Itinerarium mentis in Deum

Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: he has disposed ascents in his heart, in the valley of tears, in the place which he has set. Since blessedness is nothing else than the fruition of the highest good, and the highest good is above us, no one can be made blessed unless he ascend above himself, not by a bodily ascent but by a cordial one. But we cannot be raised above ourselves except by a higher power raising us. For however much the inner steps are disposed, nothing is done unless the divine aid accompany. And the divine aid accompanies those who ask from the heart, humbly and devoutly; and this is to sigh to him in this valley of tears, which is done by fervent prayer. Prayer, then, is the mother and origin of the uplifting. Hence Dionysius, in the book on Mystical Theology, wishing to instruct us in mental transports, first premises prayer. Let us pray, then, and say to the Lord our God: Lead me, Lord, in thy way, and let me enter into thy truth; let my heart rejoice, that it may fear thy name.

Praying in this prayer, we are enlightened to know the steps of the divine ascent. For since, according to the state of our condition, the whole universe of things is a ladder for ascending to God, and among things some are a footprint, some an image, some corporeal, some spiritual, some temporal, some everlasting, and hence some outside us, some within us: to arrive at considering the first beginning, which is most spiritual and eternal and above us, we must pass through the footprint, which is corporeal and temporal and outside us — and this is to be led in the way of God; we must enter into our mind, which is the image of God, everlasting, spiritual, and within us — and this is to enter into the truth of God; we must pass over to the eternal, most spiritual, and above us, looking to the first beginning — and this is to rejoice in the knowledge of God and the reverence of his majesty.

This, then, is the way of three days in the wilderness; this is the threefold illumination of one day: the first as evening, the second as morning, the third as noon; this regards the threefold existence of things — in matter, in intelligence, and in the eternal art — according to which it was said: let it be made, he made, and it was made; this also regards the threefold substance in Christ, who is our ladder: namely corporeal, spiritual, and divine.

According to this threefold advance, our mind has three principal regards. One is to corporeal things outside, according to which it is called animality or sensuality; another within itself and to itself, according to which it is called spirit; the third above itself, according to which it is called mind. — From all of these it must dispose itself to ascend to God, to love him with the whole mind, the whole heart, and the whole soul, in which consists the perfect observance of the Law, and together with this, Christian wisdom.

But since each of the aforesaid modes is doubled — according as we may consider God as alpha and omega, or inasmuch as we may see God in each of the aforesaid modes as through a mirror and as in a mirror, or because one of these considerations must be mingled with the other joined to it, and must be considered in its purity — hence it is that these three principal steps must ascend to six, so that, just as God in six days perfected the whole world and rested on the seventh, so the lesser world may by six successive illuminating steps be most orderly led to the rest of contemplation. — In figure of this, the throne of Solomon was ascended by six steps; the Seraphim whom Isaiah saw had six wings; after six days the Lord called Moses from the midst of darkness, and after six days, as is said in Matthew, Christ led the disciples up the mountain and was transfigured before them.

According, then, to the six steps of ascent to God, there are six steps of the soul's powers, by which we ascend from the lowest to the highest, from outer things to inner things, from temporal things we ascend to eternal things: namely sense, imagination, reason, intellect, intelligence, and the apex of the mind or the spark of synderesis. These steps we have planted in us by nature, deformed by fault, reformed by grace; to be purged by justice, to be exercised by knowledge, to be perfected by wisdom.

For according to the first institution of nature, man was created fit for the quiet of contemplation, and therefore God placed him in a paradise of delights. But turning himself away from the true light to a changeable good, he himself was bent over by his own fault, and his whole race by original sin, which infected human nature in two ways: namely, ignorance infecting the mind and concupiscence the flesh; so that man, blinded and bent over, sits in darkness and does not see the light of heaven, unless grace with justice comes to his aid against concupiscence, and knowledge with wisdom against ignorance. All of which is done through Jesus Christ, who was made to us by God wisdom and justice and sanctification and redemption. Who, since he is the power of God and the wisdom of God, the incarnate Word full of grace and truth, made grace and truth: that is, he infused the grace of charity, which, since it is from a pure heart and a good conscience and an unfeigned faith, rectifies the whole soul according to its threefold regard aforesaid; he taught the knowledge of truth according to the threefold mode of theology — symbolic, proper, and mystical — so that through the symbolic we may rightly use sensible things, through the proper intelligible things, through the mystical we may be rapt to super-mental transports.

Whoever, then, wills to ascend to God must, shunning the fault that deforms nature, exercise the aforesaid natural powers toward the grace that reforms — and this by prayer; toward the justice that purifies — and this in conduct; toward the knowledge that enlightens — and this in meditation; toward the wisdom that perfects — and this in contemplation. Just as, then, no one comes to wisdom except through grace, justice, and knowledge, so one does not come to contemplation except through perspicuous meditation, holy conduct, and devout prayer. Just as, then, grace is the foundation of rectitude of will and of the perspicuous enlightening of reason, so first we must pray, then live holily, thirdly attend to the sights of truth, and in attending ascend step by step, until we come to the high mountain, where the God of gods is seen in Sion.

