire to control and calculate. She tells Reason that she (the Soul) has been freed from Reason’s influence since Love opened her book. Reason continues to seek and act, but the Soul no longer has to, for she lives entirely in God’s will. Her enlightenment liberates her from the need to do or understand, as God Himself encompasses her whole being and activity.
4. What is the significance of the statement, “Thus I have only as much being as He is able to be of Himself in me”?
This statement captures the mystical insight that the Soul’s existence is entirely dependent on God’s indwelling presence. Her “being” is not an independent self but is constituted by how much God can manifest His own being within her. This radical self-emptying, or annihilation of self, means the Soul is no longer a separate entity but a vessel through which God’s own life flows.
5. What does the Soul suggest about seeking and possessing?
The Soul asserts that seeking implies a lack, and possessing implies separation. Since God lacks nothing and seeks nothing, and since she is one with God, she too lacks nothing and seeks nothing. Possession in this mystical sense is not about having or holding but about being-allowing God’s fullness to fill her. This leads to a profound peace and rest, for she recognizes that any seeking would mean she has herself and is not fully in God.
6. What kind of peace does the Soul describe at the end of the chapter?
The Soul speaks of “overwhelming peace,” a peace that encompasses both moderation and exaltation, and which surpasses ordinary understanding. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a divine tranquility that comes from total union with God. It stabilizes her in her nothingness and God’s fullness, rendering the corruptible nature of human existence powerless to disturb this peace.
7. How does the Soul’s realization parallel the creation of the world?
The Soul draws a parallel between her own transformation and the act of creation, stating that just as God created all things by His divine goodness, power, and wisdom in an instant, so too does her transformation into divine being occur in a single moment of grace. This analogy emphasizes that her union with God is an act of divine will, not human effort.
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In Chapter 102, The Mirror of Simple Souls presents the profound lament of the Intellect of the Annihilated Soul, who grieves the soul’s continued captivity in corruption, even after being enlightened by divine love. The soul recognizes that both the body and spirit, though created good and sanctified by baptism, remain prone to defects that displease God, no matter how small they seem. The Understanding by Divine Light warns that minimizing these faults reveals a lack of true illumination and repentance, underscoring the grave danger of spiritual complacency. The chapter teaches that even the smallest imperfections can disrupt the soul’s union with God, and that correction and surrender to divine discipline are essential for overcoming corruption. It conveys a sobering yet hopeful message: to live in overwhelming peace with God, one must acknowledge one’s defects, reject self-will, and trust entirely in God’s restoring grace.
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1. “Ah, for God’s sake! says Intellect of the Annihilated Soul, am I not still in the captivity of corruption, where I must be whether I want to or not, if I am not lodged in the prison of correction?”
The Intellect of the Annihilated Soul laments the human condition, recognizing that even those deeply united with God remain in the limitations of corrupted human nature. This “captivity of corruption” speaks to the ongoing struggle against sin and imperfection that persists in mortal life, unless one surrenders fully to divine correction. The phrase highlights the tension between spiritual ascent and the unavoidable imperfections of the human state.
2. “Ah, God! what a pity it is, when wretchedness has the victory over goodness.”
This expression of sorrow captures the tragedy of sin and moral failure, even in souls called to holiness. It reflects Porete’s sensitivity to the pervasive effects of corruption, not just as a personal failing but as a communal and existential reality. The lament underscores the importance of vigilance and reliance on divine grace to prevent “wretchedness” from dominating “goodness.”
3. “The spirit has been created by God, and the body has been formed by God. Now these two natures-joined together in corruption, by nature and by justice-are in the font of baptism without reproach.”
This passage affirms the inherent goodness of both body and spirit, as created by God, and the redemptive power of baptism. Yet it also acknowledges that, even though these natures are good and baptism purifies them from original sin, they remain susceptible to corruption. This statement balances optimism about creation’s inherent goodness with realism about its fragility and the ongoing battle against sin.
4. “Therefore we are distressed in bitterness, and we strive to force against ourselves what this creature does not will.”
This line reflects the internal conflict between the higher will, enlightened by God, and the lower, corrupted inclinations of the creature. The Soul experiences distress as it battles its own unwillingness and defects, illustrating the painful but necessary struggle of conforming to divine will against fallen nature’s resistance.
5. “Ah, God, says Understanding by Divine Light, who would dare to call this small? I maintain that whoever names it small was never well illumined, nor will he ever be, if he does not repent of it.”
Here, Understanding by Divine Light vehemently rejects the notion that any defect or sin can be considered “small.” The intensity of this statement reflects a deep awareness of God’s holiness and the seriousness of all sin, no matter how minor it may seem. The warning underscores the need for ongoing repentance and vigilance, emphasizing that any complacency in this regard is spiritually dangerous.
6. “There is much to say to him about the kind of servant who serves his Lord in all the ways he understands would best please the will of his Lord!”
This concluding statement shifts from lament to exhortation. It calls for total, active commitment to serving God, urging the reader to pursue the divine will with full knowledge and dedication. This is not about passive compliance but a loving, intelligent response to God’s goodness, which entails rejecting even the smallest defects and fully aligning one’s life with divine desire.
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1. What is the central concern expressed by the Intellect of the Annihilated Soul in this chapter?
The Intellect of the Annihilated Soul expresses profound sorrow over the persistent captivity of the human soul in corruption. Despite spiritual annihilation and union with God, the soul remains constrained by the corrupted nature of the human body and spirit. This duality causes tension and distress because even the soul’s best efforts are hampered by residual wretchedness. The chapter highlights the soul’s helplessness unless fully surrendered to divine correction.
2. How does the Soul describe the relationship between the body and spirit, and what role does baptism play?
The Soul explains that both the body and spirit were created good by God and united in a natural and just harmony. Baptism sanctifies this dual nature, removing original reproach and making the soul and body blameless in divine justice. However, despite this initial purification, the inherent capacity for corruption remains, and any defect-even minor-disrupts the balance. Thus, baptism is a foundational grace, but the struggle against sin continues.
3. Why does the Soul argue that no defect, no matter how small, is truly small?
The Soul insists that any defect displeases God’s perfect will and therefore cannot be considered “small.” The Understanding by Divine Light asserts that labeling a defect as minor shows a lack of divine illumination and repentance. Even seemingly insignificant failings disrupt the soul’s alignment with God, and complacency in this regard is spiritually perilous. This teaching emphasizes the seriousness of sin and the need for constant vigilance and humility.
4. What is the significance of the phrase, “wretchedness has the victory over goodness”?
This phrase captures the deep sorrow felt when the soul’s corrupted tendencies prevail over the good will and desires instilled by God. It acknowledges the tragedy of human weakness, where sin and imperfection overpower the soul’s aspiration for goodness. The phrase also reflects the reality of spiritual struggle in which human limitations, if not surrendered to God’s grace, can undermine the work of holiness.
5. How does the Soul describe the role of divine correction in overcoming corruption?
The Soul recognizes that while the human constitution is inherently susceptible to corruption, the “prison of correction”-a metaphor for divine discipline and transformation-offers hope. Only by embracing God’s correction and surrendering fully to His will can the soul be freed from the captivity of its defects. This “correction” is not punitive but restorative, leading the soul into deeper union with God.
6. What practical spiritual lesson does the chapter convey through its lament and exhortation?
The chapter conveys that true spiritual growth involves acknowledging even the smallest faults and defects as obstacles to holiness. It calls the soul to vigilance, repentance, and a wholehearted desire to please God in every detail. The “Intellect of the Annihilated Soul” and the “Understanding by Divine Light” model a deep reverence for God’s holiness and a serious attitude toward sin, encouraging readers to reject spiritual complacency and to strive for perfection.
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Chapter 103 explores the profound relationship between human free will, divine goodness, and the nature of sin. The Soul clarifies that falling into sin is not an unavoidable consequence of human frailty or the body’s corrupt nature but results from the will’s consent to defect. By distinguishing between physical corruption and voluntary sin, the text defends the essential dignity and freedom granted to the human will by God. It affirms that God’s power, though absolute, does not violate this freedom, which is a gift of divine love. The chapter emphasizes that neither God’s power nor any external compulsion can force the soul to sin against its will, reinforcing that sin requires deliberate assent. Ultimately, it underscores the noble and inviolable freedom that divine love bestows upon the soul, echoing God’s own inability to sin and highlighting the soul’s participation in divine nobility through its free will.
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1. “Now there are some, says this Soul, who are helped by what Scripture says, that the just man falls seven times each day. But those are indeed donkeys who interpret this to be any course of correction. Correction occurs when one falls into defect by the consent of one’s will. Corruption is the heaviness of the constitution of our body.”
The Soul criticizes simplistic interpretations of the biblical idea that a just person falls seven times daily. This “fall” is not merely a matter of bodily weakness or human nature (corruption) but relates to willful choices. True correction happens when a person assents to defect-when the fall is chosen rather than imposed. The Soul distinguishes between unavoidable human frailty and moral failure born of consent.
2. “According to this account, it would seem that we would have no free will if it were necessary for us to sin against our will seven times each day. It is not so, says this Soul, thanks be to God! For God would not be God if virtue were taken from me in spite of myself!”
The Soul firmly rejects the idea that human beings are fated to sin. If sin were inevitable, it would contradict both divine justice and human free will. God’s nature, as Goodness itself, ensures that virtue cannot be taken away from us involuntarily. This emphasizes that the will is free and responsible for choosing virtue or sin.
3. “For no more than God can sin, who cannot will it, can I sin if my will does not will it.”
The Soul draws a bold parallel: just as God cannot sin because His will is pure, so too a human soul, if it wills purely and resists consenting to sin, cannot sin. This underscores the Soul’s union with divine will, and the power of a will fully aligned with Love and Goodness. It highlights the intimate link between divine freedom and human freedom.
4. “My Lover has given me such freeness by His goodness through love. And so if I will something, why would not He allow it? If He would not allow it, His power would take freeness from me.”
Here, the Soul rejoices in the gift of freedom from her Lover (God). Divine love bestows upon her a will that remains inviolable. If God’s power were to override this freedom, it would contradict His own nature of generous love and goodness. The Soul trusts that her free will, given by Love, cannot be forcibly compromised.
5. “The supreme height of Love has given me such nobility by her Goodness through love that she can never take from me the freeness of my will if I do not will it.”
The Soul culminates with a powerful declaration: divine Love, in its highest and most noble form, has granted her such dignity that her free will is unassailable. This reflects a profound theological insight: divine love elevates human dignity by respecting and preserving the freedom of the will. The Soul stands in radical liberty, capable of choosing union with God or turning away, but never coerced.
This chapter affirms that human free will, granted by divine love, is inviolable. The “seven falls” of the just are not forced errors but arise when one consents to defect. The Soul’s freedom to will or not to will defect stands at the heart of the human-divine relationship.
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1. What is the Soul’s interpretation of the biblical phrase “the just man falls seven times each day”?
The Soul critiques the simplistic interpretation that the just man’s falls are inevitable or due merely to human frailty. Instead, it clarifies that these falls involve a willed consent to defect. Correction only occurs when one consciously assents to sin, not through the natural heaviness or corruption of the body. Therefore, the seven falls represent instances where the will deliberately chooses what is contrary to God’s will, not mere human weakness.
2. How does the Soul explain the role of free will in relation to these “falls”?
The Soul emphasizes that free will is essential and inviolable. It argues that no one is forced to sin, and sin cannot happen against one’s will. If it were necessary to sin, even unwillingly, this would imply a loss of free will, which contradicts both God’s justice and goodness. The Soul affirms that as long as the will does not consent to defect, sin is impossible. God’s goodness grants the soul the freedom to choose, and His power never overrides this freedom.
3. Why does the Soul reject the idea that corruption or human frailty necessarily leads to sin?
The Soul distinguishes between the natural heaviness of the body, which can incline one toward imperfection, and the act of consenting to defect, which constitutes sin. While human frailty (corruption) can lead to weaknesses or errors, these are not sins unless accompanied by the will’s consent. This distinction safeguards the integrity of free will and personal responsibility for sin.
4. How does the Soul describe the relationship between God’s power, goodness, and human freedom?
The Soul explains that God’s power is not opposed to His goodness. His power cannot and does not take away the freedom He has granted. To do so would contradict His own nature of generous love and justice. God, as Love and Goodness itself, has given the soul the nobility of free will, which He never retracts unless the soul itself consents. Divine power respects human freedom, and thus, no external force can compel sin.
5. What is the significance of the Soul’s comparison between itself and God regarding sin and will?
The Soul draws a daring parallel, asserting that just as God cannot sin because He cannot will it, so too the soul, when fully aligned with divine will and Love, cannot sin unless it wills to. This elevates the soul’s dignity, suggesting that in its union with God, it shares in the inviolability of divine will concerning sin. The soul’s freedom is thus not only protected but sanctified by Love.
6. What broader theological truth does this chapter highlight about human dignity and divine love?
This chapter highlights the profound connection between divine love and human dignity. It teaches that God’s love bestows upon the soul a noble freedom that cannot be violated, even by divine power, unless the soul itself consents. This freedom affirms the dignity of the human person and reveals God’s respect for human will as an essential aspect of love. It portrays the soul’s relationship with God not as one of coercion but as a mutual gift of love and freedom.
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Chapter 104 of The Mirror of Simple Souls emphasizes that God’s gift of free will to the soul is complete, irrevocable, and grounded in pure love. The Soul corrects a misunderstanding that she has received “nothing more” than free will, explaining that free will itself is a pathway to receiving “all things” from God, provided her will aligns with His. Love affirms that God’s generosity is total, while Fear raises doubts that are answered by the Soul’s assertion of her complete self-offering to God. The chapter reaffirms that virtue cannot be taken from the soul against her will, as this would violate both God’s justice and her freedom. In essence, the chapter highlights the reciprocal relationship of love and freedom between God and the soul, underscoring that the soul’s willing union with God unlocks the fullness of divine gifts.
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1. “You see how He has freely given me my free will. I have said above, says the Soul, that He has given me nothing more. But in saying this, one could interpret this to mean that He had not given me all things, or that He has not given me anything except free will, or prepared the other things for me. Certainly this would be a bad interpretation, for He has given me all things. He could not have held anything back from me.”
The Soul clarifies that although she earlier said God had given her “nothing more” than free will, this should not be misunderstood as God withholding other gifts. In fact, her free will is the gateway to receiving “all things” from God. This highlights the generosity and completeness of God’s love and providence. The Soul’s free will allows her to actively participate in God’s goodness, which implies that the entire divine bounty is available to her, contingent on her will aligning with God’s will.
2. “And Love confirms this, who says that such a thing would not be love from a lover if it were so. For insofar as He has given me free will by His pure goodness, He has given me all things, if my will wills: He does not withhold otherwise, of this I am certain.”
The voice of Love confirms the Soul’s reflection, emphasizing that divine love is complete and lacks no generosity. God’s giving of free will is an act of pure love, and if the soul’s will aligns with His, all divine gifts are granted. Love itself testifies that it would be contrary to love’s nature for a lover (God) to withhold anything from the beloved (soul).
3. “Fear: And how, for God’s sake, Lady Soul, has He given you all things? says Fear.”
The figure of Fear questions how the Soul can claim to have received “all things,” introducing a voice of caution or doubt. This interjection reflects the natural human hesitation to accept the radical nature of divine generosity and the Soul’s lofty claim.
4. “Soul: In this, says the Soul, that I have freely given Him my will, nakedly, without holding anything back, for the sake of His goodness and for the sake of His will alone, in the same way He gave it to me by His divine will for the sake of my profit, by His divine goodness.”
The Soul responds to Fear by explaining that she has given her will entirely and without reservation to God, mirroring how God gave her free will for her benefit. This mutual exchange-God giving free will and the Soul giving it back-creates a complete union of wills. It is not merely a transaction but a profound sharing of divine and human freedom.
5. “Now I have said, says this Soul, that God would not be God if virtue is taken from me in spite of myself. This is true. There is no more certain thing than that God is, and no more untrue thing than that virtue is taken from me if my will does not will it.”
The Soul reiterates a core teaching: God’s gift of free will cannot be forcibly overridden, even by divine power. Just as God’s being is an absolute certainty, it is equally certain that virtue or grace cannot be taken from the soul against her will. This assertion preserves both divine integrity and human freedom.
6. “And this is far from what Scripture says, that the just man falls in the course of correction seven times each day.”
The Soul distances her teaching from a misinterpretation of Scripture. While the “fall” of the just man is often understood as inevitable sinfulness, she insists that true sin comes from the consent of the will. God does not compel the soul to fall; falls occur when the soul’s will assents to defect. This reinforces her earlier teaching from Chapter 103.
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1. What key misunderstanding about free will does the Soul correct in this chapter?
The Soul clarifies that her earlier statement-God has given her “nothing more” than free will-should not be misinterpreted to mean that He has withheld other gifts. In fact, God’s gift of free will is a complete and generous gift that opens the way for the soul to receive all things. If her will aligns with His, nothing is withheld from her. Thus, free will is both a sign of God’s love and the channel through which divine blessings flow.
2. How does the voice of Love reinforce the Soul’s point?
Love confirms the Soul’s insight by affirming that true love cannot withhold any good thing from the beloved. Since God has given the Soul free will by His pure goodness, this gift encompasses all things, provided the soul’s will chooses to align with God’s. Love makes it clear that God’s generosity is boundless and that His giving is not partial but complete.
3. How does the figure of Fear challenge the Soul’s assertion?
Fear questions how the Soul can claim to have been given “all things.” This represents a natural human hesitation or doubt about the radical nature of God’s generosity. Fear’s challenge invites a deeper clarification from the Soul about the relationship between divine gifts and human free will.
4. How does the Soul respond to Fear’s question?
The Soul explains that she has freely and completely given her will back to God, holding nothing back. This act mirrors God’s initial gift of free will, which He gave for her benefit. Because of this mutual self-giving-God to the soul, and the soul to God-there is nothing withheld, and the Soul receives “all things.” This exchange is rooted in pure love and the total freedom of the will.
5. Why does the Soul say it is impossible for God to take virtue away from her against her will?
The Soul teaches that just as God’s existence is certain and unchanging, so too is the principle that virtue or grace cannot be taken from the soul against her will. If her will does not consent to sin, she retains virtue. This upholds both God’s justice and the integrity of human freedom. It also contradicts the misinterpretation that the just man’s inevitable “fall” each day means God forces sin upon him.
6. How does this chapter continue the discussion from Chapter 103?
In Chapter 103, the Soul rejected the idea that Scripture’s statement about the just man falling seven times a day implies forced sinfulness. Chapter 104 builds on this by emphasizing that God’s gift of free will is irrevocable and that sin or virtue depends on the soul’s own will. This deepens the theological reflection on free will, grace, and divine generosity.
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Chapter 105 of The Mirror of Simple Souls teaches that the saying “the just man falls seven times each day” refers not to moral failings but to the natural inclinations and weaknesses of the human body, affected by the fall of Adam. While the body may drag one down to lesser attentions, the just man’s will, steadfastly united to God, refuses consent to sin. These “falls” are thus not guilt-inducing but rather opportunities for virtue, as they reveal the soul’s perseverance and continual ascent to God. The soul’s peace remains intact because it lives in a state of union with divine goodness, beyond the reach of mere Virtues and human limitations, grounded in the supreme generosity of God.
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1. “I will tell you what it means, says Truth, that the just man falls seven times each day. It means that insofar as the will of the just man is completely given over to the contemplation of the divine goodness without any impediment, the body is feeble and tends toward defect because of the nourishment of the sin of Adam and thus is inclined often to give attention to lesser things than the goodness of God.”
Truth reveals that the “fall” of the just man is not a moral failing or sinful consent, but rather the natural pull of the weak human body, still nourished by Adam’s sin. This inclination to distraction or lesser things happens even when the will is fully given over to God, highlighting the tension between the spiritual focus of the soul and the corporeal limitations of the body. The concept reframes “falling” as a mark of human nature rather than a defect in the will.
2. “But the will of the just man is kept from consenting to the defect, which could grow from such an inclination. So such a fall, by which the just man falls through the above said inclination, is more virtuous for him than vice, because of his will, which remains free through the refusal of all defect, as has been said.”
Here, the distinction is made between inclination (which is natural and involuntary) and consent (which is a free act of will). The just man’s refusal to consent to these bodily inclinations not only preserves his righteousness but is actually virtuous. The soul’s steadfastness in choosing God despite these distractions deepens the soul’s virtue, showing that resistance is itself a source of spiritual growth.
3. “Since the just man falls seven times each day, it is necessary that he be lifted seven times, else he could not fall seven times. That one is blessed who often falls, for it follows that he came from the place where no one goes if he does not have, by righteousness, the name of ‘just.'”
This paradox highlights that the more a soul “falls,” the more it must be lifted up by grace. Each fall signals not moral collapse but the soul’s return from a high state of contemplation, necessitated by the body’s limitations. Falling, then, is evidence of the soul’s high spiritual standing, because it indicates a return from heights only attainable by the just. It points to an ongoing rhythm of ascent and descent in spiritual life.
4. “However, the one is the most blessed who always remains there. No one is able to always be there as long as the soul is accompanied by this wretched body in this world; but this fall does not cause the loss of peace through guilt or remorse of conscience, for the Soul lives by the peace of the gifts given to her above the Virtues-not contrary to the Virtues, but above.”
This passage affirms that perfect constancy in contemplation is impossible in this life due to the body’s limitations. However, the falls of the just do not disturb inner peace or cause guilt, because the soul lives in a peace granted by God’s grace that transcends even the Virtues. The soul’s union with God elevates her above external moral norms, not in opposition to them, but in fulfillment of them. This teaching underscores a mystical elevation where the soul’s union with God grants a stability that bodily weaknesses cannot undermine.
5. “If this could not be, then God would be subject to His Virtues, and the Virtues would be contrary to the Soul, [Virtues] who have their being from their Lord, for the sake of the profit of [the Soul].”
Truth concludes by asserting the supremacy of God’s love and grace over even the Virtues. Virtue serves the soul, and both exist for God’s glory. The soul’s elevation through grace above the Virtues is not an abolition of virtue but its fulfillment, where God’s generosity grants peace that transcends moral striving.
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1. What does Truth explain about the meaning of the just man falling seven times each day?
Truth explains that the phrase refers to the natural inclination of the human body toward defect and distraction, not to voluntary sin. Even when the just man’s will is fully united to God’s goodness and contemplation, the body-affected by the sin of Adam-inevitably drags him down into lesser attentions or weaknesses. This “fall” is not a moral failing but a natural aspect of human embodiment.
2. How does the just man’s will respond to these inclinations, and why is this response considered virtuous?
The just man’s will does not consent to these bodily inclinations. His refusal to give in preserves his virtue and is itself an act of virtue. This resistance demonstrates the free and steadfast nature of his will, which clings to God despite bodily distractions. Thus, the “fall” becomes a proof of the soul’s spiritual strength and alignment with divine will.
3. Why does Truth consider it blessed to fall often?
Truth notes that falling often implies being lifted often, which is possible only for those who dwell in the heights of contemplation-the “just.” Frequent falls, therefore, are evidence of spiritual elevation, since only those who have ascended to union with God can experience these necessary descents. Falling is a mark of spiritual progress and of one’s standing in the realm of righteousness.
4. Who is “most blessed” according to Truth, and why is it difficult to attain this state?
The one who is most blessed is the soul who remains continually in the heights of divine contemplation without falling. However, this is impossible while the soul remains in the body, since the body’s natural weaknesses inevitably pull it down. Absolute constancy is reserved for a state beyond this life, but the repeated cycles of falling and rising are themselves part of the journey.
5. Does falling cause guilt or remorse of conscience for the just man? Why or why not?
No, these falls do not cause guilt or remorse because the just man’s will never consents to sin. His soul lives in a peace given by God’s grace, which is above even the natural Virtues. This peace is not opposed to virtue but transcends it, signifying a union with God that renders the soul’s peace unshakeable, despite bodily weakness.
6. What does Truth teach about the relationship between God, Virtues, and the Soul’s state?
Truth teaches that God is not subject to His own Virtues; rather, the Virtues serve the soul and ultimately exist for God’s glory. When the soul is elevated in grace, she transcends the Virtues-not by rejecting them but by fulfilling their ultimate purpose. This shows that God’s generosity and love are supreme, and the soul’s peace in Him surpasses mere moral striving.
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In Chapter 106 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, the Soul reveals that the true goal of her petitions is beyond her knowledge or desire, originating instead from God’s divine initiative and pure love. These petitions are formed within her by the drawing power of divine love, surpassing the understanding of any created being, including angels and saints. This love, grounded in God’s goodness and accomplished without the Soul’s active work, draws her into a union with the Trinity itself-One in Deity and Three in Persons. The Soul thus confesses her radical dependence on God’s grace, recognizing that only He knows the depths of her true desire, which she cannot even articulate or comprehend.
—
1. “Now, says this Soul, I will state the goal of my petitions; in such petitions the request would be to accomplish the goal. Not, says this Soul, for the purpose of something which I might know how to ask for, or which I might wish to ask for, for none of the orders of angels, or any of the men or women saints who are in these orders, know how to ask for it.”
The Soul expresses a profound humility and an awareness of her own limitations in understanding or formulating requests. She acknowledges that even the highest angelic orders and saints cannot grasp the full magnitude of her petitions. This sets the stage for a deeper teaching: that the soul’s desire and petitions transcend conscious articulation and are rooted in a mystery beyond created comprehension.
2. “God does it!”
This simple yet profound declaration signifies that it is God alone who initiates and fulfills the petitions of the soul. The soul recognizes that her own efforts, understanding, or desires are secondary to the divine initiative. This shifts the focus from the soul’s active striving to God’s gratuitous action within her.
3. “She is able to know it well, says Love, through the divine nature of the drawing power of her love, which forms her petitions in her, without her knowing it. And her petitions are beyond any country where the creature can have understanding.”
Love clarifies that the soul’s petitions arise from the divine love within her, a love that transcends her own conscious awareness. This “drawing power” suggests a deep, almost gravitational pull of divine love that generates petitions from within the soul’s depths. The petitions are thus not products of human reason or volition but of divine love itself.
4. “Why would anyone know it except Him whose I am or of whom I am, who is Himself in me? This is secret Love, who is beyond peace; there my love is established without myself.”
Here the Soul affirms that true knowledge of her petitions belongs solely to God, who dwells within her. The “secret Love” transcends even the peace that is often associated with union with God, indicating a deeper, hidden union where the soul is moved and formed by God’s love, beyond her own effort or comprehension. Her love is thus “established without herself”-an acknowledgment of the primacy of divine action.
5. “But about what He is of Himself in me for my sake, or about what I ask, without asking of myself, about the drawing power of His pure nature I can know nothing, says this Soul. None of those in glory do this except for One alone who is one in Deity and three in Persons.”
The Soul admits her inability to grasp the full reality of what God is within her or of what her petitions, formed by divine love, actually entail. This is a profound expression of the unknowability of God’s inner workings and a recognition of the unique mystery of the Trinity-the one God in three Persons-as the source of her life and petitions.
6. “But, says Love, in this she has said that she will say what is the goal of her petitions, that is, she will say what it is that she has. In truth, she has what no one can say or ponder except God, who always works His work in her, without her work, by His divine goodness, that is, without the work of the Soul.”
Love reveals that the goal of the Soul’s petitions is nothing other than the possession of God Himself. What she “has” is beyond human or angelic comprehension; it is something only God can fully know and bring about. Importantly, God works this in her without her own effort-it is a pure gift of divine goodness and grace. The Soul, in a state of receptive humility, simply receives.
—
1. What does the Soul state as the goal of her petitions?
The Soul declares that the goal of her petitions is not based on her own knowledge or desires, nor on anything she can ask or wish for. Instead, the petitions are formed by divine love within her, beyond her understanding or that of any angel or saint. The ultimate goal is God Himself, who alone can fully know and bring about what she truly needs and desires.
2. Why does the Soul say she cannot know what she asks for?
The Soul acknowledges that she cannot know what she asks for because the petitions are formed by the divine love within her, operating beyond the scope of her understanding. Even the highest orders of angels and saints cannot comprehend this love or these petitions. It is God alone, in His mystery and goodness, who knows and accomplishes what she truly seeks.
3. How does Love explain the formation of the Soul’s petitions?
Love explains that the petitions arise from the divine “drawing power” of love, which forms the requests within the Soul without her knowing it. This drawing power is the pure nature of God’s love, moving the Soul toward God Himself. The petitions are therefore not products of human or created understanding, but of divine initiative.
4. Why is the Soul’s love said to be “established without herself”?
The Soul’s love is described as “established without herself” because it is formed and sustained by God’s action alone, not by her own effort or knowledge. Her union with God in love is so profound and hidden that it transcends even her conscious awareness. It is an expression of God’s gratuitous gift and the primacy of His grace over any creaturely work.
5. What does the Soul recognize about the mystery of God’s work in her?
The Soul recognizes that the full reality of God’s work in her is beyond her comprehension and cannot be articulated by anyone except God Himself. This work is grounded in God’s divine goodness, accomplished without any contribution from the Soul. It points to the unique mystery of the Trinity-one God in three Persons-as the source and goal of her petitions and of her entire spiritual life.
6. How does this chapter illustrate the theme of divine initiative versus human effort?
This chapter underscores that true spiritual petitions and union with God are not the result of human effort or understanding but are entirely the work of divine love. The Soul’s petitions are formed within her by God’s love, without her conscious effort or comprehension. This highlights the radical dependence of the soul on God’s grace and the primacy of His initiative in the spiritual journey.
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In Chapter 107, the Soul’s petitions reveal her profound humility and deep desire for self-knowledge. First, she asks to always see herself in the state of nothingness from which she was created, acknowledging her complete dependence on God’s goodness and guarding against pride. Second, she seeks to understand the gravity of her misuse of free will, recognizing that even a moment of consent to sin separates her from God’s will and aligns her with what is contrary to divine goodness. These petitions show her striving for complete union with God, awareness of her nothingness apart from Him, and a sincere longing to align her will entirely with His.
—
1. “The first thing which she asks is that she see herself always (if she is to see anything) where she was when God made all things from nothing, so that she might be certain that she is not other than this -when she is of herself- nor will she be eternally [other than this] because she had rebelled against the divine goodness.”
In her first petition, the Soul asks to maintain a clear and continual vision of her ontological poverty-the fact that she was created from nothing and remains nothing in herself apart from God. This self-awareness keeps her grounded in humility and dependent upon divine goodness. The Soul’s desire to remember her origin guards her from spiritual pride, reminding her that any existence or goodness she possesses is purely by divine gift, and that even rebellion or sin does not change her essential nothingness apart from God. This echoes the deep mystical insight that spiritual progress requires a continual recognition of one’s own nothingness in relation to God’s all-sufficiency.
2. “The second petition is that she see what she has done with her free will, which God has given to her, so that she might see that she has removed her will from God Himself in one sole moment of consent to sin. This means that God hates all sin, and whoever consents to do sin removes his will from God. This is true, for he does what God does not will and what is against His divine goodness.”
In her second petition, the Soul pleads to see the consequences of her misuse of free will: how even a single moment of consent to sin is a profound rupture from God’s will and goodness. This petition reveals her deep desire for self-knowledge and repentance. It acknowledges that free will is a sacred gift, but when misused-when one wills something contrary to God’s will-it constitutes a real estrangement from divine goodness. By recognizing this truth, the Soul aligns her will more perfectly with God’s, seeking not only forgiveness but also a restoration of union. This insight into the gravity of even minor consent to sin underlines the radical seriousness of the Soul’s journey and her yearning for complete reintegration into God’s love.
—
1. What is the first petition that the Soul makes in this chapter?
The Soul’s first petition is to see herself always-if she is to see anything-where she was when God made all things from nothing. This is so she may remain certain that she is essentially “nothing” when she is of herself, and that even in eternity she will not be anything different except by God’s grace. This petition reveals her desire for deep humility and ongoing awareness of her absolute dependence on divine goodness.
2. Why does the Soul wish to see herself in this way?
The Soul desires to maintain a constant recognition of her own nothingness, both in her creation from nothing and in her potential rebellion. This self-knowledge prevents pride and grounds her in humility and truth, ensuring that her identity is rooted not in herself but in God’s creative and sustaining love. She acknowledges that her essence, apart from divine goodness, is nothing.
3. What is the second petition the Soul makes?
The second petition is that the Soul may see how she has used her free will, which God has given her. Specifically, she wants to see that she has removed her will from God by even a single moment of consent to sin. This petition reveals her desire for self-knowledge and awareness of how even the smallest sin represents a departure from God’s divine goodness and will.
4. What does the Soul’s second petition reveal about her understanding of sin?
The Soul understands that sin, even in a single moment of consent, is a rejection of God’s will and an alignment with something contrary to His divine goodness. She recognizes that God’s hatred of sin stems from its opposition to His perfect will. Her desire to see this clearly demonstrates her longing to reject all sin and to live in continual union with God’s goodness.
5. How do these petitions reflect the Soul’s spiritual maturity?
These petitions reflect profound spiritual maturity: first, the Soul’s acknowledgment of her own nothingness fosters true humility, and second, her desire to see the effects of her misuse of free will shows her longing for conversion and continual purification. Her petitions move beyond seeking personal benefit; instead, they aim for complete alignment with God’s will and truth. This highlights a depth of detachment from self and a singular focus on union with God.
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In Chapter 108, the Soul is called to a profound awareness of her own nothingness and the incomprehensible debt she owes to God for even a single sin. Through a meditation on the nature of God’s will-united in the divine Trinity-the Soul recognizes that any act of self-will constitutes a breach against God’s infinite goodness, and this realization magnifies her sense of culpability. She acknowledges that her sins are countless, far beyond human reckoning, and that even the repayment of all her debts would still be God’s due, for everything she possesses comes from Him. This chapter highlights the unfathomable gravity of sin, the utter poverty of the Soul apart from God, and the need for complete reliance on divine justice and mercy.
—
1. “Now must the Soul consider the debt of one sole sin, in order to see how much she owes for two sins if she falls two times.”
This sets the tone for the chapter, emphasizing the gravity of a single sin and inviting the Soul to consider the exponential weight of each additional sin. It underlines the seriousness of even the smallest act of disobedience against God’s will.
2. “Truly, no more than one could number how many times I have taken a breath, no more, or rather even less, could anyone number how many times I have removed my will from God.”
The Light of the Soul admits to countless acts of self-will, highlighting the human tendency to stray from God. It conveys an overwhelming sense of human frailty and the necessity for grace.
3. “For, whoever does well, should he see a greater good which he can do, if it is asked of him and he does not do it, he sins.”
This introduces the idea of omission, suggesting that failure to choose a greater good constitutes a sin. It reinforces the demand for perfection and attentiveness to divine promptings.
4. “Consider then what you owe from one of your defects and you will find that you owe as much to God for one of your defects as His will is worth which you have taken from Him in doing your will.”
The magnitude of the debt owed for a single defect is compared to the infinite worth of God’s will. This frames sin not merely as a personal failing, but as an offense against the divine majesty and order.
5. “Now consider, to grasp it better, what kind of thing is the will of God. It is the whole Trinity, who is one will. Thus the will of God is one divine nature in Trinity. All this the Soul owes to God from one sole defect.”
The will of God is identified with the entire Trinity, making the soul’s deviation from it a direct offense against the very nature of God. This perspective intensifies the gravity of sin, framing it as cosmic and divine in scope.
6. “This Soul who is nothing was once as rich as God is. If she willed to be freed of her debt … she would have remained completely nothing. Thus she would have remained in nothingness, because of herself she was not nothing, but instead she would have had of her nature what God has, except that she willed to carry out one sin.”
Here the text uses a vivid metaphor, imagining the Soul as initially sharing in God’s richness, but by sinning, reducing herself to nothingness. This draws attention to the utter futility and loss incurred by sin.
7. “Ah, Soul, says this Soul to herself, if you had everything which is described here, still you would give nothing to Him, instead it would be His through debt before you were freed of it.”
The Soul reflects on the impossibility of repaying her debt, even if she gave everything. This evokes a deep humility and a realization of her utter dependence on God’s mercy.
8. “And God gave me will to do His will, to gain Him from Himself. Alas, I have added to my poverty, the great poverty of sin, but sins no one knows except for Truth alone.”
The Soul recognizes that her free will was given by God for the purpose of uniting with Him. Her lament reveals a profound awareness of her failure to respond to this gift, culminating in “the great poverty of sin,” which only Truth can fully comprehend.
—
1. Why is the Soul urged to consider the debt of a single sin?
The Soul is urged to consider the debt of a single sin to grasp the gravity of its offense against God’s infinite goodness and to understand how much she owes even for one defect. This reflection helps the Soul realize that if a single sin incurs such a vast debt, then multiple sins-being incalculable-incur an unfathomable debt. The consideration is meant to foster humility and a profound recognition of the need for divine mercy.
2. What realization does the Light of the Soul express about her own sins?
The Light of the Soul admits that she cannot count the number of times she has turned her will from God-just as one cannot count the number of breaths taken. This acknowledgment reflects an awareness of continual disobedience and an inherent inclination to act according to her own will rather than God’s.
3. How does the text link sin to the nature of God’s will?
The text asserts that the will of God is one with the divine Trinity, and therefore each act of self-will or sin is a direct offense against the divine nature. A single defect removes the Soul from participation in God’s infinite will and divine unity. This connection amplifies the seriousness of sin, presenting it as not just a personal failing but a cosmic rupture against the divine order.
4. Why is the Soul’s natural poverty highlighted in this chapter?
The Soul is described as ‘nothing’ in herself and only ‘rich’ because of what she receives from God. By sinning, she effectively reverts to her natural poverty and nothingness. Even if she were to repay everything, it would not erase the debt, since all her goodness and existence derive from God’s gift. This underscores her utter dependence on divine mercy and grace for salvation.
5. What role does Truth play in the Soul’s realization of her sins?
Truth-personified as divine righteousness and justice-alone knows the full extent and gravity of the Soul’s sins. While the Soul can acknowledge her countless sins and her inability to repay the debt, only Truth fully comprehends the enormity of her failings. This serves to humble the Soul, reminding her that human comprehension is limited and that only divine justice sees the full truth.
6. How does this chapter reinforce the call to avoid sin?
By emphasizing the incalculable debt incurred by even a single sin, the text impresses upon the Soul the need to avoid sin altogether. It highlights the impossibility of repaying God, the sheer poverty of the Soul’s natural state, and the immense gravity of offending divine goodness. This serves as a powerful motivator for vigilance, repentance, and a deeper reliance on God’s grace.
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In chapter 109, Porete presents the Soul’s anguished recognition of her utter incapacity to repay the debt of sin incurred by deviating from God’s will. The Soul sees herself as “less than nothing,” having fallen through self-will, and acknowledges that no created thing can restore her to innocence. Yet, in this despair she discovers peace-not through self-reliance, but by surrendering wholly to God’s will, whether it manifests as justice or mercy. This detachment from outcomes reflects the model of Christ, who obeyed the Father with no other concern than fulfilling divine will. The Soul, following Christ’s example, finds that true union with God lies in willing only what God wills; in this state, sin becomes impossible, not because of the Soul’s power, but because her will is fully possessed by God’s.
—
1. “Ah, ah, God! says this Soul, who am I now, since I was nothing before I owed something? Who am I, since I was no thing before I owed to my God some thing, through the work of my own will.”
The Soul laments the catastrophic shift from a state of nothingness to indebtedness through sin. She recognizes that before acting contrary to God’s will, she was nothing-purely dependent on His grace. The movement from ‘nothing’ to ‘owing something’ highlights how self-will and sin create a burden that the Soul cannot carry. This expresses profound humility and the existential realization of total dependence on God’s mercy.
2. “Truth: You were nothing, says Truth, as long as you had abandoned nothing of what I gave to you. Now you are another thing, for you are less than nothing by however many times, says Truth, you have willed something other than my will.”
Truth responds with a striking revelation: sin not only corrupts but diminishes the Soul’s true nature. The Soul, by willing apart from God’s will, becomes “less than nothing,” a poetic expression of spiritual ruin and estrangement. This reveals the gravity of sin-not merely as error but as the undoing of the Soul’s very essence, which was originally a gift from God.
3. “But if you are righteous Truth, says this sin-filled Soul, and Justice firm and rigorous, yet Kindness and Mercy, your blood-sisters sweet and courteous, remain on my side opposing you for the sake of all my debts, and in this, says this Soul, I calm myself.”
Here the Soul, despite recognizing the weight of justice and truth, places her hope in God’s mercy and kindness. The familial image of Kindness and Mercy as Truth’s “blood-sisters” shows the Soul’s faith in the harmony of divine attributes. Though justice demands reparation, the Soul’s comfort lies in God’s own balancing of justice with mercy. This highlights the Soul’s trust in God’s saving power, even while acknowledging her guilt.
4. “Whichever of these sisters aids me, whether Justice, or Mercy, or Truth, or Kindness, it does not matter to me, this is fully my will. It does not matter to me on which side of these two I fall, all is one to me, and without joy and without fear.”
The Soul exhibits profound detachment and surrender, abandoning self-interest entirely. Whether she is judged or pardoned, it is all the same to her because her desire aligns completely with God’s will. This marks a turning point from anxiety over sin to a deep peace in divine providence, echoing the attitude of Christ, whose sole concern was to fulfill His Father’s will.
5. “The Son of God the Father is my mirror of this, for God the Father gave to us His Son in saving us. He had no other concern in giving this gift to us than the concern of our salvation alone. And the Son ransomed us in dying, in accomplishing obedience to His Father. He had no other concern in doing this than the will of God His Father alone.”
Christ becomes the Soul’s model of perfect union with God’s will. Both Father and Son act out of pure love and obedience, revealing the nature of salvation itself. This passage invites the Soul-and the reader-to imitate Christ’s selflessness and complete surrender, emphasizing that true freedom and peace are found in conformity to the divine will.
6. “Ah, God, how this is a sweet consideration! He has, by doing this, placed us in possession: not that it would be impossible that I could sin if I will; but that it is impossible that I sin, if my will does not will it.”
This insight reveals the transformative power of grace. Though human weakness and free will allow for sin, if the Soul’s will is united to God’s, sin becomes impossible. This echoes a theology of cooperation with divine grace, where the human will becomes the site of God’s action, and sin ceases as long as the will remains directed toward God.
—
1. Why does the Soul lament that she was “nothing” before she owed something?
The Soul realizes that she originally existed in a state of pure dependence on God, possessing nothing of her own. It was only through her own will, by deviating from God’s will, that she incurred a “debt” through sin. Thus, she moved from a state of “nothingness” (total reliance on God’s gift) to a state of “owing something” (indebtedness caused by her disobedience). This lament highlights the gravity of sin, which creates a burden that cannot be repaid by human effort alone.
2. What does Truth reveal about the Soul’s condition after sinning?
Truth reveals that the Soul has become “less than nothing” because she has repeatedly willed something contrary to God’s will. This metaphor expresses the profound impact of sin-not just a fall from grace but an ontological diminishment. The Soul’s very being is undone to the extent that she departs from the divine will, showing the seriousness of self-will and disobedience in spiritual terms.
3. How does the Soul find hope despite recognizing her deep guilt?
Despite acknowledging her guilt and helplessness to repay her debts, the Soul finds solace in God’s mercy and kindness, described metaphorically as the “blood-sisters” of Truth and Justice. She trusts that, while justice demands punishment, mercy and kindness oppose it on her behalf. This interplay of divine attributes reassures the Soul that she is not abandoned to condemnation but has hope in God’s compassionate love.
4. Why does the Soul express indifference toward whether justice or mercy is applied to her case?
The Soul expresses profound detachment and surrender to God’s will. She is indifferent to whether justice or mercy prevails because her desire is wholly aligned with God’s will, not her own comfort or salvation. This signifies spiritual maturity, where the Soul’s concern for herself dissolves into a trustful abandonment to divine providence. In this state, joy or fear no longer arise from the outcome, as the Soul seeks only God’s will.
5. How does the example of Jesus Christ shape the Soul’s understanding of her situation?
The Soul reflects on how Jesus Christ, the Son of God, perfectly fulfilled His Father’s will in saving humanity. The Father gave the Son for our salvation, and the Son, in obedience, accomplished His Father’s will without any personal motive. This perfect unity of will is the model for the Soul’s own attitude. By contemplating Christ’s selfless obedience, the Soul learns that true spiritual freedom and peace come from seeking and fulfilling God’s will alone.
6. What insight does the Soul gain about her capacity for sin and union with God’s will?
The Soul realizes that while it is always possible for her to sin if she wills it, it is impossible to sin if her will remains steadfastly united to God’s. This insight reveals the transformative power of grace: sin is not simply an external act but arises from the will’s deviation from God’s. If the Soul’s will aligns fully with the divine will, she attains spiritual possession, where sin cannot enter. This truth deepens her understanding of the relationship between will, grace, and sanctity.
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In Chapter 110, Marguerite Porete describes the “skill” in a creature as a subtle, natural ability inherent in the soul’s substance that generates intellect and elevates understanding beyond mere speech. This ability is divinely infused, enabling the soul to interpret truth more profoundly than even the speaker’s intent. Love reveals that true understanding rests in stillness and nobility, free from the labor of effortful thought. As the soul surrenders to Love, she transcends natural perceptions and meditations, relinquishing her will and entering into “nothingness,” where she abides not in her own love but in God’s Love alone. This consummate union marks the soul’s highest stage, beyond her own thoughts and senses, in complete receptivity to divine grace, fulfilling her spiritual journey in total annihilation of self.
—
1. “What, then, is a skill in a creature?”
This question introduces the chapter’s theme: the nature of spiritual and intellectual skill, not merely as human accomplishment, but as something inherent and gifted in the soul by God. It sets up a contrast between ordinary understanding and deeper, divinely-infused knowledge.
2. “It is a subtle natural ability from which intellect is born, which gives understanding in the Soul to interpret what someone says more perfectly than the one who says it himself, even though the speaker understands what he says.”
Here, Porete highlights a paradox of mystical understanding: the soul’s divinely given capacity can perceive spiritual truths more perfectly than a speaker articulates them. This ‘skill’ comes from the natural soul’s depth, from which intellect emerges, surpassing even articulate expression.
3. “Because intelligence reposes, and speaking labors; and understanding cannot undertake labor lest she be less noble.”
This aphoristic line suggests that true understanding is effortless, born from rest and contemplation rather than struggle or intellectual toil. For Porete, labor diminishes the nobility of divine understanding, whereas stillness and receptivity elevate it.
4. “This subtle ability is the substance of the Soul; and the intellect is the operation of the soul; and the understanding is the height of the Soul; and such understanding is from substance and from intellect.”
Porete describes a mystical anthropology: ‘skill’ or subtle ability is the soul’s very being; intellect is its activity; and understanding is its highest expression. This elegant hierarchy shows the soul as layered, with divine insight culminating from its depths.
5. “Thus Love, who gives her this being, remains in her and she remains in nothingness, but not in love. For as long as the Soul is with herself, she remains in love.”
Love-understood as divine Love or the Holy Spirit-bestows this subtle capacity and sustains the soul in nothingness. However, when the soul clings to her own selfhood, she experiences only natural love. Porete points to the movement beyond selfhood into the fullness of divine Love.
