The initial inspiration for this series is based upon a book (The Doctrine of the Void as Propounded by St. John of the Cross and as Viewed in the Light of Thomistic Principles, 1955) by Rev. Leonard McCann (1908-1966). This was his Doctoral-Thesis based on the works of St. John of the Cross. What he provided in its pages are actual Bullet-Points incorporating the nature of the Void in relationship to the saints spirituality and works under each heading, for example, Memory and the Void, Various effects of the Void, Beginners and the Void, etc.—all in aphoristic fashion. This blog follows suit and has provided a version in light of the Unborn. Unfortunately, the book is long out of print and I only hope to do it justice in light of our subject matter.
The Void of the Matter….
The Void in question here is the privation, purgation, and mortification of all things captivated by the fleshy appetites. In the void, the mind (soul) is thus liberated from external things and all forms of mad desires and imperfections stemming from an overreliance upon the skandhic apparatus that is nothing more than dreams of the clouded reasoning and imaginative faculties. The void institutes an orientation towards assistance from divine agencies.
The Void and the Night…
Voidness can be likened to a Dark Night that is subdivided into three phases: twilight, midnight, and dawn. Twilight-time is a gradual withdrawal of sensual allures and desires stemming from the sensate realm of man. After this twilight-time the soul enters into the sweet darkness of midnight wherein Right Discernment points the way to disassociation and actual divorce from all things apparently risen and all things apparently gone in the womb of rebecoming. Finally the dawn arrives on the horizon of the Unborn and Unbecoming as Divine Union takes effect.
Necessity of the Void…
The reason that Voidness is necessary in order to incur Divine Union is that two-contraries cannot co-exist in the human subject. Affections which are darkness, is contrary to the Unborn THAT is Light. Hence, the adept who refuses to relinquish sensual appetites cannot ever hope to confect pure transformation and transcendence in the Unborn.
Voidness leaves the Soul Tomblike…
Wearing the mantle of Voidness means that all creature-comforts and associations must be put to death, this includes affections for oneself. Being self-empty of all sentient attributes is the only remedy for ascension into unknown modes of being.
The Void and Relinquishment…
As Union is conferred Voidness excludes all ways and methods of understanding, experience or feeling. As a result the soul is immersed in the Unborn, absorbed as such in the trackless infinite of the Void. This is rewarded upon the Man of the Unborn who wholeheartedly and unequivocally seeks guidance from authentic and legitimate Divine Agencies that reveal the path of such liberation.
Right Virtue and the Void…
Through perseverance in the Recollective Resolve and continued mortification of the appetites the soul is self-congratulatory in transcending all the affairs of the human state. This must also include mortification of all spiritual faculties and inferences as well.
Knowledge and the Void…
No knowledge, whether of natural or supernatural origin, can serve as a proximate means to union with the Unborn. Voidness Alone is sufficient.
The Void and Contemplation…
Right Contemplation is the sole vehicle through which Voidness inspires and leads the soul into arcane gnosis that is the fruit of the Unborn industry. IT points to Itself and no-thing more.
Imagination and the Void…
In like fashion the faculty of the imagination must also be liberated from all images and forms whether they be of natural or supernatural origin. The reason being that they cannot serve as proximate means to union with the Unborn. This is because the imagination can only function on what it has first experienced in the sensate realm.
The Void and Meditation…
In order to be drawn to the Higher and Absolute the soul must first learn to be detached from all forms of mental prayer or focusing postures. They can only point to the Higher Realms but fail to administer the Self-Realization that can only emanate from the Void THAT is devoid of all attributes. In other words the soul is in need of another food that consists in not playing-around with the imagination, but rather subduing all such faculties in order to Incur Right Reliance of one’s own intuitive resources that is only possible by means of Infused Contemplation.
The Void is not a state of idleness…
The abandonment of all discursive meditations does not leave the soul sitting alone in idleness in the void. Rather one’s spiritual faculties are enhanced and readied for ultimate union that can only be conferred if one takes Responsible Action in being occupied in the Contemplative task at hand. There is no room for careless self-abandonment since the soul does have a part to play in accepting the privilege of Divine Unification.
The Void in Exceptional Cases…
In rare cases the Unborn absolves the soul from any grasping after even spiritual initiatives. In such instances the soul perceives neither darkness in spirit or light, yea all is only Absolute Voidness. Here the soul encounters great forgetfulness so that it remembers not what it has done and is completely unaware of the passage of time itself.
The Void and the State of Spiritual Perfection…
Infused Contemplation is not an instance of intellectual or appetitive paralysis, but one of receptive acceptance and understanding of things not discovered under its own impetus, but a reception of what has been given it through divine agencies. As a consequence, when the void expels all excessive disturbances the soul’s transformation follows through as matter of course.
Visions Excluded by the Void…
All imaginary apprehensions or visions procured by the reasoning or imaginative faculties are produced by both divine and diabolical operations. Hence, it is best that the soul turns a blind eye to all such occurrences. This does not exclusively mean that the Way of the Void is the only course to be pursued when assaulted by such occurrences, but be mindful that they are assaults and usually not initiated by legitimate spiritual agencies. Thus it is best to ignore them when they occur. Always remember that they are not essential to spiritual progress and are an actual hindrance rather than a benefit.
The Memory and the Void…
There are three forms of knowledge which emanate from the memory: natural and supernatural, imaginary and spiritual. Thus the soul must be void of everything that pertains to this three-fold function in the memory. The gnosis incurred here is that the soul grows in its understanding of what the Unborn is not. For the Unborn Spirit teaches the soul what it ought to know and to forget that which it should forget.
The Void and the Docility to the Divine Initiative…
The voiding of the faculties is akin to this in order that the soul may be disposed and drawn to the Unborn habitually, devoid of all hindrances that arise due to natural modes of operation.
Purgative Contemplation and the Void…
In this purification by means of dark purgative contemplation two voids are produced in the soul: the one of sense and the one of spirit. The voiding of sense incurs Right Action in the removal of phenomenal vexations and the voiding of spirit incurs Right Realization that discerns all extrasensory blessings which open the door to unification.
The Void and Spiritual Humility…
Self-surrender is a prerequisite for the divine influence of the infused arid contemplation which imparts supernal truths that the Voidmind alone can muster.
Spiritual Light and the Void…
During the Dark Night the soul becomes paralyzed and finds itself wrapped in profound obliviousness. This is due to being self-emptied and reduced to nothing; the only avenue left is to wait upon Unborn Light Itself to lead the aspirant out of this endless maze of confused misery.
The Void’s Recompense…
In wonderful virtue of this spiritual light the soul learns to adapt to all circumstances. This is the beginning of a most supreme and undivided wisdom which offers a keen penetration into the nature of all things, both human and divine; it’s time for the soul to be rewarded for its fidelity and humility.
The Void and Supernatural Transformation…
The marvelous Dark Infused Contemplation is directly akin to Voidness Itself. The return home has occurred and one Self-realizes that the soul has not really left home in the first place. The Void looks upon the Void for nothing else ever was.