"All these varieties of dispositions and ways may commodiously enough be reduced to two ranks, to wit, Active and Contemplative spirits: both which aspire to a perfection of union in spirit with God by perfect love; and for that purpose make use of the same means necessary to that end, to wit, mortification and prayer. But yet the manner both of their union and prayer is very different."
— Augustine Baker (1575–1641) · English Benedictine Monk✦ Two Paths, One Destination
Baker divides souls into two broad types — not to rank them, but to explain why the journey looks different for different people while tending to the same end.
Active spirits need images, reasoning, and internal discourse to reach God. They think their way to Him — building motives, constructing arguments, engaging the imagination. They are drawn to outward works of charity. Their devotion is vigorous, tender, full of feeling. But Baker says it is less pure and spiritual — not because it is bad, but because it depends on the senses.
Contemplative spirits seek God in the obscurity of faith — without images, without reasoning, with simplicity and quiet. They are drawn inward, not outward. Their mortifications are invisible, penetrating to the secret places of the heart. And their union with God is more strict and immediate — a love Baker calls more masculine, pure, and divine.
"Others are naturally of a propension to seek God in the obscurity of faith, with a more profound introversion of spirit, and without the use of grosser images, yet with far greater simplicity, purity, and efficacy."
— Augustine Baker · The contemplative soul seeks God in silence, not in images"Although the propensions of some souls to contemplation were never so strong, yet at their first entrance into a spiritual course they will seem to be of an active, extroverted temper.
The reason is, because by their former secular, negligent, and extroverted life, their mind is so filled and painted all over with the images of creatures, and their hearts so disordered and divided with inordinate affections and passions, that the will alone has not power to expel the said images and to assuage the said passions; so that there is a necessity of introducing good images to expel the vain and bad ones, and of inventing motives to quiet passions by diverting them upon God.
But this being once done by the exercises proper to an active life (which to such souls will not need to last long), they thenceforwards are to betake themselves to the quiet, solitary, spiritual exercises of a contemplative life."
— Augustine Baker (1575–1641)✦ Everyone Starts in the Clutter
Even the most contemplative soul begins looking like an active one. The mind is cluttered — painted over with the images of the world. The heart is divided by disordered affections. And so the soul must start with meditation: good images to push out the bad, reasoning to quiet the passions, the bee resting on the flower to draw out the nectar.
But once the clutter clears, the contemplative soul moves on to what is natural to it: quiet, solitude, the interior silence. In Guyon's language: the active phase is blowing the fire; the contemplative phase is when the fire catches and you stop blowing. In Bowen's language: the active phase is studying the Word; the contemplative phase is when the Word becomes presence.
"I was raised an atheist but respectful of God. I knew nothing, did nothing, and my imagination was attached to the world. The world was a good place until it wasn't. Cluttered my mind and heart until I heard God call me — no reason for Him to do so, but He did."
✦ No Reason, but He Did
Baker's cluttered mind painted over with images of the world — that was the starting point. An atheist's mind. Respectful but empty. Knowing nothing of the interior life, the contemplative path, the holy of holies within. And God called into that clutter. Not because the mind was ready. Not because the heart was clean. Because He wanted to. John 15:16 — you did not choose Me, but I chose you.
The 500 denari creditor did not forgive because the debtor had a plan to repay. The injured Prince came near to those who had resolved to yield Him nothing. The Shepherd quit His throne and took a crook. And a woman raised without God heard His voice and turned — from without to within, from the cluttered mind to the contemplative heart, from the world that was a good place until it wasn't, to the God who was always good and always calling.
Baker describes the journey. Le has walked it. The active phase — learning the Word, studying the images, letting good replace bad — gave way over years to what was always natural to the soul: the quiet, the silence, the presence. "I never have a prayer list. I expect to be led by the Holy Spirit." That is the contemplative disposition, arrived at through the active doorway, and sustained by the grace that called in the first place.
Active Spirits
Need images, reasoning, discourse to reach God. Drawn to outward works. Vigorous feeling. The starting point for every cluttered mind — good images replacing bad, motives quieting passions.
Contemplative Spirits
Seek God in the obscurity of faith. Simplicity, quiet, profound introversion. No images needed. The fire has caught. The blowing stops. The union is more strict, more immediate, more pure.
No Reason, but He Did
An atheist's mind, cluttered with the world. God called anyway. The 500 denari debt forgiven. The active doorway opened to a contemplative life. Baker describes the journey. Le has walked it.