From St. John of the Cross and Dr. C. J. Jung, Part III, Chapter 7. Inner Growth Books, 1986.

Temptations and Contemplation

 It is possible to view the beginning of contemplation from the energetic standpoint as well. The prayer of beginners that was summed up under the headings of meditation and sensible spirituality is characterized by a certain harmony. The beginner has turned from the world which denied outlet to his spiritual aspiration and has found a new situation in which he experiences a vital feeling of satisfaction by attaining a viewpoint that comprises both God and the things of sense. This conversion stage is not simply the denial of the world and an embracing of the spiritual; in a very real way it is a harmony of the spiritual and sensible where God feels close and the spiritual world yields sensible satisfaction. The beginner experiences sensible delights in the pursuit of his spiritual goals. The tension between God and the world has been overcome and the two opposites, both sense and spirit, are working together.

Unfortunately, as pleasant as this state is, it cannot last. St. John is adamant in asserting that since God transcends what can be attained by any of the human faculties, then spiritual progress demands leaving the knowledge that can come through these faculties and proceeding by faith. The glorious wholeness that was experienced in the sensible analogate of mystical experience begins to fade. Both St. John and St. Teresa describe this transformation in terms of water imagery, which also played a role in Jung's description of psychic energy.