The goal of prayer is to hear the voice of the Lord and to follow it. In order to do this, God has given the
soul spiritual senses, just as the body has physical senses. These spiritual senses allow us to contemplate God
deeply and enable us to “see,” “hear,” “taste,” “touch,” and “breathe in the fragrance” of God (St. Ignatius
of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 121–26). Our imagination is the faculty God created within us that allows
us to tap into these spiritual senses. However, it is important to make a distinction in prayer between real
imagination and fantasy. Authentic spiritual imagination communicates truth, whereas fantasy seeks selfish
consolation. An imagination filled with false images can prevent us from living in the truth and using the
senses of the soul fully. For this reason, we need to invite God to heal our imagination through prayer. As
we grow in our journey of prayer, these spiritual senses become important in navigating spiritual consolation
and spiritual desolation and can enable us to practice discernment of spirits. The discernment of spirits
allows us to become aware of these spiritual movements, understand them, and take action accordingly.
We can then respond appropriately in prayer and draw closer to God in both states of spiritual consolation
and spiritual desolation.