This is proved by what happens to lovers; so far as their eyes remain
fixed on a sense-object, they do not yet love genuinely. Love is born
only when they rise above the sense-object, and arrive at representing
in their indivisible soul an image which has nothing more of sensation.
To calm the ardor that devours them they do indeed still desire to
contemplate the beloved object; but as soon as they come to understand
that they have to rise to something beyond the form, they desire the
latter; for since the very beginning they felt within themselves the
love for a great light inspired by a feeble glow. The Shape indeed is
the trace of the shapeless. Without himself having any shape, He begets
shape whenever matter approaches Him. Now matter must necessarily be
very distant from Him, because matter does not possess forms of even
the last degree. Since form inherent in matter is derived from the
soul, not even mere form-fashioned matter is lovable in itself, as
matter; and as the soul herself is a still higher form, but yet is
inferior to and less lovable than intelligence, there is no escape from
the conclusion that the primary nature of the Beautiful is superior to
form.
THE FORMLESSNESS OF THE SUPREME IS PROVED BY THE FACT THAT THE SOUL
WHEN APPROACHING HIM SPONTANEOUSLY RIDS HERSELF OF FORMS.
34. We shall not be surprised that the soul's liveliest transports of
love are aroused by Him, who has no form, not even an intelligible one,
when we observe that the soul herself, as soon as she burns with love
for Him, lays aside all forms soever, even if intelligible; for it is
impossible to approach Him so long as one considers anything else. The
soul must therefore put aside all evil, and even all good; in a word,
everything, of whatever nature, to receive the divinity, alone with the
alone. When the soul obtains this happiness, and when (the divinity)
comes to her, or rather, when He manifests His presence, because the
soul has detached herself from other present things, when she has
embellished herself as far as possible, when she has become assimilated
to Him by means known only to the initiated, she suddenly sees Him
appear in her. No more interval between them, no more doubleness; the
two fuse in one. It is impossible to distinguish the soul from the
divinity, so much does she enjoy His presence; and it is the intimacy
of this union that is here below imitated by those who love and are
loved, when they consummate union. In this condition the soul no longer
feels (her body); she no more feels whether she be alive, human,
essence, universality, or anything else. Consideration of objects
would be a degradation, and the soul then has neither the leisure nor
the desire to busy herself with them. When, after having sought the
divinity, she finds herself in His presence, she rushes towards Him,
and contemplates Him instead of herself.[140] What is her condition at
the time? She has not the leisure to consider it; but she would not
exchange it for anything whatever, not even for the whole heaven; for
there is nothing superior or better; she could not rise any higher.
As to other things, however elevated they be, she cannot at that time
stoop to consider them. It is at this moment that the soul starts to
move, and recognizes that she really possesses what she desired; she at
last affirms that there is nothing better than Him. No illusion could
occur there; for where could she find anything truer than truth itself?
The soul then is what she affirms; (or rather), she asserts it (only),
later, and then she asserts it by keeping silence. While tasting this
beatitude she could not err in the assertion that she tastes it. If
she assert that she tastes it, it is not that her body experiences an
agreeable titillation, for she has only become again what she formerly
used to be when she became happy. All the things that formerly charmed
her, such as commanding others, power, wealth, beauty, science, now
seem to her despicable; she could not scorn them earlier, for she had
not met anything better. Now she fears nothing, so long as she is with
Him, and contemplates Him. Even with pleasure would she witness the
destruction of everything, for she would remain alone with Him; so
great is her felicity.