Spiritual lust (Christianity)

When a beginner on the journey of the spirit is overcome with desire for the pleasures of this world arising from the spirit he is said to suffer from spiritual lust. These pleasures may be of any sensual nature, sexual, comfort, beauty, quiet or hundreds of others. Often this happens in the midst of a spiritual or religious exercise, such as meditating, contemplating, participating in a sacrament or praying deeply, when they have no power to stop it. The non-spiritual dimension of their life takes over and impure acts or deeds result. Spiritual lust has three causes. The first is that in the midst of these activities the individual experiences great delight and pleasure and the non-spiritual dimension interprets the experience in a sensual way. The individual while hating these rebellious thoughts and feelings is nevertheless aware of them. The second reason is the devil brings these impure thoughts and feelings to consciousness and if heeded can cause great harm. Some people out of fear of these things becomes careless about prayer and may stop to avoid them. This is of course what the devil wants. The third source of these experiences is the fear of having impure thoughts and feelings. Some individuals have their most profound spiritual experience within sight of others because they are driven by their devotion of being noticed by others. Friendship made out of enjoying the company of the other and in which the memory and love of God does not grow but causes remorse instead is another form of spiritual lust. Love of the other that begins as lust will end as lust.

This is an imperfection of beginners in the Dark Night by St John of the Cross.