Of the Proposal of the Mystery; Third Point of the Preparation.
After these two ordinary points of preparation, there is a third, which is not common to all kinds of meditation, and which is called either the composition of place or the interior representation. It is nothing other than a certain exercise of the imagination, by which one forms a picture of the mystery or event upon which one meditates, as though it were actually taking place before our eyes. For example, if you wish to meditate upon Our Lord upon the Cross, you will imagine yourself to be on Mount Calvary, and to witness all that was said and done on the day of the Passion; or again, which comes to the same thing, you will imagine that, in the very place where you are, the crucifixion of Our Lord is taking place, with all the circumstances described by the Evangelists. I say the same when you meditate upon death, as I have indicated in the meditation concerning it, and likewise when you meditate upon hell, or upon any other such subject involving things visible and sensible: for as to the others, which treat of invisible things, such as the greatness of God, the excellence of the virtues, and the end of our creation, there is no question of seeking to employ this method. It is true that one may also use certain comparisons to make the considerations easier, but this too has its difficulties, and I wish to deal with you very simply, and in such a way that your mind be not too wearied by inventions. Now, by means of the imagination, we confine our mind within the mystery upon which we wish to meditate, and thus prevent it from wandering here and there, much as one does with a bird that is shut up in a cage, or with a falcon tethered by its jesses so that it may remain upon the fist. Some will nevertheless tell you that, in representing the mysteries, it is better to use the simple thought of faith and the simple vision of the mind, or else to consider that these things take place within your mind. But this is too subtle for the beginning; and until God raises you higher, I advise you, Philothea, to remain simply in the lowly valley which I point out to you.