Science of Ecstasy
In the inner cellar
Of my Beloved have I drunk; and when I went forth
Over all the plain
I knew nothing,
And lost the flock I followed before.
There He taught me the science full of sweetness.
And there I gave to Him
Myself without reserve;
There I promised to be His bride.
My soul is occupied,
And all my substance in His service;
Now I guard no flock,
Nor have I any other employment:
My sole occupation is love.
If, then, on the common land
I am no longer seen or found,
You will say that I am lost;
That, being enamoured,
I lost myself; and yet was found.
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I have quitted all forms of devotion and set prayers but those to which my state obliges me. And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to GOD, which I may call an actual presence of GOD; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with GOD, which often causes in me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to moderate them, and prevent their appearance to others.
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Psalm 23:5
Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!
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Ekstasis – a throwing of the mind out of its normal state, alienation of mind, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God.
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Thy shall be inebreiated with the plenty of thy house and thou shall make them drink from the torrent of thy pleasure.
While seeking God in this way, the soul becomes conscious that it is fainting almost completely away, in a kind of swoon, with an exceedingly great and sweet joy. It gradually ceases to breathe and all its bodily strength begins to fail it; it cannot even move its hand without great pain; its eyes involuntarily close, or, if they remain open, they can hardly see. If a person reads in this state, he can scarcely make out a single letter. It is as much as he can do to recognize one. He sees that there are letters, but as the understanding offers no help he can not read them, even if he wants too. The ears hears; but what is heard is not comprehended. The senses are of no use whatsoever, except to hinder the soul from taking its pleasure; and so they rather hurt it. It is useless to try to speak, because it is not possible to conceive a word; nor, if it were conceived, is there strength sufficient to utter it; for all bodily strength vanishes, and that of the soul increases, to enable it the better to have the fruition of its joy. The outward joy now felt is great and most perceptible.
This prayer, however long it may last, does no harm – at least, it has never done any harm to me; nor do I remember, however ill I might have been when our Lord granted me this grace and had mercy upon me in this way, that I ever felt the worse for it – on the contrary, I was always better afterwards. Ecstasy.
