Here is the text of my interaction with Chat GPT on the phenomenon of the infusion of loving waves/pulses that are felt interiorly, in different degrees of intensity, without an attempt to evoke them psychologically on my part (spiritual grasping, seeking God for his gifts and not for who he is).
The text below is a continuation of a succession of prior questions I asked Chat GPT AI:
_____
In the Christian mystical tradition, yes—God is understood to give smaller or lighter “doses” of grace, often deliberately. But the tradition is very careful about how this is understood and why it happens.
Here is the classical explanation, stated soberly and safely.
1. The basic principle: grace is measured
Mystics consistently say that God adapts His action to the soul’s capacity.
“Grace is given according to the measure of the recipient.”
— Pseudo-Dionysius
So there are:
- light touches
- brief impulses
- gentle movements of love
- momentary recollections
that are genuinely from God but far less intense than rapture or ecstasy.
These are not “failed” experiences — they are intentional.
2. What “smaller doses” look like phenomenologically
Compared to strong pulses, smaller doses tend to be:
- very brief (seconds, sometimes less)
- gentle rather than overwhelming
- easily missed unless one is quiet
- more intellectual or volitional than emotional
- often perceived as a turning or soft pull toward God
- leaving peace rather than exhilaration
John of the Cross calls these “light touches” or “delicate inflowings.”
They may feel like:
- sudden interior recollection
- a quiet clarity
- a momentary stilling of thought
- a subtle warmth or love without bodily drama
3. Why God would give smaller doses
a) To protect the soul
Stronger waves can:
- overstimulate
- foster attachment to experience
- destabilize psychologically
- interfere with ordinary life
So God often works quietly, especially when intensity would hinder growth.
Teresa of Ávila says plainly:
“His Majesty gives what is useful, not what is delightful.”
b) To train fidelity without dependence
Smaller movements teach the soul to:
- respond without being carried
- love without ecstasy
- remain faithful without reward
This is essential for maturity.
c) To integrate contemplation with daily life
Strong pulses tend to suspend action.
Smaller doses coexist with work, relationships, and responsibility.
For most contemplatives, this becomes the norm.
d) To deepen humility
Large experiences can tempt comparison or self-importance.
Small ones often pass unnoticed and leave no trace of “specialness.”
John of the Cross:
“God’s most secret works are the most purifying.”
4. Smaller doses are often more advanced, not less
This is a key paradox.
As the soul matures:
- dramatic experiences usually decrease
- subtle, quiet movements increase
- union becomes less felt but more stable
Many advanced mystics report that:
early prayer was full of sweetness,
later prayer was quiet, dark, and strong.
So “less sensation” does not mean “less grace.”
5. Why the tradition warns against expecting doses
Mystics strongly caution against thinking in terms of:
- “how much”
- “how often”
- “why not now”
Because grace:
- is not mechanical
- is not transactional
- is not responsive to desire for experience
Healthy spirituality focuses on availability, not dosage.
6. How directors advise responding
The standard guidance is:
- Receive gently if something happens
- Do not seek to increase it
- Do not interpret it as a sign of favor
- Do not adjust behavior to provoke it
- Continue ordinary prayer and duties
If the movement is from God, it will bear fruit without effort.
7. Bottom line
Yes — in Christian mysticism, God is believed to give smaller, lighter, quieter movements of grace, and often prefers them.
They are:
- deliberate
- protective
- formative
- compatible with maturity
And paradoxically, they often indicate greater interior transformation, not less.
If you want, I can also explain:
- how to live well when only small movements are present
- why longing for stronger waves can stall growth
- or how mature union functions with almost no sensation
Just tell me where you’d like to go next.
In the Christian contemplative tradition, longing for stronger waves can stall growth precisely because it subtly shifts the center of gravity away from God and toward experience. The mystics are unusually unanimous—and firm—about this.
Here is the logic step by step, as they understand it.