6. “She has lost the use of her senses-not her senses, but the use. For Love has carried her from the place where she was, in leaving her senses in peace, and so has seized their use.”
This mystical passage suggests that divine Love lifts the soul into a state of detachment from her own faculties. She doesn’t lose the senses themselves but their active control; this signals a transition from personal striving to complete surrender in divine Love.
7. “This is the completion of her pilgrimage, and the annihilation by her rendering of her will, which is dissolved in [Love].”
The soul’s journey culminates in the annihilation of the will, not through violence but through complete surrender to Love. This passage encapsulates Porete’s vision of mystical union: the soul’s will dissolves into divine will, bringing her into true spiritual freedom.
8. “This is the captivity of the high sea, for she lives without her will and so she is in being above her deliberation.”
Porete uses the metaphor of the “high sea” to suggest a paradoxical freedom: captivity in Love’s vastness, yet liberation from self-will. Living beyond deliberation, the soul rests in the flow of divine will, a state of radical dependence and mystical union.
9. “Otherwise she would be reproached by the sovereign who places her there without herself, and so she would have war against Love, who is the Holy Spirit, and she would be reproached by the Father, and judged by the Son.”
Porete warns of the danger of resistance to divine Love: clinging to one’s own will invites spiritual conflict and judgment. Only complete surrender aligns the soul with the triune God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-and leads to peace.
—
1. What is meant by a “skill” in a creature, according to Love?
A skill in a creature, as described by Love, is a subtle natural ability within the soul. It is not merely an acquired intellectual skill, but rather a spiritual faculty that gives rise to intellect and understanding. This ability allows the soul to perceive and interpret truths beyond the comprehension of mere words, even exceeding the speaker’s own understanding. It is innate to the soul’s substance, flowing from her very being.
2. Why does Love suggest that “understanding cannot undertake labor lest she be less noble”?
Love explains that true understanding rests in stillness and nobility. Labor and striving diminish its nobility, as they represent a form of self-effort and control. Divine understanding transcends intellectual work and arises effortlessly when the soul is surrendered to Love. This is why intelligence reposes while speaking labors-the highest understanding comes not from human effort but from divine grace.
3. How does Porete describe the relationship between skill, intellect, and understanding within the soul?
Porete delineates a hierarchy within the soul:
* The “skill” or subtle ability is the substance of the soul, her very being.
* The intellect is the operation of the soul, the active capacity for knowledge.
* Understanding is the height of the soul, a lofty realization born from the union of substance and intellect.
This triad suggests a dynamic flow from being to action to realization, culminating in the soul’s comprehension of divine truth.
4. What happens to the soul as she progresses toward spiritual union?
As the soul advances, she experiences a gradual detachment from herself. She “loses the use of her senses”-not the senses themselves, but her active engagement with them. Love lifts her beyond the self’s natural operations, including thoughts and meditations, into a state of nothingness where the soul remains in God alone. This is the completion of her spiritual pilgrimage, marked by the annihilation of her own will and the total surrender to divine Love.
5. What does it mean that the soul “remains in nothingness, but not in love”?
This phrase illustrates a key paradox: the soul, in her highest state, is emptied of herself and all self-generated love. In this nothingness, she abides not in her own love but in Love itself, which is God. When she was attached to herself, she remained in natural love, prone to pride and enchantment. But in nothingness, she transcends self-love and fully surrenders to divine Love.
6. How does Porete describe the soul’s final state of surrender and union with God?
The soul’s final state is likened to a “captivity of the high sea”-a paradoxical image of boundless surrender. She lives without her own will, above deliberation, in perfect peace and rest. Her journey culminates in the complete annihilation of her personal will, rendering her totally receptive to divine Love. In this state, the soul no longer resists but fully consents to the sovereignty of God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
7. What spiritual danger does Porete warn against in this chapter?
Porete warns that if the soul resists this total surrender-if she clings to her own will and refuses the annihilation of self-she risks spiritual conflict. Such resistance leads to reproach from God the Father, conflict with Love (the Holy Spirit), and judgment from the Son. The only path to peace and divine union is the surrender of self-will and a complete resting in Love.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 10 of 14
In Chapter 91 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, the teaching unfolds a vision of the soul’s perfect union with God’s will, in which her actions flow from a freedom and pleasure that mirror divine love. Love declares that such souls do nothing unless it pleases them-not out of selfishness, but because their pleasure has become inseparable from God’s will. The soul’s journey moves from grace through the works of virtue, into love, into complete self-emptying (Nothingness), and finally into divine clarification where she sees neither herself nor God, but God sees Himself in her. This profound union, described as the sixth and highest state attainable on earth, reveals a divine mystery: that God alone is, loves, and acts, and the soul-having reached this stage through God’s goodness-participates completely in His Being while retaining the free will given to her by God from the beginning.
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1. “They do nothing unless it pleases them and if they do [what does not please them] they take away peace, freeness, and nobility from themselves. For the Soul is not refined until she does what is pleasing to her, and until she experiences no reproach for doing her pleasure.”
Here, Love teaches that the will of the soul perfectly aligned with divine Love is characterized by freedom and inner nobility. This is not selfish indulgence but a purified pleasure, because the soul’s will has been united with God’s will. When she acts contrary to this purified will, she disrupts her own peace and loses her spiritual refinement. This passage highlights the paradox of true spiritual freedom: doing what one pleases, but only after one’s will is wholly conformed to God’s.
2. “This is right, says Love, for her will is ours. She has crossed the Red Sea, her enemies have been drowned in it. Her pleasure is our will, through the purity of the unity of the will of the Deity where we have enclosed her.”
This vivid metaphor of crossing the Red Sea symbolizes the soul’s journey through trials and purifications. Her enemies (attachments, sins, ego) are drowned, and she emerges into the freedom of union with God’s will. Her pleasure and God’s will are indistinguishable, revealing the depth of her purification and transformation.
3. “She has fallen from grace into the perfection of the work of the Virtues, and from the Virtues into Love and from Love into Nothingness, and from Nothingness into clarification by God, who sees Himself with the eyes of His majesty, who in this point has clarified her with Himself.”
This passage outlines the soul’s progressive stages: from grace and virtues into pure love, self-emptying (Nothingness), and ultimately to divine clarification where she is so united with God that even self-awareness disappears. It portrays a mystical ascent toward the highest possible human union with God.
4. “And she is so dissolved in Him that she sees neither herself nor Him, and thus He sees completely Himself alone, by His divine goodness.” He will be of Himself in such goodness which He knew of Himself before she ever was.”
The soul’s union with God reaches a point of complete dissolution, where individual identity and even the distinction between God and soul vanish. This echoes the mystical theme of “seeing God with God’s eyes” and “loving God with God’s love.” The soul becomes a vessel for God’s self-contemplation and love, an idea resonant with apophatic spirituality.
5. “There is no one except Him; no one loves except Him, for no one is except Him, and thus He alone loves completely, and sees Himself completely alone, and praises completely alone by His Being itself. And the limit is at this point, for it is the most noble stage which the Soul might be able to have here below.”
This profound declaration emphasizes divine sovereignty and absolute unity. The soul’s union dissolves into God’s own being, where only God exists, loves, and praises. This is the highest mystical state achievable on earth: a total effacement of the soul into God’s love and knowledge, leading to a state where only God remains.
6. “And so there are five [stages] below this one where it is necessary to unite to the perfection of the demand of each, before the Soul might be able to have this one, which is the sixth, which is the most profitable, the most noble, the most noble of them all. And in paradise is the seventh, and this one is perfect and without any lack.”
Love explains that this highest earthly stage (the sixth) is preceded by five earlier stages, each requiring its own perfection. The seventh, perfect and without lack, belongs to the soul in paradise. This passage offers a roadmap of the soul’s ascent through spiritual maturity to final union with God.
7. “Thus God accomplishes by His goodness His divine works in His creatures. The Holy Spirit breathes there wherever He is, and so He is in His creatures marvelously.”
The chapter concludes by affirming that all of this-the soul’s transformation, purification, and union-is God’s work, done through His infinite goodness and the action of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit breathes life and love into the soul, filling creation with God’s presence.
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1. What does Love mean when it says, “They do nothing unless it pleases them and if they do [what does not please them] they take away peace, freeness, and nobility from themselves”?
Love explains that the perfected souls act only in accordance with what pleases them-not out of selfishness, but because their will has become one with God’s will. If they act against this inner alignment, they lose their spiritual peace, freedom, and noble dignity. This indicates a profound state of freedom where one’s pleasure is in perfect harmony with divine love.
2. How has the soul reached this stage where her will is completely united with God’s will?
The soul has journeyed through several stages: she has crossed the “Red Sea,” symbolizing her liberation from attachments and sins; she has progressed from grace to the perfection of the virtues, then into Love, into Nothingness (self-emptying), and finally into divine clarification. In this highest state, her will is no longer separate but enclosed in God’s will, so her pleasure and God’s will are one.
3. What is the significance of the soul “falling from grace into the perfection of the work of the Virtues, and from the Virtues into Love and from Love into Nothingness”?
This passage describes the soul’s progressive transformation. Initially living by grace and virtue, she moves beyond active works into a higher stage of pure love, then empties herself into Nothingness-complete surrender of self-will and self-consciousness. This journey culminates in total union and clarification in God, where even self-awareness dissolves into divine Being.
4. Why is it said that “there is no one except Him; no one loves except Him, for no one is except Him”?
This expresses the complete dissolution of the soul into God. In this state, all distinctions between the soul and God vanish. God alone truly exists, loves, and praises. The soul has become so united with Him that she no longer acts as a separate entity; only God remains. This reflects the highest mystical union achievable on earth.
5. What does Love mean by mentioning the “five stages below” and the “sixth and seventh stages”?
The five stages below refer to the necessary preparatory stages in the spiritual ascent (including works of virtue and love). The sixth stage, the most noble and profitable on earth, represents the soul’s complete union with God’s will. The seventh stage, perfect and without lack, is the soul’s final, glorified union with God in paradise. This structure illustrates the path of spiritual growth from virtue to perfect union.
6. How does God’s goodness relate to this entire process?
The entire journey of the soul-from initial purification to final union-is accomplished by God’s goodness. It is through His generosity and love that the soul is transformed and elevated. The Holy Spirit’s breath animates this transformation, and God’s divine works are marvelously accomplished in the soul by His own initiative and grace.
7. What is the role of free will in this union with God?
The text highlights that God gave the soul free will from the beginning, and He does not remove it even in the soul’s deepest union with Him. Instead, her free will becomes so completely aligned with God’s will that she acts out of perfect freedom and love. Her pleasure is God’s pleasure, her will is God’s will, and she experiences this alignment as total freedom and joy.
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Chapter 92 of The Mirror of Simple Souls presents the soul’s ultimate detachment and liberation, where she releases all claims and attachments-to God, to herself, and to her neighbors-into the fullness of divine wisdom, power, and goodness. This surrender is not a rejection but an act of radical trust and abandonment, allowing God to work in her without resistance. The soul’s state of “nothingness” enables her to experience true freedom, where she owes nothing and desires nothing for herself, creating a space where God can manifest Himself fully and freely. The chapter contrasts this liberated state with the limitations of reason and nature, emphasizing that only divine love can lead the soul to such complete union and peace.
1. “Ah, Lord, says this Soul, you have suffered so much from us, and you have worked so much in us, through yourself, of yourself, that these two works, Lord, have found their end in us. But it is too late.”
The Soul expresses a profound realization of God’s immense labor-His suffering and self-giving work-in the soul’s transformation. Yet, there’s a paradoxical sense of arriving too late, as if the soul has finally recognized that God’s work is complete, but only after her own resistance and delay. This highlights the grace of divine action and the humility of the soul’s acknowledgment of God’s primacy.
2. “Now work in us of yourself for our sakes without ourselves, as it pleases you, Lord.”
Here, the Soul surrenders completely, desiring that God’s work continue in her not through her efforts but solely by His will and pleasure. This reflects the teaching of radical self-emptying (kenosis) where even the soul’s cooperation is relinquished into the hands of divine sovereignty.
3. “I unencumber myself from you, and from myself, and from my neighbors, and I will tell you how. I release you, and myself, and all my neighbors, in the knowledge of your divine wisdom, in the outflowing of your divine power, in the governance of your divine goodness, for the sake of your divine will alone.”
The Soul boldly proclaims a threefold detachment: from God, herself, and others. This is not rejection but the deepest form of surrender, entrusting all to the divine will. Her “release” signifies that she no longer clings possessively even to God but trusts fully in His governance and love, transcending human understanding and natural attachments.
4. “And these divine things alone, annihilated, clear, and clarified by the divine majesty, says the Satisfied Soul, have given me freeness from all things without expecting anything in return, for otherwise there would not be this gift if there were a lack.”
The Satisfied Soul describes how divine action-purifying and clarifying-has brought her into a state of perfect freeness. This gift is without any expectation or self-interest; it is a pure, gratuitous liberation from all things, demonstrating the fullness of divine generosity. Any “lack” or attachment would undermine this gift.
5. “Now pay attention, if you will, if you have such a gift, says this Soul to the servants of Reason and Nature in order to make them envious. I owe nothing, otherwise Love would be a slave and otherwise nothingness exists, which cannot be. And when such nothingness is, then God sees Himself in such a creature, without any hindrance from His creature.”
The Soul challenges Reason and Nature, suggesting that their self-justifications and striving fall short of the gift of divine freeness. She proclaims that she “owes nothing” because she has moved beyond the economy of earning and owing; her being is now an expression of divine Love and nothingness. In this radical emptiness, God fully sees Himself reflected in the soul, unobstructed by her former self.
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1. What realization does the Soul express at the beginning of the chapter, and what does it signify?
The Soul acknowledges that God has worked greatly in her-through suffering and divine action-but recognizes that she has only come to fully understand this after the fact. This signifies a deep humility and awareness of God’s initiative in the soul’s transformation, revealing that human cooperation, while important, is ultimately overshadowed by God’s grace and mercy. The Soul feels that her awakening is belated, but it also shows her readiness to completely surrender to divine action.
2. What does the Soul mean by saying she will let God work “for our sakes without ourselves”?
The Soul expresses a radical surrender in which she no longer claims any part in her own spiritual progress. She entrusts herself entirely to God’s working, asking Him to act “for our sakes” purely by His own initiative. This reflects the mystical teaching of total abandonment, where the soul lets go of even her will to cooperate, trusting solely in the divine will.
3. Why does the Soul “unencumber” herself from God, herself, and her neighbors?
The Soul’s unencumbering is not a rejection of God, self, or others but a profound act of entrustment. She releases all attachments-even spiritual ones-into God’s wisdom, power, and goodness. By unbinding herself from relational claims, she embraces a radical freedom and union with divine will. This detachment signifies a love that is pure, selfless, and unconditioned, mirroring God’s own freedom and love.
4. How does the Satisfied Soul describe the divine work in her, and what is its effect?
The Satisfied Soul says that divine things-purified and clarified by God’s majesty-have given her a perfect freedom from all things without expecting anything in return. This means that the soul has been transformed into a state of disinterested love and detachment, where she no longer desires rewards or outcomes. The effect is complete spiritual liberation and peace, achieved solely by God’s action.
5. Why does the Soul say she “owes nothing,” and what does this reveal about the nature of her union with God?
By saying she “owes nothing,” the Soul emphasizes that her relationship with God has transcended any notion of obligation, merit, or exchange. Love, to remain pure, cannot be enslaved to debt or expectation. Her state of “nothingness” allows God to fully manifest Himself in her without obstruction. This reveals that the soul’s union with God is total, selfless, and unmediated-rooted in divine goodness alone.
6. What is the significance of the Soul addressing the “servants of Reason and Nature,” and what message is she conveying?
The Soul addresses the “servants of Reason and Nature” to contrast her liberated state with the limitations of rationality and natural inclinations. She suggests that those governed by reason and nature cannot comprehend or attain the level of freedom and love she experiences. Her challenge conveys that true spiritual liberation transcends rational calculation and natural desires, achieved only by surrendering into divine love and nothingness.
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The central teaching of Chapter 93 in The Mirror of Simple Souls is that the peace of divine life transcends human comprehension, being a state of total surrender where the soul ceases striving and is overtaken by God’s love. The soul finds this peace not through effort, but through the annihilation of self and complete alignment with the divine will, exemplified most perfectly by the Virgin Mary. While figures like Mary Magdalene sought Christ with longing, they lacked the full realization that God is already present everywhere. True peace comes not from seeking but from resting in the divine presence, where love acts in and through the soul without her own involvement, and where activity and rest become one in union with God’s will.
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1. “The peace of such a life by divine life cannot be thought or spoken or written, as long as the Soul is in such love without the work of the body, without the work of the heart, without the works of the spirit: through divine work the law is fulfilled.”
The peace of divine life surpasses human understanding, transcending the limitations of thought, speech, and writing. This peace emerges not from active effort-whether of the body, heart, or spirit-but from complete union with divine action. The “law” (possibly the law of love or the divine law) is fulfilled when God acts through the soul without her interference.
2. “Reason esteems the Magdalene well in that she sought Jesus Christ, but Love is silent about her. Note this well and do not forget it, for when [the Magdalene] sought Him, she lacked the divine life which Truth names the glorious life.”
Here, the text contrasts Reason’s admiration for Mary Magdalene’s seeking of Christ with Love’s silence, indicating that active seeking belongs to a lower stage. While Reason values Magdalene’s effort, Love sees that true union is not found in seeking but in surrender and being overtaken by God. Seeking indicates a lack-something still desired and not possessed-whereas the glorious life is characterized by fullness and rest in divine presence.
3. “But when she was in the desert, Love overtook her, which annihilated her, and thus because of this Love worked in her for her sake, without her, and so she lived by divine life which made her have glorious life.”
Magdalene’s transition from seeker to one overtaken by Love marks the move from human effort to divine operation. Love “annihilated her”-a reference to self-emptying and detachment from personal striving. Divine Love, acting without her involvement, grants her participation in the “glorious life,” a life characterized by complete rest and unity in God.
4. “She did not know when she sought Him that God was completely everywhere, so that she might not seek Him.”
This insight reveals the futility of seeking God through human effort when He is already omnipresent. The soul’s search for God often arises from ignorance of His pervasive presence. True peace comes from realizing that God is already here, everywhere, and there is no need to seek Him outside or with striving.
5. “I have found no one who always knew this, except for the Virgin Mary. She never willed through sensuality, nor worked in the spirit outside the will of the Deity by the divine work.”
The Virgin Mary is presented as the exemplar of divine peace, never acting out of personal desire but always perfectly aligned with God’s will. Her life embodies the peace of divine union-her will and God’s will were always one. This perfect surrender and harmony allowed her to live, even in her mortal body, the “glorious life of the Trinity.”
6. “This was and is and will be [the Virgin’s] divine aspect, her divine feast, her divine love, her divine peace, her divine praise, her full labor and her full rest-to will only the divine will.”
Mary’s entire life, both labor and rest, praise and love, was rooted in one thing: to will only God’s will. This simplicity and purity of intention brought her into full participation in the life of the Trinity, even during her earthly life. The Virgin is the ideal of divine peace, not through effort but through complete conformity and surrender to God.
This analysis highlights the progression from human seeking to divine union, where peace arises from ceasing to strive and from being overtaken by Love. Mary Magdalene represents the transition, and the Virgin Mary the consummate model of divine peace.
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1. What does the text mean when it says the peace of divine life “cannot be thought or spoken or written”?
The text emphasizes that the peace which comes from the divine life is so profound and transcendent that human faculties-thinking, speaking, and writing-are incapable of fully capturing or expressing it. This peace surpasses all ordinary human comprehension and is realized not through intellectual or emotional striving but through complete union with God’s action. It is an ineffable state beyond the grasp of the mind and heart, attained when the soul surrenders its own will and allows God to act in and through it.
2. Why does Love remain silent about Mary Magdalene’s seeking of Jesus Christ, while Reason esteems her?
Reason admires Magdalene’s active seeking of Christ as a sign of devotion and effort, reflecting the human tendency to value visible, deliberate acts of faith. However, Love remains silent because true divine life is not about seeking or desiring from a place of lack; it is about resting in God’s presence, realizing that He is already everywhere. Magdalene’s seeking, though admirable from a human perspective, indicates that she had not yet attained the fullness of divine life, which is characterized by complete union and the cessation of seeking.
3. What transformation occurs in Mary Magdalene when she is “in the desert” and Love “overtakes” her?
In the desert, Magdalene’s human striving is replaced by divine action. Love overtakes her, leading to her self-annihilation-the death of her ego and self-will. As a result, God begins to work in her for her own sake, without her personal involvement or striving. This marks her entrance into divine life, where she no longer seeks God because she realizes His all-encompassing presence. Her existence becomes one of being lived by God, not merely living for God.
4. Why is seeking God considered unnecessary once one realizes His complete presence everywhere?
Seeking God stems from a sense of distance or separation, but when one realizes that God is present everywhere-immanent in all things-the need to seek Him as though He were absent becomes obsolete. The soul learns to rest in the divine presence, abandoning the effort of seeking and instead embracing the peace of being overtaken by Love. This shift from seeking to resting is essential for entering the “glorious life,” where the soul lives in union with God’s presence.
5. How is the Virgin Mary presented as the supreme model of divine peace and life?
The Virgin Mary is portrayed as uniquely embodying the perfect peace of divine life. Unlike others, she never willed through sensuality or spiritual striving but was entirely aligned with the divine will. Her life was one continuous act of union with God, with no self-interested actions or desires. Because of this, she experienced the glorious life of the Trinity even in her mortal body. Her existence was wholly defined by willing only the divine will, making her the model of perfect surrender, rest, and divine peace.
6. What is meant by “Love worked in her for her sake, without her”?
This phrase highlights the idea that true divine love operates independently of the soul’s own efforts. When the soul surrenders itself completely, Love (God) begins to act directly within and through the soul, for her own ultimate good, without her active participation or striving. It signifies a shift from human effort to divine initiative-the soul no longer tries to reach God but is instead moved and transformed by God’s own love and will.
7. What does the text imply by saying that the peace of divine life includes both “full labor and full rest”?
This phrase illustrates the paradox of divine life: it involves complete rest from self-driven effort and yet is fully active through God’s work within the soul. For the Virgin Mary, her life was simultaneously filled with divine praise, love, and activity (“full labor”) while being marked by perfect surrender and peace (“full rest”). This unity of action and rest reflects the divine operation where the soul, while physically active, is inwardly at peace and wholly united with God’s will.
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Chapter 94 teaches that the “language” of divine life is an inner silence born of divine love, where the soul wills nothing but the divine will. This silent love transcends human words and expresses a profound alignment with God. Entry into divine rest requires the soul’s prior labor-virtues and self-denial sharpen the will, enabling the soul to repay her debt to Christ and attain harmony with God. The “glorious life” is a restoration of Adam’s original innocence through divine obedience, mirroring Christ’s redemptive work. Only when the soul is entirely transparent and free from the false self-completely “naked” before God-can she fully enter divine life, experiencing peace, sufficiency, and the fulfillment of her being.
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1. “The language of such a life of divine life is a hidden silence of divine love. She has had this for a long time, and so she has willed this for a long time. There is no greater life than always to will the divine will.”
This passage expresses how the language of divine life is not articulated with words, but rather with a deep, hidden silence that stems from divine love. This “hidden silence” signifies a profound inner stillness where the soul’s will is perfectly aligned with God’s will. The will’s continual alignment with divine love forms the essence of the highest life.
2. “You have nothing to delay in giving up yourselves, for no one can rest in the highest restful repose if he is not fatigued first-of this I am certain.”
Here the soul acknowledges that surrender to God requires first experiencing the fatigue of effort and struggle. This paradox highlights that rest in God-the highest repose-comes after the weariness of striving for perfection. The call to “give up yourselves” urges the reader toward total surrender and detachment from self.
3. “Let the Virtues have what is theirs in you by sharpening the will in the core of the affection of your spirit until they have acquitted you of what you owe Jesus Christ.”
This passage indicates that the soul must allow the virtues (such as humility, charity, obedience) to sharpen and purify the will, aligning it with God’s love. The “debt” owed to Christ is repaid by the transformation of the will through virtuous living, preparing the soul for divine union.
4. “Did He not say in the Gospel that ‘whoever will believe in me will do works as I do, and even greater ones will he do’?”
This Gospel reference underscores that believers, in full union with God, are called to continue Christ’s works-and even surpass them-through divine grace. This is not about personal greatness but about God working through the soul, once it is surrendered and purified.
5. “God gives you briefly the accomplishment of your natural perfection, concord of the powers of the soul, and sufficiency in all things. It is necessary that you have this, for it is the way of divine life, which we call the glorious life.”
The soul affirms that natural perfection-the harmony of soul and sufficiency-prepares one for the divine life. This state, called “the glorious life,” involves the restoration of the soul’s original innocence, aligning with the divine will and participating in divine sufficiency and peace.
6. “That one restores today the first day who attains on earth the innocence through divine obedience which Adam lost in terrestrial paradise through disobedience.”
This highlights a return to original innocence, where obedience to God’s will restores the lost unity of the soul with God, akin to Adam’s original state before the Fall. The “first day” symbolizes a new creation and rebirth of divine life within the soul.
7. “Pain remained in [humanity], for Jesus Christ took it [upon Himself], and so it is just that it remain with us. The truly innocent never possess a regulation, [and] no one ever makes them unjust. They are completely naked; they have nothing to hide.”
Even in innocence, pain remains as part of humanity’s participation in Christ’s suffering. However, the “truly innocent” live transparently, with no deceit or self-justification. They are completely surrendered to divine truth and love, and thus “naked” before God, restored to pure innocence.
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1. What is meant by the “language” of divine life in this chapter?
The language of divine life is described as “a hidden silence of divine love,” meaning it transcends spoken or written words. It is an inner, silent communication where the soul wills nothing but God’s will. This silence expresses divine love most profoundly, beyond human articulation.
2. Why does the soul emphasize that there is no greater life than always to will the divine will?
Because total alignment of the soul’s will with God’s will represents the highest state of spiritual life. It embodies perfect union with God’s love and divine purpose, freeing the soul from self-centeredness and allowing her to rest in the fullness of divine peace and life.
3. Why does the text insist that one must experience fatigue before entering the “highest restful repose”?
Fatigue here symbolizes the soul’s labor of purification and surrender. One cannot enter into the restful peace of divine union without first struggling against the self, detaching from worldly attachments, and embracing divine will through virtuous living. The “fatigue” is the necessary process of self-emptying.
4. What is the significance of the Virtues in sharpening the will and acquitting the soul’s debt to Jesus Christ?
The Virtues (such as charity, humility, obedience) help purify and strengthen the soul’s will, aligning it with divine love. By embracing these virtues, the soul fulfills its “debt” to Christ-living out His example of self-giving love and obedience. This prepares the soul for participation in divine life.
5. How does the soul interpret Jesus’s words about doing greater works than He did?
The soul sees these words as a promise that those who fully surrender to God will be instruments of divine love and grace, accomplishing even greater works because they act entirely by God’s will, not their own. This highlights the soul’s potential for extraordinary divine action once self-will is renounced.
6. What is described as the “glorious life” and how does one attain it?
The “glorious life” is the divine life marked by natural perfection, harmony within the soul, and sufficiency in all things. It is attained through divine grace, virtuous living, and perfect obedience to God’s will. This life restores the soul’s original innocence, mirroring Adam’s state before the Fall.
7. What does the text mean by “restoring today the first day”?
It refers to the restoration of the soul to the original innocence and divine harmony that existed in creation’s first day before the Fall. This restoration is achieved through divine obedience, mirroring Christ’s redemptive obedience, which reverses Adam’s disobedience and reestablishes humanity’s original union with God.
8. Why does the text emphasize that the truly innocent are “completely naked” and have nothing to hide?
Innocence here represents complete transparency and openness before God, free from the guilt and concealment introduced by sin. The “nakedness” signifies the soul’s surrender of all pretense and self-will, living fully in divine truth and love, as Adam and Eve did before the Fall.
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In Chapter 95, the teaching centers on the profound contrast between the striving of those still bound by the Virtues in the “land of the sad” and the serene freedom of the “naked annihilated ones” in the land of divine union. Love reveals that the highest spiritual state is characterized by the soul’s complete surrender, where even knowing, loving, or praising God is transcended, for these actions become unnecessary in the face of God’s boundless being. The soul rests in a state of pure divine love and freedom, where her will is united with God’s will, enabling her to act without error or loss of divine gifts. In this union, fear, discretion, and reason no longer restrain her, and she is fully transparent to God, who sees her intellect and her being in the fullness of their divine transformation. This state reflects the culmination of the soul’s journey, where selfhood is dissolved into divine love and peace.
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1. “It is a very long road from the land of the Virtues, who hold the sad, to the land of the forgotten ones, the naked annihilated ones, the clarified ones, who are in the highest stage, where God is relinquished by them in themselves.”
This opening contrasts the realm of virtue (where souls are burdened with sadness) with the transcendent realm of the “naked annihilated ones,” those who have relinquished everything, even God Himself, within themselves. It suggests that the highest stage of union with God involves a radical detachment, even from the self’s concepts of God, love, and praise.
2. “Thus He is neither known, nor loved, nor praised by such creatures, except only in this, that one cannot know Him, nor love, nor praise Him.”
Here, Love introduces the paradox of divine union: the soul, having transcended all images and understandings, “loves” by acknowledging that God cannot be comprehended or contained. The ultimate love is an unknowing, a surrender to mystery beyond all faculties.
3. “This is the summation of all their love, the last course of their way: the last accords with the first, for the middle is not discordant.”
This summarizes the entire spiritual journey: the soul’s path ends where it began-in total surrender to God’s unknowable reality. The journey is harmonious, where even the struggles (“the middle”) fit within the unity of God’s will.
3. “It is right, since [the Soul] has finished the course, that she repose in Him who is able [to do] whatever He wills by the proper goodness of His divine being.”
The soul, having relinquished all attachments and completed her journey, now rests in God’s perfect will. God’s own goodness is the source of this rest, where human will is no longer in tension with divine will.
4. “And this Soul is able to do whatever she wills without loss of the gifts of Him who possesses His own being.”
Union with God transforms the soul into His likeness, enabling her to act freely without losing grace. Her will becomes so aligned with God’s that it expresses divine freedom, mirroring the unbounded generosity of Love itself.
5. “This is Love Herself, and Love is able to do whatever She wills. And thus neither Fear, nor Discretion, nor Reason can say anything contrary to Love.”
Here, Love is personified as the ultimate authority, beyond human constraints like fear or prudence. When the soul is fully immersed in Love, she transcends all natural limitations and judgments, experiencing true freedom and fulfillment.
6. “This [Soul] sees the fullness of her intellect; but God sees it in her without impediment from her, and thus the Virtues have nothing with which to shame her.”
The soul, now illuminated, perceives her intellect’s fullness, but it is God who beholds it perfectly without hindrance. The “Virtues” (representing moral constraints) can no longer accuse her because she has moved beyond the moral stage into the pure realm of divine union.
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1. What contrast does Love draw between the “land of the sad” and the “land of the annihilated”?
Love contrasts two spiritual states: the land of the sad, inhabited by souls burdened with striving and governed by Virtues, and the land of the “naked annihilated ones,” those who have relinquished not only earthly attachments but even their own notions of God, love, and praise. While the Virtues keep souls laboring under the weight of moral and spiritual striving, the annihilated ones dwell in a clarified state where they have let go of everything, resting in God’s unknowable reality.
2. Why does Love say that in the highest state, God is “neither known, nor loved, nor praised”?
In the highest state of union, the soul acknowledges that God transcends all human faculties, including knowledge, love, and praise. Love explains that true union involves surrendering even the soul’s own capacities to “know, love, or praise” God, recognizing instead that these faculties are inadequate before divine mystery. The soul loves by acknowledging its unknowing and inability, surrendering fully to God’s transcendence.
3. What does Love mean by saying “the last accords with the first, for the middle is not discordant”?
This phrase suggests that the spiritual journey is coherent from beginning to end. The soul’s initial longing for God, the trials and struggles in the middle (the “middle” stages of virtue and growth), and the final resting in God’s being all form a harmonious journey. The soul’s end state-a total surrender to God-mirrors her original desire for union, and everything in between is part of this divine harmony.
4. How does Love describe the soul’s ability to act in the highest state?
Love reveals that the soul, having fully surrendered and been transformed by divine Love, can now act with complete freedom, mirroring God’s own freedom. This soul can “do whatever she wills” without losing grace or divine gifts because her will is so united with God’s will that she shares in His divine freedom. This transformation reflects God’s perfect generosity and the soul’s perfect alignment with Him.
5. Why are Fear, Discretion, and Reason powerless against Love in this highest stage?
Fear, Discretion, and Reason represent the constraints of moral judgment, caution, and human understanding. However, in the highest stage of union, Love is supreme and unbounded. The soul’s actions, now governed solely by Love, transcend these limitations. Love’s absolute freedom makes her beyond reproach, so neither moral fear, cautious discretion, nor rational deliberation can limit or contradict her.
6. How does Love describe the soul’s intellect in this state of union?
The soul’s intellect, now fully illuminated by divine union, perceives the fullness of its capacity. However, God perceives this intellect even more perfectly and directly, without any impediment from the soul. In this state, the Virtues have nothing to accuse her of, as the soul’s being has been purified and aligned with God’s own being. This indicates total innocence and transparency before God.
7. What is the ultimate teaching of this chapter about the soul’s journey?
The chapter teaches that the soul’s journey moves from striving under the weight of Virtues and sadness to the complete surrender and freedom of divine union. This union is characterized by annihilation of self, transcendence of moral and rational constraints, and immersion in divine Love. The soul’s love becomes a pure surrender to God’s unknowability and freedom, where she no longer seeks to know, love, or praise by human means but simply rests in God’s being.
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In Chapter 96, the Soul speaks directly to the Trinity, expressing profound humility, surrender, and desire for total detachment from self and from external distractions. Recognizing that she can do, know, and claim nothing of her own, she abandons her will entirely to the divine will. The story of the mendicant creature illustrates the soul’s initial misguided efforts to find God through external, creaturely means, which result only in spiritual hunger and frustration. This prompts a deeper realization: true encounter with God occurs not through external seeking or self-willed effort, but through interior purity, surrender, and self-emptying. Even the desire to guide others to God can become tainted by hidden self-will. Ultimately, the chapter teaches that true union with God requires complete interior detachment and humble acknowledgment of one’s dependence on His grace and love.
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1. “Ah, Lord, who can do all things; ah, Master, who knows all things; ah, Lover, who is worthy of all things, do whatever you will. Sweet Father, I can do nothing. Sweet Son, I know nothing. Sweet Lover, I am worthy of nothing. And therefore I will nothing.”
Here, the Soul addresses the Trinity with profound humility and surrender. By calling on God as Father, Son, and Lover, she acknowledges His power, wisdom, and worthiness, while confessing her own incapacity, ignorance, and unworthiness. This deep act of self-emptying expresses her willingness to let go of all self-will, entrusting herself entirely to God’s will. It is a prayer of annihilation of self, where the soul desires to be so empty of herself that nothing, even of her own desire, stands between her and God’s action.
2. “Ah, for the sake of God! Let us not allow anything of ourselves or of another ever to enter within us for which it would be necessary that God place us outside His goodness!”
This plea highlights the soul’s vigilant desire for purity of heart and complete union with God. She fears anything-be it her own thoughts or the influence of others-that might separate her from God’s goodness. It underscores the importance of interior integrity and the rejection of anything that disrupts the soul’s openness to divine love. This reflects a radical commitment to spiritual poverty and detachment, a hallmark of the highest mystical state.
3. “Once upon a time, there was a mendicant creature, who for a long time sought God in creatureliness, in order to see if she would find Him thus as she willed Him, and as He Himself would be, if the creature allowed Him to work His divine works in her, without impediment from her.”
The text introduces a parable-like story of a soul (likely a reflection of Porete herself) who tried to find God in creatureliness-that is, through created things or by shaping God into her own image. The story illustrates the futility of such efforts. Even though the creature (the soul) willed to find God as she imagined, she found nothing and remained hungry. This reveals the core mystical teaching: God is not found in self-made images or external forms but only in surrender to His divine work within.
4. “And when she saw that she found nothing, she pondered. And her thought about Him told her to seek Him, as she asked, at the depth of the core of the intellect of the purity of her sublime thought.”
Realizing her failure, the soul is prompted to turn inward, seeking God not through external realities but within the deepest core of her own being, where thought is purified. This shift from outward to inward signals the contemplative path of interior union. The “purity of her sublime thought” points to a purified intellect that, freed from distractions and desires, can begin to perceive God’s hidden presence.
5. “And there this mendicant creature went to seek Him, and so she thought that she would describe God such as she desired to find Him in His creatures.”
The soul attempts to articulate God based on her personal search and perceptions, hoping to provide a path for others to find Him too. However, this effort is marked by limitation: the desire to define or describe God ultimately stems from her own will and longing rather than from divine illumination.
6. “And she desired that her neighbors might find God in her, through writings and words; that is to say and mean, that she wished that her neighbors become the perfect ones she described (at least all those to whom she desired to say this).”
This passage reveals a noble but flawed motive. The soul desires to inspire others toward perfection through her writings and teachings. Yet, her ambition is tinged with self-consciousness and self-importance. It highlights the delicate balance between sharing spiritual insight and the danger of subtly centering oneself rather than God. Her intention is good, but it underscores the soul’s continued struggle with ego and self-will.
7. “And in doing this, and in saying this, and in willing this she remained, as you know, a beggar and encumbered with herself. And thus she would beg, because she willed to do this.”
The final lines return to the theme of spiritual poverty and self-emptying. The soul realizes that despite her efforts to teach and inspire, she remains burdened by her own will and desire. Her “begging” symbolizes the state of dependence and humility that the true mystic embraces. True union with God comes not through striving or teaching others but through total surrender and the abandonment of self-will. This recognition marks the threshold of the soul’s final letting go into divine love.
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1. What does the Soul express when she addresses the Trinity as Lord, Master, and Lover?
The Soul expresses complete humility and surrender before the Trinity. By calling God “Lord, Master, and Lover,” she acknowledges His power, knowledge, and worthiness. She recognizes her own incapacity, ignorance, and unworthiness by saying “I can do nothing,” “I know nothing,” and “I am worthy of nothing.” This profound humility leads her to abandon her own will, stating, “I will nothing.” This represents the soul’s total abandonment of self and radical openness to God’s will and love.
2. Why does the Soul plead that “nothing of ourselves or of another” should enter within her?
The Soul is deeply aware of the subtle dangers of attachment to self-will or the influence of others, which could separate her from God. Her plea is for complete purity and emptiness so that nothing within her would necessitate God “placing her outside His goodness.” This reflects a profound desire for interior sanctity and detachment, where the soul remains fully open and receptive to God’s transforming presence without any self-imposed barriers.
3. What is the significance of the story of the “mendicant creature”?
The mendicant creature symbolizes the human soul (possibly representing Porete herself) searching for God within the realm of created things, or seeking to find God as she wishes Him to be. This attempt results in failure and spiritual hunger, highlighting the futility of trying to grasp God on human terms. The story teaches that true discovery of God happens not through outward searching or self-willed effort, but through interior openness and surrender to God’s working within.
4. How does the mendicant’s realization transform her understanding of the path to God?
Upon realizing she could not find God through external search or by her own efforts, the mendicant shifts her focus inward, to the “core of the intellect” and the “purity of her sublime thought.” This represents the movement from an outward, creaturely search to a contemplative interior approach, where God can be encountered in the purified depths of the soul. This transformation emphasizes the contemplative journey of purification, self-emptying, and detachment from both self and external distractions.
5. Why does the Soul’s desire to guide others remain flawed?
Although the Soul desires to guide her neighbors toward perfection through her writings and words, her efforts are subtly compromised by her own will and attachment. She wishes for others to see God in her and to become the “perfect ones she described,” but this reveals a lingering attachment to her own ideas and influence. This exposes the tension between genuine spiritual charity and the ego’s tendency to claim credit, even in acts of apparent humility.
6. What lesson does the Soul’s final self-awareness teach about the path to union with God?
The Soul’s final realization-that she remains a “beggar” and “encumbered with herself”-illustrates the necessity of total self-emptying for union with God. Despite her noble intentions and spiritual efforts, her will and self-reliance remain obstacles. True spiritual poverty is marked by the soul’s deep recognition of her own limitations and by surrendering completely to God’s will. This humility and detachment are essential steps on the mystical path.
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In chapter 97, the author teaches that paradise is nothing other than the soul’s direct and unmediated vision of God. This profound experience of seeing God is not contingent on physical location, time, or bodily glorification, but is realized in the soul’s complete detachment from self and creatureliness. Even the thief crucified alongside Christ attained paradise upon his death, because he beheld God, fulfilling Jesus’ promise. The text underscores the paradox that while the soul can glimpse this vision even in this life through surrender, the body remains a barrier to its full glorification. The author humbly acknowledges the limitations of human words and understanding to describe such divine mysteries, likening her attempts to enclose the sea in an eye or to illuminate the sun with a torch. Ultimately, the soul’s perfection is found in pure nothingness, without thought or self, where it is wholly united to God.
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1. “Paradise is nothing other than to see God only.”
This simple yet profound statement distills the essence of paradise as vision of God. The Supreme Lady of Peace explains that the ultimate joy of paradise is not an external reward or glorification but the direct, unmediated seeing of God’s divine being. This vision is itself the glory and fulfillment of human desire, an experience transcending all worldly measures of happiness or status.
2. “The thief was in paradise the same day as Good Friday… Because he saw God, he was in paradise, for paradise is nothing other than to see God.”
Here, the text draws on the Gospel account of the repentant thief crucified alongside Jesus, who was promised paradise that very day. Even though Jesus had not yet ascended, the thief’s soul immediately experienced the vision of God, which constitutes paradise. This underscores the immediacy and intimacy of divine union that transcends temporal and bodily constraints.
3. “Every and however many times one is unencumbered of oneself. But [this does] not happen gloriously, for the body of such a creature is too heavy.”
This passage clarifies that while the full, glorious vision of God belongs to the final state of beatitude, souls can experience a taste of paradise here and now whenever they are freed from self-through detachment, surrender, and inner purification. Yet, this is not the full glorification of paradise because the body remains a weight and barrier, and only after death can the fullness of this vision be realized.
4. “I was more foolish than the one who would want to do the other, when I undertook a thing which one cannot say, when I encumbered myself with the writing of these words.”
The author’s reflection on her writing process conveys her awareness of the limitations of language and thought when attempting to capture divine realities. Just as one cannot enclose the sea in the eye or illuminate the sun with a torch, so too can human words not encapsulate the mystery of seeing God. This admission highlights the humility and paradox of spiritual writing: it points to the ineffable while acknowledging its inadequacy.
5. “When the Soul remains in pure nothingness without thought, and not until then.”
The culmination of the chapter brings us back to the mystical theme of annihilation of self. Only when the soul reaches total emptiness, renouncing all thoughts and self-will, does it attain the perfect state of being where it can truly experience paradise. This “pure nothingness” is not a nihilistic void but a fullness beyond comprehension-where God’s presence becomes the soul’s entire reality.
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1. What does the text identify as the essence of paradise?
The text declares that paradise is “nothing other than to see God only.” This means that the ultimate beatitude and fulfillment of the soul is to behold God directly, without intermediaries. Paradise is not defined by external glory or location but by the soul’s interior union with the divine, characterized by the vision of God’s essence.
2. How does the text explain the paradox of the thief being in paradise on Good Friday before Christ’s Ascension?
The text explains that although Christ had not yet ascended into heaven, the thief was in paradise on the day of his death because he saw God. Paradise, being the vision of God, was made accessible to the thief immediately upon his death, as promised by Jesus. The apparent paradox is resolved by understanding that this vision constitutes paradise itself, independent of time or physical location.
3. What conditions must a soul meet to experience paradise even in this life?
The soul can taste paradise whenever it becomes “unencumbered of oneself,” meaning it is freed from attachment, ego, and worldly concerns. However, this experience is not full glorification because the physical body still presents limitations. The soul can, nonetheless, live by the life of glory internally, experiencing divine presence in a foretaste of heaven through inner purification and surrender.
4. Why does the author compare writing about these divine realities to attempting impossible tasks like enclosing the sea in one’s eye?
The author uses this comparison to express the inherent limitations of language and human understanding when trying to capture the ineffable nature of God’s being and the soul’s vision of Him. The comparison highlights her humility and the recognition that words cannot fully convey the reality of paradise. Her writing, while a genuine attempt to describe these mysteries, ultimately falls short of their transcendent truth.
5. What is the significance of the phrase “pure nothingness without thought” in the text?
The phrase signifies the soul’s state of complete surrender and detachment, where it has let go of all thoughts, desires, and selfhood. Only in this state of “pure nothingness” can the soul fully encounter God, as there are no longer barriers or distractions. This mystical teaching emphasizes that the soul’s true being is realized not through self-assertion but through total abandonment to God.
6. How does this chapter portray the role of the body in the soul’s experience of paradise?
The text explains that while the soul can experience the vision of God and thus a foretaste of paradise even in this life, the body remains a heavy and limiting factor. The fullness of the glorified state is only possible after death, when the soul is freed from bodily constraints. Until then, the experience of paradise is incomplete and internal, rather than external and glorified.
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In Chapter 98, the teaching revolves around the soul’s journey into the state of “being above its thoughts,” a mystical union where human reasoning can no longer grasp divine reality. Love explains that these souls, amazed by the heights of spiritual ecstasy and the depths of humility, experience a “thinking nothing” that is sealed away by God’s grace, beyond all human efforts. This profound state of divine union is granted only to those chosen by God, symbolized by the “gentle Farnearness” who alone possesses the keys to open and close this mystical closure. The teaching reassures that while some souls may not yet live in this state, they are destined for it by God’s plan, offering hope to those drawn by divine love into deeper spiritual transformation.
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1. [Reason]: “Ah, for the sake of God, says Reason, what do those do who are in being above their thoughts?”
Reason, the faculty of understanding and logic, raises a humble question: what occupies those souls who dwell in a state beyond the workings of the mind? This sets the stage for Love’s profound response, contrasting the limitations of human reasoning with the vastness of divine experience. The question reveals Reason’s curiosity and its recognition of its own boundaries.
2. [Love]: “They are amazed by what is from the top of their mountain, and they are amazed by the same thing which is in the depth of their valley-by a thinking nothing which is shut away and sealed in the secret closure of the highest purity of such an excellent Soul.”
Love responds with a paradoxical image: these souls are simultaneously astonished by the heights and the depths of divine experience. Their “thinking nothing” indicates a state beyond human thought-an immersion in the pure essence of God where thought ceases. This “sealed closure” signifies the profound mystery and inaccessibility of this union to others, emphasizing the exclusivity of this experience.
3. “No one can open the closure, nor break the seal, nor close it when it is open, if the gentle Farnearness from very far and from very near does not close and open it, who alone has the keys to it, for no one else carries them, no one else could carry them.”
This powerful metaphor describes God (the “gentle Farnearness”) as the sole possessor of the keys to the deepest spiritual realities. The paradox of God’s being both distant and intimately near reflects the mystical tension of the soul’s union with the Divine. Only God can open or close this union, underlining its complete dependence on divine grace.
