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.
—
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.
—
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.