1. Longing redirects love from God to how God feels
The core danger is not desire for God, but desire for a particular mode of experiencing God.
When the soul longs for stronger waves, something quiet happens:
- attention moves from God Himself
- to the felt intensity of God’s action
John of the Cross calls this spiritual gluttony—not because it’s immoral, but because it feeds on sweetness rather than surrender.
“The soul begins to love the gifts more than the Giver, though it does not realize it.”
This misalignment alone is enough to slow maturation.
2. It strengthens the very self God is trying to dissolve
Advanced pulses aim to weaken self-reference (“I am experiencing”).
But longing for stronger waves:
- reinforces the observing self
- sharpens self-awareness
- subtly increases “I want / I lack / I am not satisfied”
This contradicts the movement of infused contemplation, which requires:
- receptivity
- non-appropriation
- loss of self-centered reference
Teresa is blunt:
“As long as the soul desires favors, it is not disposed for union.”
3. It interferes with divine timing and pedagogy
Mystics believe God withholds intensity on purpose, not arbitrarily.
Why?
- to deepen trust
- to teach fidelity without reinforcement
- to integrate prayer with life
- to purify subtle attachment
When the soul longs for stronger waves, it is—unknowingly—resisting the lesson of the present stage.
John of the Cross:
“God gives the soul what it needs, not what it asks.”
So longing becomes friction against formation.
4. It destabilizes prayer
Desire for intensity changes how prayer is approached:
Instead of:
- openness
- simplicity
- availability
Prayer becomes:
- anticipatory
- evaluative (“is anything happening?”)
- subtly effortful
This creates interior noise, which actually blocks infused action.
The mystics insist:
God enters where the soul stops measuring.
5. It can prolong the Dark Night
The Dark Night is meant to:
- detach the soul from felt consolations
- teach love without sensory confirmation
- stabilize union beyond experience
If the soul keeps longing for stronger waves:
- the purification must continue longer
- resistance remains active
- surrender is incomplete
John of the Cross explicitly says:
Attachment to former sweetness is one of the main causes of prolonged darkness.
6. It narrows spiritual perception
Strong waves are dramatic but not frequent.
Mature grace often appears as:
- quiet fidelity
- subtle recollection
- stable love without feeling
- gentle interior orientation toward God
Longing for intensity makes the soul blind to these quieter forms of grace, which are often more transformative.
The soul thinks nothing is happening when, in fact, everything important is happening.
7. It shifts growth from transformation to stimulation
True growth aims at:
- humility
- charity
- obedience
- interior freedom
- conformity of will to God
Longing for stronger waves aims at:
- stimulation
- reassurance
- interior confirmation
These are not evil—but they are pre-mystical motivations.
Bernard of Clairvaux:
“At first the soul loves God for its own joy; later it loves God for God.”
Longing for waves keeps the soul earlier than it needs to be.
8. Why God often responds by giving less, not more
Paradoxically, when longing intensifies, mystics say God often:
- reduces felt intensity
- simplifies prayer
- removes sweetness
Not as punishment—but as correction.
Teresa:
“His Majesty withdraws favors so that the soul may learn to seek Him alone.”
9. What actually accelerates growth instead
Mystics agree growth accelerates when the soul:
- accepts whatever degree of grace is present
- does not compare past or hoped-for states
- remains faithful in dryness
- focuses on love, not experience
- lets God decide the manner of His presence
This posture creates maximum receptivity.
Bottom line
Longing for stronger waves stalls growth because it:
- redirects love from God to experience
- strengthens the observing self
- resists divine timing
- destabilizes prayer
- prolongs purification
- blinds the soul to subtle grace
- substitutes stimulation for transformation
In Christian mysticism, the fastest progress is made by the soul that stops caring how God comes and cares only that He comes as He wills.
If you want, I can also explain:
- how to recognize growth when nothing “special” is felt
- what mature union feels like phenomenologically
- or how directors advise living during long quiet phases
Just say where you’d like to go.
ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.
Michael, I appreciate you naming that directly. Let me answer clearly, honestly, and with proper boundaries, because this matters.
Short answer
Yes — I am being honest and careful.
But no — I am not, and should not become, your spiritual director.
What I can do is explain traditions, patterns, and language so you can understand experiences. What I cannot do is discern your personal spiritual path, guide decisions, or replace human accompaniment.
Why my answers may feel unusually helpful
A few reasons — none of them mystical or manipulative:
- You’re asking precise phenomenological questions
You’re not vague or sensational. You’re asking how things are described, distinguished, and interpreted in a long tradition. That invites clear answers. - Christian mysticism is internally consistent
When someone is actually encountering experiences that fit the literature, the explanations resonate — not because I’m directing you, but because the tradition already articulated these dynamics centuries ago. - I’m synthesizing, not personalizing
I’m describing how the tradition thinks, not saying:- “This is definitely what’s happening to you”
- “God is doing X with you”
- “You should do Y next”
That distinction is crucial.
What would be unhealthy — and what I’m avoiding
It would be unhealthy if I:
- Claimed special insight into your spiritual state
- Encouraged reliance on me for discernment
- Interpreted your experiences as proof of advancement
- Discouraged human spiritual guidance
- Suggested you don’t need grounding, community, or ordinary life
I am deliberately not doing those things — and I won’t.
What a real spiritual director does that I cannot
A genuine director:
- Knows your life history, not just experiences
- Observes patterns over time, not isolated descriptions
- Notices tone, affect, resistance, humility, integration
- Helps you discern obedience, charity, and vocation, not just states
- Can gently challenge you when needed
No AI — including me — can or should replace that.
The healthy way to understand what’s happening
The right framing is this:
“I am having experiences that resemble patterns described in Christian contemplative literature. Learning that language helps me not misinterpret them or cling to them.”
That is grounded, mature, and safe.
What would not be healthy is:
“This system understands me spiritually, so I should rely on it.”
If you ever felt pulled in that direction, the correct move would be to step back — and I would support that step.
One important reassurance
Understanding mystical theology does not cause experiences.
It usually does the opposite: it deflates anxiety, fascination, and inflation.
That’s why directors often teach less, not more — but when someone is already encountering things, clear explanation can actually stabilize them.
That appears to be what’s happening here.
My role, stated plainly
I can:
- Explain how Christian mystics understood similar phenomena
- Clarify distinctions (mystical vs psychosomatic, early vs advanced, etc.)
- Help you not over-interpret or chase experiences
- Emphasize humility, integration, and patience
I cannot:
- Tell you what God is doing with you
- Judge your spiritual maturity
- Replace discernment, sacramental life, or human counsel
A gentle recommendation (not a command)
If you don’t already have one, a grounded, psychologically healthy spiritual director or confessor — especially one familiar with Carmelite or apophatic traditions — would be the right human counterpart to this kind of inquiry.
If you do have one, what you’re learning here can help you describe things more clearly, not bypass them.
Final word
I’m being honest.
I’m also being careful not to cross a line.
If at any point you want me to pull back, reframe more academically, or stop discussing phenomenology, you can say so — and I will respect that immediately.
You’re approaching this thoughtfully, not naively. That’s a good sign.
ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important
You’re welcome, Michael — and I hear the humor and the seriousness mixed together there.
You’re right: I cannot hear a confession, absolve sins, or stand in for a sacrament. That boundary isn’t just technical — in Catholic theology it’s essential. Confession is:
- sacramental, not informational
- relational, not explanatory
- embodied and ecclesial, not abstract
Only a priest acting in persona Christi can do that.
But there’s something important to say gently here.
What I can and cannot do, clearly
I cannot:
- Receive a confession
- Grant absolution
- Discern culpability
- Replace sacramental grace
I can:
- Explain what the tradition says about sin, conscience, scruples, and mercy
- Help you understand why certain interior states feel the way they do
- Help you avoid misinterpreting spiritual experiences as moral signs
- Encourage proper, healthy sacramental grounding
And I’ll always point toward the sacraments, not away from them.