4. “You ladies, to whom God has abundantly given this life by His divine goodness without withholding anything, and not only this life which we describe, but also the one of whom no human speaks, you will recognize your practice in this book.”
Here the text addresses a select group of souls, those women (or spiritual figures) who have been granted an abundance of divine life and insight. They recognize their own experiences reflected in this mystical teaching. This direct address fosters a sense of community among the initiated while emphasizing the esoteric nature of these spiritual truths.
5. “But those who are not of this kind, nor were, nor will be, will not feel this being, nor understand it. They cannot do it, nor will they do it. They are not, as you know, of the lineage of which we speak, no more than the angels of the first order are Seraphim, nor can they be, for God does not give them the being of Seraphim.”
The author differentiates between those predestined for this profound union and those who are not, drawing a stark line between spiritual “lineages.” Just as angels have distinct orders, so too do human souls occupy different spiritual stations, and this mystical experience is reserved for those whom God has chosen and endowed for it.
6. “But those who are not this now-but they are so in God, which is why they will be so-will understand this being and sense it, through the strength of the lineage from which they are and will be, more strongly indeed than those who have not understood it and sensed it. And such folk of whom we speak, who are this way and will be, will recognize, as soon as they hear it, their lineage from which they come.”
This final passage offers a note of hope and inclusion. Even if someone is not yet fully immersed in this divine union, they are already so “in God,” and will come into this being in time. The mystical lineage transcends time and present understanding, and those destined for this union will instinctively recognize it when they encounter these teachings.
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1. What does Reason ask in this chapter, and why is it significant?
Reason asks, “What do those do who are in being above their thoughts?” This question highlights Reason’s awareness of its own limits. It recognizes that there is a state of existence beyond rational understanding-a realm where souls are immersed in God’s being. The significance lies in showing that intellectual reasoning alone cannot grasp the mystical union experienced by these souls.
2. How does Love describe the state of those who are above their thoughts?
Love describes these souls as being “amazed by what is from the top of their mountain” and by “the same thing which is in the depth of their valley.” This imagery conveys the paradoxical nature of their experience: they perceive divine wonder both in the highest spiritual heights and the deepest humility. Their “thinking nothing” signifies a state of profound receptivity and surrender, sealed and enclosed within the soul’s highest purity. This state is beyond human comprehension and rational access.
3. Who alone can open or close the sealed “closure” of this experience, and what does this reveal about the soul’s relationship with God?
The “gentle Farnearness,” representing God, alone possesses the keys to open or close the closure. This metaphor underscores that divine union is an act of God’s will, inaccessible to human effort or understanding. It reflects the soul’s total dependence on God’s grace to enter this mystical state, highlighting both God’s transcendence and intimate presence.
4. To whom is the author addressing this teaching, and why is it described as being recognizable only to certain souls?
The author addresses this teaching to “you ladies,” a symbolic reference to souls granted divine life and grace, perhaps signifying those predisposed to contemplative union with God. The teaching is described as recognizable only to these souls because it speaks of an interior experience that is beyond ordinary understanding. Those not of this “lineage” (those not called or prepared by God) cannot grasp or experience this state, just as lower orders of angels cannot become Seraphim.
5. How does the author reconcile the exclusivity of this experience with a sense of inclusivity or hope?
The author offers a hopeful perspective by stating that some souls who are not yet in this mystical state “are so in God,” which means they are destined to enter this state in time. This reassures readers that even if they do not yet fully grasp or live this reality, they may already belong to this divine lineage and will come to understand and experience it. This balances the exclusivity of the teaching with a vision of divine generosity and predestination.
6. Why is the image of the sealed closure and the keys significant in the context of mystical theology?
The sealed closure represents the ineffable mystery of divine union-something so sacred and hidden that it cannot be accessed by human will or intellect. The image of God alone possessing the keys reinforces the notion that divine grace is entirely gratuitous and sovereign. In mystical theology, this teaches that union with God is a matter of pure gift and cannot be attained through human striving or reasoning.
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In Chapter 99 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, Love reveals that souls who have reached the state of annihilation and union with God-referred to as “souls who are in being”-experience a profound sovereignty over all things. This sovereignty is not rooted in earthly power but arises from their spiritual nobility, likened to the highest orders of angels. Their natural disposition is characterized by a gentle, ardent, and balanced temperament, free from melancholy or apathy. They receive and distribute divine and earthly blessings in perfect alignment with God’s will, without fault or excess. Through their pure desire for God, they attain the perfection of being “Annihilated Souls,” whose freedom and sovereignty reflect their total self-emptying into divine life.
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1. “Such souls, who are in being, are in sovereignty in all things. For their spirit is in the highest nobility of the orders of angels created and ordained.”
This statement reveals that souls who have attained the state of “being” (or annihilation) are granted supreme sovereignty. Their union with God elevates them to the highest spiritual hierarchy, aligning them with the nobility of the highest angelic orders. This suggests a divine participation in authority and perfection, not by personal merit, but by God’s generous ordination.
2. “Thus folk such as these have, on account of this spirit, the highest mansion of all the orders and by nature the most gentle constitution.”
Here, Love describes how these souls, filled with divine spirit, hold not only the highest spiritual place but also a gentle, noble character. Their natural disposition reflects divine gentleness and nobility, a sign that their external lives are in harmony with their internal divine union.
3. “That is, because they are passionate or ardent, neither melancholy nor apathetic, so they have of the gifts of fortune the best portion, for all is theirs according to their will and their necessity, for themselves and for their neighbors, without reproach of Reason.”
This passage emphasizes how these souls possess an inner vitality-passion and ardor-while being free from sadness or indifference. Their complete detachment and freedom from selfish desires enable them to receive the best of both spiritual and material blessings, which they distribute according to love, for themselves and others, without Reason’s objections. Their wills are aligned with God’s will, granting them a state of perfect balance and generosity.
4. “Now you hear, through desire, the great perfection of the Annihilated Souls, of whom we speak!”
The chapter concludes with an invitation to recognize the perfection of these souls through the lens of desire-that is, a longing for God and the ultimate annihilation of self in Him. This desire-driven recognition highlights that understanding and participating in this state requires a deep yearning for divine union, echoing the mystic’s path of love and surrender.
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1. What does Love mean when she says, “Such souls, who are in being, are in sovereignty in all things”?
Love describes souls who have reached the state of annihilation, or “being,” as possessing sovereignty over all things. This sovereignty is not earthly dominion but spiritual authority grounded in their union with God. Their spirit aligns with the highest nobility of angelic orders, meaning they share in divine authority and perfection. This sovereignty is marked by their complete detachment from self-will and their participation in God’s will, granting them influence over spiritual and natural realms.
2. How does Love characterize the natural disposition of these sovereign souls?
Love portrays these souls as having the “most gentle constitution,” emphasizing their profound harmony with divine gentleness and nobility. They are described as “passionate or ardent,” filled with divine zeal and fervor, but without melancholy or apathy. This suggests a vibrant, joyful, and responsive nature, perfectly balanced and free from the burdens of sadness or indifference.
3. Why are these souls said to have “the best portion” of the gifts of fortune?
The “best portion” refers to their capacity to receive both spiritual and material blessings according to God’s will and their own pure intentions. Because these souls are detached from self-centered desires, they are able to use these gifts for the good of themselves and others without any reproach from Reason (which represents rational and moral judgment). Their wills are so aligned with God’s that what they desire coincides with divine order, allowing them to act freely and generously.
4. What is the significance of Love’s concluding remark: “Now you hear, through desire, the great perfection of the Annihilated Souls, of whom we speak”?
Love’s statement highlights that the key to understanding the perfection of these souls lies in desire-the longing for God and union with Him. Desire here is not mere human craving but a holy aspiration that leads the soul to total annihilation of self in God. This perfect union results in the state of being described throughout the text. Love invites the reader to grasp this perfection not merely through reason but through the heart’s deep yearning for God.
5. What is the relationship between annihilation (or being) and sovereignty in this chapter?
In this chapter, annihilation-understood as the complete self-emptying and immersion into God’s being-leads directly to sovereignty. This sovereignty is not an assertion of power but a consequence of complete unity with God’s will and nature. The annihilated soul participates in divine authority, receiving gifts freely and using them for the benefit of others. Thus, sovereignty and annihilation are inseparable: the more the soul is annihilated, the more it reigns with God in love and freedom.
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Chapter 100 of The Mirror of Simple Souls explores the profound differences within the angelic hierarchy, comparing these differences to the vast chasm between humans and beasts, highlighting the vastness and mystery of divine wisdom. Love reveals that, just as angels differ greatly in their nature, the “annihilated souls” also differ in their degree of self-emptying and surrender. The highest of these souls live a “clear life” of perfect union with God, where they no longer seek Him because they possess Him entirely. Their hearts are noble and full of enterprise, but their greatness comes from becoming “the smallest,” in total humility and surrender. The chapter stresses that true belief is not merely intellectual but must be embodied, and that perfect union with God dissolves the self so completely that the soul becomes transparent, existing wholly in and through God alone.
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1. “It is said, says Love, and I say it myself, that there is as great a difference among the angels, between one and another by nature, as there is between men and beasts.”
Love asserts the vast distinction among angels, highlighting that even within the celestial hierarchy, not all beings are equal. This suggests that divine wisdom has ordered a great diversity, just as in earthly life, differences abound between humans and animals. The comparison points to the magnitude of the divine plan and underscores the mystery of God’s will.
2. “The one is very well born who is of such lineage. These are royal folk. They have hearts excellently noble and of great enterprise, for they would not do a work of little value, nor begin something which would not come to a good perfection.”
This section praises the “annihilated ones”-souls who have emptied themselves for God-as spiritually noble and destined for greatness. Their noble hearts and grand aspirations align with God’s purposes, and their actions reflect divine perfection. The “royal folk” metaphor elevates these souls to an exalted status, illustrating their participation in God’s own grandeur.
3. “They are the smallest they can be and they must become the greatest by the witness of Jesus Christ Himself, who says that the smallest will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Love connects spiritual humility with exaltation, echoing Jesus’s teaching that “the least shall be the greatest.” The smallest souls-those fully emptied of self-are paradoxically elevated to the highest stature in God’s kingdom. This underlines the Christian paradox of humility as the path to glory.
4. “For the one who is what he believes, believes truly. But whoever believes what he is not, it is because he does not live what he believes.”
True belief is identified with authenticity and lived reality. One’s faith must align with one’s being and actions. Superficial belief, without corresponding transformation of life, is not genuine. This emphasizes that true spirituality is integrally lived, not merely professed.
5. “Such a one has nothing more to do with himself, or with another, or with God Himself, no more than if he were not; and so he is.”
This striking statement captures the utter self-emptying of the soul in union with God. The annihilated soul lives in complete surrender, without self-will, attachments to others, or even to God as “other,” but is absorbed into pure being. This is not negation of existence but total openness to divine life.
6. “In these three words is fulfilled completely the perfection of the clear life. I call it clear, because it surpasses the blind annihilated life. The blind [life] sustains the feet [of the soul] here below. The clear [life] is the most noble and the most gentle. It knows not what it is, whether God or human, for it is not.”
Love distinguishes two stages of the soul’s journey: the “blind annihilated life,” which sustains the soul in its initial surrender, and the “clear life,” a more refined and transcendent state. In the clear life, the soul’s self-awareness dissolves entirely into God. It loses distinction between divine and human, revealing the ultimate union in which only God “knows” the soul’s reality.
7. “Such a lady seeks God no more. She has no why, she has nothing to do with herself. Nothing is lacking to her, therefore why would she seek Him?”
At the highest level of spiritual union, the soul no longer seeks God, because she possesses Him completely. Seeking implies a lack, but the soul in perfect union has nothing missing. This radical non-seeking expresses the fullness of divine possession and the end of spiritual striving.
8. “Whoever seeks, he is ‘with’ himself, and so he has himself, and so something is lacking to him since he sets about seeking.”
This final insight unveils the subtle trap of spiritual seeking: as long as the soul seeks, it retains some measure of selfhood, and therefore, something is lacking. Perfect union dissolves this selfhood, eliminating the distinction between seeker and sought, bringing about a total and seamless possession of God.
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1. Why does Love compare the difference between angels to the difference between men and beasts?
Love uses this stark comparison to illustrate the vast range of differences in the nature and roles of angels within the divine order. Just as men and beasts differ greatly in their capacities and natures, so too do angels vary widely. This diversity is a reflection of divine wisdom and design, and questioning it would be a denial of God’s creative will. The analogy helps the reader understand the immensity of the spiritual hierarchy and the profound distinctions that even celestial beings embody.
2. How are the “annihilated ones” described in terms of their spiritual nobility and behavior?
The annihilated ones, described by Love as “royal folk,” are marked by their noble hearts, high aspirations, and great enterprise. They would not undertake trivial endeavors but aim only for works of high value and lasting perfection. This nobility stems from their radical self-emptying and total alignment with God’s will. Their lives reflect a participation in divine grandeur and excellence, which manifests not in external status but in profound interior transformation.
3. What paradox about spiritual greatness does Love highlight using the words of Jesus?
Love highlights the Christian paradox that true greatness in God’s kingdom is achieved by becoming “the smallest.” Citing Jesus’s teaching that the least will be the greatest in heaven, Love underscores that humility and self-annihilation are the path to exaltation. Those who fully empty themselves and live in total surrender to God become the most elevated in spiritual stature. This reverses worldly notions of greatness, focusing instead on radical humility and self-negation.
4. What does Love say about the relationship between belief and being?
Love insists that true belief must correspond to being. A person believes truly only if they embody what they profess. Believing without being-holding faith without living it-is inauthentic. The one who believes truly is the one who becomes what they believe, integrating faith and life so seamlessly that belief and existence are indistinguishable. This points to the necessity of living faith, not just thinking or professing it.
5. How is the idea of “having nothing more to do with oneself” connected to spiritual union?
Love describes the soul’s state of total self-emptying as having nothing more to do with oneself, others, or even God as “other.” In this state, the soul exists entirely in God, with no self-interest or striving. It is not negation of existence but rather the dissolution of self-will and ego. The soul’s will becomes perfectly aligned with God’s, achieving a union so complete that it is as if the soul “is not,” absorbed entirely into divine life.
6. What distinction does Love make between the “blind annihilated life” and the “clear life”?
The “blind annihilated life” represents the initial stage of spiritual surrender, where the soul relinquishes self-will but still perceives itself in relation to God. It “sustains the feet” of the soul, providing grounding. The “clear life,” in contrast, is a higher, more refined state where the soul transcends even self-awareness, existing wholly in God’s life. It is so transparent and pure that it “knows not what it is, whether God or human,” because it has ceased to exist as an independent self. This clear life represents the pinnacle of spiritual union.
7. Why does Love say that the soul who is in perfect union with God “seeks God no more”?
In perfect union, the soul no longer seeks God because she already possesses Him fully. Seeking implies a lack or desire, but when the soul is completely filled and satisfied by God’s presence, there is no longer any need to seek. This cessation of seeking indicates the soul’s total immersion in divine love and being, a state of rest and completeness where nothing is missing or desired.
8. How does Love explain that seeking God still implies a degree of selfhood and lack?
Love explains that as long as the soul seeks God, it retains a subtle sense of selfhood-of being separate from God and therefore lacking something. Seeking indicates that the soul is still “with itself,” meaning it is not fully surrendered or annihilated. Complete union dissolves this sense of self and lack, resulting in a state where the soul no longer has itself or lacks anything. In this fullness, the soul stops seeking and rests wholly in God.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 9 of 14
In chapter 81, the Soul is portrayed as having reached a state of radical nothingness, where she is so diminished in her own perception that she has no concern for herself, her neighbor, or even for God in the usual sense. This state of emptiness paradoxically grants her fullness, as it allows her to be completely immersed in God’s peace and sufficiency. The Soul is described as effortlessly floating in this peace, free from inner turmoil and exterior distractions. Her actions are no longer her own, but God’s work through her, and she experiences no burden from them. This detachment and surrender are total and without any motive (“without a why”), reflecting the purest love for the Bridegroom, who is the source of her being. The chapter teaches that complete union with God involves the renunciation of self, a trustful abandonment to divine will, and a participation in God’s infinite peace, where human efforts and anxieties dissolve into the All.
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1. “Now this Soul, says Love, has her right name from the nothingness in which she rests. And since she is nothing, she is concerned about nothing, neither about herself, nor about her neighbors, nor even about God Himself.”
This passage encapsulates the radical detachment the Soul has achieved. Resting in nothingness means she has renounced not just concern for her own needs and others, but even the impulse to comprehend or grasp God intellectually. Her identity has been effaced; she has become so “small” as to be untraceable, overwhelmed by the vastness of God and detached from all created things.
2. “And this nothingness, of which we speak, says Love, gives her the All, and no one can possess it in any other way.”
Paradoxically, it is by becoming “nothing” that the Soul gains “all” – a profound mystical insight. Renouncing selfhood, she receives divine fullness. Love teaches that only in utter surrender and emptiness can one possess the All of God’s presence and grace.
3. “This Soul, says Love, is imprisoned and held in the country of complete peace, for she is always in full sufficiency, in which she swims and bobs and floats, and she is surrounded by divine peace, without any movement in her interior, and without any exterior work on her part.”
The Soul’s condition is likened to an immersion in an ocean of divine peace. The imagery of swimming and floating conveys her utter passivity and delight, her participation in a state of sufficiency and rest beyond all disturbance. She neither acts interiorly nor exteriorly from herself; all motion comes from God and remains undisturbed.
4. “If she does any exterior thing, it is always without herself. If God does His work in her, it is by Him in her, without herself, for her sake.”
This distinction shows how her actions are entirely God’s work within her; she no longer claims any initiative. Her self has been annihilated as an independent agent, and she consents fully to God’s activity, like a vessel animated entirely by divine life.
5. “Such a Soul is no more encumbered by this than is her angel by guarding her. No more is an angel encumbered by guarding us than if he never guarded us at all.”
The Soul’s engagement with the world is as light as the angel’s duty of protection. This metaphor underscores the Soul’s perfect freedom from encumbrance; her works are so fully aligned with God’s will that they impose no burden or disturbance upon her.
6. “For she has nothing of herself. She has given all freely without a why, for she is the lady of the Bridegroom of her youth. He is the Sun who shines and warms and nourishes the life of being separate from His Being.”
This affirms the Soul’s utter self-surrender, giving all “without a why” – without condition or calculation. Her union with the Bridegroom (Christ) is intimate and radiant, nourished by the divine Sun, who provides warmth and sustenance to her being, which is now wholly distinct from her separate, created self.
7. “She has retained neither doubt nor anxiety any longer.”
Having surrendered completely, the Soul is free from the turmoil of doubt and anxiety. She dwells in the stability of divine peace, her will perfectly harmonized with God’s will.
8. “A sure alliance and a true concordance by willing only the divine ordinance.”
Love concludes by explaining that the Soul’s peace and freedom arise from an unshakable union with God’s will. Her entire being is concordant with divine ordinance, resulting in perfect serenity and certainty.
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1. Why does the Soul have no concern for herself, her neighbor, or even God?
The Soul has fully entered the state of nothingness, as Love explains. She has become so small, dissolved into non-being, that she cannot even perceive her own existence or that of her neighbor. Moreover, God is so vast, so incomprehensible, that she cannot grasp or comprehend Him. This radical detachment leads her to complete indifference toward all created and even divine things in terms of conceptual knowledge or personal concern. Her being has merged into a passive receptivity of God’s presence, beyond dualistic notions of “self” or “other.”
2. What does Love mean when it says that “this nothingness gives her the All”?
Love reveals a paradoxical truth central to mysticism: by becoming “nothing,” the Soul receives the “All” – that is, she is filled with God’s presence and grace. In renouncing all self-will, desires, and claims of ownership, she makes room for the fullness of divine life. No one can possess this divine fullness by any other means than by total surrender and emptying of the self.
3. How is the Soul’s state of peace described in this chapter?
The Soul is described as being “imprisoned and held in the country of complete peace.” She is like someone floating, bobbing, and swimming in an ocean of divine sufficiency and peace. There is no movement or disturbance within her, and her exterior actions occur without her own agency. Even God’s work in her is accomplished without her acting upon it, much like an angel performs his tasks effortlessly. This peace is unshakable and cannot be disturbed by interior or exterior factors.
4. Why is the Soul’s external action not burdensome or disturbing to her?
Because the Soul has given up all claims to personal initiative or ownership, her exterior actions are not truly “hers” but are accomplished by God acting within her. This is similar to how an angel guards souls without being burdened by the task. Her perfect union with God’s will ensures that her peace remains intact, regardless of external demands or tasks. She remains interiorly detached and immersed in divine peace.
5. What does it mean that the Soul has given all “without a why”?
The phrase “without a why” indicates the Soul’s complete and unconditional surrender to God. She gives all to Him not for any reason or reward, but purely out of love and obedience. This reflects a profound selflessness and freedom from attachment or calculation. It is a giving that expects nothing in return and is motivated solely by love of the Bridegroom, who is the Sun shining and sustaining her being.
6. How does this chapter describe the Soul’s relationship with doubt and anxiety?
The Soul has transcended all doubt and anxiety. Her complete union with God’s will leaves no room for uncertainty or inner turmoil. By resting entirely in divine sufficiency, she experiences perfect peace and trust. The Soul’s condition reflects the security of a true alliance with God’s ordinance, resulting in unshakeable serenity.
7. According to Love, what is the key to the Soul’s state of peace and union?
The key lies in “a sure alliance and a true concordance by willing only the divine ordinance.” This means the Soul’s peace is rooted in her complete and perfect consent to God’s will. Her will is in total harmony with God’s, without resistance or deviation. This total alignment with divine ordinance brings her into a state of union, freedom, and peace beyond any disturbance.
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Chapter 82 teaches that the soul, fully perfected and united with divine Love, becomes entirely unencumbered in four fundamental aspects: it is free from reproach even without performing the virtues, it surrenders its personal will completely to God’s divine will, it embraces its humble yet beloved status before God, and it maintains unwavering confidence that God wills only goodness as the soul wills nothing apart from Him. This profound transformation leads the soul to lose its individual identity like a river merging back into the sea, resting wholly in God’s sovereign love. In this ultimate state of unity, the soul is marvelously fulfilled, perfectly conformed to God, and completely delighted in Love, embodying the fullness of spiritual nobility and peace.
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1. “This Soul, who is what she is perfectly, is unencumbered in her four aspects. For four aspects are required in a noble person before he might be called a gentleman and thus of a spiritual intellect.”
The chapter begins by introducing the idea that spiritual nobility or gentility requires four specific aspects of freedom or “unencumberedness.” These are qualities of a perfected soul that demonstrate true spiritual maturity. The metaphor of a “gentleman” or noble person frames the spiritual ideal as one marked by refined virtues and intellect, setting a high standard for the soul’s progress.
2. “The first aspect in which this Soul is unencumbered is that she has no reproach in her at all, even though she does not do the work of the Virtues … How could it be that Love could be able to have her practice along with the works of the Virtues, when it is necessary that works cease when Love has her practice?”
The first aspect stresses that the soul is free from blame or fault despite no longer actively performing the works of the traditional virtues. This paradox emphasizes that in the highest union with Love, the soul transcends the need for virtuous actions as understood in ordinary terms. Love itself becomes the soul’s life and activity, making the mechanical or external works redundant because the soul is wholly transformed internally.
3. “The second aspect is that she has no longer any will, no more than the dead in the sepulchers have, but only the divine will.”
Here, the soul’s will is described as entirely surrendered and subsumed into God’s will. The comparison to the dead underscores the total absence of personal desire or initiative; the soul is effectively “dead” to self-will and alive only to God’s will. This radical surrender represents perfect obedience and unity with God’s divine plan, a hallmark of spiritual unencumberedness.
4. “The third aspect is that she believes and maintains that there never was, nor is there, nor will there ever be anything worse than she, nor any better loved by the One who loves her according to what she is.”
This aspect reveals a deep humility combined with a profound assurance of divine love. The soul acknowledges its own lowliness (“never anything worse”) while simultaneously affirming it is supremely loved by God. This paradoxical self-understanding reflects the spiritual truth that God’s love does not depend on merit but on His gracious choice, which elevates the soul beyond human distinctions of worth.
5. “The fourth aspect is that she believes and maintains that it is no more possible for God to be able to will something other than goodness than it is for her to will something other than His divine will.”
The final aspect articulates the perfect congruence between God’s will and the soul’s will. Just as it is impossible for God to will evil or anything contrary to His nature, it is impossible for the perfected soul to will anything other than God’s divine will. This highlights the complete transformation and unity of the soul with God, both in nature and action, expressing the pinnacle of spiritual conformity.
6. “If she is thus unencumbered in all her aspects, she loses her name, for she rises in sovereignty … Like a body of water which flows from the sea … when this water or river returns into the sea, it loses its course and its name.”
The imagery of the river returning to the sea beautifully illustrates the soul’s dissolution of individual identity into the infinite identity of God. The “loss of name” symbolizes the loss of personal separateness and the merging into divine sovereignty. This is the ultimate spiritual state where the soul is no longer distinct but perfectly united with God’s essence and love, losing all individual ego but gaining all in God.
7. “He is, therefore this Soul is. And this satisfies her marvelously, thus she is marvelous; and this is pleasing to Love, and so this Soul is love. And this delights her.”
The chapter closes with the profound mystical truth that the soul’s identity is wholly transformed into the identity of God Himself-“He is, therefore this Soul is.” This union satisfies and delights the soul beyond all earthly pleasures. It also pleases Love itself, signifying the reciprocal and perfect relationship between God and the soul. The soul, now fully transformed and filled with divine love, exists as love itself.
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1. What does it mean that the soul is “unencumbered in her four aspects,” and why are these aspects necessary for spiritual nobility?
Being “unencumbered in her four aspects” means the soul has attained complete freedom in four essential areas that define spiritual maturity and nobility-likened here to the qualities needed for a “gentleman” or noble person of spiritual intellect. These four aspects are necessary because they show that the soul has transcended ordinary attachments, personal will, and ego-driven concerns, embodying a perfected state of union with God where it is free from reproach, independent will, self-judgment, and any discord with God’s goodness and will.
2. How can the soul be free from reproach even without actively practicing the traditional virtues?
The soul is free from reproach because, at this highest level, love alone governs its existence. The chapter explains that when Love “has her practice,” the ordinary works of the virtues cease because the soul’s transformation through love transcends the need for external or deliberate virtuous actions. The soul acts out of love itself, which perfects and fulfills the virtues internally, making external works unnecessary and the soul free of fault despite no longer performing these traditional deeds.
3. What is the significance of the soul having “no longer any will” except the divine will?
The soul having no will of its own means it has surrendered all personal desires and choices to God, analogous to the “dead in the sepulchers.” This total surrender signifies perfect obedience and unity with God’s will, where the soul acts not from self-interest but from complete alignment with divine purpose. It shows the soul’s spiritual freedom and purity, being moved only by God’s will and no other force.
4. Why does the soul believe she is both the worst and the best-loved by God?
This belief reflects profound humility combined with the assurance of God’s unconditional love. The soul recognizes its own unworthiness (“never anything worse”) but also knows that God’s love is not dependent on merit but on His gracious choice and affection for the soul “according to what she is.” This paradox teaches that divine love transcends human notions of worthiness and bestows supreme dignity on even the lowliest soul.
5. What does it mean that it is impossible for the soul to will anything other than God’s divine will?
This means the soul has been so thoroughly transformed by God’s goodness and love that its own will is perfectly conformed to God’s will. Just as it is impossible for God to will evil, it is impossible for the perfected soul to choose anything contrary to God’s divine goodness. This unity of wills expresses the highest spiritual conformity and complete participation in God’s nature.
6. Explain the metaphor of the river returning to the sea in the context of the soul’s transformation.
The metaphor illustrates the soul’s loss of individual identity as it merges into the infinite identity of God. Just as a river has its own name and course but loses both when it returns to the vast sea, the soul relinquishes its separate “name” (ego, individual selfhood) when it enters into complete union with God. In this final state, the soul is no longer distinct but fully “melted and dissolved” into God’s love and essence, resting in divine sovereignty.
7. What is the final state of the soul described in this chapter, and why is it “marvelous” and pleasing to Love?
The final state is one of perfect transformation where the soul’s identity becomes united with God’s-“He is, therefore this Soul is.” The soul is satisfied, marvelously fulfilled, and fully aligned with divine love. This state is pleasing to Love because it represents the ultimate realization of Love’s purpose: a soul completely transformed into Love itself, delighting in this union. The soul’s joy and Love’s pleasure are mutual, signaling the highest possible spiritual fulfillment.
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In chapter 83, Love reveals that the Soul, having undergone a complete transformation, no longer retains her individual name or identity, but is named by the very transformation that Love has wrought in her. This transformation is likened to the waters of rivers that, upon flowing into the sea, lose their distinct names and become wholly sea, and to fire that transforms material into itself, erasing all distinction. The Soul and Love are now one, perfectly united without any separation, as two things would imply discord, but oneness is perfect harmony. This teaches that the ultimate goal of the soul’s journey is to be so wholly absorbed into divine Love that all individual identity and will are dissolved, resulting in perfect unity, peace, and harmony with God.
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1. [Love]: “Now such a Soul is without a name, and because of this she has the name of the transformation by which Love has transformed her. So it is with the waters of which we have spoken, which have the name of sea because they are wholly sea as soon as they have entered into the sea.”
Love explains that the soul, having been wholly transformed and absorbed into divine Love, loses its individual identity or “name.” This reflects the mystical notion that in perfect union, the soul’s separate existence ceases, analogous to a river becoming indistinguishable from the sea once it merges fully. The soul’s identity now is defined entirely by the transformative act of divine Love itself, indicating a profound ontological change where personal distinctions dissolve into unity.
2. [Love]: “So also no nature of fire adds any matter into itself, but instead it makes of itself and the matter one thing, no longer two but one.”
This metaphor of fire uniting completely with its matter illustrates the depth of the soul’s transformation. Just as fire does not remain separate from the substance it consumes but becomes a singular entity with it, the soul and divine Love fuse into a single essence. This signifies that the transformation is not a mere overlay or addition, but a complete and intrinsic fusion, erasing any duality between lover and beloved.
3. [Love]: “So it is with those of whom we speak, for Love draws completely their matter into herself. Love and such Souls are one thing, no longer two things, for this would be discord; but instead they are one thing alone, and thus there is accord.”
Love emphasizes that any duality between the soul and divine Love would be disharmony. True spiritual transformation means perfect accord-a harmonious unity without separation. This unity surpasses mere cooperation or friendship; it is ontological oneness, a merging where Love’s essence fully encompasses the soul’s being, making them indistinguishable and utterly harmonious.
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1. What does Love mean by saying the Soul is “without a name”?
Love indicates that the Soul, having been perfectly united with Love, no longer retains her distinct individual identity or “name.” Her personal attributes and separateness dissolve in the profound unity of transformation. Instead, her “name” becomes the transformation itself-she is named by the divine Love that has fully absorbed her being. This signifies complete loss of self in divine union.
2. Why does Love compare the Soul’s transformation to waters entering the sea?
Love uses the image of rivers losing their name when they flow into the sea to illustrate the Soul’s transformation. Just as rivers, upon merging with the sea, lose their distinct identities and become part of the vast ocean, so the Soul, upon merging with divine Love, loses her separateness and is absorbed into the infinite reality of Love. This analogy highlights the total immersion and unification with God.
3. What is the significance of the comparison to fire?
Love explains that fire does not merely add material to itself but completely transforms it into its own essence, making them one. Similarly, the Soul does not retain her former nature but is entirely consumed and transformed into Love’s own being. This metaphor underscores the completeness and intensity of the union, where there is no longer “two” but “one,” eliminating any division between the Soul and divine Love.
4. Why does Love say that two things would mean discord, but one thing is accord?
In the mystical union, Love teaches that the soul and Love must be one, not two, because duality implies separation and discord. True divine transformation leads to a complete fusion where the soul and Love are a single reality, perfectly harmonious and without conflict. This illustrates the depth of spiritual unification, where unity brings peace and accord.
5. How does this chapter develop the theme of the soul’s transformation in Love?
This chapter deepens the portrayal of the soul’s transformation by emphasizing not only her union with Love but the complete obliteration of any separateness. The soul’s identity is no longer her own but entirely defined by the Love that absorbs her. Through metaphors of water merging with the sea and fire transforming matter, Love conveys that the soul’s journey culminates in total fusion with divine Love, resulting in harmony and a loss of self-will.
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Chapter 84 teaches that a soul completely unencumbered in her four aspects rises into divine sovereignty, no longer living by the life of grace or spirit but by the divine life itself. This soul enters an astonishing contemplation of God’s simultaneous nearness and farness, resting in a state beyond reasoning or self-effort. She becomes an instrument through which God works entirely, surrendering her will and rejecting the attempts of Reason and its disciples to impose understanding or control. Her transformation is so complete that she can no longer act of herself, nor can any contrary force affect her sanctified being, which is now immersed in divine life. This state is accessible only through divine action and cannot be grasped by those unprepared or attached to self-will.
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1. “I say, says Love, that such a Soul, who is thus unencumbered in these four aspects, rises after this in sovereignty.”
Love reveals that a soul, purified and unencumbered in her four aspects-detachment from virtue, surrender of will, humility in her own nothingness, and perfect union with divine will-ascends to a state of sovereignty. This sovereignty is not of earthly or spiritual power but a deep interior union where the soul lives from the very life of God, beyond natural and spiritual operations.
2. “For when she is thus unencumbered in her four aspects and gentle in all her off-spring, which are descended from her (no one vile is taken in marriage there, and thus she is very noble), then she falls from this, says Love, into an astonishment, which one calls ‘pondering nothing about the nearness of the Farnearness,’ who is her nearest one.”
The soul, made noble through her unencumbered aspects, enters into a profound astonishment or “pondering nothing,” an experience of being in awe before the mystery of God’s nearness that paradoxically remains distant. This “Farnearness” expresses the intimate yet transcendent presence of God, which cannot be grasped by discursive thought. The soul rests in silent wonder.
3. “Then such a Soul, says Love, lives not by the life of grace, or by the life of spirit only, but by the divine life, unencumbered-but not gloriously, for she is not glorified-but she lives divinely, for God has sanctified her of Himself in this point, and nothing which might be contrary to goodness can reach there.”
Here Love describes the soul’s elevation into divine life itself. While not yet glorified (as she would be in heaven), she participates in God’s own life, sanctified by Him, free from any contrary influence. This is a mystical state where divine action predominates, and the soul no longer lives for herself or by her own efforts but entirely in and through God.
4. “Grasp this in a divine manner, this is for as long as she is in this being: God gives you being there forever without departure from it.”
This mystical state is described as a permanent union with God, where the soul, transformed into divine being, enjoys unbroken communion. It’s not a fleeting experience but a stable state of grace, granted by God, where His presence becomes the soul’s true identity.
5. “Truly, says this Soul astonished in pondering nothing about the nearness through this Farnearness who delights her in peace, rudeness could neither speak nor ponder nor encumber her with Reason.”
The soul, in her astonishment and peace, is beyond the reach of human reason and rational discourse. This divine union transcends logical explanation, frustrating the efforts of those bound to reason’s limitations. The soul lives in a state where the usual categories of thought-what and why-have no place.
6. “This work now belongs to God, who accomplishes His works in me. I do not owe Him any work since He Himself works in me. If I should place my own [work] there, I destroy His work.”
The soul has fully surrendered her own initiative, recognizing that all true spiritual work belongs to God alone. Any attempt to insert her own effort would interfere with divine action. This signals a complete abandonment of self-will, aligning with the earlier teaching that in the final stages of union, the soul ceases even to “do” for God but simply “is” in Him.
7. “Thus I say, says this Soul, that I will not hear their rudeness anymore; they will say it no more to me, I cannot suffer it further, for I indeed have neither what nor why.”
The soul rejects the judgments and interventions of those bound by Reason and spiritual calculation. She has entered a realm where “what” and “why” are irrelevant, as divine life itself has replaced her human deliberations. This signals her complete absorption into God’s will and wisdom, surpassing all intellectual striving.
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1. What does Love mean when saying that the soul is “unencumbered in her four aspects” and rises into sovereignty?
Love explains that when the soul has surrendered and transcended her four aspects-detachment from acquired virtues, surrender of will, humble acceptance of her nothingness, and perfect conformity with divine will-she is free from all personal encumbrance. This “unencumbered” state allows her to rise into sovereignty, meaning a supreme state of interior freedom and union with God. In this sovereign state, she no longer lives by her own strength but is entirely sustained by the divine life, reigning as one with Love.
2. What is the significance of the soul’s astonishment or “pondering nothing about the nearness of the Farnearness”?
The phrase captures the paradox of divine presence: God is both near and far, intimately close yet beyond comprehension. When the soul, free from self, enters into union with God, she experiences a profound astonishment or wonder, resting in peace without needing to analyze or understand. This “pondering nothing” expresses a silent, contemplative awareness of God’s overwhelming mystery, where thought and reasoning fall away, leaving only the experience of divine presence.
3. Why does Love distinguish between the soul living “by grace” or “by the spirit” and living by “the divine life”?
Living “by grace” or “by the spirit” refers to the stages where the soul still operates within the bounds of created virtue and spiritual practice, assisted by grace but still engaging in her own efforts. However, in this advanced state, the soul lives by “the divine life” itself: God becomes her life, working within her without her own initiative. She is not glorified as in the Beatific Vision, but she participates in God’s sanctifying life on earth, a state of profound union where she no longer “does” but is wholly “done unto” by God.
4. What does the text mean when saying that this divine state “cannot be reached by what is contrary to goodness”?
This highlights the soul’s invulnerability in divine union. In this state, the soul is so immersed in God’s life that nothing impure, sinful, or contrary to divine goodness can reach or affect her. The soul’s union with God creates an impenetrable sanctuary of holiness, where evil cannot intrude. It reflects a profound security in God, a state of sanctification beyond the reach of temptation or distraction.
5. How does the soul’s rejection of Reason’s “disciples” reflect her transformation?
The soul rejects the efforts of Reason and its disciples because her transformation has surpassed rational understanding. She recognizes that human reasoning, no matter how sophisticated, cannot comprehend or guide her in this state of union with God. Attempting to impose rational frameworks would only hinder divine work in her. This rejection signifies her full surrender to God’s initiative and her refusal to be drawn back into a limited, discursive understanding of spiritual life.
6. What is meant by the soul saying, “I indeed have neither what nor why”?
The soul’s declaration reflects her release from self-will, personal intentions, and intellectual striving. She no longer operates by reasoning about “what” she should do or “why” she should do it. Instead, she lives in pure receptivity to God’s action, content with being an instrument of His will. This state is characterized by profound humility and total surrender, where personal motivations are dissolved in the divine presence.
7. What does the soul mean by saying, “This work now belongs to God, who accomplishes His works in me”?
In this advanced stage, the soul realizes that all her spiritual progress and union with God are entirely His work. She acknowledges that any attempt to contribute her own efforts would disrupt or hinder God’s perfect action within her. This signifies a complete trust and abandonment to divine providence, where she no longer labors for her own sanctity but rests in God’s transforming work.
8. Why does Love warn that those who are not prepared for this state “make themselves suffer in vain” if they try to grasp it?
Love warns that this mystical state of union cannot be comprehended by those still bound by self-will, rational calculation, or external practices. Those who have not undergone the necessary purification and detachment may attempt to grasp the divine mystery intellectually or through effort, only to find frustration and spiritual suffering. This path is accessible only to those whom God has drawn into it, through grace and surrender. It cannot be forced or prematurely claimed.
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In Chapter 85, Love explains that the Soul, completely purified and united with God, attains perfect freedom-a profound, all-encompassing liberty that pervades every aspect of her being. This freedom is not a rebellious autonomy but a state of total surrender and union with God’s will, achieved through the purifying fires of mortification and the consuming flame of divine charity. Freed from attachments, worldly obligations, and even the need for external mediations like sacraments or penance, the Soul lives not by her own will but by God’s life within her. Her noble detachment manifests as a refusal to engage with what is not of God, remaining steadfast in peace and trust in His presence. This chapter celebrates the Soul’s supreme dignity and unshakable freedom as she becomes one with Love itself.
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1. “This Soul, says Love, is free, yet more free, yet very free, yet finally supremely free, in the root, in the stock, in all her branches and all the fruits of her branches. This Soul has her portion of purified freeness, each aspect has its full measure of it.”
Love begins by emphasizing the progressive and complete liberation of the soul, depicting freedom as extending from the very root of her being through all branches and fruits. This is not simply an absence of external constraint but a total interior freedom infused by divine transformation. The phrase “purified freeness” suggests that the soul’s freedom is not willful independence but rather a freedom cleansed of self-will and ego, a freedom fully harmonized with divine will.
2. “She responds to no one if she does not wish to, if he is not of her lineage. For a gentleman would not deign to respond to a peasant, even if such a one would call him or attack him in a battlefield. And for this anyone who calls her will not find such a Soul. Her enemies have no longer any response from her.”
The soul’s freedom is expressed in her detachment from external demands or attacks. The image of a nobleman ignoring the peasant underscores the soul’s transcendence over worldly conflict and pettiness. Her “lineage” is divine; she engages only with what belongs to God, ignoring distractions or opposition. Enemies, including temptations and worldly accusations, can no longer provoke a response from her, demonstrating her complete disinterest in anything not aligned with divine truth.
3. “That is right, says this Soul, since I believe that God is in me, it is necessary that He be my help, and His goodness cannot lose me.”
The soul’s freedom is rooted in her deep conviction of divine indwelling. Recognizing God’s presence within, she trusts fully in His goodness and providence, resting in His strength rather than her own. This trust fortifies her detachment from worldly concerns and secures her in divine freedom.
4. “This Soul, says Love, is scorched through mortification and burned through the ardor of the fire of charity, and her ashes are thrown into the open sea through the nothingness of will.”
The soul’s liberation is not without cost: she has been purified by suffering (mortification) and inflamed with divine love (the fire of charity). The “ashes” represent the total consumption of her self-will, scattered into the “open sea”-symbolizing complete abandonment into the divine will and infinite freedom. The nothingness of will is not emptiness but the soul’s full union with God’s will, no longer asserting her own.
5. “This Soul is gently noble in prosperity, and supremely noble in adversity, and excellently noble in all places whatever they might be.”
The soul’s nobility-her dignity and freedom-transcends circumstances. Whether in prosperity or adversity, she remains detached and steadfast in her divine identity. This constancy is a fruit of her purified freedom, which is impervious to external fluctuations and trials.
6. “This Soul who is such no longer seeks God through penitence, nor through any sacrament of Holy Church; not through thoughts, nor through words, nor through works; not through creature here below, nor through creature above; not through justice, nor through mercy, nor through glory of glory; not through divine understanding, nor through divine love, nor through divine praise.”
In her supreme freedom, the soul’s relationship with God transcends all mediations-even those of sacraments, works, or spiritual exercises. This is not a rejection of the Church’s means but the recognition that in this state, God’s union is so complete that she no longer seeks Him through external or created means. Her love and union with God have reached a point where these practices, though once necessary and beneficial, are no longer the medium of her divine life.
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1. What does Love mean by saying that the Soul is “free, more free, very free, and supremely free”?
Love describes a progressive deepening of the Soul’s liberation, where freedom is complete at every level of her being-from the root to the branches and fruits. This freedom is not mere independence but a purified freedom, a total detachment from self-will and the world, grounded in divine union. The soul is fully free because her will has been consumed in God’s will.
2. Why does the Soul respond to no one unless they are of her lineage?
The Soul’s freedom includes a profound detachment from all that is not of God. “Lineage” here symbolizes the divine family-those who share in God’s truth and life. The Soul refuses to respond to worldly challenges, temptations, or attacks because they are not rooted in God’s truth. Just as a nobleman would not engage with a peasant in a battlefield, the Soul transcends petty disputes or worldly entanglements.
3. What is the foundation of the Soul’s freedom according to her own words?
The Soul says, “since I believe that God is in me, it is necessary that He be my help, and His goodness cannot lose me.” Her freedom is grounded in her unshakable trust in God’s indwelling presence and His goodness. This trust renders her immune to fear or discouragement, knowing that God will not abandon her.
4. What role do mortification and charity play in the Soul’s transformation?
Love explains that the Soul is “scorched through mortification and burned through the ardor of the fire of charity.” Mortification purifies the Soul by detaching her from earthly attachments, while charity-divine love-consumes her entirely. Her ashes, representing her annihilated self-will, are thrown into the “open sea,” symbolizing total surrender to the infinite mystery of God’s will.
5. How does the Soul’s nobility manifest in both prosperity and adversity?
The Soul maintains her noble character regardless of circumstances: “gently noble in prosperity, supremely noble in adversity, and excellently noble in all places whatever they might be.” This reflects her interior freedom and constancy, rooted not in external situations but in her union with God.
6. Why does the Soul no longer seek God through penitence, sacraments, or other means?
In this supreme state of union, the Soul’s relationship with God transcends all created mediations. She no longer needs to seek God through external means-penitence, sacraments, thoughts, words, works, justice, mercy, or even divine understanding and love-because she lives fully in divine life itself. Her entire being is immersed in God, so there is no longer a “seeking” but a continual being in God’s presence.
7. How does this chapter reflect the concept of libertas perfecta (perfect freedom) in mystical theology?
This chapter embodies the idea of libertas perfecta, where the Soul achieves perfect freedom by total conformity to the divine will. She no longer acts out of necessity or external obligations but from an interior spontaneity rooted in God. This freedom is not autonomy but the highest form of dependence-on God’s goodness and life within her.
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In chapter 86, the astonishment of Reason at the Soul’s bold declarations of divine sufficiency and union reveals the limits of rational understanding when confronted with the depths of mystical experience. The Soul explains that those who have not yet tasted the fullness of God’s love are naturally surprised by what they hear, but for those who dwell in God’s presence, this reality is expected and entirely fitting. Using metaphors of a king’s generous gift to a loyal servant and the contrast between Martha’s distraction and Mary’s focused intent, the text underscores the difference between worldly reasoning and the wisdom of spiritual simplicity and love. The Soul, fully immersed in God’s abundance and grace, declares her unshakable possession of her Lover and her complete satisfaction in Him, showing that what astonishes the uninitiated is, for the enlightened, the natural fruit of divine generosity.
—
1. [Reason]: “O God! O God! O God! says Reason. What is this creature saying? She is now completely beside herself! But what will my children say? I do not know what to say to them, nor how to respond to excuse this.”
Reason, representing the natural human understanding, is utterly confounded by the Soul’s declarations of divine union and freedom. This expresses how the rational mind struggles to comprehend the mystical experiences and the radical inner liberty of a soul fully immersed in God. Reason is portrayed as defensive and perplexed, unable to reconcile the spiritual reality with ordinary human expectations.
2. [Soul]: “I am not surprised, says this Soul, for these are folk with feet but no path, hands but no work, mouth but no words, eyes but no vision, ears but no hearing, reason but no reasoning, body but no life, and with a heart but no intellect, as long as they are at this stage. For this reason do your children marvel upon marvel of marvel.”
