Good day to you my brother and sisters. The Buster and I are in our apartment doing our own seperate things. Me as you can guess on the keyboard. Buster, I expect you would be able to guess , in a month of Sundays, is curled up asleep. This gives me opportunity and time to share some more writing with you by Caroline Myss;
CHARACTERISTICS OF MYSTICAL
EXPERIENCES
The divine comes upon or speaks to the soul unexpectedly. In the Sixth Mansion, you open yourself to mystical encouters or visitations but you do not expect them. Teresa never expected any of her experiences with God, and this teaching of no expectations is among her most important contributions. Even though these raptures can seem miraculous, Teresa cautions us not to expect miracles. Stay mindful of your limitations; stay humble. You are a vessel, a conduit for grace, not a generator.
One characteristic of the mystical experience is the pain that is not a pain, a sensual, mystical fire that ignites within the soul. The fire takes you over, but, just before the point where you feel that you are about to burst into flames, it goes out, leaving you wanting more of God. The experience ends as instantly as it began, lasting only seconds, not minutes. Another, similar expereince is to feel as if you suddenly burst into flames and a powerful fragrance has engulfed you and spread through your senses. Unlike the pain that is not a pain, this mystical experience activates a divine fire of love.
The divine may also speak to the soul through intellectual visions. These transmissions are in absolutely clear words that are spoken "even though He speaksthem in secret." During an intellectual vision, you are disconnected from the world, and though the soul is able to remember the revelation in every detail, you cannot communicate it verbally. This is a deeper, more personal experience than in earlier mansions when the divine appeared in signs or symbols that you had to interpret. These visions are not fleeting or volitional. During a true vision, a powerful stirring occurs and then suddenly everything goes quiet. Without any effort on the soul`s part, wisdom overcomes unconsciousness and certainty replaces all doubt. Teresa also describes visual revelations, or imaginative visions, which she says are useful because they match up more with our animal nature; our senses are engaged.
In intellectual visions, the soul suddenly feels the presence of God beside her, not with the five senses but through the intellect. According to Teresa, deception is not possible in an intellectual vision. The effects it creates inside the soul are so beneficial that the spirit of evil could never be responsible for them. Goodness flows from the vision. This experience could not be the result of a mental imblance, either, because the results are too glorious. The soul is awash with a profuound serenity and left with a special knowledge of God. God alerts you that he is always beside you. The constancy of devine companionship gives rise to a most tender love for God, awakening a more profound purity of consciousness because the prsence at you side makes your soul more sensitive to everything.
The still, small voice is a common way through which God speaks to us. Yet, many times I have suspected that the voice people tell me they heard was simply their imagination, because the details and demands were fairly earthbound, Every now and again, though, I meet someone who radiates a certain grace that indicates a rich inner life. Now, as ever, if you ask for inner guidance, you are going to receive inner guidance And it will come through your interior channels. A letter will not drop out of the sky into your lap; the phone will not ring with God on the other end, you will not be transported into the next phase of your life without effort.
The Bible and other sacred literature are filled with stories of spiritual voices, from Moses and the burning bush to Mary receiving the message that she was avout to become mother of Jesus. People have told me countless wonderful stories of a voice that told them to sell their homes, or quit their jobs, or that they would marry the man or woman they were with. Two women told me that they heard a voice tell them that, regardless of what the medical tests said, they would indeed get pregnant. And they did.
People often ask me, "I am praying for guidance, but I don`t hear anything. What am I doing wrong?" I have even had people say they must be using the wrong prayers, as if prayers were magical spells. Many people receive responses to their prayers through intuition rather than a direct communication from God, which can be overwhelming. You need a ferocious degree of stamina in order to deal with both the experience of guidance and the message. You need to trust in the authenticity of your experiences and unconditionally trust in God.
Teresa, one of God`s great conspirators, heard the voice of God in many expressions. The five characteristics of a genuine spiritual voice are as valid today as they were a half millennium ago:
1) It is so clear that the soul remembers every word as well as the tone. The messages carry divine power and authority.
2) It is unexpected. Frequently, these messages come when we are preoccupied with other thoughts, and they so thoroughly eclipse the usual mind-body conversation that they jolt us into paying attention. They often reveal a future that the soul never believed could or would happen. Imagination cannot make that up if it`s never accourred to the mind. Because this communication interferes with the rational mind`s preoccupations, it is a strong indication that the communication is not self-generated.
The message also converts into powerful action for good. Imagine a time when you were sad ou upset by something. If a person who truly does not care about you says, "Oh, things will be okay. Don`t worry about it," you would feel no comfort at all. But if someone you love and trust says, "Be not troubled," you would feel that she was sent by God to deliver that message to you.
Many people have shared stories with me of how a dear person happened to show up at the right time, delivering just the right message, a coincidence that they viewed as divinely choreographed, Teresa would hear, "It is I, fear not," during some of her more troubled moments
and would be well. to be continued at number 3
********************************************************
It is time, my fellow travellers in space and time, to bid you goodbye for now. If it is meant by the grace of God for me to continue this writing about an inner path to God and Our Souls, then I assure you this is my desire.
May the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, be with you now and always.
Your brother Peter.
No comments:
Post a Comment