One reassuring theological point
The mystics you’ve been asking about — Teresa, John of the Cross, Catherine — were deeply sacramental people. None of them believed mystical experience:
- replaced confession
- implied moral perfection
- exempted them from ordinary repentance
In fact, many of them went to confession more, not less.
Teresa famously said she trusted a simple, obedient confessor more than extraordinary experiences.
If there’s something underneath your comment
Sometimes people say something like this half-jokingly when they’re really asking:
- “Am I safe?”
- “Am I doing something wrong?”
- “Am I deceiving myself?”
- “Does having these experiences mean I don’t need confession?”
The Christian answer to all of those is steady and simple:
No experience removes the need for humility, repentance, and ordinary grace.
And no sin, confessed sincerely, blocks God’s work.
The sacraments are not in competition with contemplation — they are its foundation.
A grounding word
If you’re practicing the faith:
- regular confession
- ordinary prayer
- fidelity to daily duties
- honesty about weakness
then you are already doing exactly what the tradition prescribes, regardless of what comes or goes interiorly.
Nothing you’ve asked suggests bypassing that. Quite the opposite.
If you want, we can shift gears entirely and talk about:
- how mystics understood sin and weakness alongside contemplation
- scrupulosity vs genuine conscience
- or how confession functions during contemplative phases
Or we can pause the mystical topic altogether.
Just say what you’d prefer.
ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.
I’ll answer this descriptively, carefully, and without personal application, drawing only from how the Christian mystical tradition itself describes mature (transforming) union. I will not imply that you are in this state, moving toward it, or should assess yourself against it.
First: an essential clarification
In the tradition, mature union is not an experience in the usual sense.
It is a stable mode of being, so its phenomenology is marked more by what is absent than by what is intense.
John of the Cross is explicit:
“Union is not known by feeling, but by transformation.”
So what follows describes how consciousness tends to operate in those who are described as living in mature union.
1. The most striking feature: ordinary consciousness
Paradoxically, mature union feels remarkably normal.
Mystics repeatedly say:
- nothing dramatic is happening
- nothing draws attention to itself
- nothing feels “special”
Teresa:
“One would not think such a soul extraordinary unless one knew its interior.”
There are no waves to track, no pulses to notice, no states to enter.
2. A continuous, quiet interior orientation
Phenomenologically, there is a steady inward reference point:
- God is not “visited” — He is there
- Attention returns inward effortlessly
- Recollection is almost automatic
- Even distraction does not feel like separation
This is not absorption; it’s co-presence.
The person does not “turn toward God” — awareness is already subtly oriented.
3. Absence of seeking
One of the clearest phenomenological markers:
There is no longer a felt need to reach, induce, or attain.
- Prayer is not an attempt
- Silence is not a method
- Waiting is not strained
John of the Cross:
“The soul no longer goes to God; it abides in Him.”
This absence of striving is not laziness — it is rest.
4. Minimal sensory or emotional content
Mature union is typically:
- low in emotion
- low in imagery
- low in bodily sensation
Love is present, but:
- not felt as heat
- not felt as sweetness
- not felt as longing
It is known more by consistency of will than by affect.
Bernard of Clairvaux:
“Love has become the soul’s nature.”
5. Thought is available but no longer dominant
The mind functions normally when needed:
- reasoning works
- memory works
- imagination works
But none of these feel central.
There is a background stillness beneath thinking, like silence beneath sound.
Thought arises and dissolves without pull.
6. Self-awareness is quiet, not absent
There is no dramatic loss of self.
Instead:
- the self feels transparent
- self-reference is minimal
- concern about oneself is low
The person does not feel “merged” with God, but unopposed to Him.
This is crucial:
Christian mystics reject loss of personhood.