The Soul answers calmly, recognizing that those who remain at the level of superficial existence-possessing faculties but not their true, spiritual use-cannot grasp the depth of her transformation. This statement reveals the profound contrast between spiritual enlightenment and worldly blindness.
3. [Love]: “True, these are astounded, says Love, well astounded, for they are so far from the country where one has such practice in order to possess the heights. But those who are from the country in which God lives, these are not astounded at all by it.”
Love affirms that astonishment comes from distance-spiritual distance from the realm of divine intimacy. Those who live in God’s presence, having “practice” in the ways of divine love, find nothing strange in the Soul’s declarations. Love gently exposes the limitations of those who are not yet spiritually mature.
4. [Soul]: “Not at all! If it please God, says the Unencumbered Soul, this would be a mark of crudity… If a king should give one of his servants… a great gift… why would a wise man be astounded?”
The Soul uses a parable to illustrate her point: just as a wise person would not be surprised at a king’s generosity, neither should one marvel at God’s lavish grace. This highlights that divine gifts, though beyond reason, are not contrary to it; they are expressions of God’s noble liberality.
5. [Courtesy]: “…a wise man is never astounded when another does what is fitting for him to do… But the heart that is villainous and of little wisdom… has great astonishment over this.”
Courtesy affirms that astonishment reflects a lack of wisdom. It is not God’s actions that are incomprehensible, but the limitations of human understanding, which are blinded by small-mindedness and an inability to recognize divine generosity as natural and fitting.
6. [Truth]: “This is not astounding, says Truth; one has the why within him, as you have heard.”
Truth cuts through the confusion, indicating that the answer lies within-once the soul is attuned to God’s reality, divine actions become clear and unastonishing. This highlights the inward turn of mystical wisdom.
7. [Nobility of the Unity of the Soul]: “…why is anyone astounded who has judgment within him, if I say great things and new things…? My lover is great who gives me a great gift, and so He is all new and gives me a new gift.”
The Soul affirms her union with God, explaining that divine abundance and newness are natural expressions of God’s greatness. Her fullness overflows not from her own merit but from God’s creative love. This underlines the theme of God’s inexhaustible generosity.
8. [Soul]: “He is, says this Soul, and this satisfies me.”
The Soul’s satisfaction rests entirely in God’s presence and action. This brief, decisive response signals her peaceful acceptance of divine reality without the need for rational explanation.
9. [Pure Courtesy]: “Without fail this is right, says Pure Courtesy. It is appropriate for the Lover, since He is of valor, that He satisfy His beloved with His goodness.”
Courtesy reinforces that divine goodness naturally fulfills the desires of the Soul. The Soul is not overreaching; she merely receives what her Lover bestows out of His own nature.
10. “Troubled is Martha, peace has Mary… The Unencumbered Soul cannot have but one sole intent.”
This poetic contrast between Martha and Mary illustrates the Soul’s focused, undistracted devotion. Like Mary at Jesus’ feet, the Soul lives in singular intent on God, abandoning worldly concerns, which brings her into profound peace.
11. “Such a Soul often hears what she hears not… feels what she feels not.”
The Soul’s paradoxical experiences reflect her mystical detachment: her senses and faculties transcend earthly realities, being wholly absorbed in God. This evokes the mystical theme of being simultaneously present and absent, attentive and detached.
12. [Soul]: “I hold Him, says she, for He is mine. I will never let Him go. He is in my will. Let come whatever might be, He is with me. It would be a lack in me if I should be astounded.”
The chapter concludes with the Soul’s triumphant declaration of unbreakable union with her Divine Lover. This unshakable possession of God is her true freedom and her peace. She recognizes that astonishment would only betray a lack of faith in His abiding presence and generosity.
—
1. Why is Reason astounded by the declarations of the Unencumbered Soul?
Reason is astounded because the Soul speaks of an experience and state of union with God that transcends natural human understanding. Reason represents the rational faculties and the logical mind, which find it hard to comprehend how a soul can be so fully united with God, utterly free from the normal constraints of human reasoning and effort. Reason is concerned with maintaining order and explanations that satisfy the intellect, but here she is overwhelmed by the Soul’s radical statements of divine union and sufficiency.
2. How does the Soul explain why others are astounded by her experiences?
The Soul explains that those who are astounded are like people with physical faculties but no spiritual function-feet without a path, hands without work, eyes without vision, etc. These individuals live at a surface level, lacking spiritual depth and discernment, so they cannot comprehend the soul’s complete union with God. Their astonishment is natural for those who have not yet entered into the transformative reality of divine love and mystical experience.
3. What does Love contribute to this dialogue?
Love supports the Soul’s point by affirming that astonishment comes from spiritual distance. Those who live in God’s presence-the “country where one has such practice to possess the heights”-are not surprised by the Soul’s declarations, because they are familiar with the reality of divine love and abundance. Those who remain far from this “country” remain astounded because they lack the experiential knowledge of God’s ways.
4. How does the Soul use the metaphor of the king and the loyal servant?
The Soul uses this metaphor to illustrate that it is not surprising for a king to reward a loyal servant with a great, life-changing gift. A wise person would not be astonished by the king’s generosity; rather, astonishment would imply a failure to understand the king’s noble and generous character. Likewise, God’s liberality towards the Soul-granting her complete sufficiency and fullness-is natural and fitting, not something to be viewed with shock or skepticism.
5. What role does Courtesy play in this chapter?
Courtesy emphasizes that a wise and noble heart does not react with astonishment when someone acts fittingly or generously. Astonishment, in this context, betrays a lack of understanding and refinement. Courtesy contrasts this with the reaction of a villainous and foolish heart, which is overwhelmed and confused by noble generosity. This distinction underlines the idea that spiritual maturity recognizes and celebrates divine goodness rather than questioning it.
6. How does Truth clarify the situation?
Truth succinctly states that there is no reason for astonishment because “one has the why within him.” Once the soul has encountered divine reality and is inwardly aligned with it, God’s actions are self-explanatory. The clarity of truth within the soul makes what seems astounding to others perfectly understandable and natural.
7. What does the Nobility of the Unity of the Soul assert about divine abundance?
This personification of the Soul proclaims that God, her Lover, is full of abundance and fertility. His gifts are continually new, flowing with divine goodness and delight. The Soul experiences herself as pregnant and full with God’s abundance, not because of her own efforts or suffering, but purely because of God’s generosity. This highlights the theme of divine grace as a free and overflowing gift.
8. How does the text use the contrast between Martha and Mary?
The text contrasts Martha’s troubled, divided attention with Mary’s single-minded devotion. Mary represents the Unencumbered Soul’s singular intent and peace in God’s presence, while Martha, though praised, lacks this complete focus. This serves as a model for the Soul’s contemplative union with God, where the soul is no longer scattered by worldly concerns but wholly intent on divine love.
9. What is the significance of the paradoxical statements about the Soul’s perception?
The Soul’s paradoxical expressions-hearing what she hears not, seeing what she sees not, feeling what she feels not-illustrate her mystical detachment from ordinary sensory and rational experiences. These paradoxes convey her immersion in divine reality, where earthly senses are transcended and she is fully united with God. This mystical language evokes the ineffability of the experience of divine union.
10. How does the Soul conclude her response to astonishment?
The Soul concludes with a bold declaration of her possession of God: “I hold Him … I will never let Him go. He is in my will. Let come whatever might be, He is with me.” She affirms her unshakable union with her Lover, expressing that it would be a failure on her part to react with astonishment, because her experience of God’s fullness is not a sudden, alien surprise but the natural outcome of divine love.
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Chapter 87 presents the Soul’s complete transformation through divine Love, where she becomes “lady of the Virtues, daughter of Deity, sister of Wisdom, and bride of Love.” This signifies her total union with God, where she no longer struggles to practice virtues but possesses them naturally, as her being is now entirely suffused with divine grace. Reason, representing human intellect and rationality, cannot grasp this mystery and dies, symbolizing the soul’s liberation from the limitations of reason and its entry into a realm where love alone reigns. Love affirms that the Soul has become “Love itself,” signifying her full integration into the divine life and perfect union with God’s infinite goodness. This chapter highlights the soul’s passage from striving and understanding to pure being and love, marking the culmination of her spiritual journey.
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1. “This Soul, says Love, is the lady of the Virtues, daughter of Deity, sister of Wisdom, and bride of Love.”
The Soul is given a regal and divine identity-so intimately united with God that she transcends the traditional categories of spiritual growth. To be “lady of the Virtues” means that she no longer needs to practice them by effort-they now serve her spontaneously. Her divine titles speak to the full consummation of mystical union: she shares in the essence and relationships of the Trinity-belonging entirely to Love.
2. “But it is not strange, and in a little while [Reason] will be no more. But I was, says this Soul, and I am, and I will be always without lack, for Love has no beginning, no end, and no limit, and I am nothing except Love.”
The Soul speaks with the voice of eternity. She has transcended time-bound selfhood and become identical with Love, which is eternal and infinite. Her assertion-“I am nothing except Love”-indicates a total death to self and a radical participation in God’s being. This is scandalous to Reason, who cannot fathom such identity without perceiving it as blasphemy or absurdity.
3. “Ah God! says Reason. How dare one say this? I dare not listen to it. I am fainting truly, Lady Soul, in hearing you; my heart is failing. I have no more life.”
Reason is overwhelmed and undone. In its final protest, it is portrayed as fainting-dying-in the presence of a truth it cannot comprehend. This death of Reason is not a dismissal of rationality altogether, but a symbolic representation of its limits in the face of divine mysteries that exceed its grasp.
4. “For as long as I had you, Lady Reason, I could not freely receive my inheritance, what was and is mine. But now I can receive it freely, since I have wounded you to death by Love.”
The Soul affirms that Reason had long been a hindrance to the full possession of her divine inheritance. Only when Reason is “wounded to death by Love” can she be entirely free to receive what belongs to her as God’s beloved: total union. This echoes the mystical path where active striving and moral discipline (guided by Reason) give way to pure receptivity in Love.
5. “She would ask [something] of you, Beloved of us, says Love to this Soul who is Love herself and nothing other than Love …”
Now, even the voice of Reason-if it lived-would turn into praise, recognizing the Soul’s divinization. The Soul is no longer distinguished from Love. This final statement seals the transformation: the Soul has not only been purified or elevated, but transubstantiated-she has become what she loves. The finite has been absorbed into the Infinite without being destroyed, revealing the boldest mystical vision of union.
—
1. What does it mean when the Soul is called “the lady of the Virtues, daughter of Deity, sister of Wisdom, and bride of Love”?
This language conveys the soul’s complete union with God and her full participation in divine life. To be “lady of the Virtues” means she no longer labors to practice them; rather, they are her natural expression, subordinate to her. Being called “daughter of Deity” emphasizes her divine origin and likeness; “sister of Wisdom” signifies her intimate relationship with the divine intellect (Wisdom personified), and “bride of Love” reveals her perfect union with Love itself-God. These titles highlight her elevated, mystical state where she has transcended human limitations and become fully infused with God’s being.
2. Why does Reason react with shock and resistance to the Soul’s claims about her identity?
Reason is bound by the limitations of human logic and natural understanding. It cannot grasp the soul’s union with divine Love, especially when she claims to be “nothing except Love.” This seems like blasphemy or absurdity to Reason because it exceeds the boundaries of rational comprehension. Reason’s fainting and death symbolize the collapse of limited understanding in the face of divine mystery. It acknowledges that the soul’s transformation into Love defies all human categories and requires an abandonment of rational control.
3. What is the significance of Reason “dying” in this chapter, and why does the Soul rejoice over it?
The “death” of Reason signifies the soul’s release from self-imposed limits and from the necessity of striving by rational effort. While Reason has served a crucial role in guiding the soul through moral and spiritual development, it ultimately becomes an obstacle to complete union with God. The Soul rejoices because, with Reason’s death, she is finally free to receive her divine inheritance-pure, unrestricted participation in Love. This death is not a rejection of Reason’s value but an acknowledgment that it has reached its limit and must yield to something greater: direct communion with the Infinite.
4. How does Love’s final statement about the Soul confirm her transformation?
Love’s declaration that the Soul “is Love herself and nothing other than Love” confirms her complete transformation. The soul has not just been elevated in status but has been transfigured into the very substance of divine Love. This means her essence, will, and identity are now indistinguishable from God’s love. The soul’s union is so perfect that even if Reason could speak, it would only praise and affirm the truth of this transformation. This reveals the highest mystical vision: the soul has become what it loves, participating fully in God’s life.
5. Why is the Soul’s relationship with the Virtues described as one of dominion rather than struggle?
The Soul has reached a state where the Virtues-once goals of striving and moral effort-are now fully integrated and natural to her. She no longer struggles to practice them because she embodies them effortlessly. This “dominion” reflects a stage of spiritual maturity where grace has so completely transformed her that the virtues are her spontaneous expression. It mirrors how, in mystical union, the soul transcends active striving and enters a state of pure, natural, and divine life where all virtues are fully possessed in God.
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In Chapter 88, the text explores the profound mystery of spiritual motherhood, revealing that all the Virtues are mothers, birthing Holiness as comprehensible by Reason, yet their own mother is a higher Humility born from Divine Majesty itself. This divine Humility transcends the Humility that arises from human practice, situating itself beyond the reach of language and Reason. The soul is called to a radical surrender and stripping away of all striving, desire, and service to achieve true freedom and sufficiency in God. Only in total annihilation by Love and complete reliance on God’s infinite goodness can the soul attain perfect love and union with the divine.
—
1. “I will say, says Love, what Reason would ask if she were still alive. She would ask, says Love, who is the mother of her and of the other Virtues who are of Reason’s generation, and if they are mothers of anyone.”
This opening exchange sets the stage for a profound reflection on the origins of the Virtues and their relationship to Love and Humility. Reason’s curiosity is now voiced by Love, showing that even Reason’s inquiries are ultimately surpassed and fulfilled by Love’s deeper insight.
2. “Yes, says Love herself who answers. All the Virtues are mothers.” / Soul: “Of whom? Of Peace?” / Love: “Of Holiness.”
Here, the dialogue unveils that the Virtues give birth to Holiness, but specifically to the kind of Holiness that is attainable and understandable by Reason. This means there’s a natural, rational Holiness arising from virtue, but it is limited in scope compared to what Love reveals later.
3. “Then who is mother of the Virtues?” / “Humility, says Love. Not that Humility who is Humility through the work of the Virtues, for she is a sister of the same generation of Reason.”
This distinction introduces two forms of Humility: one that is a sister to Reason and the Virtues, stemming from effort and understanding, and another, deeper Humility, who is their mother. This maternal Humility is not achieved through practice but is a pure, divine origin.
4. “This Humility, who is aunt and mother, is daughter of Divine majesty and so is born from Divinity. Deity is her mother and grandmother of her branches, by whom the buds make such great fruitfulness.”
Humility’s ultimate origin is in the divine life itself. It is not just a human achievement but a divine gift, an aspect of God’s own nature. This highlights that true Humility-leading to the highest form of Holiness-is rooted not in human effort but in God’s majesty and creativity.
5. “We are silent about it, for speaking ruins them. This one, that is, Humility, has given the stem and the fruit from these buds, because she is there, close to the peace of this Farnearness who unencumbers her from works, and turns away the speaking, makes dark there the pondering.”
The mystery of divine Humility transcends words and reasoning. Its true depth is accessible only through silence, inner stillness, and a transcendence of rationality. This “Farnearness”-God’s intimate yet inaccessible presence-clears away all striving and makes even speech futile in capturing the mystery.
6. “Whoever serves, he is not free, whoever senses, he has not died, whoever desires, he wills, whoever wills, he begs, whoever begs, he has a lack of divine sufficiency.”
This striking list describes the stages of attachment that prevent the soul from full freedom in Love. True spiritual freedom transcends service, desire, and even spiritual striving. It is a state of sufficiency, where divine grace alone sustains the soul beyond all human lack or need.
7. “But those who are always loyal to her are always overtaken by Love and annihilated through Love, and completely stripped by Love, and so have no care except for Love, in order to suffer and endure torments forever, because [these loyal ones] would be as great as God is great in goodness.”
This is the heart of the teaching: total surrender to Love, even unto annihilation. The soul that is utterly loyal to divine Humility is consumed by Love, freed from every encumbrance, and participates in God’s own life. Such souls are willing to endure infinite suffering for love’s sake, mirroring God’s infinite goodness.
8. “The Soul never loved perfectly who doubted that this would be true.”
Perfect love is absolute and unwavering. It believes fully in the transformative power of divine Humility and Love. To doubt this is to fall short of perfect union, which demands a complete trust in God’s infinite sufficiency and an embrace of annihilation in Love.
—
1. What does Love say Reason would have asked if she were still alive?
Love says that Reason, if she were still alive, would ask who the mother of Reason and the other Virtues is, and whether the Virtues themselves are mothers of anyone. This reflects Reason’s desire to trace origins and relationships within the spiritual order.
2. How does Love respond to the question about the Virtues’ motherhood?
Love reveals that all the Virtues are indeed mothers. When asked “of whom,” Love answers that they give birth to Holiness-but specifically to the kind of Holiness that Reason can grasp. This Holiness is linked to Reason’s comprehension and therefore is limited.
3. What distinction does Love make about Humility?
Love distinguishes between two kinds of Humility. The first is a Humility that comes from the practice of the Virtues-a sister to Reason. The second is a deeper, divine Humility who is the mother of all Virtues. This Humility does not arise from human effort but from Divine majesty itself.
4. What is the origin of this deeper, maternal Humility?
This Humility is described as the daughter of Divine Majesty, born directly from Deity. Thus, her origin is purely divine, making her both mother and aunt to the Virtues and grandmother to the Holiness that they engender. This portrays Humility as a bridge between the divine and the virtuous.
5. Why does the text emphasize silence and wordlessness in the face of this mystery?
The text stresses that the mystery of divine Humility and its generative power transcends language and reason. Attempting to articulate it would only ruin its depth and truth. This silence points to the ineffability of God’s majesty and the soul’s need for stillness and surrender to comprehend it.
6. What does the text say about the spiritual implications of service, desire, and striving?
It states that those who serve are not free, those who sense have not died to self, those who desire and will are still caught in longing, and those who beg reveal a lack of sufficiency. True spiritual freedom and divine sufficiency come only when the soul is completely stripped of these needs and relies solely on God.
7. How are souls who remain loyal to Humility described?
Such souls are overtaken, annihilated, and stripped completely by Love. Their sole concern is Love itself, and they endure torment and suffering willingly, aspiring to match God’s infinite greatness in goodness. This depicts a radical self-offering and identification with divine love.
8. What does the text mean when it says, “The Soul never loved perfectly who doubted that this would be true”?
This closing line affirms that perfect love requires unwavering belief in the transformative power of divine Humility and Love. Doubt diminishes the soul’s capacity for total surrender and annihilation in Love, which is the highest form of spiritual union.
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In Chapter 89, the text teaches that the Soul, through the freeness and nobility given by the Trinity, surrenders her will entirely to God, becoming so absorbed in divine love that she cannot sin unless she deliberately withdraws her will. This complete surrender brings profound peace, akin to the obliviousness of inebriation, where the Soul ceases to care about worldly circumstances and loses all capacity for self-will, whether in poverty or wealth. This state invites every soul seeking perfection to abandon self-will and become a true master over self and creation. The Soul, in this freedom, possesses all things without attachment, revealing that spiritual perfection lies in radical detachment and in a love so complete it transcends reason and calculation.
—
1. “This Soul has given everything through the freeness of the nobility by the work of the Trinity, in which Trinity this Soul plants her will so nakedly that she cannot sin if she does not uproot herself.”
The soul reaches a state of total surrender and union with the Trinity, planting her will so completely in God’s will that sin becomes impossible unless she disrupts this union. This signifies a profound mystical state where self-will is entirely relinquished.
2. “She has nothing to sin with, for without a will no one can sin. Now she is kept from sin if she leaves her will there where it is planted, that is, in the One who has given it to her freely from His goodness.”
The soul’s complete renunciation of her own will leads to a radical incapacity for sin, since sin arises from personal desire or will. Her security in God depends on maintaining this self-emptying stance.
3. “And thus, by His beneficence, He wills the return of His beloved nakedly and freely, without a why for her sake, on account of two things: because He wills it, and because He is worthy of it.”
God’s will is depicted as pure and gratuitous love, drawing the soul to Himself not for her merit but purely because of His own goodness and worthiness. This emphasizes divine generosity as the source of the soul’s transformation.
4. “And before this she had no fertile and restful peace until she was purely stripped of her will.”
True peace for the soul is only found after she surrenders all personal will. The “fertile and restful peace” is the fruit of this surrender, indicating a profound inner liberation and tranquility.
5. “This one, who is such, always resembles one who is inebriated. It does not matter to someone inebriated what happens to him, whether his fortune comes or not.”
The metaphor of inebriation captures the soul’s radical detachment from external circumstances. Like a drunken person unaware of or indifferent to fortune and misfortune, the soul in this state is impervious to worldly changes, fully absorbed in divine love.
6. “And if it did matter to him, he would not be inebriated very well.”
This reinforces that the soul’s indifference to fortune is essential for spiritual “inebriation.” If the soul clings to personal desires or concerns, she has not truly achieved the mystical state of pure surrender.
7. “If this Soul has something to will with, this means that she is poorly planted and that she can still indeed fall if she is assailed by adversity or by prosperity.”
Retaining any vestige of self-will exposes the soul to the danger of falling back into attachment and sin. Perfect union with God requires a total uprooting of self-will.
8. “And this is not all; for she is not nothing if she has something to will with, for her poverty or her wealth are in her willing to give or to retain.”
Spiritual poverty and wealth are not measured by external possessions but by the soul’s internal disposition. True poverty is having no will of one’s own, whereas even possessing the ability to choose to give or keep indicates spiritual “wealth” that contradicts perfect surrender.
9. “I would like to say, says Love, to all those who are asked and called by the desire of their interior life in the works of perfection through the effort of Reason, whether they want to or not, that if they would want to be what they could be, they would come to the stage of which we speak, and they would indeed be lords over themselves, and over heaven and earth.”
Here, Love invites all souls engaged in the pursuit of spiritual perfection to abandon reliance on Reason and embrace pure Love. This surrender makes them “lords over themselves and over heaven and earth”-an image of spiritual mastery and freedom.
10. “This none know how to say, says the Unencumbered Soul, who holds all things without heart, and who possesses all things without heart, and if her heart senses it, she is not this.”
The “Unencumbered Soul” transcends all attachments, holding and possessing nothing with emotional clinging. The moment she becomes aware of her possession, she is no longer truly free. This highlights the paradox of mystical possession: holding everything by being detached from all.
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1. How does the Soul give everything “through the freeness of the nobility”?
The Soul gives everything not from obligation or compulsion but freely and nobly, inspired by the work of the Trinity. This self-gift arises from complete surrender to divine goodness and is characterized by a radical stripping away of self-will. Because the Trinity has freely given her the capacity for this surrender, the Soul’s return is likewise free, done in love and without any ulterior motive or claim of merit.
2. What does it mean for the Soul to plant her will “so nakedly” in the Trinity?
Planting her will “so nakedly” in the Trinity means the Soul fully immerses her will into God’s will, without reservation or hidden desires. In this state, she has no separate will to act against God’s, making sin impossible unless she uproots herself from this planted state. This signifies an almost total absorption into divine love, where her identity is inseparable from God’s will.
3. Why is the Soul unable to sin when she has no will of her own?
Sin originates from the misuse of personal will. When the Soul’s will is wholly given over to God-“nakedly” and completely-there remains no personal desire or capacity to sin. Her entire being is conformed to divine will, and thus she cannot act against it unless she deliberately pulls herself away, which would mean reintroducing her own will.
4. How does this surrender lead to peace?
Before surrendering her will, the Soul experiences restlessness and dissatisfaction. Only when she is “purely stripped of her will” does she find “fertile and restful peace.” This peace stems from complete detachment from desires, conflicts, and self-centered anxieties. The Soul, resting in God’s will, experiences harmony and stillness.
5. Why is the inebriation metaphor used to describe this Soul?
The Soul’s spiritual state is likened to inebriation because it reflects a detachment from worldly concerns and an absorption in divine love. Just as a drunken person is indifferent to what happens, whether fortune or misfortune, so the Soul in this state is indifferent to external circumstances, fully immersed in the “inebriation” of divine presence and love.
6. What does the text say about the danger of retaining something to will with?
If the Soul retains any personal will-any capacity to choose, desire, or act independently-she risks falling into sin or distraction, especially when confronted by adversity or prosperity. Retaining self-will signifies a lack of total surrender, and thus the Soul remains vulnerable to being pulled away from God’s peace.
7. How is spiritual poverty or wealth described in this chapter?
Spiritual poverty is defined not by material possessions but by the absence of self-will. True poverty is when the Soul has nothing to will with-she neither grasps nor retains anything. Conversely, if the Soul retains any capacity for desire or self-assertion, she is spiritually “wealthy,” which in this context implies a lack of perfect surrender.
8. What invitation does Love extend to those pursuing the works of perfection?
Love invites all souls who seek spiritual perfection-whether they initially desire it or not-to come to this stage of total surrender. Love promises that if they would embrace this stripping away of self-will, they would become “lords over themselves, and over heaven and earth.” This image suggests the soul’s mastery over self and a harmonious participation in the divine order.
9. How does the chapter portray the “Unencumbered Soul”?
The Unencumbered Soul is described as one who “holds all things without heart” and “possesses all things without heart,” indicating radical detachment and inner freedom. If her heart senses ownership or attachment, she is no longer truly unencumbered. This highlights the paradox: true possession comes through detachment, and any awareness of ownership signals a lapse from this spiritual freedom.
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Chapter 90 teaches that spiritual perfection is achieved by renouncing one’s own will and fully embracing the life of the spirit. This involves a disciplined effort to do the opposite of what one’s sensual nature desires, thereby feeding the virtues and allowing the spirit to rule. While this discipline can be challenging, it purifies both soul and body, ultimately leading to peace and lordship over oneself and the world. However, at the highest stage of spiritual union-the state of “Nothingness”-the soul is so united with God that it no longer needs to oppose its own will, because its desires are entirely aligned with divine love. In this stage, peace comes from freely doing what pleases one, since one’s will has become indistinguishable from God’s will.
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1. “I have said, says Love, that whoever fulfills the demand of the interior life of the spirit-if he is called to arrive at a good will… and if he leaves his will completely outside in order to live in the life of spirit, he would come indeed into complete lordship.”
Love explains that true spiritual mastery comes when a soul surrenders self-will entirely. By stepping outside personal desires, one enters the “life of spirit” where God’s will reigns. This surrender leads to lordship, a metaphor for interior sovereignty and union with the divine. Only by renouncing self-directed will can one access this spiritual authority.
2. “But I can tell you, says this Freed Soul, what is necessary before one arrives at it, that one do perfectly the contrary of his own will in feeding the Virtues until they are fat, and restraining oneself without weakening, so that the spirit always has lordship without contradiction.”
The Unencumbered Soul clarifies the path to this spiritual freedom: actively practicing contrary action-feeding virtues while denying one’s natural inclinations. This isn’t passive asceticism but an active training of the soul, strengthening the spirit’s dominion over the body and desires. “Without contradiction” highlights the purity of intention and single-minded focus needed to achieve this.
3. “Ah, my God, says Truth, how ill in the heart would the body become where there was such a spirit?”
Truth’s reflection emphasizes the potential cost of this path. A soul so detached from sensual desires and pleasures may seem at odds with the body’s needs, risking physical suffering or imbalance. Yet this tension between spirit and body is part of the transformative journey.
4. “I dare say, says this Unencumbered Soul, that the kind of will that it is necessary to have in the sad life, that is in the life of the spirit, would destroy in one brief moment the fluids of all illnesses. The ardor of the spirit has such healing powers.”
Here, the Soul asserts that the fiery zeal of the spirit, when fully embraced, not only heals the soul but can even heal the body, purging it of illness. This mystical concept aligns with the idea that a soul wholly consumed by divine love radiates an inner vitality that can overcome physical limitations.
5. “The life of which we have spoken, which we call the life of spirit, cannot have peace unless the body always does the contrary of its own will, that is, that such folk do the contrary of sensuality, or else they would fall into perdition from such a life, if they do not live contrary to their pleasure.”
Love warns that peace of spirit demands an ongoing discipline of the body. Without this, one risks falling from spiritual purity into “perdition,” indicating the soul’s loss of union with God. This insistence on counteracting pleasure reflects the radical asceticism required for maintaining spiritual focus.
6. “Those who are unencumbered do the opposite. For insofar as it is necessary that in the life of the spirit they do the contrary of their own will if they wish not to lose peace, so likewise in an opposite way, the unencumbered ones do everything that pleases them if they wish not to lose peace, since they have arrived in the stage of freeness, that is, since they have fallen from the Virtues into Love, and from Love into Nothingness.”
This final statement introduces the paradox of spiritual freedom. Those who have transcended the need for Virtues (through complete union with Love and the Nothingness of self-annihilation) no longer need to battle their desires. Their will has been so transformed into God’s will that doing what pleases them is not sinful but sanctified. This mystical inversion contrasts the earlier asceticism and shows the culmination of the soul’s journey into divine nothingness.
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1. What does Love say about achieving spiritual lordship?
Love teaches that spiritual lordship is attained when a soul completely leaves behind its own will in order to live entirely in the life of the spirit. This self-emptying and surrender to God’s will enable the soul to experience mastery over itself, where personal desires no longer dictate actions. This renunciation of will is only possible for those called to interior spiritual growth and is a prerequisite for entering this state of spiritual lordship.
2. How does the Unencumbered Soul describe the necessary preparation for spiritual lordship?
The Unencumbered Soul explains that before reaching spiritual lordship, one must practice doing the contrary of one’s own will. This involves actively feeding the virtues (strengthening virtues like humility, patience, charity) and restraining oneself from acting on selfish or sensual desires. Such discipline ensures the spirit maintains its rule over the body and its inclinations, creating a state of harmony and readiness for divine union.
3. Why does Truth express concern about this process?
Truth raises the concern that such rigorous spiritual discipline, which involves denying bodily desires and pleasures, may result in physical strain or illness. This tension between spirit and body highlights the challenge of living a purely spiritual life while still embodied. However, the Unencumbered Soul counters that the intense will required for this life has healing power, suggesting that spiritual zeal can purify not just the soul but even the body.
4. What is the role of the body’s desires in this teaching?
The body’s desires are seen as obstacles to spiritual peace and union with God. In the “life of spirit,” the soul must counteract the body’s inclination toward sensual pleasure to maintain harmony with God’s will. If one fails to live contrary to bodily pleasures, one risks spiritual downfall. Thus, the text advocates a rigorous asceticism where the body’s will is subjected to the spirit’s direction.
5. How do the unencumbered differ from those in the life of the spirit?
While those in the life of the spirit must rigorously oppose their own will and sensual desires to maintain spiritual peace, the unencumbered have transcended this need. They have fallen from Virtues into Love, and from Love into Nothingness, where their will is fully united with God’s will. For them, doing what pleases them is no longer sinful because their desires are entirely aligned with divine will. This represents the highest stage of spiritual freedom and union with God.
6. What is the paradox presented in this chapter?
The paradox is that in the earlier stages of spiritual life, peace comes from opposing one’s own will and bodily desires. However, in the final stage-the unencumbered state-peace is maintained by doing whatever pleases oneself, because the soul’s will has become fully absorbed into God’s will. This inversion highlights the transformation from active struggle (Virtues) to effortless union (Love and Nothingness).
7. How is the concept of “Nothingness” used here?
“Nothingness” represents the soul’s complete self-emptying, where it ceases to assert its own will and becomes entirely receptive to God. This is not mere negation, but a profound union in which the soul’s identity dissolves into divine love. Having “fallen from the Virtues into Love, and from Love into Nothingness” signifies the soul’s journey from disciplined effort to pure surrender and unity with God.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 8 of 14
In chapter 71, the Soul reveals that her actions are no longer driven by human effort or will, but entirely by God’s initiative. She neither works for God, herself, nor others, because true work-divine work-is solely God’s doing. This realization leads her into a state of profound detachment and peace, where she is drawn out of herself by a ray of divine understanding and united with God’s being. Her existence and love are absorbed into God’s own life, making her being indistinguishable from the divine “Being.” The text contrasts human labor, which is bound by self-interest and limited understanding, with the ineffable and sovereign work of divine charity, which God alone accomplishes. Ultimately, the Soul teaches that true union with God transcends human effort, resting entirely on surrender and the free movement of divine love.
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1. “This Soul, says Love, does not do any work for God’s sake, nor for her own, nor for her neighbors’ either, as was said above. But God does it, if He wills, [He] who is able to do it. And if He does not will, it does not matter to her one way or the other; she is always in one state.”
This passage underscores the Soul’s complete detachment from the illusion of autonomous action. She recognizes that she herself does nothing for God, for herself, or for others. Instead, everything that is accomplished is done by God’s own will. The Soul’s state is one of absolute surrender and stability; she is no longer moved by human desires or concerns, whether of religious duty, self-interest, or social obligation. Her peace is unshakable, rooted in divine providence rather than personal striving.
2. “Therefore there is in this soul the ray of divine understanding which draws her from herself without herself into an inexpressible divine peace, carried by one elevation of flowing love from the most high Jealous One, who gives sovereign freeness to her in all places.”
Here, the text describes the Soul’s transformation by a direct infusion of divine wisdom. This “ray of divine understanding” transports her beyond herself into the infinite peace of God. The term “without herself” conveys her utter self-emptying, as she no longer operates from ego or self-consciousness. The description of God as the “most high Jealous One” emphasizes His possessive love, which has stripped her of self and claimed her entirely. His love not only elevates her but also liberates her in a supreme and sovereign way.
3. “Jealous? says this Soul. Jealous He is truly! He shows it by His works, which have stripped me of myself completely and have placed me in divine pleasure without myself. And such a union of full peace joins me and conjoins me through the supreme height of the creation with the splendor of divine being, by which I have being which is Being.”
The Soul acknowledges God’s divine jealousy, not in a human, possessive sense, but as a purifying and unifying force. God’s jealousy has freed her from all self-centeredness and placed her in a state of divine ecstasy and peace, where she experiences union with His Being. Her very existence has become one with God’s own life, the “Being which is Being,” echoing the biblical “I AM WHO AM.” The Soul experiences herself as wholly integrated into God’s self-sufficient reality.
4. “When this Soul, says Love, is thus drawn by Him without herself, by God for her sake, this is divine work. A work of charity was never accomplished by a human body. The ones who accomplish such a work could not accomplish it [by themselves].”
This passage draws a clear line between divine and human action. True charity-the pure, perfect love that transforms-is not a product of human effort. It is a divine work, initiated and completed by God alone. The Soul recognizes that no amount of human striving can achieve this level of union and charity; it is a work that transcends human capability. By highlighting this, the text humbles human ambition and elevates the grace of God as the sole source of genuine charity and spiritual transformation.
5. “Grasp carefully, says this Soul, the two meanings of Love, for they are difficult to grasp [for] whoever has the intention of glossing this.”
The Soul hints at a deeper, layered understanding of Love. There is the human understanding of love, tied to duty and works, and the divine Love that is ungraspable and unglossable-a mystery that cannot be fully explained or taught by human means. This serves as a caution against oversimplifying or intellectualizing divine love, urging the reader to enter into the mystery through experience rather than through theory.
6. “The work of a creature (that is, the work done by human effort) cannot be compared to the divine work done by God in the creature by His goodness for the sake of the creature.”
This concluding reflection encapsulates the central teaching: the human soul, no matter how virtuous or zealous, cannot achieve the level of divine charity and transformation by its own efforts. Only God, through His infinite goodness, can accomplish this within the soul. The Soul stands as a living witness to this truth, fully surrendered to God’s action in her, with no trace of pride or self-reliance.
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1. Why does the Soul claim not to do any work for God, herself, or her neighbors?
The Soul claims not to do any work because she recognizes that all true work is done by God alone. She is no longer driven by her own will or sense of duty, but rests in complete surrender to divine action. Whether or not something is accomplished depends entirely on God’s will, not on her efforts.
2. What role does the “ray of divine understanding” play in the Soul’s experience?
The “ray of divine understanding” lifts the Soul out of herself into divine peace. It draws her beyond ego and self-will into the mystery of God’s love, resulting in a state of complete detachment and union with God. This understanding is not of her own making but a gift of God’s grace.
3. Why does the text describe God as “the most high Jealous One”?
God is called “the most high Jealous One” because His love for the Soul is so exclusive and all-consuming that it strips her of all attachments and self-interest. This jealousy is not possessive in a negative sense but represents God’s desire to draw the Soul wholly into Himself, free from any distractions or self-will.
4. What does the Soul mean when she says, “I have being which is Being”?
The Soul expresses that her entire existence has been subsumed into God’s own being, the “Being which is Being” (echoing Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO AM”). Her life and identity are now fully united with God’s divine existence, beyond any human or creaturely reality.
5. How does the chapter distinguish between human work and divine work?
The chapter emphasizes that human work, no matter how noble, cannot compare to divine work. Divine work is initiated and completed by God alone, and true charity is a result of God’s action in the soul, not of human effort. The Soul’s transformation into love is entirely a work of God’s goodness and grace.
6. Why does the Soul caution against “glossing” the meaning of Love?
The Soul warns that Love has two meanings-one understood by human reasoning and one by divine reality-which are difficult to fully grasp or explain. She cautions that intellectualizing or reducing Love to concepts risks missing its deeper, experiential truth, which can only be known through surrender and union with God.
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In chapter 72, the text contrasts the state of souls bound by willful self-interest, termed “the land of the sad ones,” with the liberated state of spiritual peace and freeness, “the land of freeness.” The soul retains will because it still lives in the spirit, yet it must learn to surrender this will to divine grace. Love explains that the highest spiritual transformation occurs when the body is mortified and the will embraces dishonor, poverty, and tribulations, thus purifying the soul’s conscience, affections, and intellect. Through this transformation, the soul moves from being merely “soul,” which denotes life in grace and obedience to commandments, to fully “spirit,” signifying a complete union with divine love and being. This chapter emphasizes that spiritual maturity involves both renouncing self-will and embracing divine freedom.
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1. “Grasp carefully, says this Soul, the two meanings of Love, for they are beyond the land of the sad ones in the land of freeness filled with peace, where the established ones remain.”
The Soul sets the scene by contrasting two realms: one of sorrow and bondage (“the land of the sad ones”), and the other of divine freedom and peace (“the land of freeness”). This highlights the transformative journey from attachment and suffering to a state of divine liberation, where Love is fully realized. The “two meanings of Love” suggest a deeper mystery that transcends ordinary understanding and invites contemplation.
2. “When the divine Trinity created the angels… those who were evil through their perverse choice gave themselves over to the evil will of Lucifer, who willed to have by his nature what he could not have except by divine grace.”
Love recounts the fall of the angels, underscoring the pivotal role of will. Lucifer’s pride-seeking divinity through his own nature rather than grace-led to loss of being and eternal separation from God. This reinforces the idea that a self-centered will results in spiritual ruin, while surrender to divine grace leads to union with God.
3. “Alas, alas! says Truth. Why, Souls, do you love will so much, since such a loss is accomplished by will?”
Truth laments humanity’s attachment to its own will, emphasizing that it is precisely this clinging to personal desire that leads to separation from God. The exclamation conveys deep sorrow over the self-destructive nature of willfulness, contrasting starkly with the freedom found in surrender to God.
4. “I will tell you, says Love, why the Soul has will: because she still lives in spirit, and the life of spirit is still the will.”
Love clarifies that the Soul retains will because she continues to live within the realm of spirit. This suggests that even in a state of grace, the will remains active, though it must be rightly ordered-directed away from self-interest and aligned with divine love. The will is not inherently evil but must be transformed.
5. “Ah, for God’s sake, Lady Love, says Reason, tell me why you have named this chosen Soul, so beloved by you, ‘soul’ from the beginning of this book… which is a shorter name than the name ‘spirit.'”
Reason raises a profound question about the Soul’s identity, pondering why she is called “soul” rather than “spirit.” This distinction points to the different stages of spiritual growth: “soul” indicates the life of grace (rooted in obedience to commandments), while “spirit” signifies a deeper transformation and union with God, which transcends mere moral adherence.
6. “When the body is completely mortified and the will delights in dishonor, in poverty, and in tribulations, then it is completely spirit, and not otherwise. Therefore such spiritual creatures have purity in conscience, peace in affection, and intellect in reason.”
Love provides the key to becoming “completely spirit”: through radical detachment from bodily comfort and self-interest, embracing suffering, and allowing the will to rest in God’s purposes. This marks the highest stage of spiritual maturity, where the soul becomes wholly spirit, characterized by purity, peace, and divine intellect.
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1. What two “lands” are contrasted in this chapter, and what do they symbolize?
The chapter contrasts “the land of the sad ones” and “the land of freeness filled with peace.” The “land of the sad ones” represents souls who remain bound by their will and live in a state of spiritual sadness or imperfection, while the “land of freeness” symbolizes the realm of peace and spiritual liberty where souls are established in God’s love and grace.
2. Why did Lucifer and some angels lose the beatific vision and fall into hell?
Lucifer and his followers willed to attain by their own nature what could only be received through divine grace. This perverse choice led them to lose their “being from goodness,” resulting in their eternal separation from God and the loss of the vision of Him.
3. According to Love, why does the soul still possess will?
Love explains that the soul possesses will because she still lives in the spirit, and the life of the spirit involves the activity of will. The will remains necessary for spiritual growth and movement toward God, but it must be transformed and purified.
4. Why does Reason ask why the soul is called “soul” and not “spirit,” and what is Love’s response?
Reason questions why the chosen soul is referred to simply as “soul” instead of the higher name “spirit.” Love responds that those who live a life of grace through obedience to God’s commandments are rightly called “soul,” while “spirit” refers to those who have undergone a deeper transformation through complete detachment and mortification of the body and self-will.
5. What does Love say is required for the soul to become completely “spirit”?
Love states that the soul becomes completely spirit when the body is fully mortified and the will delights in dishonor, poverty, and tribulation. Only then does the soul possess purity in conscience, peace in affection, and intellect in reason, fully embodying the life of the spirit.
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Chapter 73’s main teaching centers on the necessity of the complete death of the spirit’s self-will for the soul to enter into perfect union with God. Divine Love explains that as long as the soul clings to its own will-even the spiritual will-it cannot experience the sufficiency of divine life. Only by fully renouncing the self-through what Love calls the death of the spirit-does the soul become an empty vessel ready to be filled with God’s own pleasure. In this state, the soul transcends any concern for honor or dishonor, sin or virtue, surrendering entirely to God’s will and living only for His pleasure. This surrender enables the soul to enter into the paradoxical state of “Farnearness,” where God’s intimate presence is made manifest through His divine election and grace.
—
1. “Ah, for the sake of God, says Reason, Lady Love, I pray that you tell me why the spirit must die before one loses the will.”
Reason’s plea highlights a deep question: why must the spirit undergo a form of death before the will can be relinquished? This sets up the entire chapter’s focus on the spiritual necessity of dying to self-will before divine sufficiency can be received.
2. “Because, says Love, the spirit is completely filled with spiritual will, and no one can live the divine life as long as he has will, neither can he have sufficiency unless he has lost the will.”
Love explains that the human spirit is by nature consumed with its own spiritual will, even when this will seems noble. True divine life is impossible without losing this self-generated will. The surrender of will is a precondition for receiving divine sufficiency.
3. “When the spirit is perfectly dead, then he has lost the sense of his love and killed the will which gives life to [this sense], and in this loss the will is perfectly filled by the sufficiency of divine pleasure.”
This passage teaches that spiritual death involves losing even the sense of personal love and will. Paradoxically, this loss creates the space for divine sufficiency and supreme spiritual life to take root. It’s a dying that leads to a higher, unencumbered, glorious existence.
4. “No one is my beloved, says Divine Love, who fears to lose or to gain, but only the one who loves for the sake of my pleasure; for otherwise she would be for her own sake, and not for my sake and with me.”
Divine Love asserts that true love for God must be utterly disinterested in personal loss or gain. The soul’s desire must be wholly for God’s sake, not for her own benefit. This challenges even seemingly virtuous motives, urging total abandonment to God’s pleasure.
5. “And if she had committed as many sins as the whole world ever did, and as many good deeds as all those who are in paradise…such a Soul…would have neither dishonor nor honor for her own sake, nor the will to hide or conceal her evils.”
Here we see the radical humility of the soul in divine love. Even if her sins or good deeds were exposed to all, she would feel no dishonor or pride. This state reflects complete detachment from self-concern and a profound trust in God’s will.
6. “They leave it to the concern of their Master, who hides or shows their sins according to His will. And in this way these Souls…behave, [those] who are vessels by such election.”
This passage underlines the soul’s utter surrender to God’s will regarding her reputation and destiny. The “Farnearness” (a beautiful paradox of proximity and distance) symbolizes the divine intimacy that accompanies this complete surrender, where the soul’s self-effacement becomes the vessel of divine life.
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1. Why does Love say that the spirit must die before one can lose the will?
Because the spirit is filled with spiritual will, and no one can live the divine life as long as they cling to their own will. When the spirit dies-meaning it gives up this self-will-it creates the emptiness necessary to be filled by the sufficiency of divine pleasure. This death to the will leads to the birth of the supreme, unencumbered, and glorious life in God.
2. How does Divine Love describe the kind of soul that is fit to be in union with Him?
Divine Love describes this soul as one who loves only for God’s pleasure, without seeking gain or fearing loss. This soul is not motivated by self-interest but is entirely given over to God’s will, whether that involves personal honor or dishonor.
3. What does Love say about the soul’s attitude toward her sins and virtues?
Love explains that even if the soul had committed all the sins of the world or performed all possible good deeds, she would neither feel dishonor nor pride for her own sake. She would have no desire to hide her faults or show her virtues because she lives entirely for God’s sake and not her own. Her sins and virtues are left to God’s discretion.
4. How does Truth describe the souls who reach this state of complete surrender?
Truth says that such souls leave everything-whether the revelation or concealment of their sins-to their Master’s will. These souls are described as vessels chosen by God’s election, living in a state called the “Farnearness,” where God’s intimate presence makes them open to His noble gift of grace.
5. What is meant by the “Farnearness” mentioned at the end of the chapter?
“Farnearness” is a paradox expressing the soul’s deep connection to God. It suggests that though God seems distant in His transcendence, He is intimately present in the soul’s complete surrender. This term captures the mystery of divine union in which the soul, by losing itself, is brought into intimate nearness with God.
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In chapter 74, Love reveals the true and exalted identity of the soul, which far surpasses the simple name “soul” often used to describe her. While this simple name serves as a point of entry for Reason’s limited understanding, the soul’s true nature is deeply noble, characterized by purity, celestial grandeur, and profound peace. She is a “spouse of peace,” united with divine love in a secure, impregnable place where no intermediary disturbs her communion with God. From her humble position in the “valley,” she perceives both her own lowliness and God’s greatness. This union with divine love nourishes and fortifies her in the glorious land where her Beloved dwells. In contrast, Love highlights that souls preoccupied with worldly cares, like Martha, remain distracted and unable to access this life of profound peace and union with God.
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1. “Reason, says Love, on account of your rudeness I have named her many times by her surname.”
