ABSTRACT
We return to a study of the mystical life-process—The swing-back from illumination—The Dark Night—(i) Its psychological character—A period of psychic fatigue—Reaction from the strain of mystical lucidity—The sorting-house of the spiritual life—Its on-set is gradual—Madame Guyon—A state of mental chaos—The transition to new levels of consciousness—Mystical adolescence—Psycho-spiritual parallelism—Augustine Baker—(2) Its mystical character—Takes many forms—Emotional, Intellectual, Volitional—A completion of Purgation—The final purification of selfhood—The passage from Luna to Sol—Always painful—Its principal forms—(a) The loss of the presence of God—St. John of the Cross—Madame Guyon—Extinction of the transcendental consciousness—(b) The acute sense of imperfection—St. John of the Cross—(c) Loss of mystic feeling—Spiritual ennui—Ruysbroeck—(d) Intellectual impotence—Loss of will-power—St. Teresa—(e) The pain of God, or dark ecstasy—St. Teresa—All these are aspects of one state—The purification of the whole Personality—An episode in character building—Essential to the attainment of Reality—William Law—Surrender—St. Catherine of Siena—Adaptation to environment—St. John of the Cross—A process beyond the self’s control—Self-naughting—Spiritual Poverty—Tauler—The Dark an incident of the movement to union—Its gradual disappearance—Madame Guyon—An “example from life”— Suso—Reasons for this choice—His entrance on the night—The Vision of the Upper School—The Vision of Knighthood—His education in manliness—The ideal of spiritual chivalry—The final trial—Its human characteristics—Suso and the Baby—The last crisis—The act of surrender—The passing of the Dark Night