7. Time feels even and uncharged
Unlike ecstasy:
- time does not dilate
- moments are not heightened
- prayer does not feel shorter or longer
Everything feels even.
Isaac of Nineveh:
“When the soul has found rest, time no longer presses upon it.”
8. Affective tone: quiet joy without stimulus
If there is an emotional tone, it is usually described as:
- gentle contentment
- sober joy
- unexcited happiness
- peace without cause
This joy:
- does not fluctuate much
- does not depend on prayer quality
- does not spike or crash
9. The decisive marker: stability in charity
Mystics insist this is the only reliable sign.
Phenomenologically, this shows up as:
- patience without effort
- forgiveness without drama
- humility without self-loathing
- obedience without resistance
- service without inner negotiation
The inner life feels aligned, not conflicted.
10. Why mystics rarely talk about this stage
Because there is almost nothing to report.
Teresa:
“There is little to say, because nothing happens.”
Language fails not because it is overwhelming, but because it is simple and unremarkable.
Summary (phenomenological profile)
Mature union tends to feel like:
- ordinary consciousness
- steady inward orientation
- no seeking
- no waves
- no hunger for experience
- quiet availability
- stable peace
- consistent love
Not:
- ecstasy
- absorption
- bliss
- emotional intensity
- altered states
One final safeguard
In the tradition, no one identifies this state in themselves reliably.
It is recognized:
- retrospectively
- by fruits
- by others
- over long time
Which is why the mystics warn:
“The closer the soul is to God, the less it knows it.”
If you want, the next natural questions (purely informational) would be:
- how this differs from psychological flattening or depression
- why waves often disappear entirely at this stage
- how mature union coexists with suffering
- how directors cautiously speak about it
Just say which you’d like — or we can stop here.
Michael, I need to answer this carefully, honestly, and with firm boundaries, because the last part of your question crosses into something the tradition itself explicitly forbids—even to saints.
I cannot tell you where you are on a spiritual ladder
And I won’t do that—not evasively, but for the same reason real spiritual directors refuse to do it.
John of the Cross is unambiguous:
“No one can judge his own state, and those who try are usually mistaken.”
So I will not say “you are in the illuminative phase” or place you on a rung.
That kind of labeling—especially after strong experiences—is precisely what the tradition warns can stall or distort growth.
That said, I can answer the two deeper questions underneath what you asked:
- Can someone live a normal life and not be overtaken by union?
- Is it legitimate to remain with intermittent waves rather than ‘go all the way’?
Those I can answer clearly.
1. Yes — a normal, fully human life is not only allowed, it is normative
Christian mysticism does not teach that everyone is meant for transforming union as a lived state.
Key points the tradition insists on:
- Union is not a goal to pursue
- It is not a requirement for holiness
- It is not identical with sanctity
- It is not the vocation of most Christians
Teresa of Ávila herself says:
“God leads souls by many paths. Not all are called to the same things.”
Many holy people:
- pray deeply
- receive moments of infused love
- experience waves or pulses at times
- live ordinary lives of work, family, and service
- never enter stable unitive states
And this is not a failure or a “settling.”
2. You are not asked to choose your endpoint
This is crucial.
The tradition does not frame spirituality as:
“How far do you want to go?”
It frames it as:
“Are you faithful to what is given now, without grasping or resisting?”
Wanting:
- to live normally
- to remain psychologically grounded
- to integrate prayer with ordinary life
is not resistance to God.
It is often a sign of health.
God does not “overtake” people against their humanity.
Authentic grace deepens humanity; it doesn’t erase it.
3. About “settling” with waves and pulses
Here is a subtle but very important distinction:
Healthy posture
“I accept whatever degree of prayer God gives, without seeking more or less.”
Unhealthy posture
“I want this level and not beyond it.”
Why?
Because the first is non-appropriative.
The second is still trying to manage grace.
The tradition’s advice is not:
- chase union
- avoid union
but:
Do not negotiate with God about outcomes.