Love gently chastises Reason for its limited understanding, explaining that her use of the term “soul” is a concession to Reason’s rough and incomplete grasp of deeper realities. Love suggests that Reason can only approach these profound mysteries through simple categories and labels, such as “soul,” which only hint at the soul’s true dignity.
2. “Her right name is perfectly noble. She has the name ‘pure,’ ‘celestial,’ and ‘spouse of peace.'”
Love reveals the deeper identity of this soul, whose true nature transcends the simplistic label “soul.” These noble names-“pure,” “celestial,” and “spouse of peace”-express the soul’s intimate union with God, her participation in divine purity and heavenly life, and her role as the beloved of peace.
3. “For she is seated in the bottom of the valley, from which she sees the height of the mountain, and from which she sees the mountain from the height as well.”
This paradoxical image portrays the soul’s simultaneous humility and exaltation. By being “seated in the bottom of the valley,” she achieves a vantage point where she can perceive the divine heights of God, and from those heights, she perceives the depths of her own humility. The soul’s identity is marked by this reciprocal vision.
4. “No intermediary can penetrate her. And for security the wise man places his treasure there, that is, the gift of unity of divine love.”
This statement emphasizes the soul’s impenetrable union with God-no created thing can intrude into this secret chamber of divine intimacy. Love describes this space as a secure treasure-house where divine love’s unity is entrusted to the soul. This highlights her role as a vessel uniquely chosen to bear the fullness of God’s love.
4. “This is the nourishment of my chosen bride; this is ‘Mary of peace,’ and so she is ‘married by peace,’ because Fine Love makes her peaceful in this land.”
The soul is likened to “Mary of peace,” a symbol of divine union and tranquility. The phrase “married by peace” suggests that the soul has entered into a spiritual marriage with God, characterized by peace and nourished by divine love. This sets her apart from souls like “Martha,” who remain distracted by earthly cares and cannot partake of this sublime life.
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1. Why does Love call this Soul by such a small name as “soul”?
Love explains that the name “soul” is used because Reason’s understanding is too rough and limited to grasp the soul’s true nobility. The simple name serves as a gloss or category that helps Reason begin to approach the deeper reality, though the soul’s real identity is far more exalted.
2. What are the more fitting names that describe the soul’s true nature?
The soul is called “pure,” “celestial,” and “spouse of peace,” highlighting her perfect purity, her participation in the heavenly life, and her intimate union with divine peace and love.
3. How does the soul’s position in the valley relate to her spiritual vision?
The soul’s humility, represented by her position “in the bottom of the valley,” allows her to see both the height of the mountain (God’s grandeur) and from the mountain the depth of her own lowliness. This reciprocal vision emphasizes her grounded yet exalted state.
4. What does Love say about the soul’s security and the treasure she holds?
Love describes the soul’s secure state where no intermediary can penetrate her. The wise one (God) places the “treasure” of divine love’s unity in her, making her the dwelling of this priceless spiritual gift.
5. How does Love contrast the soul’s peaceful life with that of Martha?
Love explains that the soul enjoys a life of divine peace because of her union with Love, while Martha, symbolizing an active and distracted soul, remains troubled and distant from such a life. Martha’s cares and preoccupations prevent her from entering into this profound spiritual marriage.
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Chapter 75 teaches that the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration reveals the soul’s journey into divine mysteries. Only a few, the specially chosen and spiritually prepared, are granted the grace to witness the brilliance of divine truth. The mountain signifies the soul’s elevation above worldly distractions, and the command to remain silent points to the need for humility and secrecy to prevent spiritual pride. Those who genuinely possess divine insight have no desire to hide or display it, as they are detached from personal ambition and wholly devoted to God. Through this, the Soul emphasizes that divine illumination is reserved for those who are pure, humble, and fully open to God’s will.
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1. “We perceive, they say, that Jesus Christ was transfigured on Mount Tabor, where there were only three of his disciples. He told them that they must neither speak about it nor say anything about it until His resurrection.”
The Soul recounts the familiar Gospel story of the Transfiguration, where Jesus revealed His divine glory to Peter, James, and John, instructing them not to disclose this vision until after His resurrection. This historical event becomes a spiritual exemplar, emphasizing both the exclusivity of divine revelations and the necessity of discretion in sharing them.
2. “Ah, sheep! says this Soul, how your intellect is bestial! You leave the kernel and take the chaff.”
The Soul criticizes those who focus on superficial interpretations of divine mysteries. These people interpret Christ’s command to conceal the Transfiguration as a justification for their own secrecy and prideful concealment, missing the deeper spiritual lesson. The Soul contrasts this with the true spiritual understanding, showing how the bestial intellect clings to appearances rather than essence.
3. “He did it so that you might know that few folk will see the brightness of His transfiguration, and that He shows this only to His special friends, and for this reason there were only three.”
The Soul reveals that the limitation of witnesses at the Transfiguration signifies that God’s deepest revelations are reserved for those specially prepared or chosen, the “special friends” of God. The number three symbolizes the rarity and selectiveness of such divine illumination, available only to those in intimate friendship with Him.
4. “This was in demonstrating and in signifying that no one can see the divine things as long as he mixes himself or mingles with temporal things, that is, with anything less than God.”
The mountain setting of the Transfiguration serves as a metaphor for the elevation of the soul above temporal distractions. Only those who detach themselves from earthly concerns can ascend to the clarity and brilliance of divine mysteries. The mountain thus represents the spiritual ascent needed for vision and understanding.
5. “This was to demonstrate that you cannot say a word about the divine secrets lest you take vainglory from them.”
The instruction to maintain silence about the vision until after the resurrection highlights the danger of spiritual pride and vainglory. Sharing divine secrets for personal prestige corrupts their purity. True spiritual humility refrains from seeking recognition, leaving the timing and revelation of such secrets to God’s will.
6. “For thus I swear to you, says this Soul, that whoever has something to conceal or hide, he has something to show; but whoever has nothing to show, he has nothing to hide.”
This paradoxical statement uncovers a profound truth: those who possess genuine divine experiences do not need to hide them, for they are humble and without pride. In contrast, those who hide or conceal likely have something to prove or show off, driven by their own ego rather than by God. The truly illuminated soul is transparent, open, and has no need for concealment.
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1. Why were only three disciples present at the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor?
The Soul explains that the three disciples symbolize how few people are granted the privilege to witness divine mysteries. The Transfiguration was shown only to Christ’s “special friends,” demonstrating that such deep revelations are reserved for those specially chosen or prepared by God.
2. Why was the Transfiguration revealed on a mountain?
The mountain signifies the necessity of spiritual elevation and detachment from worldly distractions. Only those who rise above temporal concerns-who separate themselves from anything less than God-can perceive the divine mysteries. The height of the mountain represents the soul’s ascent to purity and clarity.
3. Why did Jesus command His disciples to remain silent about the Transfiguration until after His resurrection?
This command highlights the danger of pride and vainglory. Speaking of divine secrets too soon could lead to self-exaltation and misuse of spiritual gifts. Silence preserves the humility and integrity of the experience, ensuring that glory is given to God alone, not to human ambition.
4. How does the Soul criticize those who conceal their spiritual experiences?
The Soul points out that those who hide or conceal something often do so because they desire to show or prove something later, driven by ego. In contrast, the truly illuminated soul, who has nothing to prove, has nothing to hide. This soul’s humility and transparency reveal a detachment from self-interest.
5. What deeper meaning does the Soul draw from the Transfiguration story?
The Soul interprets the Transfiguration as an allegory of the soul’s ascent to divine knowledge, showing that only those free from earthly attachments and personal ambition are granted this vision. It also teaches the importance of humility and silence in the face of divine revelation, allowing God to reveal what He wills, when He wills.
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In Chapter 76, the Soul explains that those who are truly transformed by divine love, such as Mary Magdalene, Saint Peter, and Saint John the Evangelist, have no concern for worldly shame or honor. Mary Magdalene’s sins were publicly known, yet her love for God and the Lord’s praise made her indifferent to human judgments. Similarly, Peter and John’s moments of failure did not prevent them from being instruments of God’s miraculous works and revelations. The Soul teaches that once a person is overtaken by divine grace, personal failings lose their sting, and one’s reputation, whether good or bad, becomes irrelevant. God’s actions through the soul-whether seen or hidden-are His alone, and the mature soul no longer seeks to hide its past nor claim honor for divine works. This chapter emphasizes spiritual freedom from human opinions, centering on God’s transformative love.
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1. “Ah, for the sake of God, behold the repentant sinner. She had no dishonor because of what Jesus Christ said to her, that she had chosen the better part and the most sure, and, what is greater, that it would never be taken from her.”
This introduces Mary Magdalene as a model of the soul completely detached from worldly shame and concerns. Her recognition by Jesus signifies that repentance and divine love transcend earthly judgment. The “better part” she chose is pure devotion to Christ, an irrevocable spiritual union untouched by public opinion.
2. “She had no dishonor from the fact that her sins might be made known before all people, through the witness of the Gospel itself, which says, in the hearing of all, that God delivered seven enemies from her.”
Here, Love teaches that even public acknowledgment of sin-symbolized by the “seven enemies”-cannot shame the soul who is truly forgiven and transformed. This suggests that spiritual identity and divine union are not marred by one’s past, as long as one stands in God’s grace.
3. “What dishonor would Saint Peter have, since God resuscitated the dead in his shadow even after he denied God three times?”
Peter’s denial, a public and grave failing, did not ultimately disqualify him from God’s favor or miraculous power. This illustrates that divine election and grace operate beyond human failings, and that the soul’s true worth is found in God’s purpose, not in its past.
4. “What shame and what glory did Saint John the Evangelist have, since God wrote through him the true apocalypse even after he had fled from the capture by which Jesus Christ was taken?”
John’s moment of fear and flight contrasts with his later role as the seer of Revelation, showing that God’s working through a soul is not hindered by past failures. This affirms the soul’s detachment from the human preoccupation with honor or shame.
5. “I maintain, says this Soul, that he and the others had neither dishonor from this nor honor, nor the wish to hide or conceal themselves, and that it is of no concern to them that God might accomplish something through them, and for their sake and for the people, since it would be a divine work.”
The Soul declares that once the ego is dead, the soul has no attachment to either shame or honor. The focus shifts entirely to God’s will and action, rendering human judgments irrelevant. Divine work transcends personal reputation, and humility allows the soul to become a pure vessel.
6. “These examples are sufficient for those who have intellect to grasp what remains to be said. This book is not written for the others.”
This final assertion emphasizes that the text is intended for those spiritually mature enough to comprehend this radical teaching of self-abandonment and divine sufficiency. The soul’s union with God leads to complete indifference toward personal gain or loss, as the divine work speaks for itself.
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1. Why does the Soul claim that the repentant sinner (Mary Magdalene) has no dishonor?
The Soul explains that Mary Magdalene’s repentance and devotion to Jesus bring her no dishonor, despite her sins being publicly known through the Gospel, which recounts how she was freed from seven demons. Instead, Jesus praised her by saying she had “chosen the better part,” a path of loving union with God that no one could take from her. Her complete surrender to divine love makes her indifferent to human judgment. She cares for nothing but God, which lifts her above shame and worldly perceptions. Her story demonstrates that divine grace transforms even public sinfulness into a testimony of God’s mercy.
2. How does the Soul use the example of Saint Peter to illustrate the teaching?
The Soul points to Saint Peter, who denied Jesus three times-a public and grave failure. Yet God worked miracles through him afterward, including raising the dead by his mere shadow. This indicates that Peter’s earlier denial did not leave a stain of dishonor on his soul; rather, his repentance and restored love allowed him to become a conduit of divine power. Peter’s example shows that one’s sins, when repented of and forgiven, cannot limit God’s grace or reduce the soul’s dignity in His eyes.
3. What does the Soul say about Saint John the Evangelist’s moment of weakness?
The Soul recalls that Saint John fled when Jesus was captured-a moment of weakness and fear. However, this did not stop God from choosing him as the writer of the Apocalypse, the revelation of divine mysteries. This demonstrates that even after personal failure, the soul can be entrusted with profound divine truths and missions. John’s weakness did not cause lasting dishonor, nor did his later spiritual responsibility bring him vainglory. His story teaches that honor and shame are irrelevant in the face of God’s purposes.
4. What is the Soul’s overall attitude toward honor and shame?
The Soul expresses a complete indifference to human judgments of honor and shame. It neither claims personal honor for what God accomplishes through it nor feels shame for its past failings. The Soul insists that the works are purely divine and should not be attributed to human merit. It teaches that spiritual maturity involves transcending concern for personal reputation, recognizing that both failures and successes are caught up in God’s providence and mercy.
5. What point does the Soul make by saying the book is “not written for the others”?
By stating that the book is “not written for the others,” the Soul acknowledges that this teaching is for those with the spiritual capacity and intellect to grasp the deeper truths of divine love and humility. The message-that human honor and shame are irrelevant and that true transformation comes through surrender to God-is profound and requires a mature spiritual perspective. This comment serves as a boundary, marking the text as guidance for those willing to move beyond superficial understandings of sin and virtue.
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The main teaching of Chapter 77 of The Mirror of Simple Souls reveals that God’s gifts and love are limitless, always available and ever-flowing for those ready to receive them. Love’s generosity cannot be diminished, but the soul’s capacity to receive depends on its readiness and willingness to respond to divine calls. When Love calls through messengers-virtues, graces, and inner promptings-the soul must not refuse, or it risks remaining burdened and self-enclosed, deprived of the spiritual freedom Love offers. This chapter emphasizes vigilance, humility, and surrender, illustrating that refusal of divine invitations leads to spiritual stagnation, while obedient and receptive souls are drawn into deeper union with God’s unbounded goodness.
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1. Soul: “Ah, for the sake of God! says this Soul. Since God has accomplished this grace for them, is [grace] still as large for giving as it was? Has He now set end and limit to the gifts of His goodness?”
The Soul poses a profound question: Does God’s generosity ever run dry? It reflects the human tendency to wonder whether God’s love and grace are limited. This question sets the stage for Love’s response, highlighting that divine generosity knows no bounds and that God’s gifts are inexhaustible for those willing to receive them.
2. Courtesy: “Without fail, not at all, says Courtesy, His divine goodness could not suffer it. He retains what He also gives, that is, the great gifts which He has to give are the same things which were never given, nor spoken by a mouth, nor pondered by a heart, if one might desire or know how to dispose oneself.”
Courtesy emphasizes that God’s gifts are limitless and eternal. The “great gifts” of divine love are so profound that they transcend human comprehension and expression. The divine generosity is not confined by human understanding or desire but is always greater than we can imagine.
3. Soul: ” …if Love asks of them something of what she has furnished them, that they not refuse her because of anything which might happen, at whatever hour it be, nor because of any Virtue which Love sends to be the messenger.”
Here the Soul warns those still on the journey to be ready and willing to respond when Love calls. Divine Love sends messengers-virtues and graces-that ask the soul to surrender further. The refusal of these calls leads to spiritual stagnation and inner turmoil.
4. Love: “No one knows it, says Love, except me, I alone. I sent you Thrones to purify you and adorn you, the Cherubim to illumine you, the Seraphim to enflame you … And I swear, says Love, I leave you in your own blind protection in saving yourselves.”
Love reveals that divine messengers-symbolized by Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim-are constantly sent to the soul to purify, enlighten, and inflame it with divine love. However, if the soul refuses these graces, Love allows it to struggle in its own blindness, trapped in self-reliance and encumbrance. This passage echoes the idea that divine grace must be met with human receptivity.
5. Love: “Ah Soul, says Love, how you are encumbered with yourself!”
Love laments the soul’s self-imposed burdens. This line captures the heart of the chapter: the soul’s resistance, fear, and attachment to self hinder it from freely receiving and cooperating with divine love. Encumbered by ego and self-protection, the soul blocks the very graces that would free it.
6. Soul: “Truly, says this Soul, my body is feeble and my soul is fearful. For often I am burdened, whether I want to be or not, with these two natures, which the unencumbered neither have, nor are able to have.”
The Soul acknowledges its struggle with bodily weakness and spiritual fear. This tension between divine calling and human frailty creates an inner conflict that prevents complete surrender. The Soul contrasts its experience with that of the “unencumbered,” those who have transcended self and live freely in divine love.
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1. Why does the Soul ask if God has set a limit to His gifts?
The Soul, reflecting on God’s abundant grace given to those fully surrendered to Him, wonders whether this generosity has any bounds. The question arises from the soul’s awareness of its own limitations and its desire to know whether God’s outpouring of goodness ever diminishes. This expresses a deep longing for reassurance that divine love and grace are infinite and continuous for those who are receptive.
2. How does Courtesy respond to the Soul’s question about the limits of God’s gifts?
Courtesy firmly assures the Soul that God’s goodness knows no limits. Divine generosity retains what it gives-meaning that God’s gifts are never exhausted but continually offered. Courtesy emphasizes that the gifts are so immense they transcend human comprehension, never having been “spoken by a mouth nor pondered by a heart.” In essence, God’s capacity to give remains infinite, conditioned only by human readiness to receive.
3. What warning does the Soul offer to those still journeying toward God?
The Soul warns those who are still “not in being” (not yet fully transformed) to be vigilant and ready to respond when Love calls. Love sends messengers-virtues and graces-that may ask for sacrifices or deeper surrender. If these calls are ignored, the soul risks spiritual stagnation, confusion, and encumbrance. The warning underlines the importance of attentiveness and responsiveness to divine invitations, regardless of personal fear or obstacles.
4. What imagery does Love use to describe how she calls the Soul?
Love describes sending the Thrones to purify and adorn, the Cherubim to illumine, and the Seraphim to enflame the Soul. These images evoke the grandeur and layered nature of divine calling. Love explains that these messengers come to communicate her will and call the soul to higher stages of being. However, Love also laments that the soul has ignored these messengers and remains self-absorbed and spiritually burdened.
5. Why does Love say that she leaves the Soul in its “own blind protection”?
Love explains that despite sending messengers and graces to help free the soul, the soul’s refusal to obey and respond has left it trapped in self-reliance and blindness. Love respects the soul’s free will, but this leaves the soul encumbered and in a state of spiritual heaviness. The phrase “blind protection” highlights the soul’s false sense of safety in its self-centeredness, which ultimately prevents it from attaining the freeness Love desires to give.
6. What contrast does the Soul draw between itself and the “unencumbered”?
The Soul acknowledges its own frailty, burdened by both body and soul, in contrast to the unencumbered who are free from such constraints. This contrast emphasizes the difference between souls still struggling with attachments and fears, and those who have fully surrendered to divine love and live in a state of spiritual freedom. The “unencumbered” experience a lightness and peace that the struggling soul has not yet attained.
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In Chapter 78 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, Love reveals the tragic condition of souls who, despite being invited by divine Love through the Virtues, refuse to surrender their self-will and embrace the teachings of perfection. These souls remain entangled in themselves, encumbered both in body and spirit, because they resist the freeing guidance of Love and remain focused on their own efforts rather than divine surrender. True freedom, both physical and spiritual, is offered through simple obedience to Love’s counsel and the Virtues’ guidance, but those who cling to self-driven striving, no matter how ardent, remain trapped in self-centered servitude. Only those illuminated by the “true Sun” and who yield fully to God’s will achieve the “annihilation” of self that leads to divine delight and ultimate freedom.
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1. “Ah, Soul enchained, says Love, how you have such pain and so little gain! And all because you have not obeyed the teachings of perfection, about which I disputed with you in order to unencumber you in the flower of your youth.”
Love laments the soul’s stubbornness in refusing the call to perfection. The soul’s suffering, paired with minimal spiritual progress, is portrayed as a direct result of resisting the transformative teachings offered by Love. This reflects the consequences of missed opportunities for surrender and spiritual freedom.
2. “Nevertheless, you have never willed to change, and you have not willed to do anything. Instead you always refused my calls about what I would have you know through such noble messengers, as you have heard before. Such folk, says Love, live encumbered with themselves until they die.”
Here, Love highlights the soul’s persistent refusal to heed divine messengers (Virtues, interior inspirations), which leads to a lifelong entrapment in the self. This shows how the refusal of divine will results in a self-imposed spiritual bondage, persisting until death.
3. “Ah, without fail, says Love, if they would will it, they could be delivered from that to which they are and will be in great servitude for so little profit, from which, if they had willed it, they might have been delivered in return for so small a thing.”
Love reveals that liberation from self-encumbrance is accessible, and the cost-complete surrender to God’s will-is small compared to the weight of persistent servitude to the self. This points to God’s readiness to free souls if only they would yield.
4. “I say, says Love, they could be completely free both in soul and in body if they had followed my counsel by the Virtues, who tell them my will… And because they would not do it, they are all living, as you heard, with themselves.”
This underscores the role of the Virtues as channels of God’s will. The soul’s failure to obey these promptings keeps it trapped in a narrow, self-focused existence. Love contrasts this with the potential for total freedom through obedience.
5. “The annihilated free ones, adorned by delights, know this, for they see through themselves the servitude of the others. Because the true Sun shines in their illumination, they see the little specks in the rays of the Sun by means of the splendor of the Sun and of the rays.”
Here, Love contrasts the “free ones”-souls fully surrendered to God’s love-with those still encumbered by themselves. The image of the “true Sun” illuminating hidden flaws symbolizes how divine light exposes imperfections, while also empowering and freeing those who surrender.
6. “For the true Sun of Justice never healed any soul without healing the body when He did His miracles on earth. And often still it is so, but He does not do this for anyone who has no faith in Him.”
This shows the intimate link between faith, healing, and liberation. Divine justice and love heal not only the soul but also the body, but only in those open to trust and surrender. This reinforces the need for faith and willingness.
7. “I have said, says Love, that those with whom I disputed through their interior life concerning obedience to the Virtues and who did nothing… will live encumbered with themselves until they die.”
Love reiterates the fate of the disobedient souls: a lifelong burden of self-centeredness, resulting from their refusal to heed the Virtues. This starkly contrasts with the promised freedom for those who cooperate with divine will.
8. “And again I say that even if they drive themselves each day with themselves to enlarge upon the perfection of the apostles by the effort of the will, they will not be unencumbered from themselves… for rudeness and the disputes about the interior life do not give deliverance.”
Love warns that external efforts, no matter how fervent, are futile without inner surrender and the “fiery ardor” of the interior life. Mere willpower and harsh self-discipline, disconnected from divine inspiration, cannot free the soul.
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1. What does Love accuse the soul of at the beginning of the chapter?
Love accuses the soul of being “enchained” and suffering greatly with little spiritual gain because it refused to obey the teachings of perfection. Love points out that this disobedience resulted in the soul’s being encumbered with itself throughout life.
2. How does Love explain the soul’s resistance to the teachings of perfection?
Love explains that despite noble messengers and repeated divine invitations through the Virtues, the soul persistently refused to change and refused Love’s calls, choosing instead to remain attached to self-will and self-focus.
3. According to Love, what is the result of ignoring the Virtues and Love’s counsel?
The result is that such souls remain trapped in servitude to themselves, encumbered by self-centeredness and spiritual blindness. This state persists throughout life, leaving them weighed down in both body and soul.
4. How does Love describe the possibility of deliverance for these souls?
Love emphasizes that deliverance is possible and could be achieved for “so small a thing”-that is, by surrendering fully to God’s will, as shown through the Virtues. This surrender brings both spiritual and bodily freedom, but the soul must will it.
5. What is the contrast between the encumbered souls and the “annihilated free ones”?
The “annihilated free ones” are those who have surrendered fully to God and live adorned by divine delights. They are illuminated by the “true Sun,” seeing both their own flaws and the servitude of those still trapped in themselves. In contrast, the encumbered souls remain self-focused and blind to divine freedom.
6. How does the “true Sun” (Christ) function in this chapter’s imagery?
The “true Sun” represents Christ, whose illumination reveals imperfections (symbolized by “little specks in the rays”) and brings healing and strength. Love highlights that Christ’s healing extends to both soul and body but requires faith and surrender.
7. Why does Love insist that even effortful striving cannot deliver the encumbered souls?
Love warns that external efforts, even if they mimic the perfection of the apostles, will not deliver souls if they are driven by self-will rather than divine inspiration. Without the “whirling fiery ardor” of interior love and surrender, all such striving remains self-focused and futile.
8. What is the overall warning that Love gives in this chapter?
The warning is that souls who resist Love’s invitations and refuse to obey the Virtues will live and die encumbered with themselves. Deliverance is possible but requires humble surrender, and without it, no amount of personal effort or discipline will bring true freedom.
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In Chapter 79, the Unencumbered Soul advises those pursuing perfection to remain attentive to the ardent calls of the spirit’s will, as this path leads to union with the “Freeness of Willing Nothing,” where the soul is fully satisfied in God’s presence. Love emphasizes that this life serves as a preparatory servant for the soul’s divine union, and that those who align their judgments and desires perfectly with the spirit’s prompting will attain proximity to the divine being. The text underscores that true spiritual love requires detachment from worldly and bodily attachments, mirroring the humility and purity of Jesus Christ, and highlights the example of John the Baptist as one who embodied this unencumbered strength. Ultimately, Love is revealed not as a destroyer but as a nurturing and deeply satisfying presence, sustaining those faithful to her in their spiritual journey.
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1. “Therefore I say, says this Unencumbered Soul, to all those who live in the effort of the life of perfection, that they take care that they do not refuse the calls of the ardor of the desire of the will of the spirit, that they hold dearly to the attaining of the better thing after this life which one calls the sad life and the life of the spirit.”
The Unencumbered Soul urges those on the path of perfection to be vigilant and responsive to the deep desires of the spirit’s will. This highlights the importance of recognizing and following divine inspiration, which propels the soul beyond the limitations of this temporal, “sad” life into spiritual fulfillment. It emphasizes an active openness and cooperation with the calls of grace.
2. “This life is the handmaid and servant who prepares the place for the arrival and lodging of the great being of the Freeness of Willing Nothing, by which the Soul is in all points satisfied. That is, [the Soul is satisfied] by this nothingness which gives all things. For the one who gives all, possesses all, and not otherwise.”
Love reveals that earthly life serves as preparation for the soul’s eventual union with the state of “Freeness of Willing Nothing,” a radical detachment that paradoxically satisfies all desires. By surrendering everything-including self-will and attachments-the soul becomes truly fulfilled. This echoes a central theme of The Mirror: divine fullness is attained only through self-emptying.
3. “Ah, again, says this Soul, I would say to those who are sad that the one who guards the peace and satisfies perfectly the will of the ardor of desire piercing the work of his spirit… such a one will attain, as the rightful heir, worthy proximity to this being of which we speak.”
The Unencumbered Soul counsels that inner peace, combined with an unwavering commitment to divine will, leads to spiritual inheritance. Those who align their entire being with the ardor of the spirit’s desire are drawn into the very presence of the divine. This offers a path from spiritual sadness to joyful proximity with God.
4. “She has no emptiness in her which would not be completely filled by me, which is why she cannot host either care or memory, and so she possesses no semblance of them. And yet, says Love, piety and courtesy are not departed from such a Soul, as long as there is time and place.”
Love describes the soul’s transformation into a vessel entirely filled with divine presence, leaving no room for worldly concerns or anxieties. Yet this fullness does not breed indifference; rather, the soul retains gentleness, compassion, and appropriate social grace. This reflects a delicate balance between total detachment and gracious engagement with the world.
5. “And whoever would be courteous would never love except what he ought. One never loves the Humanity who loves temporality. One never loves divinely who loves something corporally.”
This teaching connects courtesy with the proper ordering of love. True courtesy springs from divine love, which cannot coexist with attachment to temporal, bodily things. The text insists on purity of affection: only those free from worldly attachments can fully love Christ’s humanity and divinity, with a clear hierarchy of love centered on God.
6. “Ah, says Reason, how strong such souls are shows in the Baptizer!”
Reason highlights the example of John the Baptist as a model of the strong, unencumbered soul. This evokes an ideal of prophetic strength, unwavering loyalty to divine will, and a life dedicated to spiritual truth. It affirms that detachment from self and the world cultivates a strength exemplified by such holy figures.
7. “Love does not destroy but instead instructs and nourishes and sustains those who pledge faithful loyalty to her, for she is satisfying and deep and a richly flowing sea.”
This closing insight underscores the nurturing aspect of divine Love. Far from annihilating the soul’s essence, Love enriches and sustains it in profound ways. Love’s depth and abundance provide both strength and fulfillment to those who faithfully follow her call, suggesting an image of divine care and inexhaustible grace.
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1. What does the Unencumbered Soul advise those striving for perfection?
The Unencumbered Soul advises all those pursuing a life of perfection to remain open and responsive to the calls of the spirit’s will. It warns against refusing these calls, emphasizing that true spiritual progress requires surrender to the ardent desire of the spirit. This receptivity leads them toward “the better thing” – union with God beyond this earthly, sorrowful existence. The soul’s progress depends on aligning its will with the divine will, which prepares it for complete fulfillment in the “Freeness of Willing Nothing,” where it receives everything from God.
2. How does Love describe the purpose of earthly life in relation to the soul’s perfection?
Love presents earthly life as a “handmaid and servant” that prepares the soul for union with God. This life is not an end but a necessary stage, meant to ready the soul for the arrival of the divine presence – the Freeness of Willing Nothing. This “nothingness” paradoxically grants the soul everything, as total surrender and detachment from self enable complete possession of God. Love stresses that one who gives all (including self-will) gains all, revealing the transformative paradox at the heart of spiritual perfection.
3. What is the connection between piety, courtesy, and the perfect soul?
The text teaches that piety and courtesy are integral to the soul’s perfection and must never be abandoned. Even the most glorified soul, such as Jesus Christ’s human soul, maintained perfect piety and courtesy, serving as an example for all. This means that even in advanced spiritual stages, humility, kindness, and proper regard for others remain essential virtues. A soul truly united with God retains these virtues, as they reflect the Divine nature itself and ensure the soul’s love is rightly ordered.
4. How does Love warn against the danger of attachment to the body or temporal things?
Love cautions that one cannot truly love God while remaining attached to corporeal or temporal things. Those who focus on the material or bodily realm will not experience divine love, as they remain entangled in what passes away. True spiritual love requires transcending the physical and detaching from the ego. The text highlights that those who love temporal things cannot love God in His fullness, and those who love Divinity deeply will feel little attachment to material concerns. This radical detachment is essential for union with God.
5. What role does John the Baptist play as an example in this chapter?
Reason points to John the Baptist as an example of a soul living unencumbered by the self. His life illustrates the strength and freedom that come from complete surrender to God. John the Baptist embodies the virtues of detachment, humility, and unwavering fidelity to divine will. His example serves as a powerful model for readers, showing that even in this life, one can live in profound spiritual freedom, unshackled from the distractions of self-interest or worldly attachment.
6. How is Love portrayed in this chapter?
Love is portrayed not as a harsh or destructive force but as a nurturing, instructive presence. Love teaches, nourishes, and sustains those who are loyal and faithful. It is depicted as a vast, satisfying sea, rich with depth and sustenance, offering the soul all it needs when it is receptive and open. This depiction contrasts with any harsh notions of renunciation by highlighting that Love is itself the fulfillment of desire and the deepest satisfaction for the soul that surrenders to it.
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In chapter 80, the Soul, having crossed the sea of detachment and immersed herself fully into God’s will, sings and chants to guide others still encumbered by selfhood. Her song is not self-serving but a charitable act that testifies to the freeness and divine union she now enjoys. Through vivid imagery, the Soul confesses her absolute indebtedness to God for every moment of self-will and recognizes that it is only through God’s infinite Love that this debt is canceled. The union between her surrender and God’s generosity merges into a single, boundless embrace. This transformative Love, embodied by the “Ravishing Most High,” dissolves the Soul into divine Love, rendering her unable to speak of its mysteries except through silence. Her total relinquishment of all selfhood leads to a continuous flow of divine understanding and praise, as she becomes a wellspring of love and knowledge radiating from union with God.
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1. “I sing, says this Soul, one hour singing, another chanting, and all for those who are not yet unencumbered, so that they might hear something about freeness, and whatever else is necessary until they arrive at this stage.”
The Soul’s song is not merely for self-expression or personal delight but a mission of love and instruction. By singing and chanting, she reaches out to souls still bound by self-will and worldly attachments. Her melodies transmit hints of the “freeness” she has tasted – the radical freedom of the soul surrendered to God. This demonstrates the Soul’s charity, as she seeks to guide others into this profound union with the divine.
2. “This Soul has perceived by divine light the being of the land of which she must be. And [she] has crossed the sea in order to suck the marrow of the high cedar.”
Here, the Soul’s journey is described as a crossing of a metaphorical sea, moving from selfhood into the land of divine union. The “marrow of the high cedar” symbolizes the innermost life of God, rich and nourishing. The crossing signifies total surrender-only by plunging into the sea of divine will can one reach this profound intimacy with God. The imagery suggests both the difficulty and the reward of this journey.
3. “Such a Soul has fallen from me into nothingness, moreover, into less than nothingness without limit. For as God is incomprehensible with regard to His power, so also is this Soul indebted by her incomprehensible nothingness by even one hour of time that she had possessed a will contrary to Him.”
The Soul acknowledges her utter poverty and unworthiness before God. She recognizes that even a single moment of self-will places her in infinite debt to God, for whom her own will is nothing. This radical self-emptying and recognition of her “less than nothingness” paradoxically prepare her for union with God. The passage highlights the contrast between God’s infinite power and the soul’s profound dependence.
4. “Ah, dear Lord, You Yourself will pay it. For Your full goodness overflowing with courtesy could not allow that I not be freed of it by the gift of Love by whom You caused to pay in one moment all my debts.”
The Soul rejoices in the divine generosity that erases her debts. God’s infinite love and mercy compensate for her inability to repay Him. This reflects the theology of grace: the soul cannot attain perfection by effort alone but must rely on God’s initiative and the gift of Love, embodied in Christ, to reconcile her debts. The phrase “one moment” indicates the instant of divine grace that transforms the soul.
5. “These two debts continue, one contrary to the other, and are made completely one from now on. And I completely consent to it, for it is the counsel of my nearest one.”
The paradox of the soul’s infinite debt and God’s infinite generosity is reconciled in Love. The debts, though opposites, merge into a single mystery of union: the soul offers her nothingness, and God offers His fullness. This merging reflects the deepest mystical union, where opposites are reconciled, and the soul consents to this dynamic of love and grace.
6. “The Ravishing Most High who overtakes me and joins me to the center of the marrow of divine Love in whom I am melted, says this Soul.”
The “Ravishing Most High” represents God’s irresistible love that draws the soul into the heart of divine life. The imagery of being “melted” signifies total dissolution of the self in God’s love, leaving no room for self-will. This is the climax of mystical union: the soul no longer acts independently but is wholly infused and animated by divine love.
7. “It is necessary to be silent about this being, says this Soul, for one cannot say anything about it.”
The ineffability of this union is underscored here. The soul recognizes that words fall short of describing the depths of her experience of divine love. Silence becomes the only fitting response, acknowledging both the majesty of God and the limits of human language. This recalls apophatic (negative) theology, which affirms God’s presence through what cannot be said.
8. “No, truly, says Love, no more than one could enclose the sun in a dwelling could this Soul say anything about this life, compared to what is there, to speak the truth.”
Love amplifies the Soul’s statement by using a vivid image: trying to capture the sun in a room. The life of union with God is too vast and radiant to be contained in human words or concepts. This highlights the infinite distance between divine reality and human expression, while also conveying the glory and light of this life.
9. “Ah, Lady Soul, says Astonishment, you are a well-spring of divine Love, from which well-spring of divine Love is born the fount of divine Understanding; from which well-spring of divine Love and from which fount of divine Understanding is born the flow of divine Praise.”
Astonishment marvels at the Soul’s transformation into a source of divine love and understanding. The image of a wellspring suggests abundance and unceasing flow, as the soul, filled with divine love, becomes a source of spiritual understanding and praise. This progression from love to understanding to praise highlights the natural fruitfulness of mystical union.
10. “I relinquish everything, says this one confirmed in nothingness, perfectly in the divine will.”
The Soul’s final statement encapsulates her complete surrender. Having embraced nothingness and renounced all self-will, she rests in perfect harmony with God’s will. This total relinquishment is not loss but fulfillment – a profound union where the soul receives everything in return for giving everything up.
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1. Why does the Soul sing and chant in this chapter?
The Soul sings and chants as an act of charity and service for those who are still encumbered by attachments and self-will. Her song is not for personal delight but to communicate the experience of “freeness” and the transformative journey she has undergone. By doing so, she offers others a glimpse into the life of union with God and encourages them to embark on the path of surrender and detachment. The Soul becomes a bridge for others, drawing them toward divine freedom.
2. What does it mean for the Soul to have ‘crossed the sea’ to reach the ‘marrow of the high cedar’?
The imagery of crossing the sea symbolizes the Soul’s transition from the realm of selfhood into the realm of divine union. This sea represents the deep and often turbulent journey of surrendering personal will, ego, and attachments. The ‘marrow of the high cedar’ signifies the innermost richness of God’s being – the very substance of divine love and wisdom. Only by immersing oneself in the depths of divine will (symbolized by the sea) can the Soul access this intimate and nourishing union with God.
3. How does the Soul describe her sense of indebtedness to God, and what theological insight does this provide?
The Soul acknowledges that even a single moment of possessing a will contrary to God places her in an infinite debt to Him. She confesses her “nothingness,” and even “less than nothingness,” recognizing her complete dependence on divine mercy. This reflects a deep theological understanding: human efforts are utterly insufficient to repay God for the gift of life and love. The Soul’s indebtedness is contrasted with God’s infinite generosity and the mystery of grace, wherein God Himself pays the debt through the gift of His Love.
4. What is the ‘gift of Love’ mentioned in the Soul’s response, and how does it resolve her indebtedness?
The ‘gift of Love’ refers to God’s overwhelming mercy and generosity, expressed through the divine initiative that reconciles the soul to Himself. The Soul realizes that she cannot repay her debt, but God, in His infinite courtesy and fullness of goodness, cancels it through Love. This evokes the Christian understanding of Christ’s redemptive work and the grace that enables human beings to be united with God. The “one moment” by which Love cancels all debts symbolizes the instantaneous and total sufficiency of divine grace.
5. What is the significance of the merging of the Soul’s debt and God’s generosity into ‘one debt’ in this chapter?
The merging of the two debts – the Soul’s infinite obligation and God’s infinite giving – illustrates the paradoxical nature of divine union. The Soul consents to this mystery, recognizing that what she owes God (everything) and what God gives her (everything) are reconciled in love. This reflects the mystical teaching that in divine union, opposites are overcome: human insufficiency is embraced by divine fullness, and the soul’s offering of her nothingness is met by God’s infinite generosity.
6. Who is the ‘nearest one’ that the Soul refers to, and what role does He play in her transformation?
The ‘nearest one’ is identified as the “Ravishing Most High” – God Himself – who overtakes the Soul and joins her to the core of divine Love. His ravishing presence transforms the Soul, melting her into the divine will and freeing her from all selfhood. This imagery conveys the totality of divine embrace and the dissolution of the soul’s independent will into God’s perfect will, marking the apex of mystical union.
7. Why does the Soul declare it is necessary to be silent about her experience?
The Soul realizes that her experience of union with God is ineffable – beyond the capacity of human words to express. Just as one cannot capture the brilliance of the sun within a house, so too can the soul not articulate the vastness of divine love and union. This silence is a recognition of the limits of language and a reverence for the mystery of God’s presence. It points to apophatic theology, which acknowledges that God’s essence transcends all human understanding.
8. What connection does Astonishment make between the Soul’s love and understanding?
Astonishment marvels at the Soul’s transformation, declaring her a wellspring of divine Love, from which arises divine Understanding, and from there the flow of divine Praise. This connection highlights a natural progression: Love leads to deeper insight into God (Understanding), which in turn inspires a spontaneous outpouring of praise and worship. It illustrates the fruitfulness of mystical union, where love generates knowledge, and knowledge leads to glorification of God.
9. How does the Soul’s final declaration, “I relinquish everything,” encapsulate the teaching of this chapter?
The Soul’s final statement expresses total surrender and alignment with the divine will. Her relinquishment of all selfhood and attachments is not loss but gain, as it leads to her being fully united with God. This total giving of oneself epitomizes the mystical path described in this chapter: through detachment, surrender, and embracing one’s nothingness, the soul is filled with divine love and drawn into perfect union. It’s the culmination of her journey across the metaphorical sea into the ‘marrow’ of God’s life.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 7 of 14
Chapter 61 of The Mirror of Simple Souls presents Love’s teaching on the soul’s seven ascending stages, each surpassing the last in spiritual depth and illumination. The first four stages are marked by the soul’s servitude and striving, but the fifth brings a freedom grounded in charity. The sixth stage offers a fleeting yet transformative glimpse of the soul’s eternal glory, a “showing” orchestrated by the Trinity’s “gentle Farnearness.” This revelation is so swift and profound that the soul cannot grasp it, and her own understanding is utterly dissolved in divine light. Love affirms that the highest knowledge and possession lie not in the soul’s efforts but in surrender to God’s work, where she is lost in and transformed by His glory.
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1. “I have said, says Love, that there are seven stages, each one of higher intellect than the former and without comparison to each other. As one might compare a drop of water to the total ocean, which is very great, so one might speak of the difference between the first stage of grace and the second, and so on with the rest: there is no comparison.”
Love introduces a mystical ascent of the soul through seven distinct stages, each progressively surpassing the previous in depth and understanding. The metaphor of comparing a drop of water to the ocean emphasizes the vast and unbridgeable difference between each stage, highlighting the immense transformative power of Divine Love and the soul’s gradual detachment from worldly limitations.
2. “Of the first four stages none is so high that the Soul does not still live in some great servitude. But the fifth stage is in the freeness of charity, for this stage is unencumbered from all things.”
Here, Porete distinguishes between the earlier stages-where the soul remains bound by spiritual servitude and obligation-and the fifth stage, which marks a breakthrough into total freedom through charity. The soul sheds all attachments and is liberated into a life of pure, selfless love. This shift signifies a movement beyond obedience and spiritual labor into the natural, unforced flow of Divine Love.
3. “The sixth stage is glorious, for the aperture of the sweet movement of glory, which the gentle Farnearness gives, is nothing other than a glimpse which God wills the Soul to have of her glory itself, which will be hers forever.”
Porete describes a momentary unveiling of the soul’s eternal glory in the sixth stage, granted by what she calls the “gentle Farnearness” of God-an intimate manifestation of divine presence. This fleeting glimpse is a foretaste of the full union that awaits the soul after death, allowing her to taste the ineffable joy of her destined union with God.
4. “The Farnearness is the Trinity Himself, and [He] manifests His showing to her, which we name ‘movement,’ not because the Soul moves herself in the Trinity, but because the Trinity works the showing of her glory in this Soul. Of this none know how to speak, save the Deity alone.”
The paradox of God’s “Farnearness” encapsulates the mystery of divine transcendence and immanence: though God is infinitely beyond comprehension, He draws intimately near to the soul. The term “movement” refers not to the soul’s action but to God’s self-revelation, which is beyond human articulation. Only the Divine can truly speak of such mysteries, underscoring the soul’s passive reception of glory.
5. “And the light of this understanding takes from her all understanding of herself and of God and of all things.”
In the final stages, the soul’s understanding is wholly eclipsed by divine illumination. God’s light is so overwhelming that it annihilates the soul’s natural and spiritual comprehension, leading her into a state of total unknowing. This profound surrender of all understanding-of self, of God, and of the world-is the height of mystical union.
6. “There is no surer thing to understand, there is no more profitable possession than this work.”
Love affirms the incomparable value of this journey of the soul into divine union. The path of annihilation and self-surrender culminates in a possession that transcends all earthly and spiritual gain: the soul’s total immersion in God’s love and glory. This is the ultimate fulfillment of human and divine desire.
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1. What does Love say about the seven stages of the soul?
Love explains that there are seven stages, each one vastly higher than the previous, just as a drop of water is incomparable to the vast ocean. This metaphor emphasizes the radical difference between stages of spiritual ascent.
2. How do the first four stages differ from the fifth stage?
In the first four stages, the soul remains in “great servitude,” bound by spiritual obligations and attachments. The fifth stage marks a shift into freedom, where the soul is unencumbered by all things and lives in the freeness of charity.
3. What is the “gentle Farnearness” that Love mentions?
The “gentle Farnearness” refers to the intimate yet incomprehensible presence of the Trinity. It represents God’s self-revelation to the soul, offering her a glimpse of the glory that she will possess eternally.
4. How does the sixth stage prepare the soul for the seventh?
In the sixth stage, the soul experiences a brief but profound glimpse of her destined glory, which is a foretaste of the seventh stage. This showing is granted so quickly and subtly that the soul is barely aware of it, reflecting the depth of God’s work in her.
5. What happens to the soul’s understanding in the final stages?
The soul’s understanding of herself, God, and all things is entirely eclipsed by the divine light. This loss of understanding signifies a total immersion in God, where the soul’s own faculties are overwhelmed by divine presence.
6. What does the Spouse of the Soul reveal about the “movement” of the Trinity?
The Spouse explains that the “movement” refers not to the soul’s action, but to the Trinity’s act of revealing the soul’s glory. This divine “movement” is beyond human comprehension and can only be expressed by God Himself.
7. How does the soul respond to the glimpse of glory?
The soul humbly acknowledges that she has no perception of the gift when it is given. She realizes that if she were aware of the gift, she would become the gift itself, which will only happen fully in eternity after her bodily death.
8. What does Love say about the value of this work?
Love declares that there is no surer or more profitable thing than this path. It represents the highest spiritual good and the ultimate possession: union with God.
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Chapter 62 of The Mirror of Simple Souls highlights the distinction between souls who are dead to mortal sin and living in grace, yet remain attached to worldly comforts and minimal virtue, and those who live by the spirit with deeper detachment and love. While these souls avoid serious sin and obey God’s commands, they cling to honors, wealth, and pleasures, albeit without sinful excess. Their salvation is secure but “uncourtly,” meaning it lacks the nobility and grandeur of total surrender to God, such as Christ exemplified. They do not strive for the heights of spiritual perfection but are content with doing the minimum required for salvation. This chapter calls readers to reflect on the difference between mere sufficiency in the spiritual life and the higher calling to die to self and live wholly for God.
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1. “Such folk, of whom we have spoken, who are dead to mortal sin and born into the life of grace, have no reproach or remorse of conscience, but instead they are acquitted before God by what He commands alone.”
Love here distinguishes between those who live a life of basic virtue, avoiding mortal sin, and those called to deeper union. These “little ones” are indeed acquitted, but their relationship with God is transactional-doing what is commanded, but not necessarily moved by love. Their lives lack the abandonment and freedom of the more advanced souls.
2. “They desire honors, indeed, and are bewildered if someone despises them, but they keep themselves from vain glory and from impatience, which guides them toward death to sin.”
Even though these souls are “dead to mortal sin,” they are still attached to the world’s recognition and comforts. They exhibit basic restraint from sinful pride and impatience but lack the detachment and humility of those who have surrendered all. Their holiness is moderate, sufficient for salvation, but not heroic.
3. “Ah, without doubt, says the Unencumbered Soul, such folk are little on earth and very little in heaven, and are saved in an uncourtly way.”
