CHAPTER II.

How the stillness of the soul is an effective means to approach God, and what harm the flying fantasies cause us.

One might ask / how does one arrive at the point / where one enjoys God / and drinks from the Fountain of Life? Listen to what David said: My soul is silent before God, who helps me A paraphrase of Psalm 62:1.. Therefore, whoever wishes to be helped / and to taste the Fountain of graces / must first lay aside the worldly desire begeerlykheid In this period, this refers not just to "lust," but to any strong attachment or craving for worldly things that pulls the soul away from God. / through which he is tossed back and forth. This desire arises from fantasies original: "fantasien." In 17th-century spiritual writing, "fantasies" or "imaginations" were seen as distracting mental images and stray thoughts that prevent the mind from being still and focused on the divine. / whose imaginative power is never left idle: but the soul gemoed A Dutch term encompassing the mind, heart, and soul; the seat of emotions and spiritual focus. is drawn into unrest by them / which cannot be overcome except through settling down and stillness / just as one quiets a child that has been troubled by vanity original: "ydelheid." Here meaning frivolous or empty things that over-stimulate a child.. This quieting occurs by presenting something sweet or good / in order to make the lesser thing yield to the greater / or at the very last, the mother’s breasts are given / to make all else forgotten through immediate enjoyment The author uses a nursing metaphor to describe "spiritual tasting" or direct mystical experience, which makes the soul forget worldly distractions..