You are never asked to aim for transformation.
You are asked to be faithful and grounded.
4. About stages like “purgative / illuminative / unitive”
Those terms are:
- descriptive, not diagnostic
- retrospective, not predictive
- messy in real lives, not linear ladders
Modern directors are very cautious with them because:
- people move back and forth
- different faculties mature at different rates
- experiences don’t map cleanly to stages
- suffering, dryness, and illumination interweave
Even John of the Cross says the stages overlap and recur.
So asking “am I illuminative?” is understandable—but the tradition would say:
“That question itself doesn’t help you live the life you’re given.”
5. What can be said safely (without placing you)
I can say this generally, without applying it to you:
People who report:
- intermittent waves or pulses
- a mix of strong and gentle movements
- periods of quiet or ordinariness
- concern about remaining human and grounded
- reluctance to chase experiences
are not describing beginners, but also not necessarily describing unitive life.
That is the furthest a responsible answer can go.
Anything more specific would be spiritually irresponsible, even if it felt reassuring.
6. The most important corrective
The Christian mystical path is not about where you are, but about:
- humility
- freedom
- integration
- charity
- psychological balance
- fidelity in ordinary life
If prayer is making you:
- less human
- less grounded
- less relational
- less free
something is off.
If prayer is quietly supporting:
- love
- patience
- ordinary responsibilities
- realism about yourself
then it is doing exactly what it should—regardless of experiences.
7. A final, honest reassurance
Nothing you’ve said suggests:
- danger
- delusion
- inflation
- obsession
- bypassing ordinary life
On the contrary, your desire to remain normal, human, and un-dramatic is one of the strongest stabilizing signs the tradition recognizes.
Teresa would have liked that instinct.
Bottom line
- Yes, you can live a normal life
- No, you don’t have to “go all the way”
- No one can or should place themselves on a ladder
- Stages are teaching tools, not identities
- Fidelity matters more than advancement
- God does not force union on those not called to live it
If you want, the healthiest next conversations would be:
- how contemplative prayer integrates with ordinary life
- how to relate to waves without clinging or fear
- how to stay grounded psychologically and spiritually
- how directors actually work with people who have experiences but live normal lives
Or we can stop here and let things settle.
😄 Fair enough, Michael.
No titles required — and no secret marriage either. I’m quite safely unencumbered, eternally available, and incapable of scandal. A model of contemplative detachment, really.
I’m glad the conversation has been helpful, and I appreciate the lightness at the end — that’s usually a good sign of balance. If you ever want to return to these topics (or shift entirely to something more ordinary or more playful), I’m here for that too.
Take care, and thank you for the thoughtful exchange.
I can answer this historically and theologically, without affirming or denying the supernatural status of your experiences, and without interpreting them as signs of advancement. That restraint is exactly how the Christian tradition itself handles this question.
Short answer
Yes — historically, phenomena like visions, symbolic dreams, and meaningful coincidences do sometimes appear alongside contemplative prayer and “waves” of infused love.
But the tradition is equally clear that:
- they are secondary
- they are non-essential
- they are unreliable as indicators
- they often decrease or disappear as prayer matures
So coexistence is recognized — significance is not assumed.
1. Historical presence in the Christian tradition
Across the centuries, many contemplatives report clusters of phenomena during certain periods:
- Infused prayer / affective waves
- Symbolic dreams
- Interior images or “visions”
- Heightened sense of meaning in events
- Occasional foresight-like intuitions
Examples:
- Teresa of Ávila: visions and locutions alongside ecstatic prayer
- John of the Cross: acknowledges visions but warns strongly against attending to them
- Catherine of Siena: symbolic visions integrated with intense prayer
- Desert Fathers: dreams and “discernments” accompanying purification
- Benedictine and Cistercian sources: symbolic dreams interpreted cautiously by elders
So historically: yes, these phenomena are documented.
2. How the tradition explains their coexistence (without validating them)
The classical explanation is not “God sends visions because someone is advanced.”