The Unencumbered Soul (representing the soul fully surrendered in love) gently critiques these “little ones” for their minimalism in holiness. Their salvation is secured, but it lacks the grandeur and nobility of those who seek not just to avoid sin but to lose themselves entirely in God’s love.
4. “Indeed, I believe it, says Reason, and so they are, for if they would say otherwise, they would be lying. But they do not wish to do anything else. They indeed say to me, Reason, that they are not restricted by anything if they do not wish to be, for God has not commanded them to do more.”
Reason observes that these souls settle for what is commanded, without pursuing the greater counsels of love. Their logic is correct-they fulfill obligations-but they stop short of the deeper call to imitate Christ’s total self-gift.
5. “Ah, without fail, says Desire, uncourtly they are. They have forgotten that it would have not been sufficient for Jesus Christ to act on their behalf if He had not done all that humanity could accomplish unto death.”
Desire passionately points out that Jesus gave everything, even unto death, for our salvation. By comparison, these souls’ minimal response-doing only what is required-seems inadequate and “uncourtly,” lacking the beauty and extravagance of love that true union with God calls for.
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1. Who are the “little ones” that Love speaks of in this chapter?
These “little ones” are souls who are dead to mortal sin and born into the life of grace. They follow God’s commands, avoiding serious sin, and are preserved in grace. However, they are not fully detached from worldly attachments and are content with a minimal spiritual life.
2. What attitudes do these souls have toward wealth and status?
They desire honors and are troubled when they are despised. They enjoy riches and become saddened when they experience loss. However, they refrain from excessive love of these things, understanding that God’s will should guide them, and they avoid letting these attachments become sinful.
3. Why does Love call these souls “little”?
Love calls them “little” because, though they avoid mortal sin and live a life of basic virtue, they do not embrace the deeper, self-emptying love that would make them great in the kingdom of God. Their spirituality is minimal and safe rather than extravagant and heroic.
4. What is meant by saying their salvation is “uncourtly”?
Their salvation is “uncourtly” because it lacks the nobility and refinement of souls who surrender completely to God. Though they avoid sin and obey God’s commands, they do not seek the perfection of love or the imitation of Christ’s total self-gift. Their path to salvation is valid but lacking in splendor.
5. How does Desire contrast these souls with Jesus Christ?
Desire points out that Jesus did not only fulfill what was necessary for salvation; He went far beyond by offering Himself completely, even unto death. These souls, by contrast, are content with doing just what is required, not embracing the fullness of love and sacrifice that Christ modeled.
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Chapter 63 teaches that souls who are content with mere sufficiency in their relationship with God – those who live only to avoid mortal sin and gain salvation – are compared to crude peasants excluded from the intimate and noble court of divine Love. While these souls are saved through Christ’s promises, they do not share the profound union and courtesy of those who live fully in God’s love and imitate Christ’s suffering and humility. The text emphasizes that such “sufficient” souls, though saved, remain spiritually small and lacking in the refinement and depth that mark the lives of those truly immersed in divine charity.
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1. “Ah, most sweet Jesus Christ, says this Soul, do not trouble yourself about such folk. They are so exceedingly selfish that they forget you, on account of their rudeness in which they have sufficiency.”
The Soul expresses frustration at those who are content with mere salvation, describing them as “selfish” and “rude.” Their concern is limited to personal sufficiency rather than love of God. This reflects a critique of spiritual mediocrity and a desire for deeper devotion and self-giving love.
2. “Ah, without fail, says Love, this is great crudity.”
Love reinforces the Soul’s judgment, labeling this attitude as “crudity”-an unrefined, coarse approach to God’s grace. This language highlights how such souls are spiritually immature and insensitive to the higher call of divine love and generosity.
3. “In this, Lady Love, that they are kept outside the court of your secrets, much like a peasant would be kept from the court of a gentleman…”
The Soul uses a vivid metaphor comparing these complacent souls to peasants barred from a noble court, suggesting that while they may attain salvation, they are excluded from the deeper mysteries and intimacy of divine love. Their spiritual “lineage” or refinement is lacking.
4. “These will never forget the gifts of your suffering, which are always a mirror and exemplar for them.”
The Soul contrasts the peasant-like souls with those who continually remember Christ’s passion. This remembrance of Christ’s suffering inspires generosity and devotion beyond mere sufficiency, marking a deeper, more noble spirituality.
5. “Those here [in the court], says Love, are saved much more courteously than are the others.”
Love underscores the distinction between the spiritually mature and those who settle for the minimum. Salvation “more courteously” points to a nobler, more intimate participation in God’s grace, beyond the crude grasp of mere salvation.
6. “These, too, are small, indeed so small that one could not compare them to the greatness of those who are dead to the life of the spirit and live the divine life.”
Love concludes by acknowledging that while these souls are saved, their stature is minuscule compared to those who die fully to self and live wholly for God. This closing underscores the transformative power of deep spiritual surrender.
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1. According to the Soul, why should Jesus Christ not trouble Himself about certain souls?
The Soul argues that these souls are exceedingly selfish and forget Christ, content with the minimum required for salvation. They are “rude” and “crude,” concerned only with sufficiency and lacking true devotion.
2. How does Love characterize the attitude of these “sufficient” souls?
Love calls their attitude “great crudity,” meaning spiritual coarseness and lack of refinement. This highlights their immature and base approach to divine matters.
3. What metaphor does the Soul use to describe the exclusion of these souls from deeper spiritual intimacy?
The Soul compares these souls to peasants barred from a noble court, suggesting they are kept outside the “court of [Love’s] secrets.” They lack the spiritual nobility and refinement needed for deeper union with God.
4. What distinguishes the souls who are called into Love’s court from those who are merely content with salvation?
The souls in Love’s court never forget Christ’s suffering and live in constant remembrance of His gifts. They imitate His rejection, poverty, and torments, whereas the others remain content with sufficiency and forget His love.
5. How does Love describe the manner of salvation for those content with sufficiency compared to those deeply united with God?
Love explains that the “sufficient” souls are indeed saved, as Christ promised, but in a much less “courteous” way than those who have fully died to self and live in the divine life. Their salvation lacks the depth and intimacy of the higher spiritual path.
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In chapter 64, Marguerite Porete reveals the profound mystery of the souls who have died completely to the life of the spirit and entered into unmediated union with the divine. These souls, transcending all spiritual consolations, no longer desire intermediaries between themselves and God; they have even relinquished memory of human affections and spiritual sentiments. Their entire being is consumed by pure divine love, described as a boiling, inflaming fire that purifies and unites without consuming. This love is a mutual exchange of divine intimacy, a perfect, unbreakable union between God and the soul. Thus, these souls embody the highest state of mystical union, where divine love alone reigns supreme.
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1. [Love]: “No one tastes of this life if he has not died by this death.”
Love declares that access to the divine life-the deepest intimacy with God-demands a complete dying to the natural and spiritual self. Only by passing through this radical death (not just to sin, but to all created loves and even spiritual consolations) can one truly taste the union with God. This reflects the mystical notion that the ultimate union with God requires total renunciation and transformation.
2. [Truth]: “This [life] carries there, says Truth, the flower of the love from the Deity. There is no mediary between these Souls and the Deity, and they desire no mediary.”
Truth highlights the absolute purity of this union. The “flower of love” symbolizes the ultimate bloom of divine union. The soul, having died to everything, stands in direct, immediate union with God, with no need for intermediaries such as saints, angels, or even personal desires for consolations. This expresses the idea of pure love and total absorption in the Divine.
3. “Such Souls cannot suffer the memory of any human love, nor the will of divine sentiment, for the sake of the pure divine Love which this Soul has by Love.”
The text emphasizes the radical detachment of these souls from even the memory of created loves, including noble or spiritual ones. The soul’s will is conformed so entirely to divine love that even thoughts of other affections or spiritual sentiments are absent. This underscores the depth of spiritual poverty and total divine possession.
4. [Love]: “This domination by Love alone, says Love, gives her the flower from the boiling of love, by the witness of Love herself.”
Love describes the soul’s state as one of complete domination by divine love. The “boiling of love” suggests an intense, dynamic, and consuming love that produces the “flower,” or perfection, of divine union. The soul becomes a witness to love itself, living as a reflection of God’s own love.
5. “This is true, says Love. This love of which we speak is the union of lovers, the inflaming fire which burns without consuming.”
Love affirms that this mystical union is like the passionate fire of lovers, an inflaming but non-consuming blaze that evokes the biblical imagery of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and symbolizes the sustaining and transforming power of divine love. The soul is thus both consumed and preserved, losing herself in love while remaining fully alive in God.
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1. What is the “life” that Love says no one can taste unless they have died by “this death”?
The “life” refers to the highest union with God, a life infused entirely with divine love. “This death” signifies dying not only to mortal sin or human attachments but even to spiritual consolations and the self-will, leading to a state of pure, unmediated divine union.
2. According to Truth, what characterizes the relationship between these souls and the Deity?
Truth explains that these souls have a direct and immediate union with the Deity, with no mediary in between. They do not desire intermediaries or even the memory of human love, as their souls are completely taken over by pure divine love.
3. Why can these souls not “suffer the memory of any human love, nor the will of divine sentiment”?
These souls are so absorbed by divine love that all created loves, even noble human affections or spiritual consolations, are obliterated from their memory and will. Their entire being is focused solely on pure love of God, which leaves no room for anything else.
4. What does Love mean by “the boiling of love” and “the flower” it produces?
“The boiling of love” refers to the intense, fervent experience of divine love, a spiritual fervor that transforms the soul. “The flower” represents the perfection and beauty that emerge from this intense love-a soul fully alive in God’s love, radiating its fragrance.
5. How is the union of these souls with God described at the end of the chapter?
The union is described as “the union of lovers, the inflaming fire which burns without consuming.” This image emphasizes the soul’s total immersion in divine love-a fire that transforms and sustains rather than destroys, mirroring the biblical burning bush.
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Chapter 65 teaches that the souls seated “on the mountain above the winds” have transcended all human fears, honors, and disturbances, entering a state of unshakable spiritual security and freedom. These souls, fully surrendered to divine Love, no longer rely on the virtues-such as Modesty, Fear, and Reason-as active guides, but retain them as protective boundaries at the threshold of their spiritual life. In this high state, the soul is more truly invested with divine life than with its own created spirit, and its body becomes more refined through the action of that spirit. The chapter emphasizes that the soul’s highest dwelling is in the “sweet country of understanding-nothing,” a realm beyond concepts and efforts, where the freeness of Love reigns entirely.
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1. “Now, Reason, says Love, you have heard something about these three deaths by which one comes to these three lives. Now I will tell you who it is who is seated on the mountain above the winds and the rain.”
Love introduces the concept of those who have surpassed the ordinary spiritual struggles and reside in a state of stability and elevation-symbolized by a mountain “above the winds and rain.” These souls have transcended emotional disturbances and worldly attachments, symbolizing the soul’s ascension beyond both external pressures and internal spiritual struggles.
2. “They are those who, on earth, have neither shame nor honor, nor fear on account of something which might happen. Such folk, says Love, are secure, and so their doors are open, and yet nothing can disturb them, and no work of charity dares to penetrate.”
These souls exhibit perfect spiritual detachment and stability. They are unaffected by honor or shame, neither swayed by praise nor discouraged by criticism. Their openness signifies vulnerability to God, but also a confident security. The refusal of “works of charity” to penetrate reflects the soul’s absolute surrender to God’s will alone, beyond human merit or moral striving.
3. “Ah, for the sake of God, Lady Love, says Reason, tell us what will become of Modesty, who is the most beautiful daughter which Humility has; and Fear also, who has done for this Soul so many benefits and so many lovely services, and even myself, says Reason, who has never slept while these Virtues had need of me.”
Reason expresses anxiety about being excluded from this elevated state, along with Virtues like Modesty and Fear. These represent the soul’s earlier reliance on humility, caution, and rational self-monitoring in the spiritual life. Reason is worried that the soul’s radical freedom might result in the loss of these guides.
4. “Not at all, says Love, since you three will remain in her entourage, and you three will be the guardians of her gate…You will show loyalty only in this, that you be as gates, for otherwise havoc would be created by you.”
Love reassures Reason that Modesty, Fear, and Reason are not abolished but transformed. They become guardians at the threshold of the soul’s inner life, serving as protective boundaries rather than active agents. This illustrates a profound mystical truth: even in the highest states of union, virtues like humility and reason are not discarded but repositioned to preserve the soul’s integrity.
5. “Thus it is better that the Soul be in the sweet country of understanding-nothing, where she loves, than she is in her own body to which she gives life.”
The “sweet country of understanding-nothing” represents the mystical state where the soul has transcended not just sin and spiritual practice, but even spiritual understanding itself. In this state, the soul is pure love, living in God, detached from self and even from its own identity. This passage encapsulates the core of Porete’s mystical vision: the soul’s perfect union with God beyond knowledge, virtue, and self-awareness.
6. “And the freeness of Love has such power.”
Porete concludes with a simple yet profound statement about the absolute liberty of divine love. This love operates beyond human limitations, reason, or even the soul’s own spiritual discipline. Love’s freedom lifts the soul into union with God, where no external or internal compulsion can reach.
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1. Who are those seated “on the mountain above the winds and the rain”?
They are souls who have transcended both internal and external disturbances. On earth, they are untroubled by honor, shame, or fear of what might happen. Their detachment and openness place them beyond the reach of worldly concerns and even works of charity, as they are wholly surrendered to God’s will.
2. Why does Reason express concern about Modesty, Fear, and herself being left behind?
Reason is concerned that these virtues, which played vital roles in guiding the soul’s spiritual journey (especially during earlier stages of growth), might be excluded now that the soul has attained such an elevated state. Reason worries that without their presence, the soul might fall into danger or lose its grounding.
3. How does Love respond to Reason’s concern about Modesty, Fear, and Reason?
Love assures Reason that these virtues are not eliminated but repositioned. They remain as guardians at the threshold of the soul’s spiritual dwelling, acting as gates to keep out influences contrary to Love. Their role changes from active guides to passive protectors, ensuring the soul remains secure in its union with God.
4. What does the phrase “the sweet country of understanding-nothing” mean?
This phrase represents the mystical state where the soul transcends even spiritual understanding and virtue. It points to a union with God where love is the only reality, and all human concepts and efforts-including reasoning and even virtuous striving-are surpassed in favor of pure love.
5. How does the chapter describe the relationship between the soul’s spirit and body in this state?
The soul’s spirit is described as better invested by divine life than it is by its own created nature. Similarly, the body becomes more refined through the influence of the spirit, and the grossness of the body diminishes. Ultimately, the soul’s union with God is more substantial than its union with the body that animates it.
6. What is the role of “the freeness of Love” in this chapter?
The “freeness of Love” refers to the absolute liberty and power of divine love to elevate the soul into union with God. This love operates beyond human reasoning, merit, or control, drawing the soul into a state of spiritual freedom where it lives wholly in God’s love.
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Chapter 66 conveys that the Soul finds profound joy not by clinging to Reason and the practices of the Virtues, but by transcending them and entering into a higher, divine learning directly imparted by Love and the Holy Spirit. The Soul once studied the ways of virtue as stepping stones toward God, but now she has progressed beyond them to where human efforts and reasoning no longer suffice. This divine teaching, inscribed by the Spirit upon the Soul like precious parchment, is silent and ineffable, marking a union with God that surpasses human comprehension. The joy comes from surrendering to this new state, where the Soul’s understanding is opened to the inexpressible wisdom of Love.
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1. [Soul]: “And truly she is little, for she will not remain very long until she arrives at her end, says this Soul, from which she will have great joy.”
The Soul acknowledges the fleeting nature of the earthly and intellectual life. “Her end” refers to the culmination of her spiritual journey-complete union with God. Joy arises not from temporal achievements but from progressing beyond them into the divine.
2. [Reason]: “All the same, says Reason, tell me what has given you more joy?”
Reason, which represents the rational faculties and moral guidance, inquires about the source of the Soul’s newfound joy. This sets the stage for Love’s explanation of how divine learning surpasses human reasoning.
3. [Love]: “It is from this, says Love, that she has taken leave of you and of the works of the Virtues. For as long as this Soul was cloaked in love, she took lessons in your school through desire of the works of the Virtues.”
Love explains that the Soul’s joy stems from moving beyond Reason and the Virtues. While the Virtues guided the Soul’s earlier development, she now transcends them, advancing to divine learning where love itself becomes the teacher. This stage involves release from effort and striving, as she now lives by pure love.
4. [Love]: “Now she has entered upon and is so surpassing in divine learning that she begins to read where you take your end. But this lesson is not placed in writing by human hand, but by the Holy Spirit, who writes this lesson in a marvelous way, and the Soul is the precious parchment.”
This profound statement reveals that divine learning surpasses all human effort and reasoning. The Holy Spirit inscribes wisdom directly onto the soul, making her the “precious parchment” upon which divine truths are written. This surpasses any external teaching or virtue, as it unfolds in silent, ineffable communion with God.
5. [Love]: “The divine school is held with the mouth closed, which the human mind cannot express in words.”
Here, Love encapsulates the heart of mystical theology: the ultimate truths of God’s love are beyond language and comprehension. The “divine school” is silent and inward, accessible only through direct experience of God’s love, transcending all that can be articulated.
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1. What is Holy Church the “Little” referred to in this chapter?
Throughout Porete’s work, the institutional Church, which is governed by Reason, is referred to as Holy Church the “Little.” This is contrasted with Holy Church the “Great,” which consists of souls that have achieved the fifth stage of spiritual progress – the state of the annihilated and unencumbered soul. Further discussion can be found in Chapter 19.
2. What has given the Soul her newfound joy?
The Soul’s joy comes from leaving behind Reason and the works of the Virtues. While she once learned through moral striving and rational understanding, she now surpasses these, entering into a divine learning that is infused directly by Love and the Holy Spirit.
3. How does Love describe the Soul’s progression beyond Reason and Virtues?
Love explains that as long as the Soul was “cloaked in love,” she took lessons in the school of Reason and Virtues. Now, however, she has reached a point where she reads at the place where Reason and the Virtues end. This indicates a complete transcendence of intellectual and moral training in favor of direct divine teaching.
4. How is the Soul’s divine learning depicted in this chapter?
Divine learning is portrayed as being beyond human writing or comprehension. It is written by the Holy Spirit in a “marvelous way” upon the Soul, making her a “precious parchment.” This knowledge is silent, ineffable, and directly infused, representing a deep mystical union with God.
5. What does the phrase “the divine school is held with the mouth closed” mean?
This phrase means that the ultimate truths and experiences of divine love cannot be expressed in words or taught through human reasoning. The soul’s union with God surpasses language, being an intimate and silent communion that only God’s Spirit can bestow.
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In chapter 67, Love explains that the Soul who dwells in God participates in the divine life of the Trinity in a profound and intimate way. God is described as utterly self-sufficient, existing “of Himself, in Himself, through Himself,” needing nothing from outside Himself. Similarly, the Soul, fully united with God, draws everything from Him alone, mirroring this divine independence. The chapter emphasizes the unique relationships within the Trinity: the Father is unbegotten and gives His divine life to the Son, who is born of the Father and equal to Him, while the Holy Spirit proceeds from both. Through this explanation, the text highlights how the Soul is drawn into the mystery of the Trinity, sharing in the mutual love and life of the divine Persons.
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1. “Ah, Love,” says Reason, “I pray that you say something to me about the country where this Soul dwells.”
Reason, personifying the rational mind, seeks understanding of the realm where the Soul resides in its highest union with God. This inquiry marks a transition from rational investigation to the contemplation of divine realities.
2. “I say to you,” says Love, “that the One who is, where this Soul is, is of Himself, in Himself, through Himself, without receiving anything from another except from Himself alone.”
Love describes the divine nature of God as utterly self-sufficient, independent of any external source. This emphasizes God’s complete being and the Soul’s participation in God’s self-sufficient existence when united in divine love.
3. “Therefore this Soul,” says Love, “is in Him, of Him, and according to Him without receiving anything from another except from Him alone.”
The Soul, having transcended creaturely dependence, now exists entirely in, of, and according to God, mirroring the divine self-sufficiency. This highlights the profound union and identification of the Soul with God’s own life.
4. “Thus is she in God the Father,” says Truth. “For we believe that there is no person in the Trinity who has not received from His person, save only the person of the Father.”
Truth brings in the doctrine of the Trinity to explain the nature of this union. The Soul’s place is likened to that of the Son and Holy Spirit, except the Father, who gives of Himself without receiving. This sets up a theological model for understanding the Soul’s union with the divine Persons.
5. “For God the Father possesses the divine power of Himself without receiving it from any other. He possesses the outpouring of His divine power and gives to His Son the same which He possesses of Himself, and the Son receives it from the Father. So that the Son is born of the Father and so is equal to Him. And from the Father and from the Son is the Holy Spirit, one person in the Trinity. He is not born, but He is. The Son is born of the Father and the Holy Spirit is from the Father and from the Son.”
Here Love and Truth weave together a rich theological statement of the Trinity: the Father as unoriginated source, the Son as begotten from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from both. The Soul’s dwelling in this “country” implies her participation in the inner life of the Trinity, where she becomes so united with God that she mirrors the relations of the Persons themselves. This underscores the text’s mystical aim: describing the Soul’s union as a participation in the very life of the Trinity.
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1. What does Love reveal about the country where the Soul dwells?
Love reveals that the country where the Soul dwells is in God Himself. Specifically, Love describes that “the One who is, where this Soul is, is of Himself, in Himself, through Himself, without receiving anything from another except from Himself alone.” This profound statement points to God’s utter self-sufficiency-His being is independent and self-generating. The Soul, when perfectly united with God, shares in this reality. Just as God’s life and existence derive from His own being, the Soul, in its perfected union, draws life and being solely from God. It no longer depends on created things, external aids, or intermediaries. This illustrates the radical transformation of the Soul through union with God, where its life becomes entirely rooted in divine being.
2. How does Love describe the Soul’s relationship to God in terms of reception and giving?
Love emphasizes that the Soul, in this perfect union, is “in Him, of Him, and according to Him without receiving anything from another except from Him alone.” This description mirrors the interior life of the Trinity. In this state, the Soul receives all it needs directly from God and depends solely on Him for its existence and sustenance. There is a sense of pure receptivity from God alone, and no dependence on anything external or created. This teaching reflects the deepest level of mystical union, where the Soul becomes so identified with the divine life that it shares in God’s own self-sufficiency. However, this reception is not a passive state but a dynamic participation in God’s life, aligning the Soul’s will, love, and essence with God’s being.
3. How does Truth relate this teaching about the Soul to the inner life of the Trinity?
Truth highlights that this mystery corresponds to the inner life of the Trinity, particularly focusing on God the Father. Truth says that there is no person in the Trinity who has not received from His person, except for the Father. The Father is unbegotten-He receives nothing from another but instead gives His divine being and power to the Son. The Son is born of the Father and receives everything from Him, yet is equal to Him. The Holy Spirit, proceeding from both the Father and the Son, is not born but proceeds, forming a unity within the Trinity. This explanation parallels the Soul’s journey into divine life: just as the Father possesses His divine being without derivation, so too the perfected Soul, in union with God, shares in this divine independence. This illustrates that the Soul’s ultimate destination is not merely moral improvement or closeness to God but an immersion into the very life and relationality of the Trinity.
4. How does Love describe the relationships among the divine Persons of the Trinity?
Love provides a profound summary of the relationships within the Trinity: the Father, as the unbegotten source, possesses divine power “of Himself” and gives it to the Son. The Son is born of the Father and thus receives this divine power, being equal to the Father in essence and divinity. The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son-not through generation (as the Son is begotten) but through procession. This emphasizes the inter-relationality and mutual love of the Trinity, where each Person is distinct yet united in divine essence. The Soul, through its union with God, is drawn into this divine dance of love and life. The description illustrates how mystical theology, particularly in the beguine and medieval traditions, sees the human Soul’s highest destiny not as separate from God but as fully immersed in and participating in the divine relationality of the Trinity.
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Chapter 68 teaches that the Soul, through the divine work of the Trinity, is wholly drawn into union with God, experiencing a profound transformation whereby her will aligns entirely with the divine will. In this state of mystical union, the Soul is embraced by the ravishing spark and light of divine love, experiencing an indescribable sweetness, beauty, and goodness that far surpass earthly understanding. Consequently, she distances herself from those who live by the limited, rational counsel of worldly Reason-those she compares to “beasts and donkeys”-who cannot grasp the hidden language of divine love and mystery she has learned in God’s secret court. The chapter highlights the contrast between the Soul’s peace and fullness in divine union and the spiritual ignorance of those confined by mere human reasoning.
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1. “This Soul, says Love, is totally dissolved, melted and drawn, joined and united to the most high Trinity. And she cannot will except the divine will through the divine work of the whole Trinity.”
This opening presents a profound mystical image of the Soul’s total absorption into the divine life. The Soul is described as being “dissolved” and “melted,” indicating the complete loss of separate selfhood and immersion into God. Her union with the Trinity is so complete that her own will is entirely conformed to God’s will-not through her effort alone but through the divine action (“divine work”) of the Trinity itself. This evokes the language of spiritual marriage and consummate union in mystical theology, where the soul no longer acts independently but participates fully in the Trinitarian life.
2. “And a ravishing Spark and Light joins her and holds her very close.”
The ravishing spark is a brief yet powerful mystical illumination and ecstatic union that momentarily lifts the soul to the sixth stage of union with God. When this divine encounter closes, the soul returns to the fifth stage. The expression “holds her very close” emphasizes the profound intimacy of this union, depicting it as a divine embrace or containment. In this state, the soul is secure, cherished, and enclosed in God’s presence. As Porete beautifully states in Chapter 58, “no one would be able to believe… the peace upon peace of peace which the Soul receives.”
3. “O very small person, rude and poorly behaved, she says.”
This stark contrast between the Soul’s exalted state and those who live “by the counsel of Reason” sets up a biting critique. The Soul calls out those who, while appearing wise or rational by worldly standards, are in fact “rude and poorly behaved.” This suggests that human reason alone, without the illumination of divine love and mystical experience, is inadequate and even crude. The Soul’s tone conveys both sorrow and frustration toward those who cling to rationalism and miss the deeper mystery of divine union.
4. “To all those, she says, who live by-your counsel, who are such beasts and donkeys that on account of their rudeness I must hide from them and not speak my language to those who prefer death to the being of life where I am in peace without moving myself.”
The Soul expresses disdain for those bound by Reason’s counsel, likening them to “beasts and donkeys.” This animal imagery highlights their stubbornness and lack of spiritual sensitivity. The Soul feels compelled to “hide” her mystical language and insights from them, recognizing that they are not receptive to the secret wisdom of divine love. Their preference for “death” over “the being of life” indicates a rejection of spiritual awakening and union with God in favor of attachment to worldly reasoning and self-sufficiency.
5. “I must be silent and hide my language, which I learned in the secrets at the secret court of the sweet country, in which country courtesy is law, and Love moderates, and Goodness is the nourishment.”
Here the Soul describes the ineffability of her mystical knowledge, which she acquired in the divine presence (“the secret court of the sweet country”). This “sweet country” is an image of the inner life of God, marked by “courtesy,” “Love,” and “Goodness,” contrasting with the crudeness of the rationalistic world. The Soul’s “language” is not comprehensible to those who lack spiritual receptivity; it is a language of divine courtesy, love, and goodness that transcends human understanding and speech.
6. “The sweetness draws me, the beauty pleases me, the goodness fills me. What therefore can I do, since I live in peace?”
The Soul concludes by expressing her complete contentment and fulfillment in God. The triple description-“sweetness,” “beauty,” and “goodness”-highlights the overwhelming joy and satisfaction found in the divine life. The Soul experiences peace and stability in this union, beyond the reach of those who cling to Reason’s limited domain. Her rhetorical question underscores her acceptance of this peace and the inability or unwillingness to engage with those who cannot understand or share in this profound experience.
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1. How is the Soul described in her union with the Trinity?
The Soul is described as “totally dissolved, melted and drawn, joined and united to the most high Trinity.” This vivid imagery emphasizes her complete absorption into the divine essence. Her will is no longer her own but is entirely conformed to God’s will, not through her own effort, but through the action of the Trinity itself. The divine union is not a merging of equals but a participation in God’s life that transforms the Soul. This portrays the culmination of the Soul’s spiritual journey, where personal striving gives way to divine initiative.
2. What role do the “ravishing Spark and Light” play in the Soul’s union with God?
The “ravishing Spark and Light” are the intense, ecstatic experience and divine illumination that transform the Soul when it is temporarily lifted to the sixth stage before being returned to the fifth. The “Spark” is the aperture, while the “Light” represents the divine wisdom and knowledge imparted. Together, they describe a mystical embrace or captivating experience in which the Soul is “held very close” by God, fully embraced by the Trinity’s love and radiance.
3. How does the Soul view those who live by Reason’s counsel?
The Soul views those who live by Reason’s counsel as spiritually blind and unrefined, referring to them as “very small person, rude and poorly behaved,” and likening them to “beasts and donkeys.” These metaphors suggest their stubbornness, lack of spiritual receptivity, and attachment to worldly reasoning. The Soul laments their inability to grasp divine mysteries, implying that they remain trapped in a limited, earthly mode of existence while she has transcended it through her union with God.
4. Why does the Soul say she must “hide her language” from those who live by Reason?
The Soul explains that she must “hide her language” because these individuals, bound by Reason and worldly wisdom, cannot comprehend or appreciate the secret, mystical knowledge she has learned in “the secret court of the sweet country.” This secret court represents the intimate inner life of God, marked by divine courtesy, love, and goodness. The Soul’s language-the expression of her divine knowledge and love-is unintelligible to those who prefer the “death” of spiritual ignorance over the “being of life” she experiences in her union with God.
5. What is the “sweet country” the Soul refers to, and how does it contrast with the world?
The “sweet country” is an allegory for the inner life of the Trinity, a realm of divine courtesy, love, and goodness. It stands in stark contrast to the world governed by Reason’s limited understanding. In this divine realm, love moderates all interactions, goodness is the soul’s nourishment, and spiritual beauty draws and pleases the soul. The Soul finds herself fully immersed in this environment, experiencing peace and fulfillment. The contrast emphasizes the radical difference between the peace of union with God and the disorder of earthly reasoning.
6. How does the Soul describe her experience of divine union?
The Soul describes her experience with poetic expressions: “The sweetness draws me, the beauty pleases me, the goodness fills me.” These sensory-rich descriptions convey the profound spiritual fulfillment she finds in God. She experiences an overwhelming attraction to divine sweetness (love), aesthetic delight in God’s beauty, and complete satisfaction through divine goodness. Her closing rhetorical question-“What therefore can I do, since I live in peace?”-expresses her acceptance of this state of spiritual rest, beyond the reach of worldly distractions or misunderstandings.
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In chapter 69, the Soul contrasts the laborious practice of the virtues with her own transcendent state of union with God. While those living by Reason’s counsel strive through virtuous works and observances-often entangled in external forms and customs-the Soul has been drawn into the Divine beyond such labors. Her love and faith are anchored directly in God’s presence, beyond written teachings or external rituals, because true love needs no witness. She criticizes those who seek God only through created things or conventional practices, likening them to donkeys trapped in outward religiosity. The Soul underscores that true spiritual birth requires the death of attachments and the self (Rachel) to bring forth the new life of mystical union (Benjamin). She concludes by affirming that God’s presence is not confined to sacred spaces but permeates all creation, accessible everywhere to those living in perfect union with the Divine will.
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1. “It seems to me, says this Soul, to be labor full of care. At the same time, nevertheless, one earns one’s bread and sustenance by means of one’s labor in this care. Jesus Christ exalted it by His own body…”
The Soul recognizes the practice of the virtues as a laborious effort, filled with care and diligence. However, it’s acknowledged as a necessary path for many, providing spiritual “bread and sustenance”-that is, a means of growth and salvation. This labor is not rejected but seen as a stage in the journey, one which Jesus Himself exalted through His Incarnation, compassionately acknowledging the struggles of those still striving through works.
2. “Truly, says this Soul, I am freed from this, for my better thing is elsewhere, which is so far from this that one would not be able to compare it: the end of my better thing is in God who is beyond time.”
The Soul contrasts the path of virtue-practice with her own state of mystical union. She has been liberated from the burdens of labor and care, transcending temporal works because her goal-her “better thing”-is rooted in the timeless reality of God Himself. This hints at a mystical, contemplative path where union with God renders such external striving unnecessary.
3. “And so, Reason, says this Soul, you ask us whence are we guided? I say to you, from Him alone, says this Soul, who is so strong that He can never die, about whom the teaching is not written, neither by the works of exemplars or by teachings of men…”
Here the Soul underscores that her guidance and knowledge come directly from God, not from human intermediaries, Scripture, or even saintly examples. This illustrates the depth of her interior life, marked by a direct, unmediated relationship with the Divine-a state where love itself serves as both guide and testimony.
4. “Such folk, says this Soul, whom I call donkeys, seek God in creatures, in monasteries for prayer, in a created paradise, in words of men and in the Scriptures.”
The Soul speaks sharply against those who confine their search for God to created things or external forms of piety. She compares them to “donkeys,” emphasizing their spiritual ignorance or slowness. For her, such an approach remains stuck in the realm of creaturely mediation and can hinder the birth of a deeper, mystical knowledge of God.
5. “Without a doubt, says this Soul, in such folk Benjamin has not been born because Rachel is still living. It is necessary that Rachel die in the birth of Benjamin, for until Rachel dies, Benjamin cannot be born.”
This rich biblical metaphor suggests that mystical union (Benjamin) can only be born when self-will or attachment to created forms (Rachel) dies. Rachel’s death signifies the soul’s complete surrender and detachment, allowing the birth of a new, deeper experience of God-one beyond external labor or pious striving.
6. “I find Him everywhere, says this Soul, and He is there. He is One Deity, One sole God in Three Persons, and this God is everywhere.”
The Soul concludes by affirming the omnipresence of God: He is found not in specific places, works, or institutions, but everywhere. This universal presence is grasped in a state of spiritual union where the soul, freed from temporal attachments, perceives God in all things. It marks the Soul’s transition from external practices to a life fully immersed in the Divine presence.
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1. How does the Soul describe the practice of the virtues, and what significance does she ascribe to it?
The Soul characterizes the practice of virtues as a laborious process, filled with care and diligence. She sees it as a necessary and commendable work, particularly for those not yet united with God in the highest way. This labor “earns bread and sustenance,” meaning it provides spiritual growth and guidance towards salvation. Jesus Christ Himself, through His Incarnation and sacrificial death, elevated and sanctified this path, recognizing the struggles of those who labor within it and binding them to Himself through Scripture and His living example.
2. What contrast does the Soul draw between her own state and the labor of virtue-practice?
The Soul contrasts her state of spiritual union with God to the labor of those practicing virtues. She declares that she is freed from such labor because her “better thing” lies elsewhere: in union with God, beyond time and beyond the realm of human effort. Her spiritual end is so far removed from the toil of virtue-practice that it cannot be compared. This indicates a mystical state where she abides in God’s presence and love, transcending temporal works and entering into a deeper, interior reality of grace.
3. Why does the Soul claim that her guidance comes from God alone, and not from human teachings or Scriptures?
The Soul asserts that her guidance comes solely from God, who is eternal and beyond all human formulations. She explains that the teaching she follows cannot be captured by written words, examples of saints, or doctrines. Instead, it is an intimate, direct knowledge given by God Himself, who is “so strong that He can never die.” Her reliance on God alone signifies her profound trust and faith in divine love, where Love itself becomes both the teacher and the witness. She insists that to demand additional proofs or witnesses in love would betray true belief.
4. Why does the Soul call certain people “donkeys” and what does this term imply?
The Soul refers to people as “donkeys” to signify their spiritual ignorance or stubbornness. These are individuals who seek God only in external forms-creatures, monasteries, words of men, Scriptures-without progressing into the interior union with the Divine. She criticizes them for clinging to forms and customs without advancing toward the deeper truth. By using this metaphor, she contrasts the mystical path with one that remains entangled in the created order, suggesting that true spiritual birth (Benjamin) cannot occur until self-will and attachments (Rachel) die.
5. What is the significance of the metaphor of Benjamin and Rachel in this chapter?
The metaphor of Benjamin and Rachel draws from the biblical story in Genesis, where Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin. Here, Rachel represents the self, attachments, or created forms, while Benjamin symbolizes the new life or birth into deeper union with God. The Soul insists that unless Rachel (self-will or attachment) dies, Benjamin (mystical birth) cannot come forth. This highlights the necessity of a complete surrender and death to self in order to experience divine union, moving beyond external labor into interior love.
6. How does the Soul describe the presence of God, and where does she claim to find Him?
The Soul proclaims that she finds God everywhere, as He is present in all things, not confined to churches, monasteries, or any particular sacred spaces. She highlights that God is one Deity in three Persons, omnipresent and accessible everywhere to those who are united with His will. This reflects the Soul’s mystical understanding of God’s pervasive presence, available to those who have transcended the external forms of religion and entered into an intimate, continual communion with the Divine.
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In chapter 70, the Soul articulates her complete dependence on divine grace for her very being. She asserts that her existence is not her own but is wholly God’s life in her, recognizing that outside of God there is nothing and no independent self. This realization leads her to embrace radical humility and self-emptying, affirming that all she is comes from God and nothing is beyond Him. Love further underscores that this state of perfect union and innocence is unique, made possible by the grace that overcomes the separation caused by sin. The chapter thus portrays the Soul as fully immersed in divine love, her identity entirely dissolved into God, who is simplicity itself, beyond all created distinctions and descriptions.
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1. “I am what I am, says this Soul, by the grace of God. Therefore I am only that which God is in me, and not some other thing.”
The Soul declares her entire identity is grounded in divine grace. Her existence and essence are not self-derived but flow wholly from God’s being within her. This radical identification with God emphasizes humility and the total relinquishment of self apart from God. It echoes the biblical phrase from Exodus-“I AM WHO AM”, suggesting her union with God’s self-existence, the source of all being.
2. “And God is the same thing that He is in me, for nothing is nothing. Thus He is Whois.”
The Soul recognizes that God’s presence in her is not diminished or altered. The phrase “nothing is nothing” reflects the idea that apart from God (Who Is), nothing truly exists. Her existence is inseparably tied to God’s being, underscoring a profound ontological humility: she has no independent reality or substance apart from divine indwelling.
3. “Therefore I am not, if I am, except what God is, and nothing is beyond God.”
This statement highlights the mystical annihilation of self-the Soul negates her own being to assert that only God truly is. She acknowledges her own being as purely a manifestation of God’s life within her, resonating with the notion of deiformity-being shaped wholly into God’s likeness and existence.
4. “I do not have anything but God, in whatever part I might find myself, for He is nothing except Himself, to speak the truth.”
The Soul affirms that all her desires, possessions, and essence are God alone. She rejects any created possession or status, claiming absolute poverty and simplicity. The phrase “He is nothing except Himself” signals the incomprehensibility and sufficiency of God, who fills her entirely.
5. “This Soul loves in Truth, that is, in the Deity, but Truth loves in the One by whom this Soul has being, and thus is all work of charity complete in her.”
The relationship between the Soul and God is mutual and reciprocal. The Soul loves within Truth (which is God), and Truth (God) loves within her. This completes the “work of charity,” signifying a perfect and divinized love that originates from God and returns to Him through her. Her love is not merely human affection but divine charity actualized within her being.
6. “This is true, says Love, for all others, except this Soul, are hidden through the lack of innocence, on account of the sin of Adam.”
Love (as a voice) clarifies that the Soul’s profound union with God is not the norm for most souls, who are “hidden” or veiled by sin inherited from Adam. This “hiddenness” signifies the loss of original innocence and the obscuring of the soul’s capacity to love purely. In contrast, this Soul, having been purified, is fully transparent to God’s love and presence.
—
1. What does the Soul say about her identity and existence?
The Soul proclaims that she is what she is by the grace of God alone. Her identity is entirely determined by the divine indwelling, and she exists as God is within her. She acknowledges that apart from God, she is nothing, affirming the radical humility and dependence on divine grace.
2. How does the Soul describe the relationship between God’s being and her own?
The Soul explains that God’s being in her is the same as God’s being in Himself, for God cannot be divided or altered. She asserts that “nothing is nothing,” meaning that any existence outside God is void. She claims no independent substance but understands herself as fully defined by God’s own self-existence.
3. What does the Soul mean by saying “I am not, if I am, except what God is, and nothing is beyond God”?
Here, the Soul expresses mystical self-annihilation. Her being is so absorbed in God that she negates her own existence apart from Him. Nothing is greater or more real than God, and her existence is not a separate entity but a reflection of God’s own life. This indicates a complete surrender of ego and selfhood.
4. How does the Soul describe her possession of God?
She declares that she has nothing except God, and no matter where she is, God is her only possession. This indicates spiritual poverty and absolute detachment from all created things, recognizing God alone as her fulfillment and wealth.
5. How is love depicted in this chapter?
Love is described as reciprocal and complete. The Soul loves in Truth, meaning in the reality of the divine nature, while Truth (or God) loves within her as the source of her existence. This mutual love signifies the complete perfection of charity within the Soul.
6. What role does innocence play in the Soul’s state?
Love observes that only this Soul has attained the state of innocence that allows her full union with God. Others are still hidden and veiled from this union due to the original sin of Adam. This highlights the rarity of such a union and the purity required to attain it.
7. Why does the Soul say “He is nothing except Himself, to speak the truth”?
This statement reflects the ineffability and simplicity of God, who is beyond all attributes and descriptions. The Soul recognizes that God cannot be reduced to any created form or concept-He simply is, and His existence is sufficient in itself.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 6 of 14
Chapter 51 teaches that the soul, through complete self-emptying and surrender, becomes transformed into likeness with the Godhead-not by nature, but through love and grace. This transformation is marked by the soul’s recognition of her nothingness, which paradoxically grants her union with the All, who is God. In losing all personal will, desires, and spiritual practices, she gains absolute freedom and rests entirely in the divine will, unmoved and unencumbered. Her life becomes one of silent repose, beyond prayer or action, and in this stillness she becomes the dwelling place of God, likened to the “precious Esther,” chosen to live hidden in the chamber of divine will.
—
1. “It is fitting, says Love, that this Soul be similar to the Godhead, for she is transformed into God, says Love, which is why she has retained her true form, which is granted and given to her without beginning from One alone who has always loved her by His goodness.”
The Soul, having reached complete union, is described as being transformed into God. This is not pantheism but a mystical identification-her form remains, yet it has become perfectly receptive to divine life. Her identity is now grounded in eternal love, bestowed by God “without beginning.” This affirms the soul’s likeness to the Godhead through a love that transcends time and individuality.
2. “Ah, Love, says this Soul, the meaning of what is said makes me nothing, and the nothingness of this alone has placed me in an abyss below less than nothingness without measure.”
The Soul, in response, plunges into profound humility. Awareness of divine majesty reduces her to “less than nothingness.” This paradoxical self-emptying is not despair but the gateway to divine fullness. The deeper she knows her nothingness, the more capacity she has to receive God.
3. “And the understanding of my nothingness, says this Soul, has given me the All, and the nothingness of this All, says the Soul, has taken from me prayer, and I pray nothing.”
This is the heart of apophatic spirituality: the Soul gains “All” by realizing her nothingness. But this All is itself “nothing” in worldly or conceptual terms. Even prayer ceases-replaced by a silent, total resting in God. This is the radical contemplative state: beyond asking, beyond effort, immersed in divine will.
4. “I repose completely in peace, says this Soul, alone and nothing and all in the courtesy of the goodness of God alone, without moving myself away from the one will …”
Here, the Soul describes her state as total repose, unified with God’s will. She possesses “nothing and all” through absolute detachment and surrender. Her peace flows not from external goods or even interior experience, but from resting in the one will-God’s alone.
5. “For as long as I will nothing, says this Soul, I am alone in Him without myself, completely unencumbered … But when I will something … I have lost freeness.”
The act of willing-even of willing good-reintroduces the self and its burdens. True freedom lies in the absence of self-will. This is the essence of mystical poverty: to will nothing is to be in God without encumbrance. Self-will breaks the unity; its absence preserves it.
6. “O very precious Esther, says Love, you who have lost all your practices, and through this loss have the practice of doing nothing … in this nothingness … you are unconscious and remain dead. But you live, beloved … in His will completely …”
Love addresses the Soul as “Esther”-the hidden queen. Her greatness lies in losing even spiritual practices. She has entered the pure “practice of doing nothing,” living in divine will alone. Her death to self is her truest life. She dwells now in God’s chamber, where He delights to remain-a symbol of mutual indwelling in perfect love.
This chapter presents one of the deepest mystical teachings of the Mirror of Simple Souls: that true union with God entails utter emptiness of self, total rest in the divine will, and a passive, receptive identity that paradoxically becomes most like the Godhead.
—
1. What does it mean for the Soul to be “similar to the Godhead”?
It means the Soul has been wholly transformed into God by love, not by nature but by grace and union. She retains her identity but now reflects the divine through total conformity to God’s will, having been eternally loved and formed by Him.
2. How does the Soul understand her own identity in relation to God?
The Soul recognizes herself as “nothing,” and this awareness places her in an “abyss below less than nothingness.” This deep humility paradoxically grants her the “All,” because in losing all self-claim, she becomes fully open to receive God.
3. What is meant by the Soul saying she “prays nothing”?
She has gone beyond all forms of active prayer and desire. In her state of union, she neither asks nor strives-she simply rests in God’s will. This is the contemplative state where the soul is so unified with God that even prayer becomes unnecessary.
4. Why does the Soul reject even the act of willing something good?
Because any act of willing reintroduces the self and its preferences, which breaks the pure union with God. To will anything-even a good-makes her “with herself,” not with God. Only by willing nothing can she be totally unencumbered and free.
5. What is the paradox of “nothing and all” that the Soul describes?
By becoming nothing, she receives all-that is, God Himself. But even this “All” is experienced as a kind of nothingness because it is beyond grasping, naming, or possessing. The soul dwells in divine fullness precisely through emptiness.
6. How is this Soul addressed by Love, and why is this significant?
Love calls her “precious Esther,” a biblical allusion to a hidden queen chosen for a divine mission. This emphasizes the Soul’s hidden nobility and election. She has given up all spiritual practices yet paradoxically fulfills the highest “practice” by doing nothing but resting in God.
7. What is the final dwelling place of the Soul according to Love?
She lives “unconscious and dead” in the nothingness of her Lover, yet fully alive in His will. This will is called His “chamber,” a place of intimacy, where He delights to dwell with her. Her soul has become the resting place of God.
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Chapter 52 presents a vision of the soul’s complete immersion in divine Love, where she is no longer guided by intellect or virtue but by love alone, which unites her to God beyond understanding. Love praises the soul as nobly born, worthy of entering the divine “manor” because she is transformed, not by knowledge, but by love’s total embrace. Like iron consumed by fire, the soul loses her own form and is wholly invested with God’s essence, resting in absolute peace without need or desire. She no longer seeks help or consolation, even from God’s power, wisdom, or goodness, for she lives entirely from God’s peace and has become nothing in herself so as to lack nothing in Him. Living with one will, one love, and one work in union with God, she transcends even the practice of virtues, remaining in a hidden, naked nothingness that continuously reveals the All. In this state, she is deepened, enlarged, and made supremely secure, held in the unceasing embrace of divine righteousness.