Since, then, it is first to ascend and then to descend on Jacob's ladder, let us place the first step of the ascent at the bottom, setting this whole sensible world before us as a mirror through which we may pass over to God, the highest maker, so that we may be true Hebrews passing from Egypt to the land promised to the Fathers, may also be Christians passing with Christ from this world to the Father, and may be lovers of wisdom, which calls and says: Pass over to me, all you who desire me, and be filled with my generations. For from the greatness of the beauty and of the creature the Creator of these things may be knowably seen.

But the highest power and wisdom and benevolence of the Creator shine forth in created things, according as the sense of the flesh announces this threefold to the inner sense. For the sense of the flesh either serves the intellect that inquires rationally, or believes faithfully, or contemplates intellectually. The contemplator considers the actual existence of things, the believer the habitual course of things, the reasoner the potential excellence of things.

In the first mode, the regard of the contemplator, considering things in themselves, sees in them weight, number, and measure: weight as to the place where they incline, number by which they are distinguished, and measure by which they are limited. And thereby it sees in them mode, species, and order, as well as substance, power, and operation. From these one can rise, as from a footprint, to understanding the immense power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator.

In the second mode, the regard of the believer, considering this world, attends to its origin, course, and end. For by faith we believe that the ages were fitted by the Word of life; by faith we believe that the times of the three laws — of nature, of Scripture, and of grace — succeed one another and have run most orderly; by faith we believe that the world is to be ended by the final judgment: noting in the first the power, in the second the providence, in the third the justice of the highest beginning.

In the third mode, the regard of the rational inquirer sees that some things only are, some are and live, some are, live, and discern; and the first are lesser, the second middle, the third better. — It sees again that some things are only corporeal, some partly corporeal and partly spiritual; whence it notes that some are merely spiritual, as better and worthier than both. — It sees nonetheless that some are changeable and corruptible, as earthly things, some changeable and incorruptible, as heavenly things; whence it notes that some are unchangeable and incorruptible, as super-heavenly things. From these visible things, then, it rises to consider the power, wisdom, and goodness of God as being, living, and understanding, merely spiritual and incorruptible and unchangeable.

But this consideration is expanded according to the sevenfold condition of creatures, which is a sevenfold testimony of the divine power, wisdom, and goodness, if one considers the origin, magnitude, multitude, beauty, fullness, operation, and order of all things. — For the origin of things according to creation, distinction, and adornment, as regards the works of the six days, preaches the divine power producing all things from nothing, the wisdom lucidly distinguishing all things, and the goodness lavishly adorning all things. — But the magnitude of things according to the mass of length, breadth, and depth; according to the excellence of power extending itself far, wide, and deep, as is plain in the diffusion of light; according to the efficacy of an intimate, continuous, and diffused operation, as is plain in the operation of fire, manifestly indicates the immensity of the power, wisdom, and goodness of the triune God, who exists uncircumscribed in all things by power, presence, and essence. — But the multitude of things according to general, special, and individual diversity in substance, in form or figure, and in efficacy, beyond all human estimation, manifestly insinuates and shows the immensity of the three aforesaid conditions in God. — But the beauty of things according to the variety of lights, figures, and colors in simple, mixed, and even composite bodies — as in heavenly bodies and minerals, as in stones and metals, plants and animals — evidently proclaims the three aforesaid. — But the fullness of things, according as matter is full of forms by seminal reasons, form is full of power by active potency, power is full of effects by efficiency, manifestly declares the same. — The manifold operation, according as it is natural, according as it is artificial, according as it is moral, by its most manifold variety shows the immensity of that power, art, and goodness, which is to all the cause of being, the reason of understanding, and the order of living. — But order according to the reason of duration, of situation, and of influence — namely through prior and posterior, higher and lower, nobler and baser — insinuates manifestly in the book of the creature the primacy, sublimity, and dignity of the first beginning as regards the infinity of power; but the order of the divine laws, precepts, and judgments in the book of Scripture, the immensity of wisdom; but the order of the divine sacraments, benefits, and retributions in the body of the Church, the immensity of goodness, so that this very order most evidently leads us to the first and highest, most powerful, most wise, and best.

Whoever, then, is not enlightened by so many splendors of created things is blind; whoever is not awakened by so many clamors is deaf; whoever does not praise God for all these effects is mute; whoever does not note the first beginning from so many signs is foolish. — Open, then, thine eyes, bring near thy spiritual ears, loose thy lips and apply thy heart, that in all creatures thou mayest see, hear, praise, love, and worship thy God, magnify and honor him, lest perchance the whole world rise up against thee. For on this account the world shall fight against the senseless, and contrariwise to the wise it shall be matter of glory, who according to the Prophet can say: Thou hast delighted me, Lord, in thy making, and I shall exult in the works of thy hands. How great are thy works, O Lord! Thou hast made all things in wisdom; the earth is filled with thy possession.