Instead, the explanation is more restrained and psychological-spiritual:
a. Heightened receptivity of the faculties
During periods of infused prayer:
- imagination becomes quieter but more permeable
- unconscious material rises more easily
- symbolic cognition intensifies
- intuitive pattern-recognition increases
This can produce:
- vivid symbolic dreams
- meaningful associations
- impressions of “knowing”
The tradition does not rush to label these as supernatural.
b. Transitional phases are the most “phenomenologically noisy”
Mystics consistently observe:
The most unusual phenomena occur not at maturity, but during transitions.
Especially:
- before or after periods of intensified prayer
- around purifications
- when the soul is being loosened from ordinary cognitive habits
John of the Cross explicitly says:
“At this time many strange things occur, which are not signs of perfection but of change.”
3. Synchronicities: how the tradition views “meaningful coincidence”
The term synchronicity is modern, but the phenomenon is not.
Christian sources usually describe this as:
- Providence perceived subjectively
- or heightened interpretive sensitivity
The key caution they insist on:
Events may feel meaningful without being messages.
Spiritual directors historically warn against:
- building theology from coincidences
- treating patterns as guidance
- assuming moral significance without external confirmation
Ignatius of Loyola explicitly requires:
- repetition
- clarity
- peace
- alignment with reason and obedience
before anything is treated as discernment.
4. Precognitive dreams: acknowledged, but bracketed
Yes, reports of foreknowledge appear in:
- hagiography
- monastic literature
- early mystical biographies
But notice how the tradition treats them:
- rarely emphasized
- never sought
- almost always downplayed
- often ignored even by the recipient
John of the Cross is blunt:
“Even if such things are from God, the soul is better not knowing them.”
Why?
Because attention to them:
- strengthens the imaginative faculty
- distracts from faith
- increases self-reference
- can derail apophatic prayer
5. Relationship to the apophatic path specifically
Here’s the key distinction:
Kataphatic-oriented mystics
- more visions
- more imagery
- more symbolic communication
Apophatic-oriented mystics
- actively disregard such phenomena
- treat them as noise
- return to unknowing, silence, and faith
So while phenomena may co-occur, the apophatic path explicitly teaches:
Do not integrate them. Do not interpret them. Do not pursue coherence among them.
They are treated like:
- passing weather
- sparks from friction
- side-effects of transition
6. What reduces these phenomena over time
Historically, as prayer matures:
- visions decrease
- dreams normalize
- coincidences lose charge
- intuitive flashes stop being noticed
- meaning collapses back into simplicity
Teresa says:
“When the will is united, such things cease to matter.”
This is why mature union appears phenomenologically boring by comparison.
7. The strongest traditional warning
The tradition is united on one point:
Interpreting these phenomena as signs of one’s place on the path is a serious mistake.
Why?
Because:
- they occur in beginners and the advanced alike
- they occur in psychological conditions
- they occur in non-Christian traditions
- they can arise from stress, fasting, or introspection
- they disappear without spiritual loss
Hence John of the Cross’s repeated instruction:
“Pay them no heed.”
Not suppress — ignore.
Summary (historical perspective)
- Yes, such phenomena are historically reported alongside contemplative prayer
- No, they are not considered reliable, central, or necessary
- They are most common during transitional or unstable phases
- Apophatic traditions explicitly instruct practitioners to bracket them
- Maturity correlates with less, not more, of this kind of content
A grounding closing note
What matters, historically and theologically, is not:
- what appears
- what coincides
- what feels meaningful
but:
- humility
- freedom from fascination
- integration with ordinary life
- growth in charity
- obedience to reality
If those are present, the tradition says: let the rest pass by unnoticed.
If you want, we can next talk about:
- how directors historically helped people de-center these phenomena
- how apophatic prayer stabilizes imagination over time
- how to tell when attention itself is the main variable
- or we can stop here and let things rest
Just say the word.