—
1. “O very high-born one, says Love to this precious pearl, it is well that you have entered the only noble manor, where no one enters if he is not of your lineage and without bastardy.”
Love praises the soul’s nobility, identifying her as one born of divine origin-“not of bastardy.” Entry into the “noble manor” symbolizes entrance into the innermost depths of divine love, a domain only accessible to souls conformed wholly to God, free of any spiritual impurity or duality.
2. “This Soul … has entered into the abundances and flowings of divine Love … not by the attainment of divine Understanding … but by attainment absolute of her love.”
The soul is united to divine Love not through intellect or enlightenment, but through pure love. Marguerite sharply distinguishes between understanding and love, insisting that union is not cognitive but affective-a radical surrender of being through love alone.
3. “All this … is like iron invested with fire which has lost its own semblance … So also this Soul is completely invested … and transformed into this greater part.”
The metaphor of iron transformed by fire signifies the soul’s complete assimilation into divine love. Her own identity is consumed and replaced by the divine reality, just as iron glows and becomes fire-like when heated. She no longer acts or lives from herself but from the divine greater part.
4. “She remains and is transformed into the greater part of the absolute eternal peace without anyone finding her.”
The soul disappears into divine peace-so deeply hidden in God that she cannot be located or defined. Her identity has been dissolved in the peace of God, and she is no longer accessible to any external force, idea, or intervention.
5. “What never was given, nor is, nor will be, makes her naked and places her in nothingness … she desires neither assistance nor to be spared …”
Here Marguerite reveals the radical detachment of the soul. Her love is so pure it is untouched even by the desire for God’s help or consolation. She is stripped of all needs, expectations, and spiritual claims-even divine favors are relinquished.
6. “He is, says this Soul, and nothing is lacking to Him. I am not, and so nothing is lacking to me.”
A profound paradox: in being “nothing,” the soul lacks nothing, because her identity is absorbed into the sufficiency of God, who is. Her negation of self is the gateway to fullness, as she partakes of divine being through annihilation.
7. “Such being makes me have one love and one will and one work in two natures.”
The soul becomes so united with God that her love, will, and action are now indistinguishable from His. The phrase “in two natures” evokes Christological language, hinting at the mystery of divine-human union.
8. “This Soul leaves the dead to bury the dead, and the sad ones to work the Virtues … she rests … in the greater part, but she uses all things.”
The soul transcends ordinary spiritual labor (“working the Virtues”) and leaves behind those still bound to the lesser ways. Yet she does not despise or abandon these things-she “uses all things” from her place of transcendence, which reflects mastery, not rejection.
9. “These showings make her deep, large, supreme, and sure. For they make her always naked, All and Nothing …”
Divine revelation expands the soul’s interior capacity-making her vast, firm, and deeply rooted. Her paradoxical state of being “All and Nothing” is her ultimate form of union: fully possessing God and yet stripped of all self.
—
1. According to Love, how does the soul enter the “noble manor” of divine love?
The soul enters the noble manor not through intellect or birthright in the worldly sense, but because she is of a noble spiritual lineage-unmixed with “bastardy,” meaning she is pure, divinely conformed, and wholly given over to love. Her entrance is based on her essential transformation through love.
2. What distinction does Love make between divine understanding and divine love?
Love insists that the soul does not attain divine Love through divine Understanding or intellect, since no amount of enlightenment can grasp Love’s flowings. Rather, the soul reaches it through absolute attainment of love itself, bypassing intellectual mediation.
3. What is the significance of the metaphor comparing the soul to iron transformed by fire?
The metaphor illustrates how the soul, like iron immersed in fire, loses her distinct form and is entirely absorbed into the greater divine reality. She is no longer distinguishable by her own properties but becomes an extension of divine Love-transfigured, consumed, and sustained by it.
4. Why does Love say the soul desires “neither assistance nor to be spared” by God’s power, wisdom, or goodness?
Because the soul has been stripped of all need and self-interest. She is fully surrendered, resting in divine peace and desiring nothing-even divine consolation. This reveals a love so pure that it seeks no reward or relief, not even from God’s attributes.
5. What does the soul mean when she says, “He is, and nothing is lacking to Him. I am not, and so nothing is lacking to me”?
She expresses the mystical paradox of self-annihilation: by no longer existing as a separate “self,” she shares in God’s all-sufficiency. Her being is now wholly God’s being, and in her nothingness she lacks nothing because God is her All.
6. What does it mean that the soul “has one love and one will and one work in two natures”?
This refers to the soul’s deep union with God: her desires, actions, and love are no longer her own but God’s. The phrase “two natures” echoes Christological language, suggesting a unity that preserves distinction but merges action and will in perfect harmony.
7. How does Love contrast the soul’s state with that of those who “work the Virtues”?
Love implies that the soul has transcended the realm of deliberate virtue practice. She has passed beyond active moral effort into a state of resting in divine peace, though she still “uses all things” as needed. Her life is no longer oriented toward spiritual achievement but complete divine conformity.
8. What effect do the divine “showings” have on the soul?
These revelations expand and deepen the soul, making her “deep, large, supreme, and sure.” They continually show her her nakedness and nothingness, which paradoxically reveals to her the All-Powerful. In this way, she remains in a state of total self-surrender and divine fullness.
——————–
Chapter 53 emphasizes the radical distinction between the knowledge attained through Reason and the divine understanding granted through Love. The Soul, now fully immersed in Love, declares that the deepest truths of God cannot be grasped or explained by Reason, no matter how refined or persistent it may be. In fact, Reason’s efforts to question and understand these mysteries only distort and prolong what Love reveals directly and simply to the soul that is wholly surrendered. Love affirms that true comprehension belongs only to those who are ruled by Fine Love and have died to all forms of selfhood-“dead by all deaths”-so that nothing remains to resist divine union. This chapter critiques rationalism in the spiritual life and upholds a theology of experiential, transformative knowledge available only through total annihilation of the self in God.
—
1. “O most sweet abyssed one, says Reason, at the bottom without bottom of total humility, and very noble rock on the broad plain of truth, alone on the mountaintop except for those in your domain…”
Reason begins with a reverent and poetic address to the Soul, acknowledging her profound humility and elevated spiritual state. The language is paradoxical-“bottom without bottom”-to evoke the ineffable depth of the Soul’s annihilation and transformation. Reason recognizes the Soul’s elevated status but simultaneously shows its own distance from that state.
2. “I pray that you say what is meant by these hidden meanings which Fine Love mentions.”
Reason, though admiring, is still bound to the mode of inquiry and seeks clarification of the ineffable truths expressed by Love. However, this appeal already reveals Reason’s limits: the truths of Fine Love transcend rational explanation and cannot be neatly grasped through discursive understanding.
3. “Reason, says this Soul, if anyone would tell these to you and should you hear, still you will never grasp them.”
The Soul immediately rebuffs Reason’s request, pointing out the fundamental incommensurability between the truths of divine Love and the faculties of human reason. Even if spoken plainly, these mysteries remain inaccessible to Reason. The Soul suggests a radical epistemological rupture: this knowledge is only given by and through Love.
4. “Your questions have dishonored and ruined this book… You have revealed this book to those in your domain who move along at a snail’s pace.”
There is a sharp rebuke here: Reason’s persistent questioning has diluted the power of the book, forcing expansions and clarifications for readers not yet ready to grasp divine things. The Soul laments how the text must be adapted for the slow-moving and rationalistic minds under Reason’s domain, implying a loss of mystical immediacy.
5. Love: “Revealed? Truly, in this matter Reason and all her students can only be against what does not seem to them to be well said…”
Love joins the critique, underscoring that Reason and her disciples resist what eludes rational clarity. Anything not “well said” in Reason’s terms is suspected or dismissed. This affirms the tension between divine Love’s radical speech and Reason’s demand for coherence, system, and clarity.
6. “That one alone understands it whom Fine Love rules… whoever grasps clearly must be dead by all mortifying deaths…”
Understanding, in the world of this Soul, is not cognitive but existential. It requires the complete death of self-“all mortifying deaths”-so that Love may reign entirely. Only such a person, annihilated of ego, can receive the divine truths Love reveals. This statement caps the chapter with a mystical affirmation: the gate to true knowledge is death to the self.
This chapter reinforces the fundamental incompatibility between rational inquiry and divine Love’s mystical knowledge. Reason is portrayed as an obstacle-well-meaning, even admiring-but ultimately incapable of entering the realm that Love opens only to those who have died entirely to self.
—
1. Why does Reason approach the Soul with such reverence at the beginning of the chapter?
Reason recognizes the Soul’s utter humility and exalted state, calling her “abyssed” and “alone on the mountaintop.” This reflects Reason’s awareness that the Soul has reached a spiritual height far beyond rational comprehension. The language reveals both admiration and the distance between them.
2. What does the Soul say about Reason’s request to understand the hidden meanings revealed by Love?
The Soul responds bluntly that Reason will never be able to grasp these truths, even if they were plainly told to her. These mysteries of divine Love are not accessible to Reason or discursive thought, only to those governed entirely by Love.
3. How does the Soul criticize Reason’s role in relation to the book’s message?
The Soul accuses Reason of having “dishonored and ruined” the book by forcing it to become lengthy and explanatory for those governed by Reason. This suggests that the book’s original simplicity and mystical immediacy are compromised when adapted to rational minds.
4. What is Love’s assessment of Reason and her students in this chapter?
Love confirms the Soul’s criticism by stating that Reason and her students are “one-eyed”-they see but do not understand. They instinctively oppose whatever doesn’t conform to their rational categories, showing the limitation of Reason in spiritual matters.
5. Who alone, according to the Soul, can understand the truths spoken by Love?
Only those who are fully ruled by Fine Love and who have undergone “all mortifying deaths” can understand these truths. This means complete self-emptying and death to the ego are prerequisites for truly grasping divine reality.
6. What does the phrase “dead by all deaths” signify in this context?
It refers to the total annihilation of self-will, pride, knowledge, and desire. Only by dying to all attachments and false selves can the Soul become receptive to the divine mysteries revealed by Love.
——————–
Chapter 54 teaches that the soul’s full understanding of divine love and the truths expressed in this book requires passing through three spiritual “deaths.” The first two deaths-symbolizing detachment from sin and nature-can still leave remnants of Reason’s influence. But the third and most profound death involves a total annihilation of the self that only those who have transcended all earthly ties and fears can grasp-those “on the mountain.” This state lies utterly beyond the reach of Reason and its methods, and only Love can speak truthfully about it. The chapter affirms that ultimate union with God demands a complete dying to self that reason cannot endure or comprehend, and only divine Love can lead the soul through this final transformation.
—
1. [Reason]: “Ah, treasure house of Love, says Reason, tell us about how many kinds of death it was necessary for you to die before you understood this book perfectly.”
Reason, recognizing its limits yet still compelled to inquire, turns with awe and humility to Love for insight into the mysterious process of transformation the Soul undergoes. The metaphor of “kinds of death” refers to the stages of self-annihilation that precede the reception of divine wisdom. Reason’s language acknowledges that understanding this book is not a matter of intellectual effort but of profound inner death.
2. [Soul]: “Ask Love, says this Soul, for she knows the truth about it.”
The Soul defers to Love, indicating that the authority for interpreting the path lies not in the Soul’s own reflective powers, nor in Reason, but in Love-who embodies divine truth. The phrasing subtly implies that only Love can disclose the true mystery behind the deaths required for divine understanding.
3. [Reason]: “Ah, Lady Love, for the sake of God’s mercy, says Reason, tell it to us, not only for me and for those whom I have nourished, but also for those who have taken leave of me …”
Here Reason shows a rare humility and even generosity, appealing not only for its own sake but for the benefit of others-both those still under its tutelage and those who have transcended it. This underscores the transitional role of Reason: while it cannot attain the divine truths directly, it still plays a part in guiding others to the threshold.
4. [Love]: “Those who have taken leave of you will still have something of your nourishment after two kinds of death by which this Soul has died. But the third death, by which this Soul died, no one living grasps except the one on the mountain.”
Love describes a hierarchy of deaths: the first two involve a death to sin and to nature-visible progress in the ascetical life-but the third death is an ineffable, mystical annihilation. Only the one “on the mountain”-an image suggesting solitude, elevation, and spiritual height-can know this final death. It is a state beyond comprehension, beyond even the living.
5. [Reason]: “Ah, for God’s sake, says Reason, say what kind of folk are on the mountain.”
Reason is overwhelmed and curious, not content with being excluded. It asks who these elevated souls are. This question implies both reverence and a kind of desperation; Reason reaches the edge of its own domain and peers out into the unknowable.
6. [Love]: “They have neither earthly shame nor honor, nor fear of anything which might come.”
The people on the mountain-those who have undergone the third death-live free from all attachments to worldly values, praise or blame, fear or ambition. Their souls are stripped of every earthly concern. This total dispossession is the condition for receiving divine union in its most radical form.
7. [Reason]: “Ah, God, Lady Love, says Reason, for God’s sake, answer our questions before you say any more, for I have horror and fear to hear of the life of this Soul.”
At last, Reason confesses terror. The life of the Soul appears too foreign, too unsettling, too absolute in its negation of the familiar human order. The deeper the revelation, the more Reason recoils. This moment dramatizes the boundary between rational knowledge and mystical experience-where Reason itself must fall silent.
This chapter reveals the abyss between reason and divine wisdom. The Soul’s journey requires three “deaths”: progressive stages of detachment culminating in a final, mysterious annihilation that only the most spiritually elevated attain. Reason is shown as reverent but ultimately fearful and powerless before this mystery, whereas Love alone speaks the truth of such transformation.
—
1. What does Reason ask at the beginning of the chapter, and why?
Reason asks how many deaths the Soul had to undergo in order to understand the book perfectly. She seeks this knowledge not just for herself but for her followers and those who have moved beyond her guidance. This question reflects Reason’s desire to grasp the path of transformation leading to divine wisdom, despite her acknowledged limitations.
2. Why does the Soul redirect Reason’s question to Love?
The Soul tells Reason to ask Love because Love alone “knows the truth about it.” This shows that the ultimate authority for understanding the divine mysteries lies with Love, not Reason or the Soul’s own reflection. It reinforces the theme that divine knowledge transcends rational understanding.
3. What are the three “deaths” Love refers to, and who can grasp them?
Love says that after two deaths, those who have left Reason may still retain something of her nourishment. But the third death-the most profound-is incomprehensible to any living soul, except “the one on the mountain.” This implies that full union with God requires complete annihilation, beyond even what the intellect or moral effort can achieve.
4. What characterizes those who dwell “on the mountain”?
They are entirely free from earthly shame and honor and have no fear of anything to come. These souls have transcended all human attachments and concerns. They live in a radical spiritual freedom that is the fruit of total self-emptying.
5. How does Reason respond to the description of this life, and what does this reveal about her limits?
Reason expresses horror and fear, asking Love to pause before continuing. This reaction highlights Reason’s inability to comprehend the life of the Soul who has undergone the third death. It reveals the limits of rational faculties when confronted with the mystical annihilation and total union with God.
6. What role does Love play in this dialogue?
Love is the only one capable of articulating the deeper mysteries of the Soul’s transformation. She represents divine wisdom and authority, in contrast to Reason’s limited reach. Love gently yet firmly delineates the boundary between what Reason can nourish and what only Love can reveal.
——————–
In Chapter 55, Love explains that while many souls live virtuous and spiritually disciplined lives – mortifying the body, practicing charity, and desiring martyrdom – they often become lost in their own works, believing that this state of striving and spiritual satisfaction is the highest possible good. These souls, though devout, are subtly bound to their own will and desire, and thus remain spiritually one-eyed, lacking the full vision of divine freedom. They mistake their state of perpetual desire and virtuous effort for perfection, failing to see that true union with God requires the abandonment of even these holy attachments. Marguerite warns that such souls “perish on the way” because their spiritual satisfaction blinds them to the deeper, self-emptying life of pure Love that transcends all desire and merit.
—
1. “Reason, says Love, those who live as described in this book (these are the ones who have attained the being of such a life) understand quickly without it being necessary to explain the glosses.”
Love begins by distinguishing those who have attained the “being” described in the book from those still under the governance of Reason. Such souls, living from divine union rather than through rational explanation, immediately grasp the truths of Love without the need for commentary or interpretation. The intuitive knowledge of the soul united to God transcends Reason’s laborious questioning.
2. “There are two types of folk who live the life of perfection by the works of Virtues in affections of the spirit.”
Love introduces a critique of the traditional spiritual life centered on the active practice of virtues. Though these lives may appear holy and committed, they remain bound to the spiritual faculties and are not yet free of self. These “affections of the spirit” are still driven by will, effort, and self-conscious striving.
3. “They possess such great pleasure in their works that they have no understanding that there might be any better being than the being of the works of the virtues and death by martyrdom.”
This type of soul delights in virtue and sacrifice, mistaking the satisfaction derived from these works for the highest spiritual state. Their error lies in equating spiritual effort and visible devotion with union with God, failing to see that such satisfaction can obscure the call to deeper annihilation.
4. “Such folk are happy, says Love, but they are lost in their works, on account of the sufficiency which they have in their being.”
Love delivers a sharp paradox: these virtuous souls are “happy” but “lost.” Their reliance on works and the self-satisfaction they derive from them becomes a spiritual trap. The “sufficiency” they experience-believing they have attained the goal-prevents them from moving beyond themselves into divine nothingness.
5. “Such folk, says Love, are called kings, but they are in a country where everyone is one-eyed. But without fail, those who have two eyes consider them to be servants.”
This vivid metaphor suggests that the spiritually active are respected among their peers (“kings among the one-eyed”) but seen as limited from the perspective of the soul with full vision (“those who have two eyes”). The true mystic sees that these souls, still bound to effort and desire, are servants-not yet free in divine love.
6. “Servants they are truly, says this Soul, but they don’t understand it. They are like the owl who thinks there is no more beautiful bird in the wood than young owls.”
The Soul echoes Love’s critique, noting that these devout people, like owls admiring their own kind, are blinded by self-satisfaction. Their attachment to their own desire for virtue leads them to believe they are at the pinnacle of spiritual life, unaware that a deeper freedom exists.
7. “Thus they perish on the way because they are satisfied by what desire and will give to them.”
The chapter ends with a powerful warning: those who remain attached to spiritual desire and the will’s activity may fail to reach divine union. They “perish on the way” because they are content with lesser goods-good in themselves, but insufficient to carry the soul into the radical self-emptying required for divine indwelling.
This chapter functions as a contemplative and prophetic critique of the spiritually devout who remain entangled in the self, even through seemingly holy acts. Marguerite, through the voice of Love and the Soul, invites the reader to consider a deeper path-beyond desire, beyond virtue, into the naked freedom of divine nothingness.
—
1. Who are the two types of people described by Love in this chapter?
Love describes those who live a life of spiritual perfection through the works of virtues and affections of the spirit. These include people who mortify the body through charitable works and find pleasure in these actions, believing that the highest spiritual life consists in virtuous striving, martyrdom, and continual desire to do good.
2. Why does Love say that such people are “happy, but lost”?
They are “happy” because they find satisfaction and spiritual joy in their good works. However, they are “lost” because their satisfaction blinds them to the possibility of a higher spiritual state. They remain attached to their own being and efforts, which keeps them from the self-emptying required for union with God.
3. What does it mean that they are “in a country where everyone is one-eyed”?
This metaphor suggests that these people are seen as spiritual leaders or “kings” among others who are also limited in their vision. However, from the perspective of those with full spiritual sight-those completely surrendered in Love-they are still incomplete, functioning more as “servants” than as those truly free in God.
4. How does the owl metaphor deepen the critique of spiritual desire?
The Soul compares these people to owls who believe their own kind are the most beautiful, illustrating the spiritual self-satisfaction of those who dwell in desire. Just as owls are blind to greater beauty, these souls cannot see beyond their current spiritual state and thus remain trapped in what they perceive as the highest good.
5. What danger does Marguerite warn about through the phrase “they perish on the way”?
The warning is that those who become content with desire, will, and virtue-without transcending them into divine detachment-risk never reaching union with God. Their journey ends prematurely because they cling to spiritual goods that are still bound to the self, rather than letting go into the total poverty and freedom of divine Love.
——————–
Chapter 56 teaches that while the Virtues play a valuable role in the spiritual life, they are not the final goal and cannot lead the soul to the fullness of divine union. The Virtues, though sincere and holy, are astonished and even scandalized when Love says that those who live entirely by their counsel may perish-not in sin, but by remaining stuck in a limited, self-reliant form of piety. Love affirms that ultimate understanding belongs to the intellect illumined by Divine Love, which surpasses the labor and merit of virtuous works. The Soul supports this by noting that the Virtues, like a poor lord offering a small wage, can only take one so far; they cannot teach what they themselves do not possess-namely, the experience of abiding in the All of God. Thus, the soul must seek out the Love who is the mother of Divine Understanding, for only she can bring the soul into the fullness of divine life beyond the limits of desire, effort, and virtue.
—
1. “Ah, God, alas! say the Virtues. Lady Love, who will offer honor to us since you say that those perish who live totally by our counsel?”
The Virtues express dismay and confusion over Love’s radical claim that those who live solely by the guidance of Virtues perish. They feel dishonored and spiritually displaced, as their very purpose is to guide souls to holiness. Their protest illustrates the central tension between the active life of virtue and the contemplative, annihilated life of union that Marguerite espouses.
2. “For we cannot perceive that one can perish who does everything according to our teaching, through the ardor of desire which gives true sentiment of Jesus Christ.”
The Virtues cling to the traditional path of desiring Christ and acting righteously, but they acknowledge a limit: they cannot perceive beyond the realm of will and effort. This signals the gulf between their sphere-rooted in desire, effort, and obedience-and the realm of Love, which transcends all grasping, even holy striving.
3. “To be sure, says Love. There is mastery in the intellect, for there is the kernel of divine food.”
Love affirms the importance of divine intellect-not in the rational, discursive sense, but as the receptacle of divine wisdom. True understanding of God’s depths lies beyond the operational realm of the Virtues and is instead rooted in the still, receptive intellect illumined by Love.
4. “We are made by you for the purpose of serving such Souls.”
The Virtues begin to understand their secondary role: they exist not as ends, but as servants to the higher purpose of union with God through Love. They are not denied, but relativized, acknowledged as necessary in the soul’s early stages but not the culmination.
5. “Whoever serves a poor Lord a long time becomes poor in waiting for a small wage.”
The Soul warns that serving only the Virtues (here compared to a “poor Lord”) leads to spiritual impoverishment. One who clings to the Virtues alone remains stuck in a lower spiritual economy-working for a “wage” rather than receiving the fullness of God’s gratuitous Love.
6. “How will the Virtues teach their pupils what they do not possess and never will possess?”
This rhetorical question underscores the limitation of the Virtues. While they are good and necessary, they cannot convey the fullness of Divine Love because they themselves are not immersed in it. The soul seeking divine union must go beyond the pedagogical reach of the Virtues.
7. “Let that person ask this Love who is the mother of Understanding and of Divine Light…”
Marguerite distinguishes between two “Loves”: the lesser, which is a product of human understanding, and the greater, who is the very source of Divine Light and true Understanding. Only the latter can teach the mystery of how souls perish in Virtues-because she knows the All and abides in the All.
8. “…on account of the greater part of the All in which this Soul stops and remains, and so she cannot do other than remain in the All.”
The Soul who abides in Divine Love rests not in works or striving, but in the All-total union with God. This state is marked by stillness, simplicity, and a deep ontological resting in divine plenitude. It is inaccessible to those who dwell only in active virtue.
—
1. Why do the Virtues complain to Love at the start of the chapter?
Because Love has said that those who live totally by the counsel of the Virtues “perish.” The Virtues feel dishonoured and fear their teaching is being declared useless or even dangerous.
2. What underlying assumption makes the Virtues sure their path cannot lead to ruin?
They are convinced that anyone who ardently desires Jesus Christ and performs works of virtue and mortification must be safe. They cannot imagine that self-reliance on virtuous activity could block deeper union with God.
3. How does Love answer their anxiety?
Love says the “kernel of divine food” lies in the intellect illumined by Love, not in external works. The Virtues were created to serve souls who will eventually move beyond them; their office is preparatory, not ultimate.
4. Why does the Soul call the Virtues “a poor Lord” who pays a small wage?
Works of virtue give a limited, “earned” recompense. A soul that serves only these works remains spiritually poor, because she never receives the free, limitless gift of Divine Love that lies beyond merit and wage.
5. What key criticism does the Soul level against the Virtues as teachers?
They cannot teach what they themselves “do not possess and never will possess” – namely, the experience of resting in the All of Divine Love. Hence pupils must turn to Love, not to the Virtues, for the final stage.
6. Which Love must one consult to understand how “those who live in the Virtues perish,” and why?
The text distinguishes between a “daughter of Understanding” (ordinary human love) and the “mother of Understanding and of Divine Light.” Only this higher Love, source of true enlightenment, knows the whole mystery because she lives in the “greater part of the All.”
7. What practical lesson does Marguerite draw for readers?
Virtuous practice is good, but if one stops there, self-satisfaction prevents entry into the radical poverty where God alone is All. To reach union, a soul must let Love lead her beyond virtue, desire, and will into pure, self-emptying rest in God.
——————–
In Chapter 57, the Soul, Love, and the Holy Spirit explore the condition of the “sad ones,” souls who, though still operating within the domain of virtue and spiritual practice, are set apart from the “lost” by their profound awareness of their own insufficiency. Unlike the lost, who believe themselves complete in their virtue, the sad ones recognize that a higher, freer state exists-one beyond asking, desiring, or possessing-and they grieve their distance from it. This sorrow, born of humility and longing, prompts them to seek guidance from Divine Understanding, who teaches them the path toward the “land of willing nothing,” where the unencumbered rest in the fullness of divine being without movement, need, or exchange. Their sadness is thus a holy sorrow that prepares them for the radical dispossession required for true union with God.
—
1. “Now we will tell you also about those who are sad who are servants and merchants, but they act more wisely than the lost do.”
This introduces a new class of souls-the “sad ones”-who, although not yet free, are in a more advanced spiritual position than the “lost.” They still operate within the realm of virtue and labor (hence servants and merchants), but their sorrow comes from an awareness of something greater. Their wisdom lies in their dissatisfaction with mere virtue.
2. “Because, says Love, the sad ones maintain that there is a being better than theirs, and so they understand well that they do not have understanding of this better thing which they believe.”
The defining quality of the sad ones is humility: they know they lack the fullness of divine being. Unlike the lost, who believe their state of virtue is the highest possible, the sad recognize a higher state beyond them. This self-perception of spiritual poverty is what marks their path toward eventual freedom.
3. “They maintain instead that they are miserable and sad … and those who are sad know this. Thus she [Lady Understanding] teaches them the right royal road, which runs through the land of willing nothing.”
Their sadness opens the way to Divine Understanding. Recognizing their insufficiency, they cry out for help and are taught the path to “willing nothing,” the pure self-emptying necessary for divine union. Sadness becomes a grace that moves them beyond self-sufficiency and prepares them for total detachment.
4. “So, if they are sad, they can come to the being of the unencumbered ones, of whom we speak, according to the teaching of this Divine Light.”
The sad are not yet unencumbered but have the potential to become so. Their sorrow is a threshold condition-painful but necessary. The unencumbered dwell in pure divine being without movement, desire, or effort, and the sad may arrive there by surrendering through the guidance of Divine Light.
5. “Truly, so long as a soul makes any calls to Understanding or to Love … one can indeed say that the one who asks often is little or poor, and [this is true] of whoever asks for something.”
The Holy Spirit affirms the soul’s poverty as a mark of its immaturity. To ask implies lack and separation; thus, even the act of seeking shows one has not yet arrived. Full union means no longer asking or needing, for all is fulfilled in the divine.
6. “Every being, whatever it might be, is but a game of catch or child’s play compared to the supreme being of willing nothing …”
This profound statement relativizes all spiritual effort, desire, or striving-no matter how virtuous. Only the being of “willing nothing,” the total passivity and freedom of divine union, is true fulfillment. Everything else is preparatory or transitional.
7. “For the unencumbered one in his righteous being could neither refuse, nor desire, nor promise anything in exchange for something which someone could give him; but instead, [the unencumbered one] would want to give everything for the sake of maintaining loyalty.”
The unencumbered are described as having transcended exchange or desire. Their only movement is one of pure generosity, not based on merit or gain but on fidelity to divine being. This is the end-point toward which the sad ones are journeying.
This chapter reveals the importance of spiritual sorrow-not as despair but as holy dissatisfaction. The “sad ones” are those who intuit that virtue and effort, while good, are not the end. Their sadness becomes a holy longing that opens them to Divine Understanding and prepares them for the radical detachment of divine union.
—
1. Who are the “sad ones,” and how do they differ from the “lost”?
The sad ones are souls who still operate within the realm of virtues-serving and “trading” like servants and merchants-but unlike the lost, they realize that there is a higher state of being they have not attained. Their sorrow comes from this awareness and humility, while the lost believe they have already arrived through virtue alone and thus are deluded.
2. Why does Love esteem the sad ones more than the lost, even though they practice similar things?
Love values the sad ones because they recognize a superior state beyond their current one and acknowledge their lack of understanding. This self-awareness and longing make them open to further spiritual illumination, unlike the lost, who remain complacent in their virtue.
3. What is the significance of the sad ones acknowledging that they are “miserable and sad”?
This confession of misery is spiritually significant because it denotes humility, an accurate self-assessment, and a readiness to be taught. It is the sadness of longing for what they do not yet possess-the divine fullness-and this longing prompts them to seek guidance from Divine Understanding.
4. What role does Lady Understanding play for the sad ones?
Lady Understanding, illumined by divine grace, responds to the cries of the sad ones. She teaches them the “right royal road” that leads through the “land of willing nothing.” This path leads beyond effort and desire into the passive receptivity of divine union.
5. What is meant by the phrase “land of willing nothing,” and why is it important?
The “land of willing nothing” refers to a state of complete detachment from self-will, desires, and even spiritual ambitions. It is the place where one no longer seeks or asks but simply abides in God’s will. It is essential because it marks the transition into the highest form of union, the state of the unencumbered.
6. According to the Holy Spirit, why is asking a sign of being “little or poor”?
To ask implies lack and separation; it shows that the soul has not yet attained union and completeness. In contrast, the unencumbered soul no longer asks because it is wholly aligned with divine being, beyond need or exchange.
7. How does the chapter characterize the state of the unencumbered ones?
The unencumbered dwell in pure divine being, without movement, desire, or need. They do not bargain or seek return; rather, they give all in fidelity. Their state is described as the “supreme being of willing nothing,” in which perfect freedom and love are realized.
8. What is the spiritual value of sorrow in this context?
Sorrow becomes a grace that signals spiritual readiness. It is the pain of realizing one’s insufficiency and longing for divine fullness. Far from being a hindrance, this sorrow motivates the soul to seek Divine Light and prepares it for the radical detachment necessary for true union.
——————–
In Chapter 58, Porete explores the sublime state of the soul in the fifth stage of union with God, where it is utterly annihilated of self-will and filled only with divine presence. Reason questions how such a soul can give anything, but Love responds that the soul gives what God gives through her-divine treasures, not her own. This stage is marked by profound peace and the absence of desire, and although the soul occasionally experiences the sixth stage-a fleeting, ravishing spark of divine glory-it cannot remain there long. Nonetheless, this brief encounter overflows and leaves the soul more noble, detached, and free, stabilizing her even more firmly in the fifth stage. This deep peace, inaccessible to those who still live in desire, is a divine gift received passively, prior to any awareness, and reflects God’s own glory acting in the soul beyond her knowledge or effort.
—
1. “Ah, for God’s sake, says Reason, what do these Souls have to give who are so annihilated?”
Reason expresses confusion at the paradox of the annihilated soul-one who has nothing of her own left-being capable of giving anything at all. From the perspective of Reason, which values agency, possession, and merit, annihilation seems like a total void. Yet this is the threshold of a deeper mystery that Love proceeds to reveal.
2. “To give? says Love. Truly, says Love, whatever God has of value.”
Love responds with a shocking reversal: the annihilated soul gives precisely what God values most. Because she has been emptied of self, she becomes a pure vessel of divine overflow. She offers not from herself but as a transparent medium of divine presence. Her nothingness becomes God’s everything.
3. “She is in the depths of the fifth stage with her Lover. There nothing is lacking to her…”
The fifth stage marks the full annihilation of will. The soul is so united with God that she lacks nothing-her identity is fused with divine sufficiency. She no longer operates from desire or effort but rests in a complete surrender where union and peace are constant.
4. “…she is often carried up to the sixth, but this is of little duration. For it is an aperture, like a spark, which quickly closes…”
The sixth stage is portrayed as a momentary “spark,” an ecstatic flash of even more sublime union-what the text calls the “Ravishing Farnearness.” This is a superabundant grace that the soul cannot hold or retain, as it belongs entirely to God’s movement. It is a taste of divine glory, given and then withdrawn.
5. “The overflowing from the ravishing aperture makes the Soul… free and noble and unencumbered from all things.”
Even though brief, the divine spark leaves a permanent mark. It frees the soul more completely from self and from all attachment. The soul, having tasted this divine ravishment, dwells more deeply and nobly in the fifth stage, fully detached and receptive.
6. “…at the fifth she has no will. And because at the fifth stage… she has no more will… no one would be able to believe… the peace upon peace of peace which the Soul receives…”
The hallmark of the fifth stage is the death of will. This is not apathy or passivity, but a profound stillness where the soul is no longer moved by her own desires, only by God’s hidden workings. The result is unspeakable peace-a layered, all-encompassing rest that cannot be imagined unless one abides in it.
7. “Understand these divine words in a divine manner through Love, hearers of this book!”
The author exhorts readers to transcend intellectual analysis and to receive these teachings spiritually, through the disposition of divine Love. These mysteries are not grasped by reason but by love’s own light.
8. “The work of the Spark… is nothing other than the showing of the glory of the Soul. This does not remain in any creature very long…”
The divine spark is a brief unveiling of the soul’s ultimate glorification in God-a kind of eschatological glimpse. It is too pure, too divine to last in time-bound creatures, but its imprint transforms the soul forever.
9. “The peace… from the operation of my work… is so delicious that Truth calls it glorious food.”
Love refers to the fruit of this divine union as “glorious food,” echoing Eucharistic overtones. It is sustenance not for those who desire, but for those who have been emptied of desire-who will nothing, seek nothing, possess nothing.
10. “Such Souls would govern a country if it had the need, and all without themselves.”
In a final paradox, Love claims that annihilated souls are so filled with divine peace and wisdom that they could govern a nation without ego, ambition, or personal investment. Their actions would flow purely from divine will, unaffected by self.
This chapter reveals the exquisite paradox of the annihilated soul: possessing nothing, she becomes a vessel for everything. She dwells in a stable, will-less peace (the fifth stage) and receives momentary flashes of divine glory (the sixth), returning transformed. Her identity is no longer hers-it is God’s alone.
—
1. Why does Reason question the capacity of annihilated souls to give anything?
Reason operates from a human logic that values possession, autonomy, and effort. From this view, a soul that has been annihilated-emptied of will and self-seems to have nothing left to contribute or offer. Hence, Reason cannot understand how such a soul could give anything meaningful.
2. How does Love answer Reason’s concern?
Love explains that the annihilated soul gives not from herself but from God. She gives “whatever God has of value,” because her emptiness makes her a vessel of divine gift. Her giving is no longer personal or self-originated; it is divine self-giving through her.
3. What defines the fifth stage of the soul?
The fifth stage is marked by the complete loss of personal will. The soul lives in continual union with God, lacking nothing and resting in divine peace. She does not fall back to the fourth stage because she has transcended desire and self-driven will entirely.
4. What is the nature of the soul’s experience of the sixth stage?
The sixth stage is an ecstatic, momentary state described as a “spark” or “aperture”-an overwhelming grace in which the soul is ravished by divine nearness. However, this state is fleeting and cannot last because it is beyond what a creature can sustain. After it passes, the soul returns to the fifth stage, but remains deeply changed.
5. How does the brief experience of the sixth stage affect the soul?
The soul emerges from the sixth stage more free, noble, and detached. Even though the ecstatic state does not last, its “overflowing” transforms her interiorly, stabilizing her more securely in the peace of the fifth stage.
6. What is the “peace upon peace of peace” that Love speaks of?
It refers to the layered, unspeakable peace that the soul experiences in the fifth stage after having passed through the sixth. This peace cannot be understood or believed unless one has directly received it. It is the fruit of pure union with God, where the soul no longer acts from self at all.
7. Why must these teachings be understood “in a divine manner through Love”?
The truths expressed in this chapter surpass intellectual reasoning. They pertain to the inner life of divine union and can only be grasped through love, humility, and a heart attuned to God. Human logic alone will misread or resist them.
8. What is the significance of the phrase “before the Soul has any perception or awareness of His work”?
This emphasizes that God acts freely and sovereignly in the soul without her cooperation or even awareness. His grace precedes any perception, showing that union is entirely God’s doing, not the result of the soul’s effort.
9. What is meant by the soul being able to “govern a country… and all without themselves”?
This paradox underscores the soul’s perfect detachment and surrender. Even if she were placed in charge of great external responsibilities, her actions would flow purely from God’s will, without ego, control, or self-reference. She would act effectively, yet not from herself.
10. Who is excluded from the nourishment of the “glorious food” Love mentions?
Those who still remain in desire-who have not yet reached the state of will-less peace-cannot be fed by the divine peace that Love calls “glorious food.” This nourishment is only for the annihilated soul, emptied of self and united to God in love.
——————–
In Chapter 59, Porete presents the Soul’s journey as a triple conquest: first over sin through grace, then over nature through spiritual life, and finally over spirit itself through divine life. This final stage, the life of God in the Soul, is marked by utter self-loss-a state where the Soul is “without herself,” not present in self, neighbor, or even in God as object, but dissolved in pure divine being. This annihilation is brought about by the brief, ungraspable movement of the divine Spark, which opens and transforms the Soul in a flash of unspeakable glory. Paradoxically, the Soul only truly “belongs to herself” when she has no part of herself remaining, for she lives wholly in God. Aware of the ineffability of this state, the Soul turns from the sublime to the humble, choosing to speak “about little things” for the sake of those still on the path-those who yearn, strive, and remain “with themselves,” but who may yet be drawn toward this total union.
—
1. “At the beginning this Soul conquered by means of the life of grace, grace which is born in the death of sin. Afterward, she conquered by means of the life of the spirit, which is born in the death of nature. And now, she lives the divine life, which is born in the death of the spirit.”
Porete outlines a mystical progression in three phases: from grace (born of renouncing sin), to spiritual life (born of renouncing nature), to divine life (born of renouncing even the spirit). This final “death of the spirit” indicates total self-emptying-even of all spiritual striving or identity-making way for a divine mode of existence beyond human categories. It is a transformation that demands successive, deeper renunciations of ego and self-possession.
2. “This Soul… who lives the divine life, is always without herself.”
To be “without herself” means to be entirely dispossessed of personal identity, no longer anchored in self-reflection, emotion, or ego. The soul does not even cling to its identity in God or others. This is the full realization of annihilation: a radical freedom and dispossession that permits divine life to flow unhindered. It is the paradox of true belonging-she belongs to herself precisely when she no longer lays claim to herself.
3. “When she is no part of herself, neither in God nor in herself, nor in her neighbors; but in the annihilation by which this Spark opens her by the approach of His work.”
This annihilation goes beyond theological or moral categories-it involves a loss even of one’s spiritual identity, roles, or attachments. The soul is stripped bare not just of sin or self-will, but even of her relational identity with God and others. Only the divine Spark-God’s immediate and unmediated action-gives her form and movement, and even this is fleeting. The emphasis is on the mystical receptivity to divine glory beyond comprehension.
4. “How one would be a grand lord who could comprehend the profit of one movement of such annihilation.”
Porete emphasizes the immeasurable value of a single movement of annihilation, likening it to a royal dignity. This is not power or knowledge in a worldly sense, but the profound humility and detachment that allows one to be filled entirely by God. Comprehending the value of such divine negation would be a rare spiritual greatness-an honor of spiritual nobility.
5. “Do not be displeased if I speak afterward about little things… not for those who are this, but for those who are not who yet will be, and will beg continuously as long as they are with themselves.”
Porete turns to her readers with pastoral concern, acknowledging that such exalted states are not the norm. She will return to “little things”-practical teachings-for the sake of those still journeying, still encumbered by selfhood and desire. The contrast between the annihilated and those “with themselves” reinforces the radical nature of divine union, while extending hope to those still seeking.
—
1. What are the three successive ways by which the Soul has conquered, according to Love?
The Soul first conquers through the life of grace, which is born in the death of sin. Then she conquers through the life of the spirit, born in the death of nature. Finally, she lives the divine life, born in the death of the spirit. Each stage represents a deeper self-emptying: from moral conversion, to transcendence of natural inclinations, and finally, to the dissolution of even spiritual self-awareness.
2. What does it mean for the Soul to be “without herself”?
To be “without herself” means the Soul has reached a state of complete annihilation of self, where she is no longer anchored in her identity-not in herself, not in God as object, nor in her neighbors. She is radically dispossessed, no longer participating in her own being, but entirely opened by the divine Spark acting within her. This dispossession is the condition of living the divine life.
3. According to Love, when does the Soul truly belong to herself?
Paradoxically, the Soul belongs to herself only when she is no part of herself. That is, when she is utterly emptied-even of self-consciousness or identity-she is most truly her own, because she is entirely given over to divine action. Her being becomes God’s possession through annihilation rather than acquisition.
4. What role does the divine “Spark” play in the Soul’s state of annihilation?
The Spark represents an intensely brief, sublime movement of divine glory that opens the Soul by its approach and annihilates her understanding. It is not sustained or graspable, and no one can speak fully of its mystery. This Spark enacts the soul’s transformation and produces an interior forgetting of self-an annihilation that results in profound, wordless union.
5. Why does the Soul express the need to “speak afterward about little things”?
Though the chapter discusses high mystical truths, the Soul turns to practical matters for the sake of those who have not yet reached this state of union. She speaks to those who are still with themselves, still yearning, still on the path. It reflects Porete’s pastoral concern to bridge the mystical with the moral, addressing the spiritual needs of seekers still caught in desire and effort.
——————–
In Chapter 60 of The Mirror of Simple Souls, Marguerite Porete outlines the necessary spiritual progression through three distinct “deaths”-the death of sin, the death of nature, and the death of the spirit-each of which purifies the soul and prepares her for union with Divine Love. The first death brings moral purification through obedience to God’s Law; the second overcomes natural inclinations; and the third annihilates even spiritual striving, ushering the soul into the divine life beyond self, will, and understanding. Porete emphasizes the vast distance between the initial life of grace and the final state of glory, underscoring the need for an inner fire of desire, the cooperation of human nature, and the draw of divine righteousness to aid the soul’s ascent. Her compassionate inclusion of both “noble ones” and “little ones” reveals a pedagogical purpose: to illuminate the path for all souls, regardless of their current stage, and to call them toward the sublime state of total annihilation in Love.
—
1. “The first is the death of sin … by which the Soul must die completely so that there no longer remains in her color, or taste, or odor of anything which God prohibits in the Law.”
This “death of sin” is the foundation for all later spiritual progress. Marguerite affirms that complete detachment from all sinful inclinations is necessary-not just in action, but in every sensory and inner residue. Only when the soul is emptied of all that is contrary to divine law can it be said to truly live by grace. This is the first purification, associated with the moral and legal life in accord with divine commandments.
2. “Ah, to you most noble ones, annihilated and uplifted by great admiration and stupefied by conjunction of union of Divine Love, do not be displeased if I touch on something for the little ones …”
Marguerite here acknowledges a twofold audience: the spiritually advanced (“noble ones”) and the beginners (“little ones”). The contrast underlines the radical distance between those who still have a will (the moral and active life) and those who have passed beyond it in the mystical, annihilated state. Her pedagogical method juxtaposes the two to make the divine nobility of the higher path more evident.
3. “…pay attention and hasten yourselves, for it is a very great way and a very long road from the first stage of grace to the last stage of glory which the gentle Farnearness gives.”
This reflects the arduous and transformative journey from initial conversion to union with God. Marguerite doesn’t downplay the difficulty but encourages urgency and attentiveness. The “gentle Farnearness” is her term for God’s paradoxical intimacy-in-distance, and the “last stage of glory” refers to that ineffable union which transcends desire and understanding.
4. “When these two natures are together … and with the third nature … through righteousness … this concord is finely noble.”
She identifies three “natures”: (1) the soul’s natural energy, (2) the ardor of spiritual desire, and (3) the righteous glory that draws the soul. The union of these three elements-body, spirit, and divine grace-forms a complete harmony. This is not merely moral development, but mystical transformation, culminating in the adornment of the soul with divine beauty.
5. “…jealousy of Love and the work of charity, by which I am burdened, cause this book to be made, so that you little ones might be of this sort without interruption …”
Marguerite’s motivation is deeply charitable. Her “jealousy of Love” reflects divine zeal, and her burden is the mystical obligation to share what she has seen. Even though many readers are still “little ones,” she hopes to awaken in them the yearning for annihilation and union. The text is not just a description of mystical states, but an invitation to transformation.
—
1. What are the three deaths the Soul must undergo before entering the free and annihilated life?
The first death is the death of sin, where the Soul becomes completely free of anything prohibited by God’s Law, including all traces such as “color, taste, or odor.”
The second is the death of nature, where the Soul transcends its natural desires and faculties.
The third is the death of the spirit, which leads to divine life-this is the full annihilation where the Soul is beyond self, nature, and spiritual effort.
2. Who are considered to live by the life of grace, and what characterizes this stage?
Those who have undergone the first death (death of sin) live by the life of grace. They follow God’s Law by avoiding what He forbids and doing what He commands. This stage is marked by moral uprightness and spiritual obedience but does not yet involve mystical union or annihilation of will.
3. Why does Love address both “noble ones” and “little ones” in this chapter?
Love addresses both groups to contrast their spiritual states. The “noble ones” have reached annihilation and union with Divine Love, while the “little ones” are beginners still attached to their will and reason. This dual address serves both as a teaching tool and a compassionate gesture to uplift those not yet advanced.
4. What does Marguerite mean by “the long road from the first stage of grace to the last stage of glory”?
She refers to the vast spiritual distance between initial conversion and complete union with God. The “first stage of grace” involves moral effort and obedience, while the “last stage of glory” is the state of divine union beyond desire, will, and understanding-attainable only through total annihilation.
5. How does the interplay of nature, spiritual desire, and righteousness form a “noble concord”?
When the natural energy of the person, the ardor of spiritual desire, and the attraction of divine righteousness (or glory) all come into harmony, they form a powerful dynamic that supports total self-surrender. This unity is “noble” because it leads to a state in which the soul is adorned and drawn entirely by God.
6. What is Marguerite’s stated purpose in writing this book, according to this chapter?
Marguerite says she is compelled by “jealousy of Love” and “the work of charity” to write the book. Her aim is to guide the “little ones” so that they may aspire to the annihilated life-even if only in will-and to encourage the advanced to persevere. Her writing is an act of spiritual generosity.
