The Spiritual Guide

work by Molinos

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July 14, 2026

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The Spiritual Guide is a work by Miguel de Molinos, a Spanish priest who advocated for an extreme form of Quietism. This doctrine, considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church, posits that spiritual perfection is achieved through passivity of the soul, allowing divine action to fully operate. Molinos taught that individuals must surrender their will to God, believing that any personal action or desire is an offense. He suggested that the soul enters a state of "dark faith," where it is purified and transformed into the divine being. Molinos's teachings were condemned by Pope Innocent XI in 1687, and he was imprisoned for life.12

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Christianity
Western Catholic Christianity
…Molinos, author of the popular Spiritual Guide (1675), was condemned for his doctrine of the “One Act,” that is, the teaching that the will, once fixed on God in contemplative prayer, cannot lose its union with the divine. In France Mme Guyon and her adviser, François Fénelon, archbishop of Cambrai,…
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…Molinos, author of the popular Spiritual Guide (1675), was condemned for his doctrine of the “One Act,” that is, the teaching that the will, once fixed on God in contemplative prayer, cannot lose its union with the divine. In France Mme Guyon and her adviser, François Fénelon, archbishop of Cambrai,…
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Miguel de Molinos
…in 1675, he published his Spiritual Guide, a small handbook teaching that Christian perfection is achieved by a mixture of contemplation and divine assistance. Molinos believed that humans must banish their individual wills so that God’s will can work unhampered within them.
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…in 1675, he published his Spiritual Guide, a small handbook teaching that Christian perfection is achieved by a mixture of contemplation and divine assistance. Molinos believed that humans must banish their individual wills so that God’s will can work unhampered within them.
Read More