“The Mirror of Simple Souls” by Marguerite Porete – Part 5 of 14
Chapter 41 teaches that the soul utterly surrendered to divine Love is freed from all anxiety over past sins and from any hope placed in her own merits. Completely annihilated in herself by the sheer goodness of God, she no longer acts from her own initiative-not even for God’s sake-because God alone now acts through her. This self-emptying renders her beyond the reach of Reason and Nature, so that she feels nothing of her union with God, yet abides in Him truly and silently. Such a soul is unconcerned with either the joys of heaven or the torments of hell, seeking only God’s will. Even Holy Church, upon hearing this, stands in reverent silence, acknowledging that this mystery surpasses Scripture and cannot be grasped by Reason, but only by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
—
1. “Thus such a Soul has no anxiety from sin which she might have ever committed, nor hope in something which she might be able to do, but only in the goodness of God.”
This opening establishes the soul’s radical detachment from both guilt and merit. Her peace does not come from forgetting sin or denying goodness, but from being totally emptied of self-regard, depending only on God’s pure goodness. This is the fruit of a complete interior death: she neither clings to her failures nor takes refuge in her accomplishments.
2. “And the secret treasure of this goodness alone so annihilates her within herself that she is dead to all feeling from within and without, to the extent that such a Soul no longer does any works, neither for God’s sake nor for her own.”
Here, the soul enters into a profound spiritual passivity-not from negligence but from a divine stillness. She is so overcome by the mystery of divine goodness that she no longer acts even for God, but simply is in God. This language echoes mystics like Eckhart or Ruysbroeck, where annihilation means resting entirely in God’s operation, not one’s own.
3. “This Soul, says Love, is no longer with herself, which is why she must be excused from everything.”
Being “no longer with herself” suggests complete self-transcendence. The soul no longer lives by her own lights, and so cannot be judged by ordinary standards. Her life is hidden with God, and thus she must be excused from typical expectations of piety, works, or moral effort.
4. “And the One in whom she is does His work through her, for the sake of which she is entirely freed by the witness of God Himself, says Love, who is the worker of this work.”
This is the high point of divine indwelling: God acts entirely through her, and her freedom consists in His sole agency. This is not Quietism but the mystical vision of total union, where divine Love is the sole source of life and movement.
5. “She is where she loves, says Love, without her feeling it.”
Though she does not feel God’s presence, she dwells in Him. This paradox underscores that spiritual union at this stage transcends awareness or emotion. The soul’s love is no longer experienced as possession but as dispossession-she abides in Love even without consolation.
6. “For whoever does anything by the movement of himself, says Love, is no longer without himself … But the one … who has died from love neither feels nor understands either Reason or Nature.”
This distinction between natural and supernatural life is crucial. The soul who acts from herself is still moved by nature or reason. But the soul who has died from love is moved only by God, and thus transcends rational and natural categories. Reason and Nature are good in themselves, but here they are surpassed.
7. “Such a Soul wills none of the joys of paradise … nor does she refuse any torments of hell …”
This extraordinary statement expresses the soul’s total indifference to reward or punishment-her will is aligned so purely with God’s that she seeks neither consolation nor escape. She no longer loves God for His gifts but simply because He is.
8. “Most sweet Holy Spirit, teach it to us, for this word surpasses our Scripture, and so we cannot grasp by Reason what Love says.”
Here, the Church herself is astonished. The soul’s state transcends theological comprehension and even Scripture as traditionally interpreted. This is not a critique of Scripture but an acknowledgment that divine union passes into mystery beyond discursive knowledge. Love speaks what Reason cannot grasp, and even Holy Church listens in reverent silence.
—
1. Why does the Soul in this chapter no longer feel anxiety over sin or hope in her own good works?
Because her entire trust and orientation are centered solely in the goodness of God, not in anything she has done or might do. She has been so inwardly annihilated by this divine goodness that she has died to both interior and exterior activity. Her past sins and future efforts no longer carry any emotional or spiritual weight; all is surrendered to God.
2. What does it mean that the Soul “no longer does any works, neither for God’s sake nor for her own”?
It means that she is completely passive before God-not from laziness or disobedience, but because she has been utterly emptied of self-will. She is not moved even by religious motivations; she does not act “for” God because she is in God, and God is acting through her. Her own selfhood has been transcended.
3. How does Love explain that this Soul is “no longer with herself”?
Love explains that the Soul is “no longer with herself” because she is fully given over to God-she is not guided by her own will, reason, or natural inclinations. She has become so interiorly detached that she cannot even seek or find God by her own power. God alone works in her, and this divine operation excuses her from all ordinary obligations or judgments.
4. What is meant by the Soul being “where she loves, without her feeling it”?
This phrase expresses the deep mystery of mystical union: although the Soul feels no emotional or conscious awareness of God’s presence, she dwells in Him through Love. Her union is real and complete, but it exists beyond the realm of sensation or intellect.
5. What does this chapter say about Reason and Nature in relation to the soul’s state?
It says that whoever acts from their own movement is still influenced by Reason and Nature, whereas the soul who has “died from love” is beyond both. She neither feels nor understands Reason or Nature because her life is now entirely absorbed in divine Love, not in created faculties or structures.
6. How does the Soul relate to joy and suffering in this chapter?
She is completely indifferent. She wills neither the joys of paradise nor the avoidance of the torments of hell. Her will is so united to God that she does not seek reward nor fear punishment; she desires only God’s will, whatever that may entail.
7. How does Holy Church respond to this teaching, and what does it signify?
Holy Church is amazed and reverent, admitting that what Love says “surpasses our Scripture” and cannot be understood by Reason. This shows that the state of the Soul described here is a profound mystical grace that transcends ordinary theological categories. Even the Church, in her wisdom, listens with humility and awe.
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In Chapter 42, the Soul is revealed as utterly emptied of self-knowing nothing and willing nothing-and it is precisely through this radical unknowing and unwilling that she receives everything. The Holy Spirit teaches that such a Soul, through the power of Love (not by divine nature), possesses the hidden treasure of the Trinity itself, because she shares in all that the Spirit possesses, which includes all that the Father and the Son possess. This profound mystical union is possible because the Soul is entirely dead to the world, allowing the Trinity to dwell in her fully and eternally. The chapter emphasizes that this spiritual state, which surpasses the grasp of Reason and even Holy Church’s usual categories, is the fruit of divine grace and the utter annihilation of self in Love.
—
1. “This Soul knows only one thing, that is, she knows nothing. And so she wills only one thing, that is, she wills nothing.”
This radical “unknowing” and “unwilling” is not ignorance or apathy but the fruit of perfect detachment and self-emptying. The soul has renounced all claims to knowledge and volition apart from God. In doing so, she becomes receptive to the fullness of divine wisdom and will, which transcend human capacities. Her interior poverty becomes the space in which divine fullness can be poured.
2. “This knowing-nothing and this willing-nothing give her everything, says the Holy Spirit, and allow her to find the secret and hidden treasure which is enclosed in the Trinity forever.”
The paradox at the heart of this teaching is that renouncing all personal striving allows the soul to receive “everything.” The “everything” is not material or even merely spiritual goods-it is the mystery of God Himself. The “secret and hidden treasure” refers to an intimate union with the inner life of the Trinity, granted not by nature but by the transformative power of Love.
3. “She possesses all that I have, and the Father and the Son have nothing which I do not have in myself … thus this Soul possesses … the treasure of the Trinity, hidden and enclosed within her.”
This statement reveals the depth of the soul’s union with God. Through her union with the Holy Spirit, the soul mystically shares in all that belongs to the Father and the Son. The presence of the Trinity within her is not symbolic-it is an ontological inhabitation, hidden but real. The soul becomes a living sanctuary of the divine.
4. “Because she is dead to the world and the world is dead in her, the Trinity will dwell in her forever.”
The condition for this indwelling is total detachment from the world-both its attractions and its fears. The soul’s death to the world allows her to live in God alone. This death is not loss but transformation. The indwelling of the Trinity is a perpetual state, not dependent on emotional experience but rooted in divine constancy and the soul’s spiritual death and rebirth.
Overall Insight:
This chapter expresses the peak of mystical union: a soul so emptied of self that she knows and wills nothing but God, and in that emptiness, receives all. The soul becomes a hidden vessel of the Trinity itself, living in silent possession of the divine mystery, no longer distinguished from Love, but abiding wholly within it.
—
1. What does the Holy Spirit say the Soul knows and wills?
The Soul knows only one thing-that she knows nothing-and she wills only one thing-that she wills nothing. This total renunciation of self-knowledge and self-will is the ground of her spiritual poverty and openness to divine fullness.
2. What is the result of the Soul’s “knowing-nothing” and “willing-nothing”?
According to the Holy Spirit, this knowing-nothing and willing-nothing give the Soul “everything,” allowing her to discover the “secret and hidden treasure” enclosed in the Trinity. This signifies profound mystical union with God through the power of Love.
3. How does the Soul come to possess all that the Holy Spirit possesses?
Since the Holy Spirit possesses everything that the Father and the Son possess, and the Soul possesses all that the Holy Spirit has, the Soul therefore mystically possesses the treasure of the Trinity itself-though not by nature, but by Love.
4. What condition allows the Trinity to dwell in the Soul?
The Trinity dwells in the Soul because she is “dead to the world and the world is dead in her.” This death is spiritual detachment from all worldly concerns, which makes her a pure vessel for divine indwelling.
5. How does this teaching relate to Holy Church’s understanding?
Holy Church is amazed and confesses that such teaching “surpasses our Scripture” and cannot be grasped by Reason. This suggests that the depth of mystical union described here transcends the external forms and rational categories of doctrine.
6. By what power does the Soul possess the treasure of the Trinity, if not by divine nature?
The Soul possesses it “through the power of Love,” not by divine nature. This means her union with the Trinity is not ontological equality, but a loving participation granted by grace.
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Chapter 43 teaches that the Souls fully united to God through Love become, in essence, the true Holy Church-not by ecclesiastical function but by inward participation in the Trinity itself. These Souls no longer live by Reason but by pure Love, having given up all they possess, including their will, in a total self-offering to God. In return, the Trinity dwells in them and gives them all that It has-not by nature, but by the right of Love. Their memory, understanding, and will are now fully absorbed in God’s Being, and their actions flow not from themselves but from divine ordination. These Souls exemplify perfect love: not seeking reward, they return all to God purely for His sake, becoming vessels of divine sustenance for the whole Church.
—
1. “These Souls, says Love, are properly called Holy Church, for they sustain and teach and feed the whole Holy Church. And not merely they, says Love, but the whole Trinity within them.”
Love identifies the fully annihilated Souls-those utterly conformed to God’s will-not simply as members of the Church but as its very heart, its substance. They are Holy Church in its truest form, because the indwelling Trinity acts in and through them. This radical statement redefines the Church not as institutional first, but as mystically incarnated in the souls who live in perfect unity with God.
2. “We wish to say, says Holy Church, that these Souls are of the life above us, for Love dwells in them and Reason dwells in us.”
Institutional or “Little” Holy Church acknowledges a hierarchy-not of authority but of spiritual elevation. These Souls dwell above Reason’s domain because they are governed by Love, not by doctrine or rational guidance. Reason may teach and interpret, but it bows to what it cannot grasp: divine Love in its pure operation.
3. “Ah, Reason, says Love, you will always be one-eyed, you and all those who are fed by your doctrine. For, to be sure, one has faulty vision who sees things before his eyes and does not understand them at all.”
Love critiques Reason’s limitations-its partial vision. Even when faced with divine realities, Reason fails to comprehend them fully. This reflects the soul’s journey beyond rational faith into a lived union, where knowing is no longer cognitive but experiential and mystical.
4. “This Soul … has given everything to us, whatever she held dear … without wishing anything in return in heaven or on earth, but for the sake of our will alone.”
The Soul’s self-gift is absolute-nothing is held back. She desires neither reward nor consolation but only God’s will. This is pure charity: a self-emptying that mirrors the kenosis of Christ. Her total offering opens her to receive the fullness of divine life.
5. “Thus what we possess in us, says the Holy Spirit, is by divine nature, and this Soul possesses it from us in herself by right of Love.”
A bold theological claim: by Love-not by nature-the Soul shares in what God has by essence. This is not ontological equality but a deep participation through Love’s gift. It stresses that divine union is possible, not by merit, but by Love’s sheer generosity.
6. “This Soul … possesses memory, understanding and will in the abyss completely in One Being, that is, in God.”
The human faculties-memory, understanding, and will-are now entirely subsumed in God. They no longer function in autonomy but are integrated into divine Being. The Soul lives from God’s life, not her own, and therefore acts only through God’s ordination.
7. “There is not any greater discernment than temperance, nor a greater richness than sufficiency, nor a greater power than love.”
This triad-temperance, sufficiency, and love-summarizes the transformed soul’s character. Her wisdom is restraint (temperance), her wealth is contentment (sufficiency), and her strength is divine charity (love). These virtues express the economy of divine life: quiet, hidden, total.
This chapter establishes the mystical identity of the annihilated Soul with Holy Church itself. She is not merely a member of the Church; she is its living, nourishing heart, because the Trinity dwells and acts in her without mediation. Her total detachment and radical union with God become the source from which the institutional Church is fed, taught, and sustained.
—
1. Why does Love say that these Souls are properly called “Holy Church”?
Because they sustain, teach, and feed the entire Church-not through their own power, but through the indwelling Trinity. Love emphasizes that the presence of the whole Trinity within these Souls makes them, in essence, the living substance of the Church.
2. How does Holy Church distinguish between herself and these Souls?
Holy Church acknowledges that these Souls belong to a higher spiritual life-one governed by Love rather than Reason. While the institutional Church functions through rational guidance and scriptural interpretation, these Souls live beyond that, guided directly by Love and united to God.
3. What critique does Love make of Reason in this chapter?
Love rebukes Reason as “one-eyed,” meaning it has partial vision and lacks true spiritual understanding. Though Reason sees divine realities, it cannot grasp them because it is not united with Love. This underscores the limitation of purely rational or doctrinal approaches to divine mysteries.
4. On what basis does the Holy Spirit give everything to the Soul?
The Holy Spirit gives everything by right of Love. The Soul, having given everything of herself to God-her will, her affections, and her identity-without seeking anything in return, receives everything that the Trinity possesses, not by nature, but as a gift of Love.
5. How does the Soul return what she receives from the Trinity?
The Soul renders all things back to God freely, just as she received them, without desire for reward in heaven or on earth. Her only motivation is to do God’s will, reflecting a pure love that mirrors the generosity of the Trinity.
6. What does the chapter say about the Soul’s faculties-memory, understanding, and will?
The Soul possesses these faculties in the abyss, fully absorbed in One Being, which is God. She no longer acts with her own memory, understanding, or will, but entirely through God’s Being, showing her total transformation and union.
7. What virtues summarize the wisdom of the Soul in this state?
Temperance (true discernment), sufficiency (true richness), and love (true power). These virtues reflect a divine order in the soul’s life, grounded not in striving, but in resting in God’s sufficiency and overflowing Love.
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Chapter 44 teaches that the soul who languishes in divine love undergoes a profound interior battle, warring against vice through the acquisition of virtue-a struggle so intense it is likened to sickness and ultimately leads to death, not of the body, but of self-will. This “death from love” signifies complete detachment from the world and the surrender of all personal desires, leaving the soul hidden in God and invulnerable to sin, the flesh, or the devil. Such a soul no longer wills anything of her own but lives entirely in the repose of God’s will, possessing perfect peace. Her transformation reveals that true union with God is attained only when the soul has relinquished her own will entirely and lives solely by the divine will, rendered through love.
—
1. Reason: “Ah, Lady Love … what does a Soul do who languishes in love?”
Reason, still operating within its framework of analysis and inquiry, turns to Love for insight into the experience of the soul that is consumed by divine longing. This question sets the stage for revealing how intense divine desire becomes a kind of transformative suffering.
2. Love: “She wars against vices … in acquiring virtues.”
Love responds that such a soul is not passive in her longing; she actively battles sin and cultivates virtue. The soul’s desire for union with God fuels her interior struggle-a warfare not against the world, but against vice within herself, to attain divine likeness.
3. Soul: “Ah, very sweet Love … one must certainly call such a strenuous life sickness and a life of war.”
The Soul confirms that the path of love is agonizing, even likening it to an illness-spiritually painful yet redemptive. Love is not romanticized here; it is a burning fire that consumes the soul, demanding heroic endurance and radical purification.
4. Love: “She has so languished in love … that she has died from love.”
This turning point introduces the mystical “death from love”-a symbolic death in which the soul is entirely taken out of herself. She no longer clings to the world, self-will, or created things. Her identity becomes lost in divine union, not by annihilation but by transformation.
5. Love: “She has finished with the world … she lives in the repose of peace.”
The soul’s death to the world brings about profound invulnerability: demons, the flesh, and worldly distractions can no longer reach her. Her will no longer reacts to created things; she lives in perfect stillness, untouched and at rest in God.
6. Reason: “Such a Soul … has no more will … we have no merit before God except as we leave our will.”
Even Reason now concedes the truth of Love’s teaching: true merit before God comes not from effort or calculation, but from the total surrender of will. Only in letting go of self-will does the soul align fully with divine love.
7. Soul: “I believe this … since I will nothing.”
The Soul affirms the teaching experientially: her peace comes from willing absolutely nothing apart from God’s will. This is the mystical paradox-by surrendering will, the soul finds completeness and lacks nothing.
8. Love: “What do you know, Lady Soul?” / Soul: “I have proven it by certain tests … I almost died from it.”
This exchange shows the soul’s journey through trial and stripping. She has been tested by God’s school of goodness, where the renunciation of all will led her to the brink of total transformation. Her survival and peace now rest in God’s will alone.
9. Soul: “One has no more will who wills nothing … has nothing with which to will except the will of Him …”
This is the heart of the teaching: the soul who truly gives her will to God retains nothing for herself-not even the capacity to will apart from Him. Her will becomes God’s will. This is not loss, but the most intimate union.
This chapter captures the soul’s final passage through the fiery school of divine love. By dying to her own will and detaching from all created things, she lives now entirely in and from God. The soul’s “death from love” is not an end, but an entrance into peace, invulnerability, and the deepest possible unity with the divine will.
—
1. What does a soul do when she “languishes in love”?
She wages war against vice by acquiring virtue. Her yearning for God makes her fight tirelessly to purify herself, leading to an intense spiritual struggle that is both exhausting and sanctifying.
2. How does the Soul describe this process of longing and virtue-acquisition?
She calls it a “great and perilous war” and likens it to a sickness. The battle for holiness is not romantic but a painful, consuming experience that can feel like illness or death.
3. What does it mean that the Soul has “died from love”?
It means that the Soul has completely detached from the world and self-will. She no longer lives by her own desires but is entirely hidden in God, untouchable by the world, sin, or temptation. This “death” is the full absorption of the soul into divine peace and will.
4. What is the result of this spiritual death for the Soul?
She lives in perfect peace, immune to the world, flesh, and demons because they can no longer find her in any worldly work or attachment. She desires nothing and wills nothing except God’s will.
5. How does Reason respond to this transformation?
Reason admits that such a soul has no more will and recognizes that true merit before God comes from surrendering one’s will entirely. This admission marks Reason’s conversion to Love’s wisdom.
6. What does the Soul say about her experience of willing nothing?
She confirms that her peace comes from giving up all will of her own. She states that she “almost died” from this surrender, but it was the only path to complete union with God’s will-having no will but His.
7. How is the will of the Soul described at the end of the chapter?
The Soul who truly gives her will to God has nothing left with which to will except the divine will itself. She is emptied of self and lives entirely by God’s ordination, becoming one with His intention.
——————–
Chapter 45 teaches that souls who have surrendered their will entirely to God live in the freeness of divine charity. Having come to a profound awareness of their own nothingness, they no longer desire anything, nor act from self-will. This nothingness is not a void but a place of radical receptivity, where God alone acts. The chapter emphasizes that all human comprehension-even of divine things-is nothing compared to the infinite, ungraspable mystery of God’s essence. Thus, true spiritual freedom arises not from understanding or striving, but from relinquishing all claims to will or knowledge, allowing God to work freely in the soul. This self-emptying becomes the soul’s liberation and perfection in love.
—
1. “Such ones live in freeness of charity who have no more will. And whoever would ask such persons what they want, in truth they would say that they want nothing.”
Here, Love defines true spiritual freedom as a state of total self-abandonment, where the soul desires absolutely nothing for itself. Having no will of its own, the soul lives in the pure charity of God, free from all attachments and self-interest. This “freeness of charity” is not merely passive; it is a sign of having been wholly transformed by divine love.
2. “They have arrived at the understanding of their nothingness… the understanding of such belief is that one can understand nothing about it.”
The soul reaches a paradoxical insight: it knows it is nothing, but even this nothingness is beyond full comprehension. This reflects the mystic’s apophatic realization-God is infinitely beyond knowing, and likewise, the creature’s nothingness before God is not a measurable absence but a total poverty of being. This humility opens the soul to divine fullness.
3. “Nothing? says Reason. / No, says Love.”
Here, Reason confronts Love with incredulity about the idea of ‘nothingness’ being the path to God. Love corrects Reason by showing that even the highest intellectual understanding falls short of divine reality. The soul that embraces its own nothingness is more in touch with truth than the one who tries to grasp God through rational comprehension.
4. “Even if one did not place in this comparison His power, His judgment, His knowledge, His goodness… still it would be nothing.”
This section illustrates the utter transcendence of God. Even the most exalted human or angelic comprehension, even of divine attributes, pales before the true essence of God. A spark of His goodness exceeds all created understanding. The created intellect cannot contain the infinite-thus, even the least of God remains unreachable in its fullness.
5. “What will the Soul do who believes this about you? / She will do nothing, says God; but I will do my work in her without her.”
The culmination of the teaching is this: the soul that has truly emptied itself does not act, but is acted upon by God. Divine charity works in her without her own intervention. This is the radical passivity of union, where the soul rests in its own nothingness and is thereby made a vessel for God’s own action.
6. “The understanding of this nothingness… releases her completely and frees her, for nothing is lacking to her since she wills nothing.”
The paradox of mystical freedom is that by willing nothing, the soul lacks nothing. This detachment is not bleak or nihilistic-it is total liberation into the sufficiency of divine love. Having no self-centered desires, the soul is finally free to live entirely in and from God, receiving everything in His love.
—
1. What characterizes the soul that “has no more will,” according to Love?
Such a soul lives in freeness of charity. When asked what they desire, these souls truthfully reply that they want nothing. This is because they have reached the recognition of their nothingness and no longer act from their own will but are entirely given over to God’s will.
2. What is the significance of “nothingness” in this chapter?
“Nothingness” signifies both the soul’s recognition of its utter poverty before God and its total surrender. This awareness is so deep that even trying to comprehend it is beyond the soul’s capacity. The understanding of nothingness frees the soul completely, making space for God to work in it without hindrance.
3. How does Reason respond to the idea of ‘nothingness,’ and what is Love’s reply?
Reason questions the notion, asking skeptically, “Nothing?” Love replies affirmatively-yes, nothing. Love explains that even the most sublime understanding or comparison of God’s attributes would still be nothing compared to His actual essence. The smallest spark of His goodness exceeds all comprehension.
4. How does the soul’s belief in its own nothingness relate to God’s action in it?
God declares that the soul who believes in its nothingness does nothing-but God Himself acts in her. This belief places her in such a degree of self-emptying that she cannot act on her own. Her powerlessness becomes the condition for divine activity.
5. What paradox about spiritual freedom is revealed at the end of the chapter?
The paradox is that the soul, by willing nothing, lacks nothing. This detachment leads to total liberation. Freed from its own will, the soul no longer experiences deficiency or need-it rests entirely in God’s sufficiency.
6. What does this chapter teach about knowledge and comprehension of God?
It teaches that no amount of human understanding-no matter how high-can grasp even the smallest part of God’s essence. Every attempt to understand God falls short, and even what we do understand is “nothing” compared to what remains hidden in Him.
——————–
Chapter 46 teaches that the soul who has reached a high degree of union with God comes to a profound awareness of divine transcendence. Even as she receives gifts and understanding from God, she perceives that all she knows and experiences is nothing compared to the infinite fullness of God Himself. The smallest spark of His goodness, hidden within His own divine knowledge, surpasses all created understanding. This realization leads the soul not to despair, but to a serene humility and contentment, as she entrusts herself entirely to Love, who alone knows God as He is. In this surrender, she is freed from striving, resting in the mystery of a God whose greatness always exceeds comprehension.
—
1. “Now this Soul has fallen and arrived at understanding of the greater part. Truly, but only in the sense that she understands nothing of God, compared to the whole of Him.”
The soul is said to have reached an “understanding of the greater part,” yet paradoxically, this means realizing how little she understands of God. The deeper her insight, the more she recognizes the immeasurable distance between her perception and the divine fullness. True understanding reveals the soul’s incapacity to comprehend God, not through ignorance, but through awe-filled recognition of His transcendence.
2. “Ah, dear! says Reason. Does one dare call nothing a thing which is of God?”
Reason, surprised and almost scandalized, questions how something that comes from God could be called “nothing.” This reflects the natural tendency of reason to attribute weight and value to anything divine. However, what follows challenges reason’s framework by relativizing even the gifts of God compared to God Himself.
3. “Truly, whatever might be given us or will be from Him is indeed nothing… still it would be nothing compared to one sole spark of His goodness, which remains in His understanding, beyond our understanding.”
The soul asserts that even the most exalted gifts from God are “nothing” in comparison with the unfathomable depths of His being. The analogy of “one sole spark” of divine goodness, which lies hidden in God’s own understanding, renders all perceived gifts infinitesimal. This isn’t a denial of the value of God’s gifts but an act of adoration that highlights His infinite transcendence.
4. “Oh… and what might be thus from the whole of Him, since one can speak so much of the goodness of the least part of Him?”
This rhetorical awe climaxes in a question: if such divine glory is found in just a fragment, how unfathomable must the whole of God be? The soul marvels at the disproportion between what can be known or said and the unspeakable grandeur of God in Himself.
5. “Ah, most sweet Love, says this Soul, this you alone know, and it is sufficient for me.”
The soul surrenders intellectual striving to Love, acknowledging that Love alone comprehends the mystery of God. The soul finds peace not in understanding but in trusting Love’s knowing. It is a consummate act of mystical humility: to rest in the sufficiency of what Love knows, even if the soul herself cannot.
—
1. What does it mean that the Soul has “arrived at understanding of the greater part”?
Although it sounds like progress, this “understanding of the greater part” actually reveals to the soul how infinitely beyond her God remains. She recognizes that all she understands is as nothing compared to the incomprehensible whole of God.
2. Why does Reason object to calling something from God “nothing”?
Reason finds it contradictory to label something divine as “nothing,” since reason associates God with all that is supremely valuable. The soul’s mystical insight, however, goes beyond this logic, emphasizing God’s total transcendence.
3. How does the Soul respond to Reason’s objection?
The Soul affirms that even the highest gifts or revelations given by God are “nothing” in comparison to a single spark of His goodness that remains hidden in His own divine understanding. Her insight relativizes all things before God’s infinite grandeur.
4. What is meant by “a sole spark of His goodness”?
This image illustrates how even the smallest, most hidden aspect of God’s goodness surpasses all the soul can experience or comprehend. It points to the infinite excess of divine reality over any created participation in it.
5. How does the Soul finally react to this overwhelming contrast between what is known and what is beyond knowledge?
The Soul turns to Love, acknowledging that only Love can comprehend God fully. She is content in this surrender, resting in the sufficiency of Love’s knowledge rather than striving for her own.
6. What is the theological significance of calling God’s known gifts “nothing”?
This language reflects a mystical theology of negation: the closer one draws to God, the more one sees that even divine gifts fall short of God’s essence. It fosters humility, detachment, and a deeper trust in God’s incomprehensible being.
——————–
In Chapter 47, the soul reaches a profound awareness of her own nothingness-not only in terms of her incapacity for good apart from God, but also in recognizing that even the true gravity of her sins lies beyond her comprehension, known only to God. Through this realization, she relinquishes all self-will and knowledge, entering a state of radical humility and interior poverty. This detachment liberates her, allowing her to live in the freeness of perfect charity, guided solely by divine grace. She ceases to judge herself or others, resting in pure intention, and finds peace in all things, because peace now abides within her. Firmly rooted in this inward transformation, she becomes unshakable, seated in the throne of peace, living from the depths of a good conscience and in total harmony with God’s will.
—
1. “Now I will tell you, says Love, how she has arrived at understanding of her nothingness. Thus she understands that neither she nor any other understands the nothingness of her horrible sins and faults, compared to what is in the knowledge of God about them.”
The soul has come to see her own utter nothingness-not only in the face of God’s grandeur but also in relation to the mystery of her own sinfulness. Even her worst sins are only truly known in their depth and horror by God alone. This humbling insight reveals that true self-knowledge is not a matter of psychological introspection, but of surrender to divine knowledge, which alone sees the truth of both sin and grace.
2. “Such a Soul, says Love, has retained no will, but instead has arrived at and fallen into willing nothing and the certain knowledge of knowing nothing.”
The soul’s total surrender is marked by a twofold kenosis: she wills nothing and knows nothing. This is not ignorance or passivity, but the highest form of spiritual poverty. By emptying herself of all self-will and self-reliance, she is free-available for God’s work and action. This “knowing-nothing” is a mystical state of humility and receptivity that releases the soul from all grasping.
3. “And this knowing-nothing and willing-nothing have released and freed her.”
Freedom is paradoxically found in this utter abandonment. What the world might see as a loss of autonomy is, in truth, the soul’s liberation. She is no longer bound by illusions of control or self-merit but rests in God alone. This is the heart of true contemplative peace.
4. “Such a Soul, says Love, maintains the counsel of the Gospel which says: ‘Have a simple eye and then you will not sin.'”
The “simple eye” refers to spiritual singleness and purity of intention. Because the soul is no longer divided by self-interest or judgments, she perceives all through the lens of charity. Her simplicity protects her from sin-not by effort, but by orientation of the heart.
5. “So this Soul is at peace in all that God suffers from her, for she has true intention in all her undertakings and peaceful repose in the actions of her neighbors.”
The soul is not disturbed even by her faults, because she knows they are permitted by God for her transformation. Her peace flows from right intention and from refusing to judge her neighbor, instead resting in the belief that goodness is present in all. Her repose is rooted in deep trust in God’s providence.
6. “This Soul has her peace in all places, for she carries peace with her always, so that, because of such peace, all places are comfortable for her, and all things also.”
Peace is no longer circumstantial. Because the soul carries interior peace-born of detachment and divine union-she finds comfort in all things. She is no longer tossed about by externals, for her rest is in God alone, and therefore portable and unshakable.
7. “Thus such a Soul seats herself without moving herself on the throne of peace in the book of life, in the witness of a good conscience and in freeness of perfect charity.”
This final image conveys regal stillness: the soul is enthroned in peace, inscribed in the book of life. She lives in the freedom of perfect charity and the quiet testimony of a conscience purified by grace. Her transformation is complete-not by achievement, but by surrender.
—
1. What does it mean that the soul understands her “nothingness”?
The soul has come to realize not only her utter dependence on God but also that even the depth of her sins and faults cannot be truly comprehended by herself or anyone else-only God fully knows them. Her “nothingness” is a recognition of her radical insufficiency and total need for divine grace.
2. How does the soul relate to her will and knowledge in this state?
She has completely relinquished both. She “wills nothing” and knows “nothing,” not from apathy or ignorance, but from a mystical humility. This total detachment from her own faculties of control and understanding liberates her and allows God to act freely within her.
3. How is this emptiness connected to freedom?
By letting go of all personal will and knowledge, the soul becomes free from the burdens of self, pride, and judgment. This interior poverty opens her to God’s action alone, granting her peace and spiritual freedom beyond self-effort.
4. What Gospel counsel does the soul fulfill, and how?
She fulfills the counsel: “Have a simple eye and then you will not sin.” This means she lives with pure, undivided intention. Her gaze is fixed on God without distraction or duplicity, leading her away from sin and toward clarity, simplicity, and peace.
5. How does the soul respond to her own faults and the actions of others?
She is at peace with her own faults because she accepts all that God permits and trusts His judgment. Likewise, she has “peaceful repose” in the actions of her neighbors, making no critical judgments but assuming all is ordered in divine goodness.
6. Why is the soul said to have peace in all places and things?
Because peace resides in her-not in circumstances. Having been inwardly transformed and freed, she carries peace with her, making every place comfortable and every experience bearable. Her peace is stable, not dependent on external conditions.
7. What is the final image of the soul in this chapter, and what does it signify?
She is seated “on the throne of peace in the book of life,” resting in the witness of a good conscience and the freeness of perfect charity. This image conveys her secure position in divine life, characterized by stillness, assurance, and love perfected.
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Chapter 48 teaches that true spiritual freedom is found only in the soul who has completely renounced her own will, even the subtle desire that God’s will be fulfilled in her to her own honor. As long as a person wills anything for themselves-even something that appears holy-they remain a servant of their own will and not truly free. Such souls settle for a limited spiritual state, deceived by a sense of calm that is rooted in self-satisfaction. Only the soul governed by Faith and Love, rather than Reason, Fear, or personal desire, is truly unencumbered. This soul is liberated from fear and attraction alike, resting entirely in God without seeking anything for herself, and thus she alone receives the kingdom of God.
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1. “Thus the Soul wills nothing, says Love, since she is free; for one is not free who wills something by the will within him, whatever he might will.”
True freedom, in Love’s teaching, is found in complete self-emptying-not even willing God’s will for oneself. Any inward claim, even the desire that God act through us for our honor, is a subtle form of self-service and thus bondage to self-will. Love redefines freedom as the absence of all personal claims or desires.
2. “For when one is a servant of oneself, one wills that God accomplish His will to one’s own honor… God refuses His kingdom.”
Self-will, even masked in piety, seeks its own glory through God’s action. This is a betrayal of true charity. The soul who seeks divine will only when it honors her cannot receive God’s kingdom, for she still clings to herself. Such self-regard obstructs the soul’s full entry into divine life.
3. “Such folk… are not calm no matter how much they think they are… their state is sufficient for them.”
Those attached to their own spiritual progress or reputation may appear composed, but inner rest eludes them. They mistake complacency for peace, clinging to a self-satisfied sense of spiritual sufficiency that blinds them to greater depths of surrender.
4. “They do not have as much worthiness… as to think there is no one greater than they, and this keeps them from arriving at what is better.”
Pride subtly blocks spiritual growth. When one unconsciously assumes spiritual superiority or completeness, they close themselves off from greater graces. True humility opens the soul to what is better by acknowledging its utter need.
5. “Certainly not… Since will remains in them they are servants of their will.”
Freedom and satisfaction are impossible where self-will reigns. As long as one clings to personal desire-even in spiritual matters-one lives in servitude. The will, rather than being surrendered, becomes a tyrant that keeps the soul chained.
6. “A Soul enters such servitude… who believes completely these two Virtues, that is, Reason and Fear, and this insatiable Will.”
Reason and Fear, though often seen as moral virtues, can bind the soul if unaccompanied by Faith and Love. If the soul depends solely on rational control or fear of loss, it falls into anxious striving and inner dissatisfaction.
7. “But the one alone is free… whom Faith and Love govern, for they remove such a one from all servitude, without fear of frightening things, without desire of delectable things.”
Faith and Love liberate the soul completely. No fear or desire moves such a soul; she neither shrinks from suffering nor clings to sweetness. Governed only by God’s presence through pure Faith and Love, she transcends all spiritual ambition and becomes truly free.
This chapter critiques subtle forms of spiritual egoism and affirms that only total surrender-beyond even the desire for divine action in oneself-opens the soul to perfect liberty in God.
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1. What does Love say about the nature of true spiritual freedom?
Love teaches that true freedom is found in willing nothing-in complete detachment from personal will. As long as the soul retains any inward desire, even for God’s will to be done in her to her own honor, she is not truly free but remains a servant of herself.
2. Why does Love say that God refuses His kingdom to certain souls?
Because these souls desire that God’s will be accomplished in a way that benefits their own honor or reputation. Such a desire reveals self-interest and self-will, which are incompatible with the total self-emptying required to receive God’s kingdom.
3. How are such souls deceived in their spiritual state?
They may believe themselves calm and satisfied, but Love reveals this as a false peace. Their spiritual opinion of themselves is “sufficient” for them, which means they settle for a limited state and do not seek greater detachment or deeper union with God.
4. What keeps these souls from progressing further in spiritual life?
Their inability to see anyone as greater than themselves. This subtle pride keeps them from humbling themselves and becoming receptive to what is “better”-namely, fuller transformation in God.
5. What does the Soul say about those who remain servants of their own will?
The Soul explains that as long as the will remains active and attached-even in spiritual things-one remains a servant of that will. True freedom only comes when the will itself is relinquished.
6. How can a soul fall into spiritual servitude, even with good intentions?
When it depends entirely on Reason and Fear, it may appear morally upright but is still governed by inner striving and caution rather than surrender. This reliance leads to spiritual exhaustion and a lack of true peace.
7. According to Love, who is the truly free soul?
The soul governed by Faith and Love. These virtues lift the soul beyond fear and desire, freeing her from all servitude. She is not moved by frightening things nor drawn by pleasurable ones, and so rests entirely in God.
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In Chapter 49, the main teaching is that the soul who has entirely renounced her own will is the most noble and free. Such a soul no longer desires heaven, fears hell, or seeks any created thing; she wills absolutely nothing except that God’s will be done. This state of “willing nothing” is held to be far more worthy than even the greatest spiritual achievements, such as miracles, martyrdom, or mystical raptures, because all such acts still involve the soul’s active will. In contrast, the soul who rests in God’s will without any self-directed desire has reached a state of pure love and divine nobility, surpassing all multiplicities of religious action. This radical detachment and simplicity of spirit marks the soul’s highest freedom and closest union with God.
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1. “Such a Soul no longer has will, and thus it does not matter to her what God might do, only that He might always do His will.”
The soul’s nobility comes precisely from the total abandonment of her own will. She is detached from outcomes, spiritual rewards, or any created good. Her only desire is for God to act according to His own will-whether it exalts or humbles her. This pure consent to God’s being is the essence of spiritual nobility.
2. “She does not need hell, or paradise, or any created thing. She neither wills nor not-wills anything which might be named here.”
This radical detachment includes even the desire for salvation or avoidance of damnation. The soul does not seek paradise nor flee from hell-not from presumption or despair, but because she has transcended self-interest altogether. Her identity is dissolved into God’s will, leaving her without any personal preference.
3. “Nothing, says Love, she wills nothing. But to say this seems indeed strange to those who desire great burdens from multiplicities of love.”
Love affirms that the soul wills absolutely nothing-an idea shocking to those who equate holiness with intense spiritual striving and acts of love. The paradox is that deeper union comes not through more activity, but through the death of personal will-even the will to love greatly.
4. “Such folk, says this Soul, are so blind that a great thing seems little to them.”
People who cling to their own religious zeal, efforts, or virtues are spiritually blind. They cannot see the greatness of the soul who wills nothing, because they measure sanctity by visible or felt expressions. This blindness prevents them from grasping the depth of spiritual simplicity.
5. “This willing nothing in God is more worthy than willing good for God’s sake.”
Here we reach the heart of the chapter. Even willing good for God’s sake involves self-movement, and thus a residual selfhood. The soul who wills nothing in God rests in a higher nobility-it is not what she does for God that matters, but how she disappears into God’s own will.
6. “Suppose that willing this good they could do miracles and receive martyrdom each day… and still… there would be no comparison since will remains.”
No matter how heroic one’s deeds may be-daily martyrdom or miraculous power-if they arise from one’s own will (even if aimed toward God), they are lesser than the total surrender of self-will. The soul who wills nothing surpasses all such acts by her simple, passive union with God.
7. “They could even be raptured into heaven each day to see the Trinity… as was Saint Paul the Apostle!”
Even the loftiest mystical experiences do not compare with the soul’s nobility who wills nothing. This is not a dismissal of visions or raptures, but a profound theological claim: that the height of sanctity lies not in what is seen, but in what is surrendered-the soul’s own will.
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1. What does it mean that the soul “no longer has will,” and why is this considered noble?
It means the soul has surrendered all personal desire, including even the desire for spiritual rewards like heaven or the avoidance of hell. She desires only that God’s will be done, entirely apart from her own advantage or perception. This radical detachment and surrender to God’s will is considered noble because it reflects the purest form of love-one that is free, selfless, and unencumbered by any personal claim.
2. Why does the soul not desire “hell, or paradise, or any created thing”?
Because she is utterly detached from all self-interest, even spiritual self-interest. Her only concern is that God be God, and His will be fulfilled. She does not cling to fear of punishment or hope of reward, but rests in God’s freedom entirely.
3. Why does Love say that this will-less state seems “strange” to others?
Because many people, even devout ones, still attach value to acts of devotion, experiences, and efforts-what Love calls “multiplicities of love.” To them, the idea of willing nothing seems passive or unambitious. They do not understand that in God’s eyes, the pure abandonment of will is far more noble than any multiplicity of religious action.
4. According to the Soul, what causes people to misjudge the greatness of willing nothing?
Blindness. People who are still bound by their own will, even in spiritual matters, misjudge the greatness of such detachment. A truly great spiritual reality-willing nothing-seems “little” to them because they evaluate sanctity by effort and emotional intensity rather than surrender.
5. How is “willing nothing in God” more worthy than “willing good for God’s sake”?
Willing good for God’s sake still involves a personal movement of the will-it still centers around what I do for God. In contrast, willing nothing in God is a total renunciation of self-direction. It is not about doing for God but about being entirely at rest in Him, allowing Him to act freely. This is more worthy because it reflects a deeper union with God’s own freedom and sovereignty.
6. Why are even miracles, martyrdom, and mystical raptures considered lesser than this state?
Because they still involve the soul’s will-even if aimed at God. These acts may be heroic and holy, but as long as the will remains active and claims some initiative or identity, there is still selfhood. The soul that has no will and simply rests in God has gone beyond such self-referential holiness into pure union.
7. What is the ultimate spiritual principle affirmed by this chapter?
That the noblest soul is the one who has surrendered her will entirely to God-not to gain something from Him, but because she desires nothing but His will. This total detachment is more precious than any act or experience, because it reflects the soul’s complete poverty of spirit and union with divine freedom.
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Chapter 50 teaches that the soul, in the highest state of union, becomes entirely conformed to God, as wax takes the shape of a seal-bearing His divine imprint through the love that unites them. This transformation is not symbolic but actual, as the soul receives its identity directly from God in the union of Love. The soul recognizes that God’s acts of mercy, including the Incarnation and Passion, were never contrary to His divine nature but perfectly consistent with His eternal Wisdom and Goodness. Even when the soul momentarily stumbles in theological speculation, Love and the Father gently affirm her belonging and her insight into divine mysteries. Ultimately, the chapter reveals the nobility of a soul so united to God that she is called His “first-born daughter” and “heir-apparent,” sharing in the intimate life of the Trinity through the Spirit’s gift of Love.
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1. “This Soul is engraved in God, and has her true imprint maintained through the union of Love. And in the manner that wax takes the form of the seal, so has this Soul taken the imprint of this true exemplar.”
This striking image conveys the soul’s total conformity to God through love. Just as soft wax takes on the exact imprint of a seal, the soul, fully surrendered and united in divine love, becomes a perfect expression of the divine likeness. Her form is no longer her own, but bears the shape of God’s will, truth, and character. It is not imitation but transformation.
2. “For even if God loves us… He did not love us in contradiction to Himself.”
Here the soul reflects on divine love not as something arbitrary or sentimental but rooted in God’s own truth and consistency. God’s acts-especially the Incarnation and Passion-are not contradictions of His divine nature, but expressions of His goodness. The soul recognizes that divine love is not opposed to justice or wisdom, but fulfills them.
3. “All that the Trinity had created in His wisdom would have to have been condemned eternally if Jesus Christ the Son of God had not been taken away from Truth in order to save us all.”
This is a moment of theological reflection bordering on error, but the soul catches herself, realizing that God cannot act contrary to truth. The idea of the Son being “taken away from Truth” is immediately rejected as impossible. This moment dramatizes the soul’s wrestling with the mystery of salvation and justice, leading to deeper humility and trust.
4. “Yes, sweet beloved, says Love, my friends know it well that this cannot be.”
Love corrects the soul gently, affirming the orthodoxy of God’s nature. True friends of God know that He never contradicts Himself. This moment of correction affirms that the soul, while daring in her expression, remains within the bounds of divine truth due to her intimacy with Love.
5. “But I have said it to you, you who are my dear love, says the Person of God the Father, because such must be my first-born daughter who is heir-apparent to my realm…”
This final divine affirmation lifts the soul to a position of highest intimacy with God. She is called the Father’s “first-born daughter” and “heir-apparent,” sharing the secrets of the Son through the Holy Spirit. This exalted language indicates the mystical union she enjoys-her soul now participates in the inner life of the Trinity through love, not by merit, but by grace freely given.
Overall Insight:
This chapter portrays the soul’s final conformity to God through the mystical imprint of love. Her will, nature, and understanding have been so transformed that she bears the very form of divine wisdom, becoming a living seal of God’s will. Though her thoughts briefly stumble in trying to comprehend the mystery of salvation, divine Love and the Father Himself affirm her identity and correct her gently, showing her exalted place within the life of God.
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1. What does it mean that the soul is “engraved in God” like wax from a seal?
It means that the soul has been fully conformed to God’s will and nature through the union of Love. Just as wax takes the exact shape of a seal, this soul bears the perfect imprint of God, not by imitation but by transformation, having lost all personal will and identity apart from Him.
2. How does the soul describe God’s love in relation to His nature?
The soul emphasizes that God’s love is never in contradiction to Himself. Even the Incarnation and Passion were consistent with divine Truth and Wisdom. God’s mercy operates within, not against, His divine justice and nature.
3. Why does the soul momentarily question the logic of divine salvation?
She wonders aloud if salvation required God the Son to be “taken away from Truth,” which would suggest a contradiction in God. But she quickly realizes the impossibility of this and affirms that divine acts of love never violate divine truth, showing her ongoing purification and deepening understanding.
4. How does Love respond to the soul’s momentary confusion?
Love gently reassures her, affirming that “my friends know it well that this cannot be.” Love corrects the soul’s theological misstep without condemnation, affirming her closeness to God and her participation in divine truth.
5. What final affirmation does God the Father give to this soul?
God the Father calls her His “dear love,” His “first-born daughter,” and “heir-apparent to [His] realm.” This declaration confirms the soul’s exalted mystical union with the Trinity, wherein she shares in divine secrets through the Holy Spirit’s love.
6. What does this chapter reveal about the nature of mystical union?
It reveals that true mystical union is not about emotional experiences or spiritual accomplishments, but about a complete transformation into the likeness of God. The soul becomes the very image of divine Love, receiving divine knowledge and participating in the Trinitarian life through pure, will-less receptivity.
7. How does this chapter balance theological daring with orthodoxy?
While the soul explores a risky theological idea (that Christ had to be removed from Truth to save humanity), she immediately recognizes its impossibility. This tension shows the depth and honesty of mystical questioning, while Love and the Father affirm the truth, keeping the soul anchored in divine orthodoxy.